piątek, 29 grudnia 2006

A front page for Greg!

One of my favorite Kings minor league players - Greg Hogeboom - is getting some well-deserved publicity over at NHL.com.

Join me in keeping our collective fingers crossed for his ECHL ASG start and perhaps another call-up to the Manchester Monarchs. It seems like he has little more to prove at the ECHL level with 38 points [14+24] in 27 games for the Reading Royals.
"Greg's a very offensive player at this level," said [his head coach] Karl Taylor, one of many young, bright and articulate coaches in the ECHL. "The great thing about Greg is he's actually a two-way player. He gets a lot of credit for his offensive play, and obviously he's a thrilling player to watch. But when he went back to Manchester, he had to learn defense. He's become a very complete player."

czwartek, 28 grudnia 2006

Banned Boogeyman dancing?

Is the league finding new means to marginalize fighters? They seem to have prohibited Minnesota's Derek Boogard to even stretch his legs during the TV timeout. Considering the guys like him play all six-to-eight minutes per game, they might just be doing that not to get cold...

What's next?

Roster changes coming up

There are no bad news for the Kings fans this time round:

Dan Cloutier is being put on the IR as I type this:
"The soreness he is having in his hip is affecting his knee," coach Marc Crawford said. "Hopefully by giving him a week off, [it] will give him time to work through the issues he has."

The hip injury was not related to the surgery on Cloutier's left knee that limited him to 13 games last season. "It's in the other leg," Crawford said."
At the same time Mathieu Garon has flawlessly completed a skating and workout session and is hoping to be able to play over the weekend, as the Kings hit the road for three games in Edmonton, Calgary and Detroit to wrap up the year:
"This is the first time I have smiled in a month," Garon said. "I wish my wife was here to see it. It's not my decision to make, but I have no pain and feel ready to play."
All this in hope that Alyn McCauley can debut as a King very soon:
"Hopefully I'm going to get a chance to wear my Kings game jersey for the first time."
Finally, some good news for all. Except Cloutier perhaps, but he's dug a hole for himself. And let him stay in that hole for more than a week ;).

Ship a center, but not Craig

With the recent flurry of Eastern Conference centers going down with injuries (namely Jason Spezza and Michael Peca) and the incoming news of another Senator pivot (Mike Fischer) leaving the ice bruised, the rumors of Kings shipping out a veteran center to one of these teams have began to resurface.

And I'm all for them - as long as we mean another veteran center this time. Keep Craig Conroy on the team, what's more - extend him for a year or two at decently low price. And trade Derek Armstrong out east, while he's value has reached all-season maximum.


You could get a decent price for Army if you pulled the trigger in the next one or two weeks. Just review
what I offered Ottawa as food for thought almost two months ago and exchange Conroy's name with Army's. As for the Leafs a straight-up trade would be more difficult to come up with. They need a defensive-minded center and would have to be very hard pressed to part with either Brendan Bell or Ian White for Armstrong.

Games 36-37: Kings @ St. Louis Blues 2:5, Kings @ Nashville Predators 0:7

Kings lose hands down against fellow cellar-dwellers

Helpless between the pipes
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Anze Kopitar, Derek Armstrong
STL goals from: Backes, Stempniak, Rucinsky, McClement, Jackman

Pros: It's usually quite difficult to try to grasp any pros of a defeat to the worst team in your conference, especially, when a rookie scores (Backes) his first ever NHL goal against your team. The Los Angeles hockey team seems closer and closer to a high draft pick in next season draft, while our level of play could be summarized on most nights as "Anze and the rest". Thumbs up for Lubo Visnovsky for two assists on the night.

Cons: Another lame effort with Cloutier letting in four goals (the fifth one was an EN) to upkeep his league-worst GAA. I wonder how to classify seeing former Kings coach Andy Murray behind the Blues bench. It's a pro for some, and con for others.


Predators ashame hopeless Kings in a rough one

Will Barry Brust restore order in LA's goal?
(photo courtesy of ww.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: none
NSH goals from: Arnott (2), Legwand (2), Dumont (2), Karyia

Pros: It hurts so bad, that no words can amptly describe it, I suppose... About the only plus in this contest was Barry Brust seeing the light of day after Dan Cloutier got ejected for spearing Hartnell in front of the goal.

