I came of age during Gretzky's Black and Silver era while unaware of concept of seasonal change. Two things that have stemmed from that period are my ability to recognize Bob Miller’s voice in a second and my never-ending devotion to my favorite player, Rob Blake.
Well, Lombardi finally made a splash tonight after a very quiet Free Agency opening day with many GMs out of their minds signing players to ridiculous contracts. The wait was killer as a Kings fan and finally Darren Dreger (resident favorite of A Queen Among Kings) broke the story via Twitter just a few minutes ago that the Kings had traded for Aves' Ryan Smyth.
Reaction #1: Omg, we got an asshole in the lineup.
Reaction #2: Who in Zeus' jizz did the Kings give up to get Smyth?
Reaction #3: (After reading the trade results) Hahaha!
In the end the Kings gave up a 5th round pick in 2010, D Kyle Quincey, and D Tom Preissing. First off, the 5th round pick is chump change. Secondly, I cannot believe someone took Preissing from us!!
Lombardi, you are awesome.
But, sadly Quincey will be leaving the sunny coast of Los Angeles for the snowbanks of Denver. This is the only part I'm a bit sad about, but we didn't really need him after the signing of Rob Scuderi (Go Deano!) to a 4-year, $13.6 million contract yesterday. Smyth has 3 years remaining on his 5-year contract in Colorado with the cap hit at $6.25 mil. He will make $6.5 mil this season, $5.5 next, and $4.5 in 2011-2012. Quincey was definitely the big piece in this trade and I'm glad that was all the Kings had to give up.
The pieces are falling into place... and jesus christ, Ryan Smyth is a King...
The Los Angeles Kings faced off against the St. Louis Blues last night and my boys got two more points to get out of 5th in the Pacific Division. They've also won two in a row, which may seem pathetic, I know, but really, it's the Kings. I have to take the positives where I can. This is actually going to be an abbreviated review since I have stuff to do today and don't have too much time here. Busting out the list format while dropping the wicked beats (...was that nerdy?....):
Drew Doughty got a goal and an assist while logging in 25:09 of ice time. I don't think he needs his ego fluffed up anymore this week.
Anze Kopitar finally scored his second goal of the season. He really needed this and it was an absolute beauty of a goal. To watch him take the put around the back of the net and beat Manny Legace before he could shift over the left side of the net was fantastic. He finished off the rest of the game getting 2 assists.
Alexander Frolov, Tom Preissing, and Dustin Brown all got a goal and an assist as well.
This was definitely a more exciting game than the last one against the Florida Panthers. The Blues were able to get on the board with 3 goals of their own, but we clinched the game with an empty-netter with less than 2 minutes to go.
It was nice to see Sean O'Donnell sticking up for his teammates in the middle of the third period. Peter Harrold had gotten his second hit to his head of the game and O'Donnell wasn't going to let the Blues goes quietly into the night.
I would also like to give the standard golf clap to Erik Ersberg. This was his third start and he's looked pretty damn good in all three games. Note (which I've already told 1/2 of KingsCast): if you pick up Ersberg as a goalie in your fantasy league, don't be expecting great save percentage numbers. The Kings have been letting so few shots on goal that every goal Ersberg lets in drops that percentage severely. That being said, he's pretty solid otherwise for the wins and GAA numbers.
Last thing: three of the four goals last night were on the PP. Sweetness.
This has been a pretty good week for the Kings and I can only hope they continue the momentum through to the next week where we face the Dallas Stars twice and Nashville Predators. I would like to see Kopi and Patrick O'Sullivan get on the board in terms of goals for next week. Everyone else can continue in said fashion. Wait... I'd also like to see Kyle Calder elsewhere on the roster, like say, the 3rd or 4th line.
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Just as my title says: The Panthers are just plain awful. And, really, that's saying a lot coming from a Kings fan. Well, first off, I couldn't believe how few people were at Staples Center. A couple thousand? But, there is really no draw with the Panthers even though they're one of those teams that is tucked away in the Eastern Conference. The game started and the Kings proceeded to hold a clinic for the first two periods. They utterly dominated the Panthers in basically every facet of the game even though there was definitely a different feel to the flow of the game. All of the missed passes, turnovers, and takeaways made the movements of the players a lot more fluid as opposed to when the passes land and either team sets up shop in the offensive zones, which is a big difference (for me) between the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively.
Is it too early to have thoughts about Rookie of the Year? No, really; c'mon, hear me out.
