One Year Ago
- Quincey
- O’Sullivan
- Calder
- Preissing
- Armstrong
- Boyle
- Gauthier
- Zeiler
Today:
- Smyth
- Williams
- Parse
- Segal
- Jones
- Scuderi
- Drewiske
(LaBarbera was traded a year ago yesterday)
That’s O’Sullivan, Calder and Armstrong for Smyth and Williams; Boyle and Zeiler for Parse and Segal; Quincey, Preissing and Gauthier for Scuderi, Drewiske and Jones.
Kings First Semester Grades
[NOTE: Player grades are, first of all, capricious, pretentious and stupid; second, players are graded against themselves, not against each other; i.e. a knuckle-dragger A+ doesn't mean he's better than a superstar with a C]
- Smyth: Transformed Kopitar, exceeded all expectations, then got hurt, and Kopitar turned into last year’s model. A
- Simmonds: After stunning everyone by making the team out of juniors last year, all he’s done is made people think he might actually be able to play top-six. Has had probably the fewest weak shifts of any King. A
- Doughty: A
- Quick: Spectacular, with hiccups, but so what. A
- Jones: probably should get docked some points for the odd mistake or two, but his numbers are great; and the team’s record with him in the line-up speaks for itself. A
- SOD: boring and solid, just like he should be. A-
- Greene: boring and solid, Jr. A-
- Scuderi: The hipcheck was clean. He’s an excellent Quincey (though I still miss Quincey), with some hiccups. A-
- Parse: After a couple of underwhelming years hobbled in the AHL, he blew everyone away, gradually became less effective, got sent down, got recalled, and blew everyone away again. Made me look really smart for advocating on his behalf over the years. A-
- Johnson: Starting to see the offense, yay. Still making those goal-causing mistakes. Nevertheless, it’s a step in the right direction. B+/A-
- Williams: Exceeded everyone’s expectations when healthy, but then also managed to get injured twice, confirming at least partially everyone’s fears. If he didn’t have a broken leg, he would have a higher grade. B+
- Handzus: A few weird giveaways, but still basically the quiet rock at the center of the team defense. Also is channeling Holmstrom in front of the net. B+
- Richardson: A C+ for the first half and an A+ for the second half. B+
- Segal: I am tempted to give him an A just for how pissed off Jovonovski was at him. That was great. B
- Stoll: He was non-existent until Parse came into his life, then he played like he was supposed to in the first place. B
- Drewiske: Not as good as last year, but no one thought he would be here. If he had never played last season and this year was the first we saw of him, we’d be happier because we wouldn’t have seen the better version. B-
- Brown: Continuing his underwhelming performance from last season, which is starting to seem like a problem to me. I’m not going to mention the penalty shot. B-
- Moller: Gained muscle over the summer and yet somehow seemed to get smaller. Was a little bit off at camp. Great in Manchester with Loktionov and Parse (a.k.a. The Future). Called up, was okay. Sent down. Was great again in Manchester. Called up again, was better. I love Moller. I just noticed Holmstrom is only 5’11″. I think that’s where Oscar is heading, with more skill. For now: B-
- Frolov: He’s sneakily now second in goals (11) to the stagnant Kopitar. I had him pegged for 35-40 this year, and he’s on a pace for 23. He still can get to 30 with a great second half, and I feel optimistic tonight. What the hell it’s New Year’s Eve. C+
- Elkins: one great goal, one bad giveaway. Still, it’s remarkable he’s played with the big club at all. C+
- Kopitar: An A for the first half and a D for the second half. C+
- Ivanans: much improved on defense (and his numbers reflect this); still takes dumb penalties. C+
- Martinez: not ready for prime time, but that’s okay. He got a taste, now he can do his homework and come back later. He’s got time. C
- Ersberg: Terrible, then good, then terrible, then great and terrible. Not inspiring confidence in anyone, really. For a back-up, that’s bad. C-
- Purcell: It’s not all his fault. He gets a solid A for defense, positioning, effort, and for being on the ice for the lowest number of goals against on the team. Offensively, he gets a A+ for two goals in the first week of the season, and an F for the rest of it. Overall: D
- Lewis: riding the Boyle train. Now injured. F
- Schenn: played one game and basically audited the class. Or maybe he took it pass/fail. Pass.
- Loktionov: Went pro at 19, scored a hat trick in his first AHL game, led the AHL for awhile in points, +/- and led all rookies for longer. Gets an A+ for all of that. But, obviously, didn’t quite get through his first game. Incomplete.
- Harrold: has played just fine; hasn’t had any of those sporadic flashy games like he did last year, but maybe this is because he’s getting in fewer games. Incomplete.
Also…
- Terry Murray: has been far more consistent with the lines this year. Team is playing way above expectations. Short list for coach of the year. Now making bitchy comments to press. A
- Lombardi: Williams trade, win. Smyth trade, win. Jones pick-up, win. A
Happy New Year.
From Rich Hammond: Sean O’Donnell Assesses the Brain Power of a Phaneuf
Kings defenseman Sean O’Donnell told The Associated Press, “It’s just a dirty play. We talk about the players not having respect and why are there so many concussions. He didn’t have to do that. He plays hard. He’s not the brightest guy. He runs around a little bit.”
Because no one has youtubed Brownie’s penalty shot yet…
Purcell is not making Kopitar Suck
If you are reading this you have already read the other Kings blogs and you have seen the irate comments venting all over Ted Purcell. Ted Purcell is lost. Ted Purcell falls down. Ted Purcell is not NHL calibre. Ted Purcell shouldn’t be on the first line. Ted Purcell has naked pictures of Terry Murray. This, and every comment ever made last season about Kyle Calder now with Ted Purcell search/replaced in.
