Both the BJs and the Kings were playing the second of back-to-back games tonight and both teams elected to play their starting netminders despite both of them playing the previous night. The decisions shine a light on two things: 1. Neither the BJs nor the Kings can be seen as easy opponents and that playing against either team will not result in an automatic 2 points, and 2. Neither Erik Ersberg nor Mathieu Garon have played well enough in previous start(s) to allow the starters a night off.
Of the two starting goaltenders, Steve Mason definitely looked the most suspect after allowing 2 goals on 2 shots 49 seconds apart. Jonathan Quick looked solid at the beginning of the game and kept the Kings up by 2 after stopping Rick Nash on a penalty shot. He looked so calm during the penalty shot and stayed with Nash the entire time, in position to make a blocker save.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Kings v. Coyotes: let's not fail this time
The Kings have so much trouble playing against the Glendale Phoenix Coyotes. Let's hope tonight's game is a high energy disciplined game. Check my twitter feed for updates on the game. Also, KingsCast, LA Kings Insider, and View from My Seats appear to be tweeting during the game as well.
Then check back after the game for a review of the game.
Then check back after the game for a review of the game.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Kings 1, BJs 4: so disappointing
What is wrong with the Kings power play? The problem with only using one defenseman on the power play is the risk of the opposition breaking out and being able to completely undress a forward who has to undertake complete defensive responsibilities. Williams got schooled twice in this game, one of which led to Rick Nash's short-handed goal. I don't place blame on Williams because he's a forward and I don't think there's a forward on the Kings roster who could have broken up that play.
But using only one defenseman on the power play wasn't the only fault to the Kings' issues while playing with the man advantage since they had much success in the first handful of games this season. Unfortunately the chemistry they had earlier in the season hasn't continued as they've faced teams with solid PK units.
(AP Photo)
But using only one defenseman on the power play wasn't the only fault to the Kings' issues while playing with the man advantage since they had much success in the first handful of games this season. Unfortunately the chemistry they had earlier in the season hasn't continued as they've faced teams with solid PK units.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
2009 Oct 15 - Kings v. Red Wings - Live Blog
Just got home from work and it's the first intermission. Kings up 1-0. Stay tuned for a live blog of the remaining two periods.
Second Period
20:00 awww....there's Brad Stuart!
18:45 - is any team going to take control? uh-oh, Davis Drewiske in the Box.
18:23 - yikes, an f'ing rocket from the blueline by Lidstrom. BTW, how old is that guy??
17:30 - My heart stopped; Bertuzzi hit the post....karmas a bitch isn't it Big Bert?
17:15 - 2-on-1, Doughty all alone
16:42 - Huh, Jason Williams and Justin Williams. That's not confusing at all.
16:26 - crappity crap crap, Wings just tied it. What the...hold on...the Kings get someone kicked out of the faceoff circle and the replacement is Peter HARROLD?! Well, of course he's going to lose the faceoff. Great choice guys.
14:24 - this here some messy hockey, but the Wings have had the better chances and are applying more pressure. I think the only shot on goal the Kings have this period was a shorthanded light backhand shot.
12:19 - Greene and O'Donnell are paired on the ice together.
12:05 - eek, Kopitar got checked at the middle of the ice. Nice extended leg, Cleary. Oooooh, is Terry Murray showing emotion? That might be a first.
11:58 - uhh, wtf. Purcell is sitting in the box right now for too many men on the ice. Let's hope this PK can stonewall the Wings.
11:13 - Just as I was thinking, 'wow, Lidstrom and Rafalski on the blueline', Lidstrom took a slap shot that found its way past Quick. This PK needs to improve Stat!
11:00 - Smyth broke out but couldn't bury it.
9:53 - Wings have outshot the Kings 7-3 in this period.
9:06 - the third line finally gets a cycle going in the Wings zone. Fro passed it to Simmonds who was positioned right in front of Osgood, but he couldn't stuff the puck in the net.
7:50 - backhand by Stoll, but it came from too far out and wasn't strong enough to be too menacing.
7:45 - it seems like the 4th line is getting way too many minutes; are Richardson, Harrold, and Lewis really worth this much ice time?
