Sunday, October 26, 2008

I know, I know, I have forwards to write about

but I've been travelling, and my soujourn began and ended in Nashville, TN. --- a beautiful city that is akin to time travel in many ways.

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the non-televised Kings v. Preds game at the Sommet Center. The crowd was loud and actually very into the game, and well they should have been --- at least for the first 15 minutes, and the last 15 minutes. That middle section was (for a Preds fan) akin to listening to an Enya CD...

So, first I want to say that I really like the arena. Very bright, great sightlines, lots of energy, a far better jumbotron than Staples, and free programs that actually have useful information!

It was apparent from the opening faceoff that the Kings were flat. Nashville just swarmed and by the time they scored their first goal, I was pretty sure they should have had three... and soon they did. So, while Labarbara exited for Ersberg, and Terry Murray thought that just maybe that third goal could have been stopped, there was no way I was faulting the guy I always fault in goal for the Kings. He was swarmed, beleagured and ransacked, and left to the mercy of non-household names like Hornqvist, Ward and Jones...

As the shot clock read 15-2, I was pretty sure it was going to be a tough comeback for a team that had played a perfect road game the night before. Three goals in a little more than three minutes, and two power play goals against a Kings team that had reigned supreme in their previous 28 attempts to start the season.

By mid-second period, as the shot tide had turned, the Kings found the Preds on their heels and Patrick O'Sullivan took matters into his own hands and fed Jarret Stoll for a shot Ellis initially stopped but left a nice juicy rebound for him to bang home and get the Kings motivated and back in the game. Sully started the play that led to Stoll's second goal, and as we headed to the concourse after two, it was clear we had a game. I know, the scoreboard dictates the obvious, but this new-look Kings team has the kind of tenacity that really does make you believe comebacks can happen.

Meanwhile, Ersberg might as well have been a cardboard standup for much of his time in the nets to that point. The Preds mustered just two shots in the second period, and I believe Ersberg saw only two in the final seven minutes of the first, so once again, we had no idea if he was going to be a saviour (save-iour) or not...

A double minor to Legwand towards the end of the second period gave the Kings ample opportunity to tie the score, but Ellis stood strong. A few good chances, but no goals through the first half of the third, and then with a little more than a blink of an eye, it was offensive popguns Jerred Smithson, the baby-faced assassin that played a couple dozen completely invistible games for the Kings back when he was a fetus, and Jordin Tootoo, who thanks to a train whistle that is sold on the concourse, creates a frenzy every time he touches the puck (toot toooooot) --- the Kings and Ersberg found themselves down by 3 with just about seven minutes to go.

I should point out that while I was cheering for the Kings and shouting the occasional encouragement to them, it was not without reservation that I refrained from yelling "KOPI --- you're face is on milk cartons all over LA ---" because aside from the occasional neutral zone to blue line carry of the puck through two defenders, he really did a whole lotta nothing --- despite two assists on the scoresheet. Granted, neither Moulson nor Calder has done much to deflect the attention away from Kopitar, but it's not been easy to watch our new 7 million dollar manchild do a whole lotta Handzus.

Speaking of Handzus... so much has been said about his resurgence this season, but I'm placing even money on waking up one day and saying "Holy crap, that slug has 4 points in his last 25 games" at SOME point in the season...

Finally, this is the second arena I have gone to where I have come to the conclusion that BLACK netting is SO MUCH BETTER when you are sitting in the arena between the blue lines. I can't say for sure that it's SO MUCH WORSE if you are looking through it, but in both this instance, and an instance last season in Philly, I was amazed to realize at some point that there WAS netting... With the white, it's immediately obtrusive. (and I sit in 210 at Staples, so I look through white netting for the most part.)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Five games in the books

and what have we learned from the 2-3-0 Kings?

That this is a team that will not quit.

That this is a team that will not win, because of below NHL standard goaltending.

That this is a team that will play in front of sparse crowds.

That this is a team that is perhaps the most likeable Kings team in at least 5 years.

Yes, I'm turning towards cheering for the Kings for the first time in many years. There's something about most of these guys I find compelling. They work hard. They have upside. They don't seem to care that no one (myself included)gives them a chance to win games. Results have been mixed so far. Four home games, two wins, two losses, and an opening night road loss. Let's just zip down the roster and discuss the five game pole:

DEFENSE:

Matt Greene has looked good for the most part. There was one shift where I wasn't sure if he was auditioning for a ballet troupe, or just skating on butter, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and cheer his efforts through the first five games. The Kings gave him a nice five year extension, which felt a tad premature, and a tad rich, but unlike contracts that had the names Cloutier, MacCauley, Willsie, Nagy, Bure and the like on them, this one is at least attached to a young, strong body that seems to really care about his play on the defensive side of the ice.

Jack Johnson is hurt. Three month hurt. Shoulder hurt. I'm not hurt. While I have no doubt he's going to be a good player in the league, I'm not wow-ed, and I'm not ready to annoint him as the second coming of James Norris. I've seen more from a couple of the other young King defensemen in a handful of games than I have in a year of JJ (Insert other letters with thought and care.) He'll be back, and he'll be welcome, but he's just one piece of the team, and it's the team that comes first.