Ted Purcell is a rookie with something like 87 NHL games under his belt. He is not doing anything at all offensively this season. He has been solid on the other side of the puck, but he is infected with the worst case of goal-scoring blue balls I have ever seen. It’s easy to blame him for not “making the most of his opportunity.” The opportunity being playing on the first line with Kopitar. But in order for that to be an opportunity, Kopitar would have to be playing well, and he’s not.
He’s in the middle of a 20-something game scoring drought, in which he’s scored twice. Teddy Purcell has been on his line for 2.5 games. Teddy Purcell is a rookie who has not yet found his “game.” Maybe he never finds it. I bet he does. Somewhere else. But I can’t shake the feeling that playing with Kopitar is not so much Murray’s attempt to jump-start Purcell as it is Murray’s (maybe unconscious?) attempt to jump-start Kopitar. And that’s messed up.
Look at the evidence. Everyone’s always trying to “find someone to play with” Kopitar. Who have we seen? O’Sullivan. Okay, he has his own problems; but that didn’t work. Moulson. He was derided endlessly for wasting all of our time on the first line for ten minutes last year. Brown; he’s bugging me, too; but at least they used to have chemistry. Now they have to be separated. (I advocated for the separation and still think it’s correct, but you have to add Brown to the list of RW1 casualties). Now Purcell.
Don’t get me wrong. Purcell is not playing well. But remember how old Robert Lang bounced around and was one of those (Purcell-ish) fairly big bodies with lots of skill but with something missing supposedly until he found himself on Jagr’s wing and the all of the sudden he’s got 600-700 points in the NHL. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. Kopitar is supposed to Jagr-up Teddy. Because Kopitar is the 6-7 million dollar man. He’s our Jagr.
Except maybe he’s not. Yeah, yeah, he’s 22. But, really, so what. Purcell is 24 and everyone says he’s too old to still be learning. And Kopitar makes the big bucks, and wears an A, and is on billboards. He should be able to get Teddy a few goals or at least a “helper” or two. Why can’t he?
[BONUS ADDED PARAGRAPH FROM THE MORNING AFTER:] Think back on the games right after Smyth went down. Who was winning those games for us? Remember it was Kopitar, Brown, Frolov (and Purcell) who went into huge droughts, while games were being won by timely goals from the likes of Parse, Richardson, Simmonds, Doughty, Johnson, Jones…also Stoll, who was jump-started by Parse. Everyone but the big guns. And then Simmonds and Jones and Stoll got hurt. If you see the pattern, it’s not pretty.
Simmonds did all right as Kopitar’s RW, in the few games he filled in when Williams went down the first time. But Simmonds had to return to his place on the real first line of Parse/Moller/Simmonds. Murray has basically figured out that Brown is an ideal third liner and has placed him accordingly with Handzus and Frolov. I expect we’ll see Moller tried next, with Richardson stepping into the C2 slot.
And Kopitar has returned to his 08-09 form, where he gets the puck and I wish his line wasn’t even on the ice. Two months ago, driving to the net like he was worth the money. Now, no.
I expect Lombardi is going to have to do something to change the topic here. Four losses in a row is about the limit the Kings can endure before the season starts to slip away. I’m not veering into hysteria. I’m really only at a low simmer. Losing streaks happen. Injuries happen. The Kings got lucky (and maybe complacent) doing as well as they did during the Smyth injury. Now they are regressing to the mean. They have key guys out, although I am kinda surprised the extent to which Williams, Stoll and Jones (!) are apparently incredibly important to the team. And there’s no telling when those guys are going to return. So, I resist hysteria, but I acknowledge that losing streaks at crucial points in the season are one of those things that cause GMs to go to the decision tree.
Team loses four in a row and goes from 1st to being in danger of dropping out the playoffs. (I know it’s not quite that bad — see post on “points blown” standings below.) GM reaches a branch in the tree. One branch: do nothing, hold pat. Players will play through adversity and turn it around. Patience will be rewarded. The best trades are the ones we don’t make.
Branch two: put a stop to it; send a signal; insert your own favorite cliche. But make a deal.
My suspicion is that Lombardi is (and GMs in general are) always on the look-out for a potential deal that can improve the team, and therefore the only thing that changes is the nature of the desired “improvement.” Is it long term or short term? Is it a depth move or a core-rattler? (I just made that up, “core rattler.”) Prospects in or out, veterans out or in, etc.. Lombardi does not seem to make (and with the Kings has never made) a move geared toward short-term success that sacrifices the long-term. But I think now he may be in a situation where “improvement” means making a deal that is balanced between short-term and long-term, and maybe leaning oh-so-slightly short-term. Kind of a POS for Williams type of deal, but maybe a little bigger.
I don’t think any one player needs to go. But I do think that several of the players that might otherwise be (and frequently are) blamed for losses and for this little losing streak also happen to be players who have significant trade value. I’m thinking of Frolov, Brown and Johnson. Stoll is injured, so he’s safe (unless Dean is going to make a trade to himself — I make joke; I actually am a fan and supporter of Handzus and Williams, the two wounded guys people rant about Lombardi picking up off the “slightly used” pile — I think those were good deals, and let’s not forget Quincey was hurt, too, and that was possibly my favorite move of all; so I’m a big fan of the “get the injured guy at a discount” plan; I’m not afraid).
I’ll pick everyone’s favorite trade bait name. Kovalchuk. There, I said it. I utter the name not because I think it’s going to happen or because I think it should happen, but just because Kovalchuk is likelier than most superstars to be going somewhere in the next couple of months, and he will go somewhere, so we may as well think about what it could mean. So really:
Frolov, Brown and Johnson for Kovalchuk.
Is that overpaying? Okay, just Brown and Johnson then. Ha, fooled you. You thought I was going to say Frolov and Johnson, didn’t you? I would not be at all surprised to see Frolov be the one to stay at the end of the day (the day being March 3, I think), and someone shocking be on the move instead. But just because including Johnson in a bloggy trade idea is such a cliche, I’m going to pretend I didn’t mention Johnson, and just say:
Frolov and Brown for Kovalchuk.