Cons: There was never a glimmer of doubt how much separates the two teams. Those of the Kings fans who did not suffer a heart-attack during the game, bid farewell to this season. Perhaps prematurely, but I can understand their anger and disillusionment. As for myself, I'm waiting to the Cloutier situation to clear out. Only then will the team be able to compete.

On second thoughts I wonder why coach Marc Crawford has so much to say after such an lop-sided loss:
"We had chances on the power play to make this a game," Crawford said. "Give their goalie credit for being good, but we didn't bear down on our chances. There was some open nets there and we didn't put the puck in the back of the net. For the first period-and-a-half, our power play was more effective than their power play, but we just couldn't finish."
I guess I'd have been hiding in the Tennessean woods had I been him...

wtorek, 26 grudnia 2006

No, not tired of blogging

I would like to put to sleep all gossip about myself being tired of blogging. Quite on the contrary. Even though if you looked at this blog recent record (less than five visitors per day during the last week), you would be tempted to think I was.

The major reason for lack of my blogging activity for a few days has not been the Christmas break, either. I still owe you two latest game reports (both on tough road Kings losses, for different reasons). The problem has been my low bandwidth that makes it virtually impossible to publish anything more but a plain text. I'm told by the operator that it's because of my going over the limit of GBs per month and things should go back to normal on January 1.

In the meantime, though - do you know of a good way to boost my visitor-per-day ratings without selling my soul to the (New Jersey) devil(s)? I'd be grateful.

sobota, 23 grudnia 2006

Difficult Christmas in Ontario

Both the Senators and the Maple Leafs are going to endure some tough times well into the New Year as their key centermen: Jason Spezza and Michael Peca went down with knee injuries over the last 48 hours.

While Spezza is almost certainly out for about 4-6 weeks, the extent of Peca's torn MCL and fructured tibia in right leg are not yet fully assessed. Especially, given his 2002 torn MCL and ACL that left him off the ice for a couple of months.

It might be a difficult Christmas in Ontario.

Which raises the question of which LA Kings center could be shopped to either of these destinations for prime talent? Craig Conroy, again? Derek Armstrong? I would not mind at all if premiere prospects (much rather than draft picks) were involved from up north.

It's gonna be interesting. Even though, I fully comiserate both guys on the amount of pain. Knee injuries are usually very painful.

środa, 20 grudnia 2006

Is fatigue getting to Frolov?

Following his amazing 11-game period (13th November against SJS through 7th December vs Nashville) where he scored 11 goals and registered 5 assists, Alex Frolov seems to be cooling down a bit recently. Not that any player in the league (barring Ovechkin, perhaps) could keep it up for a prolonged time.

However, not only has not scored in the last five games (three assists to his credit), but also the number of his shots taken per game has dropped considerably (to 1.6 sh/gm). At the same time, Frolov is seeing a considerably less TOI during the last five games. He logged 15:49 and 13:47 respectively in the recent home-and-home series with San Jose. In the previous 30-odd games this season, he has seen less than 16 minutes of ice time only once, while frequently playing for 20+ minutes.

I'm not looking down on him in any respect. On the contrary - his 11-game scoring binge only sharpened my appetite for more of the same from Frolov.

So, do you think all this is a sign of mid-season fatigue? Is coach Crawford seeing it and is this why he sends him out less frequently lately (number of shifts per game is down as well)? Is there any on-ice evidence in his intensity of play?

Hmm, I'd love to hear from you on this one.

How much more can you do?

His line? Three goals and an assist with a plus-5 rating in four games since he was brought up to the NHL club on Dec. 11. Maxim Lapierre and the Montreal Canadiens, I mean.

Enough?

Think again - the Canadiens sent the 21-year old down to the farm earlier today, only to make a roster place for Steve Begin. Good for all four points in 29 games and a minus-6 rating.

Go figure.