All offseason I thought that Teddy Purcell was a shoe-in for that Calder Trophy, but when he was reassigned to Manchester (boo), I was wondering if Drew Doughty might be able to garner said attention. First off, I definitely think he can make a strong case for himself with how well he's playing and will continue to play. Secondly, I believe that Oscar Moller could also make quite a showing. Don't get me wrong, there are plently of other rookies out there who are making a loud splash just because they're playing in the Eastern Conference (a.k.a. Luke Schenn) *doe eyes* ... sorry, ummm. Oh yeah, but if Moller can maintain his presence and points production, I'd be utterly appalled if he wasn't in at least the top 5 among all rookies. The first thing I noticed when I glanced at the stats sheet after the game was how little the ice time was for him (13:52); I say this because I thought he was out there for more shifts (16) than he actually got.
(Noah Graham/Getty Imgaes)
This is basically how the game went.
I'm really glad that Brian Boylefinally got his first goal of the season. I was starting to wonder if he'd ever get his first point, but his line with Patrick O'Sullivan and Peter Harrold was definitely a noticeable one. Sully continues to be his scrappy self and Harrold... isn't falling down as much anymore. Tom Preissing's goal on the PP was so predictable. The Kings had been cycling really well and everyone was bunched up to the left of Thomas Vokoun. When the pass got to Tommy P on the left point, he wound up and I knew Vokoun wouldn't be able to slide across the crease in time. Slick.
There were some good slugs to the face with two fights to entertain the crowd of an announced 26 people. Kyle Calder got in a healthy scrap with Keith Ballard and Denis Gauthier got in a heated tussle with Gregory Campbell. I'm not really sure what sparked this second matchup, but Gauts went at him with all the heart he could muster and the fight ended in about 4.985 seconds.
The best stat was, once again, the shots on. After the first two periods, the Panthers only had 6 shots on Erik Ersberg. 6! They ended wtih 15 while the Kings put 32 on Vokoun. Annoyingly enough, the Panthers sprung to life with about 10 minutes to go in the game and Nathan Horton scored a shorty on Ersberg with less than a minute left to make it 3-2. It's not that the Kings started to fatigue and unravel in the waning minutes of the game; rather, the Panthers decided to show up and started to apply the pressure. Who knows what the outcome of the game would have been if they had come out the gates like how they finished. But, let's not live in the past; the Kings have bigger fish to fry tomorrow when they face the St. Louis Blues.
An addendum:
(panthers.nhl.com)
When I think about the supporting cast in professional sports, I think about men in suits surrounding their respective teams. More often than not, these faces are nameless and are only supposed to be a supplemental part of a whole. Last night, this man, Jamie Pringle, made an utter fool of himself seemingly without knowing it. The Panthers' television broadcast booth was empty save for one gentleman and this lunatic. The one gentleman sat in the booth and appeared to just be a calm observer. Mr. Pringle, on the other hand, stood for the entire 60 minutes and was visibly irritated at every Panthers' missed pass or failure to hold on to the puck. Everything the Panthers did wrong, this man stood there shaking his head, gesturing with his arms, and speaking with the statistician in the radio broadcast booth who was also visibly reacting to the Panthers.
I had figured that the former held some sort of position on the coaching staff who took up shop in the booth by himself. Later a friend pointed out that it could have been as simple as this guy's job being on the line, which may have been why he couldn't control himself. I thought this was a very good point, so I went online this morning and tried to figure out who this turkey was. Turns out he's the video coach, which I'm assuming is a job that causes him much internal pain. Be that as it may, act like a freaking professional! Especially when you're the visiting team! You know never know when someone's going to take an interest in what the hell you're doing.
Here we are in the middle of a three-day period with no Kings games! Such a travesty! But there are two things I wanted to talk about for a bit. The first is the Toronto Maple Leafs and their game against the Anaheim Ducks. For a good rub down please visit my buddy Sleek and the tortured Pension Plan Puppets. In the game both teams were looking out of whack since both were suffering from discombobulated-line syndrome. I’m glad Ron Wilson is their coach and not Marc Crawford otherwise the Leafs would soon find Carlo Colaiacovo at the top line center with Nik Antropov masquerading as their nimble puck-moving defenseman. Anyway, the teams sashay their way into getting a few pucks to the back of the net with the ugliest being when George Parros got a breakaway. It was actually a nice goal, but it was ugly based solely on the fact that it was Parros. So the Leafs tie the game after some ridiculous scrambling in front of the Ducks’ net and they head to the overtime frame. One surprise of the game was that the Leafs held the Ducks to ZERO shots on in the third. But the most surprising and questionable incident came in the shootout.