I think that’s fair. Swap of two guys who are UFA, and Brown goes along to balance it out. His value is inflated because (1) he’s the captain and leader of the team, (2) he’s about to be named to the US Olympic team, and (3) people haven’t figured out he’s really an excellent third liner, not a mediocre first liner. So what if that happened?
Smyth/Kopitar/Parse
Kovalchuk/Stoll/Simmonds
Richardson/Handzus/Segal
?? / Moller / ??
Ivanans, Purcell, Harrold…Williams when he comes back, Elkins… I don’t know. With Brown and Frolov, you have a first line problem and a power play problem, but you don’t have a third or fourth line problem since you basically have three of them. Without Brown and Frolov you have the deadly first two lines (really, I would want Moller to be the second line center, but I am a coward so I’ll just stick Stoll there), a fine third line and WTF I don’t know for a fourth line.
Maybe Lombardi moves Frolov for Holmstrom and another piece (the guy is old after all) and doubles-down on gritty toughness. Maybe he does the blockbuster and also makes a separate deal for uber-grit (a prospect-sacrificing trade, maybe; that of course would possibly crush me, knowing which prospects other GMs would probably want). But we do need someone to punish those who dare to run Doughty or Kopitar or whoever.
- First line solution.
- Power play.
- Someone to crush the mean people on other teams.
- Back-up goalie.
That’s the Xmas list. Wait, what day is it?
[I'll have to put a sentence here to bring it all back to Purcell. Maybe Teddy is like the loose thread on the nice sweater that you tug and the whole thing comes unraveled. Don't know. I do know these three things: (1) these four losses are not on him, (2) he's going to have a career, eventually, (3) as a King, he's probably doomed. (bonus 4th thing) I hope he busts out of it and tells everyone to shove it up their five-holes.]
Ryan Smyth is funnier if you do as I did and accidentally insert an imaginary “r” in the word “pick”
RICH HAMMOND: What do you think about Drew Doughty being selected?
SMYTH: “I think he’s a tremendous pick.
Ted Purcell is too busy to read blogs, or else he just knows what’s good for him, but if this were not the case, I would hope he would take the following three-pronged advice:
(1) You already know how to do the things you’re trying to do. Just put your head down and have fun.
(1a) Lower your blast shield. Trust your feelings.
(2) Don’t literally put your head down.
(3) Never, ever read the comments sections of blogs.
Kings Prospects at WJC: @SLAM!Sports
GOAL OF THE GAME
Brandon Kozun took a long stretch pass, but slowed down and waited for his linemates to catch up, then fed the puck cross-ice to Brayden Schenn for a pretty one-timer.
HIT OF THE GAME
It was a tough shift for Slovak captain Jakub Gasparovic, who got run over by Canadian D Alex Pietrangelo, who received a questionable charging penalty. Seconds later, Canadian D Colten Teubert also crushed Gasparovic.
via CANOE — SLAM! Sports – Hockey – World Junior Hockey Championship: Junior Replay.
Standings in Points Blown: Kings XMas Vacation Edition
Okay, now that the Kings 8 day winter break is all but over, and all of our rivals have played their games while we were drinking egg nog, let’s look at how the Kings did in terms of points blown. As usual, teams are awarded two points for a loss and one point for an OT/SOL. Lowest point total is best. Today’s chart reflects only the games played while the Kings slept. The Kings are in first place, as they would have to be, since, having played no games, they could blow no points.
The way to interpret the chart is to note how many points each of our division rivals have squandered while we were away. This tells you how much our relative positions have changed. For example, San Jose was perfect (two wins) over the “break.” So their change relative to the Kings is zero. Teams at the bottom (DET, CBJ and EDM) saw their positions relative to the Kings get considerably worse.
- Kings 0
- San Jose 0
- St Louis 2
- Phoenix 2
- Vancouver 2
- Dallas 2
- Chicago 2
- Colorado 2
- Nashville 2
- Anaheim 2
- Calgary 3
- Minnesota 4
- Detroit 6
- Columbus 6
- Edmonton 6
It’s worth taking a look at how the games in hand situation has changed during the “break.” Last Thursday, I believe the spread was four games (between the team having played the most and the least), with the Kings second only to Colorado in games played. Now the spread is three games (one fewer). And the Kings are closer to the bottom. Which is good. Because it means only three teams have games in hand on the Kings. Specifically:
Colorado — 39 games played
Phoenix, Columbus — 38
Kings, and everyone else not mentioned (9 teams in all) — 37
Chicago, St Louis, Calgary — 36
From The Calgary Sun: Canada a crunchin’ bunch
Team Canada has plenty of tournament time to prove they can light the lamp.
Last night’s exhibition tilt against Team Finland at the Saddledome was all about sending a message with their shoulders — and maybe the occasional elbow, too.
The result was a bunch of battle-weary Finns not keen on carrying the puck any further than absolutely necessary. Oh yeah, and a 3-0 victory for the feisty Canucks.
“We’re always like that. Canada is always a hitting team and whether or not we get hit back, we’re still going to keep coming for it and we’re never going to lay off,” said rugged winger Stefan Della Rovere.
“The more we hit, I think the more we’ll intimidate the other team.
“There’s more to come with the hits.”
Alex Pietrangelo, Taylor Hall and Brandon McMillan each bulged the twine for the hosts last night, while Jordan Eberle had a pair of assists and Brandon Kozun, Brayden Schenn and Marco Scandella each registered a helper.
But Willie Desjardins’ squad did the majority of their damage in the corners.
The Canadians are shooting for a record sixth consecutive gold at the world junior tournament, which starts on Boxing Day in Saskatoon and Regina, and if their showing at the Saddledome is any indication, they’re willing to run around like schoolyard bullies in an effort to grab a slice of history.