Games 34-35: Kings vs Dallas Stars 3:4 OT/Sh., Kings vs Calgary Flames 3:5

Dallas continues their season dominance at Staples with shootout win

Yutaka Fukufuji - will he get a start later on this season?
(Photo courtesy of: www.yahoo.com)


LA goals from: Dustin Brown, Sean Avery, Rob Blake
DAL goals from: Boucher, Barnes, Morrow

Pros:
Yutaka Fukufuji, first Japanese ever to don an NHL uniform, was the backup goaltender behind very competent (again!) Barry Brust. Kings come back from a 0-2 deficit, but are just a little unlucky not to hold on to the win.

Cons: You cannot expect the Kings to effectively open home games 0-1 within the first three minutes of the games (seems to be a trend lately) and come back to score points against such teams as Dallas.


Mistakes prevail on and off the ice as Flames burn Kings

Kings were unable to take advantage of no Kiprusoff in Calgary's net
(photo courtesy of: ww.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Anze Kopitar (2), Dustin Brown
CGY goals from: Amonte, Rich. Regehr, Langkow, Moss, Huselius

Pros:
Another display of puck-handling and scoring skills by Kopitar - too bad it was good for nothing, collectively. Staying out of the penalty box, like the Kings did, can only benefit us if we can draw penalties against the opposition (which LA failed to do).

Cons:The Kings have a propensity to give up goals to people who have not previously scored in the league this season to date - they will soon find e-cards from Regehr and Moss in their mailboxes. Anyway, this loss is hugely dependent on off and on the ice decisions of Mark Crawford's starting Dan Cloutier, who was coming off a bruised shoulder. It was ill-advised as Craw should have played the hot hand with Barry Brust who collected 3 0f 4 possible points against San Jose and Dallas.

Key quote from Cloutier:
"It was not a good way to start the game. We had a few crucial mistakes and the puck was at the back of the net. We did a good job battling back, but we made some key mistakes that cost us in the second period."
We? Us? Yeah, right - yourself and Crawford. I'm getting tired of repeating this, but unfortunately it's true more often than not.

wtorek, 19 grudnia 2006

Kessel speaks out

The first post-operation interview with Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins, just hit the IP addresses. It's amazing how quickly a young mind and body can recuparate after learning news like this and undergoing a difficult treatment and procedure. Just a little tidbit to make you read the whole thing:

"Kessel knew he had cancer last Saturday night, when he played in a 5-1 home loss against New Jersey. Three days later, he underwent the operation to remove his right testicle, which confirmed he had embryonal testicular cancer.

And he wasn't relaxed until tests were completed Friday, confirming the cancer was confined to his testicle."

Please show Phil Kessel your continuous support through the Christmas season. Sending a get well e-card to the Bruins is not totally out of place, right?

poniedziałek, 18 grudnia 2006

The mightiest assist men

There seems to be some general consensus regarding Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton as the most influential assist men in the NHL this year. This is reflected in the daily assist leaders section on NHL.com.

However, if you
take a closer look at it, and split the number of first assists (more goal-inducing) and second assists (often credited to a player by chance e.g "last one to touch the puck before the whoever who was given the first assist") by specific players, as a blogger named Forechecker did, you would arrive at some of the most refreshing solutions.

Here's his list of the Forechecker's mightiest assist men across the NHL this season:

The column of interest for our purposes is the one on the far right. According to Forechecker, the "Mod pts" stands for modified points you arrive at when the number of second assists is taken away from the player's total number of points scored to date. Pretty good, huh?

Here are some of my observations based on this spreadsheet:

1. The modified top five among the assist-producers is not necessarily the names you think of first. Selanne and Hossa are most glaring surprises here. I might be inclined to put Spezza here last year, but defeinitely not this year.

2. From the list at hand, the player that suffers the most from taking away the second assists is Pronger. He's a perennial scoring card presence, but it seems now more by default (on the power-play, especially) than by bona fide production. Second worst off is Crosby - the whole point of attempting this analysis.


3. Whitney is the sensational winner of the % of first assists. While Ovechkin and Thornton, second and third respectively, are locks, Whitney takes this category by storm, really. Caught me fully off-guard.


4. The most over-rated assist men are Pronger, Sakic and St. Louis, whose great majority of assists are second ones.


This analysis is not designed to look down on Crosby, rather - to find out to what extent the simple every-day stats most of the people are using reflect the true nature of the process of putting up non-unassisted goals :).