Why, oh god, why, did Ron Wilson put Curtis Joseph in the net for the shootout when Vesa Toskala had been playing the prior 65 minutes? There have only been a few times where this has happened before, which should be an indication in and of itself. Vesa’s bad at the shootouts? Then leave him in there so he can get better! My California laid-back Finn should have been in net. Right when I saw Cujo skate over to the crease I knew the game was over. The feeling in my gut… could have been my dinner, but it was most likely the sinking feeling of knowing proof-positive that the Ducks were leaving ACC with two points. Perhaps their fortunes will change tomorrow when they go up against the Boston Bruins.
Onto item number 2! So the Kings have pleaded with asked Tom Preissing to do a guest column for them on their website. Interestingly enough, they call it the "Tom Preissing Blog." I was intrigued at first, but upon first glance, I realized that it was just a column written by our dear Tommy P. Of course I’m not knocking it; I’m doing just the opposite! It has great content and should be read. I’m just saying that they shouldn’t refer to it as a "blog" because it isn't one.
Why, you ask?
Well, I’m not going to go into what makes a blog a blog exactly, but there is one thing that is unique to blogs, which is what lies at the bottom of the page once the post ends. This space is reserved solely for readers who hopefully have an amusing response to something the writer may have talked about. The ability to leave a comment on what someone has written is essential to legitimizing a written piece as a quote/unquote blog. Once a reader comments, the writer can respond with a comment of his or her own. A rapport is created and voila! A dialogue and connection is formed between the reader and writer. Simple is as simple does.
I only have one gripe with Preissing writing on the Kings website. His entries are not technically "blogs." They're "posts!" What’s the point in calling it a "blog" besides the fact that it’s the sexy new word? Am I just niking picks at this point? Anyway, it is a known fact that Preissing is very well educated whose parents are also educators. Knowing that, you expect the posts to be well written and they are. In his most recent, I like that he actually understands how he’s supposed to be writing to the reader and not just spouting out a drab line to be used for quotations by the MSM later. There is none of: "You know, we came out really strong in the third period and we pulled through because all the guys are on the same page."
Instead you get:
I have to add that I spent a couple minutes in the penalty box in the 3rd period of the Carolina game and that has to be one of the biggest mood swings in sports. I got whistled at a time in the game where if Carolina would have scored, it would have been very difficult for us to come back. So I was sitting in the box, mad at myself…for those two minutes, every good play we make is a great play and every little mistake is magnified by 10. It seems to me that hockey is a real team game when your teammates are bailing you out of a situation you put them in. Believe me, no one in the rink is more nervous than the guy in the penalty box in the third period of a close game. Then, at the end of those two long, drawn out minutes…that elephant that has been weighing you down in the box hops off your back and you become one of the happiest people in that rink.
Now that’s a real quote with a real voice behind it. It also shows the reader that the player in the box is well aware what the hell is going on. I’m glad they picked Preissing to do this and not someone like Marcel Goc. His posts from last season have since been taken down off the Sharks' website, but they had Goc writing for them which was inadvertently funny because his English wasn’t all the great because it’s his second language. After awhile, I just read some of them if I wanted a good laugh. Also, go here for a good laugh.
So I just wanted to point this little tidbit because it’s Kings-related and it's some good insight. I’d go on the website and say, "Great post!" but there’s nowhere to comment!
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The Kings put a great effort on the ice last night. It’s no secret that the individual talent on the Kings’ roster has seldom translated into a winning formula as a whole, but last night showed us a glimpse into what that’s supposed to look like. There are positives that I could talk about with every player on the Kings bench; that is, except for one lone soul (if you were watching the game, you should know exactly who I’m talking about).
This game was to see who would have to occupy that unfortunate spot of dead last in the Pacific Division, which is where the Kings were for much of last season. I came into the game fully content with the possible result of the Kings being slotted in that 5th position. None of my daydreams yesterday had the Kings winning 6-3 over the Ducks. Then again, I wasn’t expecting the Ducks to look like a group of disorganized high school kids. They continued their physical brand of crap while taking 13 total penalties. Two were fighting majors and two were coincidental minors (Ryan Getzlaf and Denis Gauthier canceling each other out). So the Kings had 9 PP opportunities and converted on 3 of them. The Kings took 9 total penalties with 5 being actual PKs. Once again my boys killed all of the penalties against them and haven’t given up a goal while being shorthanded yet! They’re 14 for 14 and I’m loving that stat. They looked solid last night and I was very much impressed. Jarret Stoll has continually impressed me with his scrappy efforts, and he definitely improved on his faceoff percentage going 60% (won 9, lost 6).