They certainly didn’t waste any time implementing the gameplan last night, much to the delight of the 10,756 spectators in attendance.
Just a dozen seconds after the opening faceoff, offensive whiz Nazem Kadri steamrolled Finnish forward Mikael Granlund in enemy territory, earning a two-minute trip to the penalty box for charging.
That sparked a hit parade.
McMillan left Kristian Kakyva sprawling on the ice behind Finland’s net. Talented Toni Rajala, seemingly mesmerized by the arc of an air-borne puck, was pasted by Della Rovere.
Captain Patrice Cormier banged too many bodies to list on a single page.
“That’s our job — to be physical as a team,” Cormier said. “With guys like Kadri getting into it, I think that gets the whole team going.
“One thing for us is we want everyone to buy into our system and buy into what we want guys to do. I think every single guy out there is buying in and doing his job.”
Although Calgary Flames prospect Joni Ortio stood his ground between the pipes, the Finns struggled to generate many offensive opportunities at even-strength, thanks in part to the forced habit of avoiding high-traffic areas like claustrophobes avoid Boxing Day blowouts. The Canadians were assessed 10 minor penalties, but the Finns couldn’t cash in.
Even the game-winning goal was the result of some physical play by Canada’s top teens.
In the moments before Pietrangelo, the lanky blueliner on loan from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, roofed a slapshot over Ortio’s shoulder to give Team Canada the 1-0 lead, Eberle and McMillan buzzed around the offensive zone like bowling balls, creating all sorts of havoc.
Kozun, who has set off countless goal celebrations at the Saddledome in three seasons with the WHL’s Hitmen, cooked up Canada’s second marker, knocking down a loose puck and sending a seeing-eye pass to Hall, who kicked the disc to his stick and buried it in a yawning cage.
McMillan added the exclamation point with just over five minutes remaining in the third period, racing in on a breakaway and deking to his backhand for a goal that’s certain to be found on the highlight loop this morning.
Martin Jones, the other Hitmen representative on the team, made 17 stops for the shutout, although the Finns had a goal waved off in the third period. Ortio made 21 stops for the visitors.
Team Canada won’t have much time to heal their bumps and bruises. They’ll hit the ice tonight in Regina to face the Czech Republic in their final exhibition tuneup.
via Canada a crunchin’ bunch | Hockey | Sports | Calgary Sun.
From Kelowna.com: Canada’s Teubert finds elusive comfort zone
REGINA – Colten Teubert would love to be cashing NHL paycheques right now, but he’s quick to point out that you can’t put a price on gold.
When the 19-year-old defenceman failed to crack the lineup of the Los Angeles Kings this fall, he didn’t pout. Teubert diverted all his energy to the consolation prize – returning to the WHL’s Regina Pats and gearing up for a second straight gold-medal run at the world junior hockey championship.
“That’s one of the reasons I wasn’t as disappointed coming back,” said Teubert, who struggled in the second half of the 2008-09 campaign after returning from the world juniors in Ottawa. “Last year wasn’t a year I want to characterize myself on. I want to be able to go out with a bang and be a complete player and a winner. I want two in a row. I know me and (Pats teammate Jordan Eberle) are going to do whatever it takes to do that.”
Although Teubert is focused on a short-term goal, he’s well aware of the long-term benefits. The Kings will be closely scrutinizing his performance during the world junior tournament, so Teubert is eager to show them what he can do.
“It’s such a highly touted tournament,” said the 13th overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft. “It really sets guys up. You look at the guys last year that were really successful (at the world juniors). They’re all basically in the NHL or the AHL this year. I’ve played with them. It definitely does provide a lot of motivation.”
Although Teubert already has a gold medal on his resume, the experience hasn’t lost any lustre. In fact, every time he pulls on the Maple Leaf and skates out in front of a pro-Canada crowd, Teubert feels like a kid in a candy store.
“I remember when I was 12-years-old watching the world juniors at Christmas and Canada didn’t win; I was so disappointed because we’re supposed to win this tournament,” recalled the six-foot-four, 200-pound blue-liner. “Even with all the pressure on us, you can always look up into the crowd and smile during warm- ups. It’s kind of surreal. That’s what I did every game (last year) in Ottawa. I would just look up into the crowd, look around, pinch myself a couple times and go, `Holy crap, we’re really here.’ It’s one of the biggest moments in my career in hockey, just having the privilege to be invited and selected to the team. There’s players in the NHL that haven’t even had the opportunity to play in this tournament. I’m just glad Canada has put trust in me and given me the opportunity.”
Teubert’s experience from last year’s tournament made him an obvious choice for a return engagement at the world juniors. As Team Canada’s brass stated repeatedly during the tryout process, you can never have too much experience.
“I think (Teubert) is more relaxed this year,” noted Hockey Canada head scout Al Murray. “I think he knows the challenges that are ahead having been through a world junior. He knows he’s capable of playing at that level and I think he’s a lot more comfortable in his own mind. He knows how to get prepared and how things are going to unfold and what’s going to be expected of him.”
Teubert has worked on improving his foot speed this season, which is something he believes will serve him well on the international stage. He has embraced his role as a shut-down defender and penalty killer, leaving most of the power-play time to the likes of Ryan Ellis and Alex Pietrangelo.
Teubert also wants to be considered a leader, which is why he was so “honoured” to be named an alternate captain on this year’s team. In the end, however, it all adds up to the fact that Teubert’s ultimate goal is a team goal – winning Canada’s sixth consecutive gold medal.
“One of these days when I retire – hopefully it’s not any time soon – I’ll be looking back remembering all the great times I had as a junior hockey player, ” he added. “I’ll have some pretty crazy things to tell the kids.”
via Canada’s Teubert finds elusive comfort zone | Kelowna.com.