I like the spin on stats that Forechecker provides. I'll be lurking more frequently :).

sobota, 16 grudnia 2006

Your menu tonight: Brust and Fukufuji


Since Dan Cloutier is down with a bruised shoulder and, as we know, Mathieu Garon is still out due to pulled groin muscle, and as we still know, there is no way on earth Jason LaBarbera would have cleared re-entry waivers to get to LA, here are you starting and backup goaltenders for the Los Angeles Kings game against Dallas Stars this afternoon:

Barry Brust and Yutaka Fukufuji.

Yes, you might not have heard about either of the two, unless you're a die hard King/Monarchs fan.

Tell you what: having seen Yutaka's pictures for the first time in her life, my 7-year old daughter, Natalie Laura, said he was "quite cute". Hope either of them [though Brust will get a start] perform well enough to give us a win. On top of being cute, that is.

Photo: Yutaka Fukufuji

piątek, 15 grudnia 2006

The battle of Lundqvists

Henrik Lundqvist, No1 goaltender of the New York Rangers, had a first professional opportunity in North America to play against his identical twin brother Joel, who got recently called up to the Dallas Stars. Joel replaced injured Mike Modano on the roster and boom, the very next day the Rangers and his [two periods of hockey] older brother come rolling into town.

The outcome of this "battle"? Henrik and NY take this one easily 5:2 on the scoreboard. The more personal contest between the brothers did not exactly live up to the excitement. Joel was on the ice for the paltry 5:44 on nine shifts and did not even fire a slap at his bro.

Heck, if I was in his skates [mind you, I'm an only child], I would have
taken a one-timer at the opponent's goal right the first time I was in their zone. Just to keep Henrik honest, you know. After all, had I scored on him, I'd have stolen the headlines. The psychological edge, you know, before the Stars went on Broadway some time in the future...

Photos: Henrik (above) and Joel (right).
If they both played the same position,
I would not have dared to say who is who :).

Games 32-33: Kings vs San Jose Sharks 1:3, Kings @ San Jose Sharks 4:2

Sharks teach Kings a valuable lesson [1:3]

Kings fall flat on their collective faces
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goal from: Lubomir Visnovsky

SJS goals from: Pavelsky (2), Bernier

Pros and cons: Well, as expected almost anytime the Kings have three or more days off before another game on schedule, LA fell to their faces. What's the good thing in it? I did not set my hopes too high. The Sharks came out to play much like the Predators a couple of days earlier and snatched quite an easy victory at Staples.

Defensive blunders (see: breakaway, by Pavelski) and lack of fore- and backchecking, as well as putting the league's No1 PP unit out on the easy as many as seven times per game [withtwo scores] would kill teams much better than the Kings.


This is what happens when (almost) everybody "plays hard" [4:2]

On top of the Sharks at the Tank (photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Anze Kopitar (2), Michael Cammalleri, Derek Armstrong
SJS goals from: Ehrhoff, Grier

Pros
: Huge game by Kopitar who set the tone. Alexander Frolov might have made the key roster move taking out Dan Cloutier with this shot of his, that bounced off Cloutier's collarbone :). While Barry Brust is still not an answer for an NHL club, he really did well last night [congrats, man!]. Shutting out the PP unit and Marleau-Thornton-Cheechoo trio to ten shots and just one point [assist by Joe] was amazing.


Cons
: Mostly, inconsistent play from game to game. I mean c'mon, who in their right minds would have thought the Kings take it from the Sharks at the tank without Lubo, while scoring four? Heck, I benched Kopitar on my fantasy team myself... I really don't know what to expect on Saturday afternoon (night, my time) against Dallas. I really don't.

czwartek, 14 grudnia 2006

Fewer and fewer of those crazy goalies

Rocky Mountain News has a piece on the extinguishing breed of crazy hockey goaltenders and their weird routines. It's worthwhile reading in its entirety. I was especially taken aback by this:
"[Jacques] Plante knitted in the locker room and Glenn Hall threw up before games and Gary Smith had to shower between every period."
Maybe it's not that bad, after all. That there are fewer and fewer of them, I mean :).