Another notable on the PK was Michal Handzus. He looks so much stronger and looks less afraid to get his nose dirty. He’s actually taking the body now, which he rarely did last season, so I’m pretty happy with how he’s been doing on an individual level. He registered an assist and had 18:18 of ice time. Going back to Stoll, he had plenty of TOI at 20:39. At first I was wondering why he always seemed to be out there, but then I realized it was basically a game of specialty teams with all the penalties that were being called.
The awesome thing about the goals by the Kings was that the 6 goals were scored by 6 different skaters. I think Matt Moulson had the prettiest goal while Patrick O’Sullivan had the slickest goal. I honestly didn’t think Moulson was going to gain control of the pass from Dustin Brownand have time to get the shot off before the angle to the net got too sharp. But gain control he did where shot it from the left side over J.S. Giguere’s left shoulder far side. If that goal doesn’t make Kings fans notice my boy, I don’t know what will. The shot was so pretty and perfect that he couldn’t have made it any better. Giguere literally followed the puck with his eyes all the way to the back of the net. Perfect. Sully had a fantastic game last night. He had a bit of the time on the PK, more time on the PP, and ample time at even strength so it seemed like he was everywhere on the ice. He was so effective in everything he did that I believe he’s earned his spot back on the top line with just one game. I knew he had it in him; it was just a matter of when.
With Sully on the top line, the subsequent shift of players was unexpected for me. Moulson was moved to the 2nd line left wing, which I was stoked about, but that meant Alexander Frolov was moved to the 3rd line left wing. As much as I didn’t expect that, I think that just gets our 3rd line moving that much more to have a big body that is always searching for ways to get the puck to the net as opposed to shutting down the opposition. I thought that all four lines the Kings rolled out looked great together. The defensive pairings were a bit of a different story. With Jack Johnson out, the pairings obviously changed and after some time in the second period I noticed that Peter Harrold was getting an ungodly amount of minutes (17:55) with almost four minutes coming on the PP. This fact coupled with Drew Doughty not having been out on the ice for quite some time, I voiced my concern. Whereupon, ½ of KingsCast and I tried to get some information from people watching the game on TV at home, but there was nothing until the 3rd period when we found out that Doughty was having “flu-like symptoms.” I was so relieved that it wasn’t a substantial injury because we would have basically been screwed if he AND Jack were out. But the flu isn’t bad, he just needs some shuteye and he’ll be back in no time. Going back to Harrold, for how much he was fumbling and bumbling around, he had way too much time on the PP. None of his passes were landing; he couldn’t outmaneuver past Ducks or even clear the damned puck at some points. It was so frustrating to watch Harrold stumble around while the rest of the roster was working smoothly. He definitely stuck out like a sore thumb when he was on the ice.
I must take a minute to address the fight between Raitis Ivanans and George Parros that occurred less than two minutes into the game after the first Ducks goal. I’ve never seen anyone land that many kidney shots in succession as Ivanans dished out to Parros. It was fantastic and got the crowd amped up. Conversely, Chris Pronger had 4 hits in the game, which all seemed to be against Oscar Moller. Hey, D-Bag, you’re an ugly monster and Moller is an 18-year-old kid who you are twice as big as. There’s really no need to plaster his face against the glass whenever you can. Stop being a prick. And I saw you raise your elbows while skating by Moulson. You elbow him and I’ll shankify your ass.
I could honestly go on and on and on about how great this game was, but I won’t. I will end by saying that I’m glad the Kings now have a decisive win under their belts after losing two games against a solid Sharks squad. This performance is very promising for the Kings as I’m sure Terry Murray knows the boys have it in them to not suck on a game-to-game basis. Good job, guys!
I think I spent more than enough time during the season bagging on these two guys. I'll try not to go back to those ways for this review. I put these two in one post because (1) they were paired together by the end of the season, and (2) I don't really have enough to say about them to warrant their own posts.