Brian Boyle Throwing Punches at His Own Teammates — via Ranger Rants
One thing to remember: hockey players fighting is not like you fighting with somebody, even a friend. For the most part, it’s a very swift current taking the water under the bridge. So Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky lobbing a couple of punches at each other at today’s optional skate is not headline material. The two were quickly separated, even as Aaron Voros tried to get in on the action, and joked about it together soon after in the dressing room.“We’re giving you stuff to write about,” Dubinsky told the media as he passed by Boyle’s stall. “The stuff you write is so stale.”Boyle, who missed Monday’s 3-1 win at Carolina after his back went out in the first period of Saturday’s 2-1 win at Philadelphia, said he was hoping to play tomorrow when the Rangers host the Panthers prior to their two-day Christmas break. But Boyle seemed to be walking pretty stiffly and coach John Tortorella might not be looking to change his lineup after a very solid game.
via Ranger Rants.
With Sunday’s Results, the Kings PLayoff Chances Tick Up 1.1%
…to 78%. Numbers per SportsClubStats (link below). Essentially, what the site does is, they randomly generate results for the rest of the season, running millions of complete season simulations starting from the standings today, and then calculate the likelihood of different finishes in final standings for each team. They also report the effect that each conference game has on other teams. Tonight, Detroit and Vancouver both lost, which was the best possible outcome (statistically) for the Kings.
As of tonight, the point threshold for making the playoffs (in 95% of the simulations) is 96 points. At 92 points, it’s 50/50.
From William Houston: The truth about hitting in the NHL
From my new favorite hockey blog, which I just discovered three minutes ago:
Rogers Sportsnet’s Doug MacLean made a revealing point on Hockey Central this week, one that is never raised by other TV hockey analysts, probably because they just didn’t know.
Amid all the hand-wringing concern about a crackdown on cheap shots — full chorus now — “taking the hitting out of the game,” MacLean, quoting NHL vice-president Colin Campbell, noted that there’s never been as much hitting in the NHL as there is today. It’s not even close.
Campbell and his staff viewed some 1970s footage after which they concluded they’re likely to see more hitting in one shift today than in a full game from the 1970s. You’d reach the same conclusion if you watched some film from the 1960s. Not a great deal of hitting. But, you know, the game was entertaining and people loved it.
That’s why it’s just hilarious to hear the NHL establishment fretting about what awful damage to hockey a ban on cheap shots or even fighting would do. The answer is it would do nothing to hurt the game. It would give the NHL some credibility.
It’s also worth stating that if a professional sport needs to condone, even encourage fighting and cheap shots to survive, it doesn’t deserve to survive.
via The truth about hitting in the NHL | Truth & Rumours | William Houston | On Sports And The Media.
Meanwhile, In Manchester tonight: Moller scores, Parse scores, Elkins gets an assist, so does Martinez — and that’s it for scoring…just the four guys who got sent down.
Oh, and a shut out for Bernier.
Lowetide: Writing Off O’Sullivan
It looks like the Oilogosphere has made up its mind about Patrick O’Sullivan. He’s been an Oiler for over half a season and hasn’t delivered close to his established level of ability. It’s my belief that if we took a long look at O’Sullivan’s successful seasons 05-06 in the minors and 07-08 in the majors and then compared them to this year we’d find out some things.
A quick glance at his career tells us that most of his NHL goals scored before arrival in Edmonton were at even strength 30 at EV, 7 on the PP and 4 on the PK and that he played mid-level opposition with good linemates in the 2007-08 season. He played about 18 minutes a night that season 13:38 at EV, 2:25 on PP and 2:38 on PK.So I think a case could be made that O’Sullivan is an NHL player. If the Oilers had the depth to be able to play him in a similar role mid-level opponent, good linemates, lots of EV time to the one he played in Los Angeles one could argue the Oilers would have more than three Tyler made an excellent point last night about Penner, Horcoff and Gagner players who could help them win hockey games.
Patrick O’Sullivan doesn’t look like a difference maker [...]. However, there is some evidence that he can play in the NHL and on this team that has tremendous value.
That Was One of the Best Losses I Have Ever Seen
And here’s why:
1) I watched the TSN feed. Those guys were effusive in their praise of the Kings in general and of Doughty specifically. There was a great moment when the play-by-play guy said, “Doughty [does something with the puck, I forget what], Nystrom tracks him.” And the color guy muttered, “good luck!”
2) Related to that: Doughty shifted into some extra gears I didn’t know he had. He very nearly took over the game. Even though he didn’t score, it was breathtaking.
3) Giordano clocked Brown twice. It was clear that there would be a response (I mean, besides Raitis granting Calgary a power-play right after the second hit). As soon as that happened, I thought, “too bad Johnson, Simmonds, Stoll, Jones and Segal are not here.” So, who steps up in defense of Brown? Who sends the message?
OSCAR MOLLER.
Moller himself took two or three very hard but clean checks over the course of the game, but the announcers were quick to point out that (a) Moller always made the play, took the hit, got the puck where it was supposed to go, (b) he knows how to take a hit, and (c) he goes right back to the dirty areas. This is exactly what I’ve been saying about Moller for two years now. He can dish it, he can take it, and he’s fearless. (He led the team last night with 2 hits; Brown was credited with three, but I don’t count the one where he almost paralyzed himself face first into the boards.
4) The Elkins goal. First thing, Elkins gets the puck deep and — does what? hang around the half-wall? loiter in the high slot? — no: HE DRIVES TO THE NET. With two guys on him. Second thing, Moller digs the puck out from about 450 pounds of Calgary Flames, gets hauled down, and while falling to the ice makes a perfect pass to the guy who drove to the net, with two guys on him.
5) The celebration of the Elkins goal. Moller attacked Elkins he was so happy. So was I. That was great.
By the way, I don’t think the clock started when the puck dropped on that first Calgary goal. But whatever. Kings lose and drop down to ten games above .500.