Sopel and Tverdovsky activated

Brent Sopel and Oleg "Old Leg" Tverdovsky are ready to come back to the Kings lineup as soon as tonight. They have been activated to the current roster, while defensman Peter Harrold has been sent back to the AHL affiliate - Manchester Monarchs:
Tverdovsky, who sat out 12 games because of a groin injury, said he has been ready for the last week, but "they wanted to be careful because I already had one setback."

Sopel, who sat out 16 games because of broken bones in his ankle and hand, also said he has been ready to play, but had been taking a cautious approach.
The days of rotating Dallman, Weaver and Harrold seem to be over for now. Dallman takes the final spot with Tverdovsky, Sopel joins Matty Norstrom, while Weaver rides the pine.

środa, 13 grudnia 2006

Game 31: Kings vs Colorado Avalanche 5:4

Lucky LA comeback in a shooting spree at Staples

Craig Conroy scores the game winner
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Tom Kostopoulos, Michael Cammalleri (2), Scott Thornton, Craig Conroy.

COL goals from: Laaksonen, Arnason, Liles, Turgeon,

Pros: Having three veterans score a goal in the same game is not something the Kings would rely on very often lately. Such consistency might lead to stringing together several wins, but perhaps not earlier than the end of December. It was also refreshing to see a well fought fight by Sean Avery (his first of the season, he has certainly been up to his two-strikes-you're-out program). Don't look now, but Dan Cloutier seems to show early signs of coming out of his league-leading season-long slump. It's early, though. Off the ice, Brent Sopel has resumed practise with the team - there's no word how soon he'll be back, though.

Cons: How many teams can the Kings effectively come back against when they lose four at home. Ok, Avalanche has been one (even on the road), Coyotes and Blues on most nights. That would be it. Until we lock away the access to goal on our end, I'm afraid the win-loss see-saw might continue.

wtorek, 12 grudnia 2006

Kings Awards for games 21-30

This period has been a real up-and-down one for the Kings as the team went combined 4-6.

And here they are, the top three Kings for the games 21-30!

*** Winner ***
Alexander FROLOV, LW - winner, hands down. Amazing scoring outburst that kept the Kings in the games for most, if not, the whole ten game period. Suffice it to say that while Frolov continued to be on the ice in all three situations (ES, PP, PK) and log almost twenty minutes per night on average, he posted nine goals and four assists. He's currently on pace for 77 points (45+32).

** Runner-up **
Derek ARMSTRONG, C - back from the clavicle injury, Armstrong helped build strong physical presence at center when Kopitar started to tail off a bit. He was active in the corners, going to the front of the net and got himself three goals and seven assists in this span. An unheralded missing piece
of the team coming back strong.

*Third place*
Rob Blake, D - a little more controversial choice, but I wanted to make notice of our offensive-minded defensemen. Blake has been most consistent of the group lately. He has also picked up his scoring, which was almost non-existent in the beginning of the season [two goals and five assists during the last 10 games].


Honorable mentions:
Mathieu Garon for the three games in the row just preceding his injury and Michael Cammalleri - the most dangerous forward around the opponent's net. Also Craig Conroy - for regaining his scoring touch recently.

Even more publicity for the Kings

Christmas must be getting nearer and nearer 'cause the Kings are getting more and more national exposure by the day. Barely did I manage to report on the NHL.com piece on Patrick O'Sullivan, when the same website and ESPN.com ran stories on hard-hitting Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar visit from his family.

Enjoy it while you can - there's no assurance the Kings will get three full-page articles on the same day anytime soon...

One second thoughts, though - which three stories from the Kings could make the first page ON THE SAME DAY?

1. Dan Cloutier recording the shutout (that was easy)
2. Sean Avery getting the first instigator penalty of the season (well, he did and so what? Went barely unnoticed with his previous modest behavior)
3. Alyn McCauley actually gets to debut for the Kings almost half way through the first season
4. Kings successfully sneak Jason LaBarbera through the re-entry waivers
5. Jeff Cowan, Raitis Ivanans and Mike Weaver all score in the same game

There could be more - can you help me out with this?