5:16 - omg, another penalty? and in the offensive zone? Oh F*CK, the ref is Dan Marouelli!! One of the absolute worst refs in NHL history.
Woah, is the Joe Louis Arena really playing 'Single Ladies'?
3:30 - Bertuzzi just hit the post AGAIN!
3:13 - full strength and it's still 2-1
2:03 - Kings have been blocking a lot of shots, but they haven't been
1:46 - Ahhhhh, another penalty!! It looked like O'D just laid out a hard hit, but somehow it's a penalty. BS. Total BS. Great sales job Holmstrom. Thanks Marouelli.
0:50 - blocked shots, deflections, the puck is flying all over the place!
0:00 - *sigh* the Kings killed the majority of the penalty. Only 16 seconds remain in the penalty and hopefully that'll be the last penalty they take this game. Being shorthanded has killed their chances of establishing momentum and getting their offensive game going. They only had 1 maybe 2 solid scoring chances this period, which is obviously not going to win them any games, especially against Detroit.
Waiting for the second period to start by educating myself about the magical powers of the wolf shirt.
Second Period
20:00 awww....there's Brad Stuart!
18:45 - is any team going to take control? uh-oh, Davis Drewiske in the Box.
18:23 - yikes, an f'ing rocket from the blueline by Lidstrom. BTW, how old is that guy??
17:30 - My heart stopped; Bertuzzi hit the post....karmas a bitch isn't it Big Bert?
17:15 - 2-on-1, Doughty all alone
16:42 - Huh, Jason Williams and Justin Williams. That's not confusing at all.
16:26 - crappity crap crap, Wings just tied it. What the...hold on...the Kings get someone kicked out of the faceoff circle and the replacement is Peter HARROLD?! Well, of course he's going to lose the faceoff. Great choice guys.
14:24 - this here some messy hockey, but the Wings have had the better chances and are applying more pressure. I think the only shot on goal the Kings have this period was a shorthanded light backhand shot.
12:19 - Greene and O'Donnell are paired on the ice together.
12:05 - eek, Kopitar got checked at the middle of the ice. Nice extended leg, Cleary. Oooooh, is Terry Murray showing emotion? That might be a first.
11:58 - uhh, wtf. Purcell is sitting in the box right now for too many men on the ice. Let's hope this PK can stonewall the Wings.
11:13 - Just as I was thinking, 'wow, Lidstrom and Rafalski on the blueline', Lidstrom took a slap shot that found its way past Quick. This PK needs to improve Stat!
11:00 - Smyth broke out but couldn't bury it.
9:53 - Wings have outshot the Kings 7-3 in this period.
9:06 - the third line finally gets a cycle going in the Wings zone. Fro passed it to Simmonds who was positioned right in front of Osgood, but he couldn't stuff the puck in the net.
7:50 - backhand by Stoll, but it came from too far out and wasn't strong enough to be too menacing.
7:45 - it seems like the 4th line is getting way too many minutes; are Richardson, Harrold, and Lewis really worth this much ice time?
5:16 - omg, another penalty? and in the offensive zone? Oh F*CK, the ref is Dan Marouelli!! One of the absolute worst refs in NHL history.
Woah, is the Joe Louis Arena really playing 'Single Ladies'?
(source)
3:30 - Bertuzzi just hit the post AGAIN!
3:13 - full strength and it's still 2-1
2:03 - Kings have been blocking a lot of shots, but they haven't been
1:46 - Ahhhhh, another penalty!! It looked like O'D just laid out a hard hit, but somehow it's a penalty. BS. Total BS. Great sales job Holmstrom. Thanks Marouelli.
0:50 - blocked shots, deflections, the puck is flying all over the place!