In which I evaluate my preseason targets for individual goals-for
Before the season started, I said I thought the Kings needed to score 250 goals in order to make the playoffs. The Kings are almost exactly on course to reach the 250 plateau. The last time I looked at the numbers was around game 18. Since then, it’s interesting to note that Kopitar has scored but one measly goal. He was projecting to around 70 goals; now he’s projecting to 35. Interestingly, the projected underage from Moller, Lewis and Purcell (-20) has been made up by Parse and Richardson (+20). The combined projected underages of Williams, Brown and Frolov (-27) is canceled out by the combined overages of Jones, Doughty, Stoll and Simmonds (+29).
Goals36 = goals after 36 games.
Target36 = target prorated to 36 games.
Target82 = original target for full season.
From The Puck Stops Here : Kings Lead The West
Kings are getting more and more non-Kings site blogosphere attention:
I don’t think anyone would have predicted that the Los Angeles Kings would be first in the West Conference in mid-December, but they are. The Kings have a 22-14 record (with three overtime loss points) to give them 47 points. Skeptics are quick to note that Los Angeles leads the NHL in games played and some western teams (San Jose and Chicago) have better winning percentages in fewer games played.
Concur. See my Standings in Points Blown.
Whether or not you think Los Angeles can maintain top spot in the West, it is clear that they are a much better team than predicted.
They have a good young core of players that is emerging to stardom together. At forward, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll have significant talent and are leading the team offensively. Ryan Smyth was a significant contributor as well, before he fell to injury (he may be back soon). Justin Williams and Wayne Simmonds have also been significant contributors. This is a deep group of offensive players and many have the potential that they will likely keep improving.
On defence, the story is Drew Doughty. The second year man has been the NHL’s most improved player this season. He has become one of the best defencemen in hockey. Jack Johnson, Sean O’Donnell and Rob Scuderi are providing depth along with waiver claimant Randy Jones (who has 12 points in his 18 games as a King).
The Kings potential weakness looked like it may be goaltending this season. Last year, their goaltending was unsettled. Jonathan Quick emerged at their starter, but he lacked an NHL track record. Quick has been given the starting job this year. He has started all but three games. Quick has 20 wins (which ties him for the league lead with Martin Brodeur), but he does not have great underlying numbers. He has a .904 saves percentage and a 2.60 GAA. This is a huge improvement from backup Eric Ersberg’s .837 saves percentage and 4.10 GAA, but they are not good numbers.
For the most part, the Kings are winning despite their goaltending. Their core has become good enough that they haven’t needed a goalie to steal games for them.
It may look that way from afar, but there have in fact been several games stolen by Quick. My gut says three or four.
A significant reason for that is Drew Doughty’s emergence. He has significantly improved the Kings team defence. The Kings have the fourth best shots against in the league with 27.4 per game.
As they stand right now, Los Angeles is a good team. As long as their core continues to play well, they will have a good record. They are unlikely to become a top level team as long as they do not have top goaltending. I doubt they will stay at the top of the West Conference all season, but they should be a playoff team. They need better goaltending to take the next step forward.
via KuklasKorner : The Puck Stops Here : Kings Lead The West.
Jones, Teubert, Kozun and Schenn make Canada WJC roster
Canada has finalized its 22-man roster for the upcoming world junior hockey championship.
Team Canada 2010 roster
Kukla’s Korner cut/pastes Eklund and it reminds me of Monty Python and leads to the development of Eklund’s Law
Here’s the Eklund tweet grabbed by KK:
It makes so much sense that a few people on here [sic] know more about the truth behind what I write than say the teams and NHL does [sic]. You would think if I was just making these rumours up the NHL and teams wouldn’t invite me into the press box. And yes, not only does bob mckenzie follow me, but he sent me his book and will be a guest on my podcast in the coming weeks.
-Dwayne (he prefers Eklund) to his readers.
This is the relevant Python:
I admit the connection is very, um, right-brain. But it seems pretty clear to me that Eklund “has his own hat.” Because the math of what he just “wrote” reduces to:
False rumor + invitation to press box = true rumor.
Standings in Points Blown (Sunday update)
Two points “awarded” for every loss, one point for every OTL/SOL. Lowest point total is best. In parentheses are the official (ESPN) rankings. Calgary loses on Sunday; Kings inch to within one point of the Flames.
- Chicago 19 (3)
- Calgary 22 (2)
- Los Angeles 23 (1)
- San Jose 23 (4)
- Phoenix 24 (6)
- Nashville 25 (7)
- Dallas 26 (8)
- Colorado 26 (5)
- Detroit 27 (9)
- Vancouver 28 (10)
- St. Louis 29 (14)
- Columbus 30 (12)
- Edmonton 30 (11)
- Minnesota 31 (13)
- Anaheim 33 (15)
45 Points in 34 Games…Is That Good?
Well, yes.
In ’74, the Kings had 47 points (18-5-11) and, in ’80, they had 47 points (22-9-3). Those are the only two seasons that beat or equal the Kings’ current record of 21-10-3. Oh, and they’re officially first in the West and 2nd overall. (Philadelphia — they of the quickie rebuild of two seasons ago — are now tied with Toronto for 28th overall. I bring up Philly because so many fans pointed to them as an example of how you can suck one year and “rebuild” in one summer. I guess, in a word, not.)
sctimes.com Garrett Roe’s Vow of Silence
Down by three goals at one point in the second period, then trailing by two in the third, Garrett Roe played perhaps the central role in engineering Friday night’s 4-4 tie against Colorado College. We’d love to pass on his thoughts about how the Huskies did it, how he snapped a five-game goalless streak and assisted on another goal in the comeback, and what it meant as the Huskies head toward Christmas break. Only there’s one problem: Roe has vowed silence to the Times, or at least to me.
Miffed at a story reporting his one-game suspension last month, Roe has said in not so many words that he won’t be available for the rest of the season. He declined an interview request Friday night when approached by a university spokesman.