Say a prayer for Phil. Now.

Boston Bruins rookie, 19-year old Phil Kessel has been diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Little more is known as of now, apart from the fact that he's admitted to and gotten ready for an operation at Massachussets General Hospital later this week, perhaps as soon as today or tomorrow.


Please say a prayer for Phil's health, endurance and faith to pull through it. Thank you.


Sully regains form in Manchester

The NHL.com frontpage ran a story yesterday on Kings phenom Patrick O'Sullivan. In case you jest have enough time here for some tidbits, here are the most interesting snippets with a word of commentary from me:

The (recent) past:
"Playing for the Kings against Colorado on Oct. 23, O'Sullivan headed to the front of the Avalanche net. Teammate Craig Conroy made a half-pass, half-shot that deflected off a stick and into the upper portion of his mouth, right below his nose. The impact blew out two of O'Sullivan's front teeth, one of which ripped out root and all. Part of his jaw was smashed, an injury that will require some minor reconstructive surgery. He needed a couple root canals, and one of the roots became infected. He was on painkillers for a month. He couldn't eat properly for about two weeks."
The present:

Monarchs coach Mark Morris was recently asked if he had 10 minutes to talk about O'Sullivan. Morris laughed and said he didn't think that would be enough time.

Morris likes O'Sullivan, no doubt. But it's now his task to turn the pure scorer into a complete player, with a particular emphasis on mining some grit. It's a message that Morris emphatically repeats over and over in practice.

The (imminent) future:

"Last year, I was able to play with a couple of older guys. I think a lot of times teams were probably more worried about them than me," he said. "I know I can score. I find if I focus on other things in my game, the (points) take care of themselves."

As do the cuts, the lost teeth, the battered bones and a mouth that feels like it was flossed with barbed wire. All that's a price eagerly paid, and a small one at that, in exchange for a character reference and possibly another promotion.

"Oh, definitely. I'd go through a lot more to get back there," O'Sullivan said. "I think most hockey players would."

Good to know he's become grittier and looks at the obstacles on the way as the learning points. Given the amount of facial injuries, I'm going to say I believe if *that* didn't stop him, he's going to be back in LA pretty soon. And for good.

poniedziałek, 11 grudnia 2006

Game 30: Kings vs Nashville Predators 1:4

Slow-footed Kings suffer again after days off

Kings got sent home flying...
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Alexander Frolov
NSH goals from: Hartnell, Smithson, Timonen, Radulov

Pros: The main plus of this game was the fact that I was able to see it from tape in a relative proximity of the game itself. It seemed like the Kings did lack effort in backchecking and defense (I'm willing to give Peter Harrold a pass on a swing-and-miss that led to the Preds' SHG). There were a lot of strange bounces on all five goals and with a little bit more luck, the outcome could have been different. It was NOT as if the Preds totally outplayed the Kings. They outhustled us, that's for sure.

Cons: No-one, apart from Cammalleri and Armstrong at times, took the responsibility to shake the slopiness and slumber off the team. There seemed to be a lot to shots taken straight at Mason or quite wide of his goal.

niedziela, 10 grudnia 2006

Not made to rest

Since the start of this season, there have been a handful of games that the Kings played coming off more than two days of rest in a row. A quick look at the schedule give the following results:

10-Oct (3 days off) vs NYI - result: 4-2 W
22-Oct (3 days off) vs ANA - result: 2-3 OL

4-Nov (3 days off) @ PHO - result: 4-6 L
7-Nov (3 days off)) @COL - result: 6-5 W

16-Nov (3 days off)) vs PHI - result 3-4 L
22-Nov (4 days off) @ SJS - result 3-6 L

30-Nov (3 days off) @ PHO - result 4-7 L

7-Dec (4 days off) vs NSH - result 1-4 L

See a pattern here?


The Kings lost six out of eight such games, giving up a flurry of goals (including a six-pack and a seven-pack at lowly Phoenix). It does not matter too much who they play against, from the cellar-dwellers Coyotes and Flyers to the creamtop of Anaheim and San Jose). It does not matter whether they play at home or away - they apparently tend to lose focus on off-days and come out inexistent as in the recent game against the Predators.