Tom Preissing played in 77 games last season getting 8 goals, 16 assists (for 24 points), ended at a respectable -6, and only had 16 PIM. At the beginning of the season he was paired with Brad Stuart. In my post on B-Stu I explained why I thought this pairing could have had more potential than it actually ended up having (which was nil). I don't really have too much to say about Preissing because I just didn't notice him on the ice during the middle of the season. Yes, he was there, but did he do much? Negative. For awhile I called Preissing and Stuart "Invisible Pair." They did nothing for me. But by the end of the season, Preissing was getting more minutes since the blueline had thinned down and was being consistently paired with Kevin Dallman. Preissing was also getting time on the power play, which I wasn't really angry about since, by that time of the season, I was just over it.
Brownie looks like a giant next to Dallman!
In looking at Kevin Dallman, he played 34 games, had 3 goals, 4 assists (for 7 points), was one of the FEW Kings players who ended the season in the plus at a +4, and had just 4 PIM. I think my biggest problem with Dallman was his size. He lacked the size we really needed, but I just accepted him by the end of the season because, really, he was better than bringing up a rookie from Manchester to put on the blueline. It's funny with players who only have a few goals in a season beause you tend to remember more of those than someone who was racking up the goals (i.e. Dustin Brown). I totally remember what his first goal looked like and remember the feeling of shock that I had when he scored. And I'm pretty sure his second goal was scored in the exactly same fashion.
That's totally David Boreanaz with the O-Face
By the end of the season, I didn't mind these two on the ice. Dallman was throwing up hits left and right against guys that were bigger than he was, so that was cool. Preissing was... competent and responsible. This season he made $2.75 million, which is what he will make for three (3) more years. I have no idea who he'll be paired with next season since B-Stu is gone and I'm pretty sure Dallman will be gone too. For Dallman, I guess I was glad that he was able to play in a bunch of games (out of necessity) since he was a fringe player at the start of the season. He made $490,000 this season and will become a UFA this summer. I don't think I have any more to say on these guys...
So, see you next season, Tommy, and see you later, Dallman.
Pre-Game: - The Kings host the Chicago Blackhawks and I'm pretty excited to see Kane and Toews. During the pre-game warmup, I'm at the Chicago end right up against the glass taking pictures, and all of sudden, a puck hits me in the hand. After the initial shock, I realize that it somehow got through the netting and glass and, wouldn't you know it, I just got a free puck! Sweet!
Definitely still frozen when it hit me on the hand.
- The Kings start JJ, Blake, Brownie, Kopi, Nagy, with Barbs in goal. My thought before the game was, "What the heck is Nagy doing on this opening lineup?" I would eat my words by the end of the game. - Crow is announced to resounding boos still.
1st Period: - First 12 seconds = BAD - Hawks Goal - Lapointe gets it past Barbs at 2:54. Boo. - Three minutes into the game and Chicago already has 7 shots on and the Kings have registered zero. - Brownie draws a hooking penalty and the Kings are on the PP. Kings Goal - Preissing (5) gets a rebound off a shot from Nagy at 4:02.
The first of many celebrations
- Tuomo Ruutu and Manchester Boy draw penalties at 5:07, interference and high sticking, respectively. - Vish pushes Toews into the boards and he goes to the bench in visible pain. He doesn't return for the rest of the game. - So this is where they announce that they take an assist away from Toews on their goal and change up assists for the Kings' goal. Are they hot-boxing the scoring booth or what? - Koci takes down Sully and Giuliano gets rocked. Zeiler's energy is definitely missing from the Kings' physical play. - Hawks Goal - On the PP Little Patrick Kane gets a pass down low and then immediately passes it across the crease in front of Barbs, Sharp gets it, and snaps it in at 11:01. I was disheartened at this point, except for the fact that I have Patrick Sharp on one of my fantasy teams. - Kings Goal - The Hawks fail to clear it and Nagy (6) gets it in at 11:14. The Kings now have 2 goals on 5 shots. - Kings Goal - I HEART SULLY. The Kings are on a PP; the passing is crisp and they look good. At 13:24 Sully (10) gets a pass from Brownie on the left side, takes to Khabibulin, and backhands it in (GWG). - Kings Goal - Nagy (7) gets on the board again at 15:35. The InvisiblePair puts something together getting assists for themselves. - Goalie change for Chicago.The Wall is taken out letting 4 goals in on 10 shots. Lalime is in and is about to get annihilated. - Kopi gets ROCKED and his helmet and stick go flying. He's recovering on the bench and is out on the next shift. Whew. - The Kings set up this beauty of a play but Modry fumbles at the end. Kopi tips the puck out of his zone, Brownie gets it in the neutral zone and banks it off the boards in front of the Hawks bench, Sully gets the pass and gets across the blue line. He hesitates to pass, but when he does, Modry is there to fumble it and the chance is lost. - Handzus still sucks at taking faceoffs.
