Stats

To help you answer the question(s) I posted in the post below, here's the monthly round-up of visits to my blog.

Down with a prolonged flu, I started thinking

The last five weeks in our home have been probably the most difficult health-wise in years. My wife has been down with flu two separate times, our daughter - once (luckily, during the week when the rest of us were relatively healthy) and myself - I have a high fever myself as I typing this...

Anyway, I was wondering about the future of this blogging project. The LA Kings are still my hockey passion, but the time to write is getting shorter and shorter.

Is there anything you would miss if I called it quits?

There aren't many of you, my readers, mind you... The comments are few and far between, the site stats show some 10-15 visits daily, so perhaps it wouldn't have been a major blow to the Kings blogging community...

Regrouping

As much as the Kings have I have been regrouping for the last couple of weeks. This blog will lift off its wheels once again on Thursday evening. Sorry for the occasional loss of power, folks :).

In the meantime, you are more than welcome to check out what's cooking with the LA Dodgers.

The most exciting thing about being a Kings' fan

Well, it's the hope of the future:

When you hope to see players like Kopi, A-Fro, Squid, Browny coming to a full potential, prospects like Sully, Tuk, Cliche, Bernier and in particular JMFJ reaching the big show in 1-3 years - there is enough to help you go through a season as difficult as this. If only 2-3 of these high draft picks we acquired in the Conroy, Avery, Sopel and Norstrom trade ever pan out, the Kings might take us all for a ride reasonably soon.

How about a Stanley Cup ride for a change? When was the last time we've gone THAT way? I know I know, too many Canadien fans around me :).

More on Matty in Dallas

Norstrom, while obviously put in a strange spot after 11+ years in LA, is trying to make peace with life in Dallas, TX:

"Once you get to the rink, it's easy to put it behind you," Norstrom said. "It was good to get out there and skate, and I feel good about this. We have as good of a chance as any team [in the playoffs]."

He's looking forward to the playoffs - something he would have missed this, and potentially next, season with the Kings:

"You go into every season in the same situation as other teams, and it's not a given that you're going to be in the playoffs," Norstrom said. "That's why I'm so excited for this year, and for next year, too."

Matty moving to Lonestar State

I should be able to follow up all the recent Kings trades (once I finally get a grasp of all the draft picks Dean Lombardi has accumulated recently), but here's just a snippet from a Stars blog, called Grapevine Sports.

It's regarding Dallas trading for the Kings captain Mattias Norstrom:

[...] The Stars grabbed Mattias Norstrom from the Kings in a deal totalling four players and five draft picks. While Dallas surrendered a first rounder to get him, I still like the deal.

I’d argue that the Stars haven’t had a defensive defenseman like Norstrom since Derian Hatcher suited up for them. And they didn’t have to give up any players in their current rotation to get the deal done.

Down the road might be a different matter.

I would assume that it was precisely the "down the road" (meaning age, deteriorating positional defense and hefty contract worth 1 and 1/4 years) that got Lombardi to pull the trigger on Matty. Plus, he may have his final shot at the Stanley with the Stars. This year or the next. Much earlier than in LA.

On a similar trading deadline note, I love it how truthful our GM proved when he announced some three weeks ago he was not shopping Aaron Miller (pending UFA) in hopes to extend him for reasonable money. Some non-West Coast media were really surprised Miller was not traded ;).

Games 61-62: Kings @ Anaheim Ducks 4:3 Sh.; Kings vs Vancouver Canucks 2:3

Game 61: @ Anaheim

LAK goals from: Lubo Visnovsky, Michael Cammalleri, Derek Armstrong
ANA goals from: Kunitz, Selanne, Getzlaf

The game recap is here.

Any time you can go south to Anaheim and steal two points the way Sean Burke and the Kings did, you should come back and celebrate.


Game 62: vs Vancouver

LAK goals from: John Zeiler (his NHL first!), Lubo Visnovsky
VAN goals from: Morrison, Linden, Bieksa

The game recap is here.

Funny that LA had to offer Zeiler a professional contract before calling him up as he used to have one only with the Monarchs. I was so sure of at least one point here (Bieksa scored just before the end of regulation) that I was rubbing my eyes in disbelief later that day when I saw the actual score...

Kings' Three Stars for the games 51-60

It certainly does not help the evaluation knowing that the Kings only won three games in regulation in this ten game period. Nonetheless, here are the Kings' Three Stars:

*** Alexander Frolov - 8 goals and 4 assists, had it not been for his latest scoring surge, the Kings would have been even less lively to watch. Frolov is currently on pace for 42 goals - wow, indeed.

** Sean Burke - stepped in to give the team enough hope to keep us in most of the games he's started. While he still might be playing his last professional season, he's certainly coming out of the league with the shout.

* Anze Kopitar - 4 goals and 6 assists, which makes him a point-per-game man again. While the Calder Award for Anze might be out of reach (especially with Colorado's Paul Stastny surging for a runner-up position as of late), Kopi continues to dominate upfront.

Games 59-60: Kings @ Carolina Hurricanes 1:2, Kings vs Anaheim Ducks 3:2 OTL

Game 59 @ Carolina:

LA goal from: Alexander Frolov
CAR goals from: Whitney, Walker

game report is here.

If I say the game seemed to be pretty close and with a little bit more luck the Kings might have surprised the defending Stanley Cup champions at their home ice, would it mean the Kings were so strong, or that the 'Canes were so weak?

Game 60 vs Anaheim:

LA goals from: Alexander Frolov, Anze Kopitar
ANA goals from: Selanne, Kunitz

game report is here.

I'm only watching this game now, so will update more if needed later. It was the home debut of John Zeiler (#73) and from what I saw, he looked pretty smart in the white home jersey.

THN ranks the goalies and ours are nowhere to be seen in top30

Via James Mirtle. Is there any doubt about why any of the five Kings goalies this season never made any form of the top-30 list?

Naaah... :)