While no team can alter their schedules, the Kings should at least take a lesson out of their off-day mishaps that have happened so far. Perhaps a change in mental preparations to games on game days should be made? Putting more stress on having game-time attitude during on-ice practisesessions on off days?


There will still be a chance to redeem this tendency by the end of the year. LA faces the Sharks this coming Tuesday with a three day rest, and sees the trend continue for the games against the Flames at home on the 19-Dec and the Coyotes again at Staples on the 26-Dec.

There is room for improvement but readiness starts in your head.
This year's edition of the Kings simply playes better when they are regularly on the run, perhaps every second day. They can't change the schedule - but they sure can try to sustain the mental makeup on off days. These Kings are just not made to rest.

sobota, 9 grudnia 2006

LaBamba weathers the storm with dignity

A King property buried down deep in Manchester, NH, 26-year old goaltender Jason LaBarbera should have every reason to complain about what life has been bringing to him lately. First, five long years in the Rangers organization where he was mostly stuck in Hartford (with an AHL MVP trophy to his credit), then the move to LA, outbidding Mathieu Garon for the starter's job last season, learning to know his girlfriend had cancer, and subsequent losing the starter job. And now this.

Even though he beat out both Garon and incoming veteran Dan Cloutier in camp, he was sentenced to do time in Verizon Wireless penitentiary. With no chance to get called up this season due to the reverse waivers procedure that would most probably see him snatched by another team (much like Michael Leighton of the Ducks taken by the Predators).
He's had every reason to complain. But somehow - Jason chose to stay positive. Amazing.

I hope for a continued great season for him on the Monarchs and to see him next year in LA. In the era of general whining around, his voice needs to be heard. And no, he's not out playing golf yet. Quite on the contrary - his play keeps Manchester up in the thick of the conference race. That's what kind of fellow he is.

piątek, 8 grudnia 2006

Bernier in a class of his own


Bernier with Ron Hextall (left) and Dean Lombardi
(photo courtesy of www.phillyblurbs.com)

In case you missed it, Kings goalie of the future Jonathan Bernier is having a monster season for Lewiston Maineiacs. He leads the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in wins (19 of 25), GAA (with 2.34) and SV% with .913.

No doubt his team leads the league. Now, let's see how well his form carries over to the World Juniors in three weeks in Sweden.

Game 29: Kings @ Anaheim Ducks 3:2

Tough blue-collar effort keeps league leaders in check

Bodies were flying in the Honda Center on Sunday
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Alexander Frolov (2), Derek Armstrong
ANA goals from: Getzlaf, Marchant

Pros: A very well played game, strategically. A lot of forechecking, digging the puck in the corners (Armstrong, Sean Avery) and very solid defensive effort by out chequered defense. Suffice it to say that the leading Anaheim guns (Getzlaf, Perry, Penner) without game-changing scoring chances (save for one Cloutier miscue behind the goal). Frolov and Avery seem to understand each other better and better. A-Fro continues to stay hot. Sneak-peak preview: he's gonna get my Three Stars after games 21-30 over the weekend.

Cons: I'm sorry to say but the the KDOC broadcast team was unbearable. Their remarks were inflammatory to non-Duck fans, most of the play-by-play guy's comment about the Kings were either trivial or off-base and the general feeling of prevailing Duckdom treated my nerves. I know they are THE Duck channel, but there should be a little less bias against the visiting team.

czwartek, 7 grudnia 2006

Four Kings will grace the WJC 2006

LA Kings will be well represented in the upcoming World Junior Championships in Sweden.

Jonathan Bernier will be the starting goaltender for Team Canada, while Jeff Zatkoff will provide backup at G in Team USA, who will also have Trevor Lewis and huge presence of Jack Johnson at the blueline.


Quite a lot to cheer for for the Kings' fans, don't you think?