So, we’ll just have to make do by getting the story from those who will talk.
“I think this was (Roe’s) best game of the year so far,” said Tony Mosey, the recipient of Roe’s pass for a power-play goal that made it 3-2 late in the second period. “He played with a lot of energy and that shot (for SCSU’s third goal) … it was just huge.”
First, Roe skated up the left wing, stopped and feathered a pass toward Mosey. It hit Travis Novak’s skate, popped into the air and Mosey whacked it past Tigers goalie Joe Howe. Then, in the third period, Roe skated up the right wing and, from the right circle, hit a hole about five inches wide with a missile of a wrist shot.
“That was an unbelievable pass (to Mosey),” said Brian Volpei, one of Roe’s best friends on the team. “I think Mosey was as surprised as everyone that it got to him. As far as that goal, I think that’s a play everyone has come to expect from Garrett. Not to take anything away from him. What a big-time shot. He’s a great player and we’ve come to expect that from him.”
A junior center and seventh-round draftee of the Los Angeles Kings, Roe has 107 points in 93 career games. He pulled into a tie with Kelly Hultgren for 18th on SCSU’s all-time scoring list. (Ryan Lasch, whose eight-game point streak snapped, remains fourth at 148.) Assuming Roe returns for his senior year, he could take a run at Lasch and even the three players in front of him.
For now, the Times will do it the old-fashioned way: By reporting what can be seen. Of course, that’s what evidently set Roe off in the first place. No explanation — on or off the record — was available for his suspension. It seemed necessary to mention his infraction coincided with the appearance of a bruised eye — and Roe’s denial that it had anything to do with why he missed a Nov. 13 game at North Dakota, a 4-2 loss. The report elicited a flood of communication from agents and scouts, and consequently cemented his feelings about me as a reporter. It’s unfortunate, and the first time in 12 years an SCSU player has made such a vow. Certainly, some have taken exception to passages, and some have given the old “No comment” until we hashed it out or they got over it. But no disagreement has been like this.
Friday’s Standings in Points Blown
Two points “awarded” for every loss, one point for every OTL/SOL. Lowest point total is best. In parentheses are the official (ESPN) rankings.
- Chicago 19 (2)
- Calgary 20 (3)
- San Jose 21 (1)
- Los Angeles 23 (4)
- Phoenix 24 (6)
- Nashville 24 (7)
- Dallas 25 (8)
- Colorado 26 (5)
- Detroit 27 (9)
- Columbus 28 (10)
- Vancouver 28 (11)
- Minnesota 29 (14)
- St. Louis 29 (13)
- Edmonton 30 (12)
- Anaheim 33 (15)
Thursday’s Standings in Points Blown
Two points “awarded” for every loss, one point for every OTL/SOL. Lowest point total is best. In parentheses are the official (ESPN) rankings.
- Chicago 17 (2)
- Calgary 19 (3)
- San Jose 20 (1)
- Los Angeles 23 (4)
- Phoenix 24 (6)
- Nashville 24 (7)
- Dallas 25 (8)
- Colorado 26 (5)
- Detroit 27 (9)
- St. Louis 27 (13)
- Columbus 28 (10)
- Vancouver 28 (11)
- Minnesota 29 (14)
- Edmonton 30 (12)
- Anaheim 32 (15)
HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Dustin Brown Sounds Off
Following practice yesterday, I asked Brown simply, is there a problem?
“I think its an individual thing.” Brown began. “We’re professionals. We’re paid to come prepared to play. I think it’s something that every individual on this team, they need to come ready. Partly it’s coming together as a team but if you’re not ready to go individually, collectively we’re not going to be nearly as strong.”
“I think it comes down to not having enough individuals ready. I think it comes down to purely the individual preparing themselves honestly.”
I asked if it was the captains responsibility to approach that individual. Brown replied, “I think its something we’ve addressed. Hopefully it gets through and people are better at it. We talked about it a few times this year. It has to be corrected sooner rather than later by the individual”.
When asked if it was his responsibility or Terry Murray’s, Brown stated, “I think its a mixture of both. But again, ultimately it falls on the responsibility of the shoulders of the player, or players, collectively. The coach can preach all he wants and people can yell all they want but its up to the athlete to make up his mind if they want to be better and want to play.”
I then asked Terry Murray if he agreed with Brown’s statements. “We have been talking about that, getting ready to get going, making sure that each one of you individually is doing what you need to do to bring your best game… the responsibility for that is the individual player to come and play the game.”
“We need to get to the right level of play to match the intensity of the opponent… or if you’re just inconsistent, we get a couple of really good shifts, which is what’s been happening, and then we’re dropping back off and not following it up and that’s also a concern that needs to be addressed.”
Maybe that’s why Dean Lombardi is accompanying the team to San Jose.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Dustin Brown Sounds Off.
Okay, so let’s play along at home. Who could Dustin Brown be talking about? Let’s run down the list…
Himself? I’ll say no.
Kopitar? No.
Williams? No.
Frolov? Maaaaaybe.
Purcell? Maybe, but Murray has been praising him, especially re hard work.
Stoll? No.
Parse? NO.
Handzus? No.
Simmonds? NO.
Ivanans? Yes, of course, it’s Raitis! No.
Richardson? NO.
Harrold? He’s been plenty prepared in the press box. No.
Johnson? Possible, but my impression is that he’s working his *** off and Murray likes it. Mistakes aside.
Doughty? NO.
SOD? No.
Greene? NO.
Drewiske? I doubt it.
Jones? In light of the benching, I’ll say maybe.
So who does that boil down to? Frolov, Purcell, Johnson, Jones. I don’t think it’s Jones. The timing isn’t right. He was playing like gangbusters around the time of Brown’s first comments. Johnson, again, I think it’s unlikely. He’s been getting more icetime, not less.
Frolov and Purcell. And, really, it’s down to Frolov, because Teddy is busting his ass, but choking.
