Coming home with a 2-0 series lead? Been there. Leaving Staples up 3-0? Done that. No reason we won't do it again. Though the St. Louis Blues will have something to say about it, people in St. Louis speak not with words but with... with... um... oh hell I don't care enough about the city to make a culturally relevant remark. They like curving, functionally meaningless architecture, … [Read more...]
LA Kings @ St. Louis Blues Round 2 Game 2 Open Forum – No Road Less Traveled
April 30, 2012 By
This is quickly becoming a familiar situation. A top team in the league goes into game 2 with the home ice advantage they worked so tirelessly throughout the season to gain nullified, behind the 8-ball, in desperate need of a win lest they go on the road without a win to their name. Meanwhile, the Kings enter tonight once again having won the rounds' first game, but riding not high on a kite … [Read more...]
L.A. Kings Take Game One 3-1 Over The St. Louis Blues. I Have Orgasm.
April 28, 2012 By
I stayed off Twitter today. I stayed away from the house during the first period. Instead, I hit a local bar and the tightly packed bartender, Talena, put on the game for me with a smile. It was admittedly odd watching it with the sound off but I enjoyed it because the C- commentary by NBC Sports out of my ear let me focus on the details. What I noticed is that St. Louis' offensive game is simple. … [Read more...]
Vancouver Out, St. Louis In – A Real Post Game For A Surreal Game
April 22, 2012 By
Bobby and I just finished recording the podcast, so stay tuned for that very shortly. In the meantime, what a game, what a series! To get the factual out of the way the Kings just moved on to the second round by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in game 5, on their ice, off Jarrett Stoll's overtime winner just 4:27 after regulation had ended. Brad Richardson scored the tying goal in the third … [Read more...]
LA Kings @ Vancouver Canucks Round 1 Game 5 Open Forum – End Game
April 22, 2012 By
You are worried about Cory Schneider. I know you are. You are worried about Daniel Sedin. Admit it, I won't judge. Allow me to assuage, to impart my confidence on to you. Schneider has had an easy ride. The Kings have given him many soft shots from outside the circles to casually stop. They have allowed him ample space to work his craft, unobstructed and without spears in groin or asses in … [Read more...]
Kings vs. Canucks Playoff Thoughts, Tidbits & Musings
April 16, 2012 By
When you think about how significant Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick have been to the L.A. Kings' success, remember that they were drafted by the man whose name and number hangs at Staples Center - Dave Taylor. Quick was drafted in 2005, 3rd round, 72nd overall. What a steal. That is the same draft we got Anze Kopitar in the first round (yay) and Dany Roussin & T.J. Fast in … [Read more...]
L.A. Kings Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Canucks. Love It Tonight. Reset Tomorrow.
April 13, 2012 By
It wasn't a perfect game. We were outplayed for parts of it. We didn't dominate. What we did was never pause, never invite them back in and, just as important, never play like a team scared to win. Compare the L.A. Kings team in these playoffs to the last two and what I see is a team that looks and plays like it belongs here and is serious about winning. Am I excited? A little. 2-0 was earned, … [Read more...]
Top 10 Things JT Dutch Will Do If Quick Wins The Vezina
April 8, 2012 By
The following list was written last Wednesday in a fun attempt to draw reader JT Dutch out from the shadows in which he had lurked for about a week or two. We love JT (in that Mr. Wilson to Dennis the Menace kind of way) and this place always gets a little duller when he takes his ball and goes home for a time. He came out of his hiding all on his own though after last Thursday's upsetting loss … [Read more...]
Fe Fi Fo None – Canucks Shutout Kings
March 26, 2012 By
I'm just going to get it out of the way; the officiating did not decide the game tonight, but holy shit was it awful. Next time the Kings play with this nitwit young referee whose name I don't want to give the credit of looking up and committing to memory, I'd like Kyle Clifford to take a shit on the opposing goalie's head, to show him what unsportsmanlike conduct really looks like. I'd like … [Read more...]
Bye Bye Win Streak: Bruins Beats Kings 4-2
March 24, 2012 By
Stupidity ruled the day as the Kings twice mimicked the lack of intelligence exhibited by the hoards of Bruin fans with terrible goals against in what amounted to the conclusion of a 6 game winning streak. Between Drew Doughty making two bone head lazy passes within 3 seconds of each other and giving up the game's first goal, and Quick leaving a queef-sized pocket in his 5-hole for Lucic to … [Read more...]
“Systems” Exist & “Stats Are For Bird Watchers”?
March 10, 2012 By
From Matt Greene via Hammond talking about Darryl Sutter's system changes: “No. He’s not doing anything that we haven’t seen over the course of our entire lives. When you’re at this level, it shouldn’t matter what system you’re playing. You’ve played everything, coming up to this point, so you should be able to adjust and you should be able to adapt to it. All our forwards, first … [Read more...]
External Motivation vs. Internal Drive: An L.A. Kings Story
February 26, 2012 By
Dustin Brown didn't just get a hat trick last night. He got a natural hat trick. Three goals in a row. They were beautiful. The first was a snipe, top shelf, coming off his left wing. The second was a rebound that he picked up in front of the net, controlled, extended and tucked in successive fluid motions. The third was one that even surprised me - a shot in stride without pulling the puck back … [Read more...]
How Do The L.A. Kings Measure Up To Scotty Bowman’s “5 Golden Principles”?
February 22, 2012 By
From Dmitry Chesnokov, we get the 5 Golden Principles from Scotty Bowman’s coaching manual titled “The Art of Coaching the Team During the Game:” I won't answer them in any detail here. I will offer my general thoughts as it relates to the L.A. Kings. 1. Surround yourself with the best personnel! Running the team is a team effort. Let's see. John Stevens and Jamie Kompon. Those … [Read more...]
Kings vs. Panthers Open Forum: The Best Revenge Is A W
February 8, 2012 By
Last time we played Florida, we won. Kevin Dineen whined. A lot. (on the game recap…) “We thoroughly outplayed them. They were trying to run around and chase us and hack us and slash us. When you are getting outplayed as badly as they were, that’s the response. We walk out of here feeling very good about the way we played and we move forward from there.’’ (on the goaltending…) … [Read more...]
Things I Learned About Football By Not Watching The Superbowl
February 5, 2012 By
Look, it's no secret Surly & I have one sport - hockey. That's it. We are monogamous, though more than a little sadomasochistic. The problem with this super "bowl" thing (other than it makes me think of weed) is you can't get away from it. It's like an airborne virus...a boring one. Anyway, here is what I learned. It's actually not played by puppies. A goal is called a touchdown, even … [Read more...]
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