Sean O'Donnell is the stopgap guy. 37 years old, and a veteran of many battles, Odie is glue, and we can overlook limitations put on him by age and agility, and thank the heavens that he's here to teach, and to eat up some minutes while the kids learn the drill. So far he's been terrific, and based on his play in Anaheim for the past couple of seasons, he's smart enough to overcome his limitations and provide the Kings with quality play in PK and ES situations.

Drew Doughty has been a revelation. Oh to be 18 and that talented. I'm a big believer that the Kings screwed up royally by not staying the course and finishing in a position to get Stamkos, and I'd still rather have Stamkos over the long haul, but accepting the things I can not change means allowing Doughty to stake his place on this team, and when he's on the ice it's hard not to notice how good he is. I have no doubt that between now and April there will be enough Doughty highlight clips to make a nice afternoon of YouTube viewing.

Denis Gauthier is probably a candidate for waivers or a trade prior to the end of the season, but while he's here, he will dish out the occasional punishing hit, as well as be the guy you see turning his back and banging his stick in disgust while a prone LaBarbera lay on the ice with the puck being fished out of the back of the Kings net. Personally, I could do without him more often than not, but until Johnson is healthy, it is doubtful he goes anywhere. His minutes are usually going to be watched carefully by the coaching staff, as he can be the biggest liability the team has on the blueline.

Kyle Quincey has only been on the scene for two games, but he's been terrific at both ends of the ice. I knew that he could hit, and stay fundamentally sound on the defensive side of the puck, but his ability to jump into the play and move the puck towards the net has been excellent in the limited time I have seen him with the Kings. I can already say that this no-risk pickup was a steal for Lombardi, but of course, over the course of time deficiencies could pop up, and I reserve the right to don my Maxim Kuznetsov game worn, and say "oops..." once again. I'm pretty sure that's not gonna be the case.

Tom Preissing was a big ol' minus three last night, and the bloom came off the rose after four games that made me feel like he'd escape whipping boy status in the early going. I like Preissing's game, and would like to think he's going to have less nights like last night as the season progresses, but since I think the Kings will eventually land in suckitude, then SOMEONE has to be shouldering the blame on the blueline, and if Johnson is injured, and Harrold is in a suit... well, it might just be TP.

Peter Harrold is the spare. There's a zillion kids on the blue line in Manchester, and at some point that needs to shake out, so for that reason alone I don't expect to see Harrold sent down soon, but you gotta feel for a guy who needs some ice to keep any part of his game in shape. The upside for Harrold? His paycheck.


Forwards and Goaltenders will be up next.

Friday, October 17, 2008

I've scoured box scores for years... decades even...

but this is a first...

It's 4-0 mid second period, Ottawa leading Phoenix... and EVERY SINGLE SKATER on the Coyotes has a minus.

That's amazing.

Tonight

The Kings play a rarely seen team from the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes.

This team features Tim Gleason, who was a King prior to the deal that sent Jack Johnson to LA. Most Kings fans herald this deal as the kind of steal that ranks up there with Amos Otis for Joe Foy, Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi (can you tell I'm a Mets fan?) or in hockey terms, Dennis Wideman for Brad Boyes. I'm not sold.

Gleason will have a solid career, barring debilitating injury, and should be the kind of grizzled veteran leader that was synonymous with names like Langway, Wesley, Daneyko, Howell, etc.

Johnson, so far, high risk, and eventually, hopefully, high reward. Personally, he's done nothing to warrant superstar accolades, but he's a skill guy and should cut down on his glaring errors and provide stability on the blueline for years to come.

So, on to the show...

Monday, October 13, 2008

I also want to pay homage

to Gil Stratton, who passed away on Saturday morning at the age of 86. I had only met Gil over the past couple of years, and we both shared a love of sports, and intersected at Bob Miller, who we had both known for many years (Sidebar: Happy Birthday, Bob.)

Gil was an amazing character, and his obituary ran in the LA Times, and is worth reading. Talk about enjoying life!!!

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-stratton13-2008oct13,0,2934388.story

I was asked if I'm going to blog about the Kings this season...

and the answer is "Yes" --- but today is probably not the day to start. I'm reeling from lack of sleep, reeling from financial insecurity, reeling from having the pilot light on my home's heater being out and The Gas Company scheduling me for Friday, reeling from a mouse that's been eating its way through my house, causing me to wake up every hour or so... which brings me back to the lack of sleep part... and, of course, very upset at the news out of Russia that 19 year old Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov has died.

People die. I'll be there at some point, like my mom, my dad, so many of my friends in the 80s and 90s... but a 19 year old kid, playing hockey? Seems so random. I'm not a believer in "Punishing God" vs. "Rewarding God," but I have a hard time trying to figure out the "reason" someone is here one minute and gone the next.

So, "Yes" --- the Kings, but "No" --- not today.