So, Fro…
Gare Joyce reflects on the effects of getting cut in juniors
I remember Mike Comrie and Matt Zultek tearing it up in the last exhibition game on the eve of the cut and yet they still got the early wake-up call. “Sour” doesn’t start to describe their reaction. Comrie has gone on to a pretty decent NHL career, although not one distinguished by team success and not one endorsed by the love of his team-mates. Would playing at the world juniors, wearing the red and white, changed his attitude and made him less of a me-first guy? Maybe, but probably a long shot. Zultek, a mid-first-rounder in the previous NHL draft, couldn’t have known that his career would be wrecked by knee injuries but at least he had a chance to score a Memorial Cup-winning goal with the Ottawa 67s. Still, a turn with the Canadian juniors would have been something he could treasure, another parting gift. (Last time I talked to him he was working as a firefighter in Pennsylvania.)
The Hockey News/The Hot List: The Hot List: Panik room
6. Nick Bjugstad, C – Blaine Bengals (Minn. HS): A towering 6-foot-5, 190-pound pivot, Bjugstad will be one to watch on the Minnesota high school circuit this year. The Golden Gophers commit already hung a hat trick on a good Roseau team and the points won’t stop there. Draft eligible in 2010.
Scott Bjugstad’s nephew. Woot.
via The Hockey News: The Hot List: The Hot List: Panik room.
Kings Points Leaders Since Ryan Smith Injury
- Wayne Simmonds 4+4=8
- Scott Parse 3+5=8
- Randy Jones 3+5=8
- Jarret Stoll 3+4=7
- Alexander Frolov 3+2=5
- Drew Doughty 3+2=5
- Justin Williams 3+2=5
- Dustin Brown 0+5=5
- Brad Richardson 3+1=4
- Jack Johnson 1+3=4
- Sean O’Donnell 0+3=3
- Anze Kopitar 0+3=3
- Matt Greene 1+0=1
- Davis Drewiske 0+1=1
- Teddy Purcell 0+0=0
- Raitis Ivanans 0+0=0
- Peter Harrold 0+0=0
Just looking at goals:
- Simmonds 4
- Parse 3
- Jones 3
- Richardson 3
- Stoll 3
- Doughty 3
- Williams 3
- Frolov 3
- Johnson 1
- Greene 1
- Everyone else 0
‘I thought the D played great’ — Iginla – Flames Insider
With their home town in a deep-freeze, the Flames, too, needed to deal with minus-28 conditions in Los Angeles.
Without Robyn Regehr (missing his first game with an undisclosed injury), Staffan Kronwall was pressed into duty.
And Jay Bouwmeester handled 30:45 of ice time, Dion Phaneuf 27:17.
It was hardly a disaster — the Flames allowed only 16 shots and only two goals (a highlight-reel doozie from Scott Parse and a power-play conversion by Jarret Stoll).
via ‘I thought the D played great’ — Iginla – Flames Insider.
Islanders defenceman Witt hit by car; will still play tonight
New York Islanders defenceman Brendan Witt was hit by a car in Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to Newsday. But Witt reportedly picked himself up off the road and, after a few profanities, assured everyone he was all right before continuing on his way, prompting one witness to say, “it was like seeing Clint Eastwood, but in hockey.”
Witt was crossing Arch Street to get a cup of coffee when a gold Yukon truck made an illegal turn and hit the 34-year-old. Newsday says Witt tried to jump on the hood of the vehicle before being thrown to the ground as he was struck.
“I’m okay,” Witt told the crowd as he dusted himself off, according to Newsday. “I’ve got to go play some hockey. I’m a hockey player. I’m okay. No big deal.”
The onlooker was impressed.
“Boy that guy is tough,” he said.
via Islanders defenceman Witt hit by car; will still play tonight.
The American Hockey League | AHL announces suspensions
The AHL also announced that Rockford IceHogs goaltender Dan Cloutier has been suspended for one (1) game as a result of his actions in a game vs. Manitoba on Dec. 6.
Cloutier was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 51.4 after being assessed a match penalty for roughing.
Cloutier will miss Rockford’s game on Friday (Dec. 11) at Texas.
via TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League | AHL announces suspensions.
Monday Night’s Standings in Points Blown
Two points “awarded” for every loss, one point for every OTL/SOL. Lowest point total is best. In parentheses are the official (ESPN) rankings. Blues, Wild and Flames lost.
- Chicago 17 (3)
- San Jose 19 (1)
- Calgary 19 (4)
- Los Angeles 23 (5)
- Phoenix 23 (6)
- Colorado 24 (2)
- Nashville 24 (7)
- Dallas 24 (8)
- Detroit 25 (9)
- Vancouver 26 (10)
- Columbus 27 (11)
- St. Louis 27 (13)
- Minnesota 29 (14)
- Edmonton 30 (12)
- Anaheim 32 (15)
The big difference from my reality and ESPN’s is Colorado. They are officially 2nd in the conference. But they’ve played three or four more games than most of the other teams, and they’ve played more games than everyone. Once again, a loss separates 4th place from 10th.
Saturday Night’s Standings in Points Blown
Two points “awarded” for every loss, one point for every OTL/SOL. Lowest point total is best. In parentheses are the official (ESPN) rankings.
- Chicago 17 (2)
- Calgary 17 (3)
- San Jose 19 (1)
- Los Angeles 23 (5)
- Phoenix 23 (6)
- Colorado 24 (4)
- Nashville 24 (7)
- Dallas 24 (8)
- Detroit 25 (10)
- St. Louis 25 (12)
- Vancouver 26 (9)
- Columbus 27 (11)
- Minnesota 27 (13)
- Edmonton 30 (14)
- Anaheim 31 (15)
One loss separates 4th from 10th. And the Sharks (two losses away from the Kings) are three losses from 10th place. Hope springs eternal.
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