0:00 - *sigh* the Kings killed the majority of the penalty. Only 16 seconds remain in the penalty and hopefully that'll be the last penalty they take this game. Being shorthanded has killed their chances of establishing momentum and getting their offensive game going. They only had 1 maybe 2 solid scoring chances this period, which is obviously not going to win them any games, especially against Detroit.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Kings World Podcast - Episode 2.1
Connie and I start our 2nd season of Kings World Podcast with a review of Frozen Fury XII and the first four games of the 2009-2010 season. Even though the Kings start the season with a 3-1-0 record we still aren't completely satisfied with their game. We're worried about the penalty kill and defense and hope the Kings can improve both of those areas of their game. The Kings have 4 games this upcoming week, all on the road, so hopefully we'll be back next week still celebrating a winning record.
You can listen to Episode 2.1 on the audio player on the right, from the Kings World Podcast website, or subscribe to us on iTunes. Please send all feedback and questions to kingsworldpodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Jack Johnson in NHL2K10 Commercial
I did a double take when I first saw the NHL2K10 commercial.
Yep, that's Jack!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Best Damn Hockey Photo
I was worried Zdeno Chara would be the only hockey representation in the current ESPN magazine. So thank you, ESPN, for featuring other hockey players as well:
Ethan Moreau, Sheldon Souray and Andrew Cogliano
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Coyotes Feed On Kings in Home Opener
Woah, the Kings home opener on Saturday Oct 3rd against the Phoenix Coyotes was one huge disappointment. Kings fans were anxiously waiting for this night because the Coyotes seemed like such easy prey to start off the '09-'10 season with a much wanted win.
Everything before the national anthem set up what was thought to be a great game. LA Live was abuzz with a they're-so-awesome-'cause-it's-so-ridiculous rock cover band and drink and food specials at the numerous restaurants. The Husband and I were tempted to eat at the ESPN Zone but we decided to feast on comfort food at Lawry's because of the smaller crowd and I took advantage of the $3 beer special for fans in a Kings jersey.
LA Live...not too shabby
The server in the Premier section was incredibly attentive, which made ordering through him worth every penny of the half-off retail price I paid for my ticket through StubHub. The pre-game jumbotron celebration of great moments in Kings history set up the moment for the start of the season, the 10th one at Staples Center. But all the momentum kinda came to a screeching halt when national anthem singer Lisa Loeb sang "God Bless America"...woah...what?? Lisa Loeb chose to sing "God Bless America? I know singers have a choice as to which song to sing and I know "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a difficult vocal number with myriad opportunities for failure, but "The Star-Spangled Banner" gives the arena an energy and rush that "God Bless America" does not deliver. Lisa Loeb was fine, nothing extraordinary, nothing horrible, but she did Staples Center, the Kings, and Kings fans no favor by passing over "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the home opener. Of course she is not to blame for the Kings' pitiful outing, but she was the start of many failures over the course of the evening.
The Kings turned over the puck way too many times during the game. Phoenix had a lot of odd-man rushes and easy break outs. The defensemen were much more active on offense than in the past, but it hurt the team when the Kings turned over the puck and there was only one defenseman left to fend off the opposition. Drew Doughty was surprisingly shaky in the game; he was called for two penalties and had several turnovers that left him out of position and scrambling to recover.
Jonathan Quick had two key saves in the game, but other than that looked average. However, it's difficult to gauge his performance given how poorly the Kings played in front of him.
The one highlight of the game was the Kings power play. The Kings scored all three of their goals on the power play and had what seemed like well over half of their scoring chances come while on the man advantage.
It was frustrating to see the Kings try to close the gap on the scoreboard only to have Phoenix immediately regain their multi-goal lead. Watching the Kings lose so decisively sort of felt like the off-season never happened. But I have to believe that the Kings are better than last year. This year the Kings don't have the dead weight of Kyle Calder, Denis Gauthier, and (it pains me to write it) Derek Armstrong. The Kings have 3 very strong lines, and a 4th line that could be beneficial with a promising Trevor Lewis at center. The Kings need to be disciplined and smart, knowing when to take chances and when to stay home and play with more intensity and be more physical. This Kings team is better than what they showed last night and will do better in the future. It's just one game, 81 more to go.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
How Long Will it Take for the Sharks to Implode?
My hermano passed on a FB status from one of his friends:
Sharks look like they spent the entire summer celebrating the Presidents' trophy. One thing is sure: the Sharks are more likely to have a disappointing season than the Kings
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