Games 28: Kings vs Anaheim Ducks 3:4

Aaron Miller and the Kings fail to up-end the Ducks and Scott Niedermayer in the first game of the set
(photo courtesy of: www.yahoo.com)

Kings rally falls just short as Ducks prevail

LA goals from:
Scott Thornton, Rob Blake, Dustin Brown
ANA goals from: Selanne (2), Moen, Niedermayer

Pros: The rally was quite exciting, but I wish the Kings had never gotten behind by four in the first place. Can I have a show of hands? Well, I knew you do too. Pretty nice bounce back game by Cloutier, I read somewhere that he tends to block out crowd (and message boards) noise during games. Apparently, during the Ducks series it worked. Nice to see Lubo Visnovsky get two assists.

Cons:
You can't expect to fall behind and work your magic in the dying minutes of the game, can you?

wtorek, 5 grudnia 2006

Game 27: Kings @ Phoenix Coyotes 4:7

Pucks were flying past Dan Cloutier at a record pace in Phoenix...
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)


Let down between the pipes sinks the LA ship quickly

LA goals from: Derek Armstrong (2), Mike Cammalleri, Craig Conroy

PHO goals from: Zigomanis (2), Nagy, Saprykin, Michalek, Fischer, Doan


Pros
: Goaltender Barry Brust debuted in the NHL in a rather harsh fashion (off the bench in the first), but managed to keep his composure and ended up with 24 saves in 28 chances. While Brust (which we knew before his Phoenix cameo) is definitely not an NHL starter material, we can pay him what little tribute we have energy for, 'cause he outplayed a veteran starter. Another good thing was seeing Armstrong net two goals.


Cons:
Losing four goals in the first quarter against a lowly Coyotes team is always an embarassement (did I already mention Cloutier today?), especially when your star(ter) is taken out after 2 saves of the first five shots, three of which ended up in the net. Possibly the worst road game by the Kings in a long time.

Kings keep on putting offensive numbers

I wonder if it's easily noticeable, but the Kings have gone through the whole month of November scoring at least three goals in each but one game (2-3 OT loss to Minnesota). I know they have allowed more than that due to reasons discussed before, but it seems the days of scoring "one or none" are clearly behind them.

They started the month of December on a similar note scoring six times in a two-game set against the Ducks.

Alexander Frolov is in the TOP 20 in the NHL in the power play points department with 13, while the Kings as a team are third in the league in PP scoring percentage on the road with 20.0%. At the same time Los Angeles leads the NHL in the total power play opportunities, which says a lot about their ability to draw penalties, while staying out of the box themselves.

Apart from the injuries to some key defensive pieces (Mathieu Garon, Brent Sopel) and prolonged incomptence of starter Dan Cloutier, that need to be overcome in order to keep the goals allowed to a lower mark, offensively the Kings are firing on most cylinders. This trend might as well continue as the Kings are scheduled to play the next three games at home against three teams that seem to have trouble on their own:

1. Nashville Predators - missing their top goalie Tomas Vokoun
2. Colorado Avalanche - just two more points than the Kings and last place in the Nortwest division
3. San Jose Sharks - whom the Kings have already bitten and home and played hard against.

Four points out of these three games are not out of question if Cloutier can bring back his priceless form from the Honda Center on Sunday.

(I will follow up with the game recaps later today)

piątek, 1 grudnia 2006

Cloutiered into the woods

I admit I have been cloutiered (equivalent of flabbergasted) by the whole "Dan's the man (even though he's not)" philosophy and have taken the battering by the Coyotes last night very personally.

At this point, if I was the Kings GM ("Dean, pick up the damn phone, will you?!"), I would seriously think about packaging Cloutier and Konstantin Pushkarev (as an obvious though still marginal trade bait) to either Boston or Columbus for the likes of Tim Thomas or Pascal Leclaire. Heck, at this point I would even throw in a second round pick for them just to take Dan off our hands.

In pursuit of some place where my boggled mind could rest before the Saturday night PST game against the Ducks (first of two), I'm taking my family for a half-weekend (Friday evening and the whole Saturday) trip to the woods. I'll be offline until the Saturday Ducks game, your time, most of my readers :).

If you somehow manage to trade Cloutier in the meantime (or buy out his contract by virtue of an offering of willing hearts, which should be plenty of, given Dan's level of play), let me know in the comments section. I'd appreciate it if there was/were message(s) there when I come back.