End Of The First Period: - Kings 4 - Hawks 2 (Shots 11-19) - The Kings decide they want to continue their streak and try for 3 in a row. - Mr. Inconsistent has already netted two goals. Invisible Pair has 2 assists and 1 goal collectively. - My Sophomore Stud has a PP goal. - I wasn't in the arena for the announcement of the scratches, but I'm assuming they are Cammy (still with the ribs), Dallman (sucks and broken foot), and Klemm (just plain sucks). - So I have to introduce the "Munchie Man" to you. This guy sells candy in the sections by the press box and is loud and proud. To get people's attention he yells things like, "Munchies!! Who's got the munchies!?!" and "Get your munchies here! The Southern California cuisine!!" If you see this guy, say hello because he's super nice.
2nd Period: - Kings Goal - Fro (5) scores at 28 seconds in. The Kings are working it; everyone's moving and making a difference. - I'm still waiting to see something exciting from Kane. - Ratti and Koci get in a fight and I'm pumped. Ratti is definitely excited to throw down. It ends after some solid fisticuffs and they both receive 5 for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct. - Kings are on the PP a minute later. There was a guy sitting behind me who kept yelling to give it to Stuart. I was definitely thinking, "NO! DON'T GIVE IT TO STUART!! HE SUCKS!!" - 7:55 left - Kopi gets slammed into the boards in front of the sin bins and JJ takes the puck all the way to Lalime by himself. - The Kings are setting everything up nicely and getting pucks to the net. Problem is, they can't finish most of these plays. Doesn't matter that it's 5-2 Kings right now. Finish your plays! - At 13:46 the Kings are on the PP again. I kept my eye on Calder for this PP; I just felt like something was going to happened, and I wasn't wrong. Lalime didn't like Calder's screen and so he shifted to the right side of the net. He got Nagy's pass, moved it to Fro (6) who was open on the left side of the crease, and it's 6-2. This set up was so clean that a goal was predictable. - The rest of the period is much the same. The Hawks get a couple of good shots on Barbs, but Barbs is SOLID tonight; he looks focused and his movements are controlled.
End Of The Second Period: - I can confidently say that the Kings have played a full 40 minutes. - Kings 6 - Hawks 2 (Shots 22-26)
3rd Period: - Kings Goal - 28 seconds in and Nagy (8) gets his hat trick on a pass from Fro. I thought this was a good rush into the Hawks zone by Army, Nagy, and Fro. Fro (at the goal line) passes it back to Nagy with Army supporting the play the whole way. Yeah, secondary scoring!
Hats everywhere!
- So Koci is PMSing tonight or something. He gets a 10-minute misconduct in the first minute. - Kings Goal - At 5:18 Brownie (19) takes advantage of Chicago's utter breakdown in the neutral zone. He grabs up the puck, stickhandles it, and throws it behind Lalime. Too easy. Kings up 8-2. - Tempers are flaring up and Chicago is not happy. Adam Burish gets 2 minutes for high sticking, 2 minutes for roughing, a 10-minute misconduct, and a game misconduct. To this I say, "Later, Slut." Preissing gets 2 for roughing too. - Kings Goal - The Kings have a 5-on-3 and Vish (4) gets a goal from passes from Calder and Fro at 7:40. - It's here where I sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the game. IT'S OVER. - Sully gets a 5-minute match penalty in the last minute of the third. A Hawk limps over to the bench doubled over.
Did this rush lead to a goal? I dunno, probably.
End of the Game: - Kings 9 - Hawks 2 (Shots 26 - 34) - The Kings absolutely dominated the neutral zone. They didn't allow the Hawks to put anything together after their second goal in the first period. - The energy in the arena was high and so were the Kings goal total. - Ratti definitely made it known that he would F you up in a second if you even held his gaze for too long. - Interesting stat: Chicago came into the game tonight with the #1 PK in the entire NHL. The Kings converted 7 PPs into 5 PP goals. Things that make you go "hmm."
What a way to ring in the new year.
P.S. Did anyone catch this AMP Energy commercial during the Winter Classic? It has Ryan Miller and J.S. AUBIN throwing Yo Mamma jokes at each other. I think I might have died when I first saw this. Not only has J.S. been playing decently lately, but he's doling out Yo Mamma jokes?? Yo-Mamma-ween? AMAZING.
