You’ve seen the Internet memes. You’ve seen Sh*t Nobody Says, Sh*t White Girls Say, Sh*t Asian Girls Say, Sh*t Straight Guys Say to Gay Guys. But have you heard from Los Angeles Kings fans? Exactly. You haven’t. So, please enjoy Sh*t LA Kings Fans Don’t Say.
When the top team in the NHL comes to town and is known for playing a tight defensive game, do you really expect the Los Angeles Kings to drop five goals on them? Of course not. In this episode we talk about the Kings play of late, mention the games against the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild as well as give our reasons why Terry Murray will not be fired. Do you think the Kings will replace coach Murray?
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Unfortunate Headshot
Cat Nipped: Thursday night’s meet with the Florida Panthers brought home two points for the Kings by way of a 2-1 victory, but at an extremely healthy cost. Willie Mitchell, the most stable Kings defenseman other than Rob Scuderi, lasted one shift before calling the night in order to tend to an undisclosed lower body injury – never to return. Mike Richards, undoubtedly the Kings’ most vital asset on the offensive side so far this season, suffered a solid – yet subtle, blow to the head from Florida’s Sean Bergenheim. Richards, who has been placed on the Injured Reserve, is very, very likely to be suffering from concussion symptoms.
Not to say our defense has struggled, because it really hasn’t. But, it has been unstable in terms of personnel and pairing, which has lost this blue-line’s aggressive impact in the offensive zone. Mitchell poses to be a new missing threat for the Kings’ back-end, the loss of a stay-at-home defenseman. So far, Davis Drewiske has filled the gap, and he may continue to dress even if Alec Martinez returns before Mitchell does. Martinez has shown to be somewhat of a liability in the Kings’ zone, Drewiske could possibly see all games available until Willie Mitchell returns to maintain solidity in the defensive zone.
Talk about the last guy you want to see seriously injured, the guy with 10 points in his previous 11 contests, 9 of those points being goals. Mike Richards, he’s been the spotlight performer in all aspects of the Kings’ offense, 5-on-5, the powerplay, and the penalty kill (two shorthanded goals, a hangnail away from three). There wasn’t much luck without Richards in uniform Saturday afternoon, a lone goal being scored off of a Dustin Penner deflection overshadowed by a game filled with missed opportunities and draggy puck movement.
Have you seen puck movement like this from Kings jerseys once this year? Here’s a nice example of entering the offensive zone in valiant form, rather than taking the puck wide for a weak, bad-angle shot with no bodies to even seek rebounds.
At least Kostitsyn’s got ties with the Russian Mafia.
That’s kinda cool to couple with an NHL gig
Just to finish
Broken Record Player: You can’t depend on shot totals to link honest analysis, because for the Kings this season, it’s become somewhat of a scapegoat. And when saying this, that’s a mental reaction to their play. Sure, they’ve got no problem going shot-for-shot with another club over a 60-minute span, but if they were to cut down shot total, while raising the percentage of shot quality, we’d be in a better suit.
Looking simple can be great, looking simple can be awful. The difference? The mental status. The Kings are at awful, and it’s coming to the point where smart (yet non-intrusive) passes and decisions are being made to cure a terribly sterile offensive strategy. That means hitting Kopitar low along the boards, or going cross-ice to a defenseman with flat feet. There’s no such thing as simple wrist-shots, snap-shots, or anything you do with the puck to just get it ON NET with this offense. Well actually, I guess there is:
While you were in total shock of Dustin Penner scoring a goal, you missed the player (Doughty) who actually made it happen. Downright spectacular foot movement inside the zone, creates space for a simple snapper ON NET. Damnit! Can’t you see?!?
The Week Ahead: This may be the most important string of contests on the slate so far this season, the Kings are set for two Pacific Division puck-drops, and a meet with the team atop the entire Western Conference and the NHL. Tonight will be the third installment of the Kings’ six matchups with the Anaheim Ducks, who continue to sputter out of contention early, honed at the bottom of the Pacific Division and 14th in the Western Conference with a 1-7-2 record in their previous ten. If Bruce Boudreau is in fact the fix for Anaheim, the results won’t show this year.
Then it’s the NHL‘s best in the Minnesota Wild, who have taken role atop the entire league with 37 points, currently running with four consecutive wins. Their offseason dealings with the San Jose Sharks have paid off dearly, both Dany Heatley (17 pts) and Devin Setoguchi (13 pts) providing serious output for their new club. To finish the week, it’s a meeting with the only club higher in the Pacific Division than the Kings – the Dallas Stars, who sit just one point ahead. This will already mark the fourth meeting this season with Dallas, the Kings faring well for the most part going 2-0-1; however November 23rd’s meltdown still remains a sour aftertaste.
The Five Goal Club: In the Kings’ 26 games played this year, they have managed to hit the 5-goal mark in just four of them. However, that’s where this week’s opponents share a common trait – the Kings have found offensive success against Anaheim (5-3W – 11/17), Minnesota (5-2W – 11/12), and Dallas (5-3W – 10/27). This doesn’t mean much, but facing clubs that the Kings have found relatively recent success against could be a notable mental jolt for this lost offensive group.
Ahh yes…Time for another round of this unecessarily labeled cross-town rivalry
Since Bob Miller no longer can stress the deliciousness of Carl’s Jr. chicken tenders, which are breaded “ON THE PREMISES”, I’ve yet to decide what’s better this season…
Telling us to “Feel the Mexcellence”
Or going bad-ass bold marketing the Outlaw Burger
No child’s play for the Kings this week, especially with Minnesota on the slate
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The Los Angeles Kings were having a rough time lately, stuck in a non-elite, win every other game pattern. In this episode we talk about the last few games, the Kings need for scoring, the Russian invasion, an empty Manchester and jerseys you definitely don’t want to buy. Take a watch and let us know what you think in the comments below!
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Familiar Faces, Foe: The Kings, after a three-day hiatus from league play, occupy Staples Center tonight to finalize their current four-game homestand. It’ll be a cross-town back-to-back affair with the Anaheim Ducks tonight and tomorrow, both clubs hitting the highway to take ice in Orange County Thursday night. This will be the first time these two Pacific Division rivals meet this season.
- Due to roster shortages in Los Angeles, both Andrei Loktionov and Viatcheslav Voynov will return to the Kings’ lineup tonight. Dustin Penner is out with a hand injury, Alec Martinez out with an apparent shoulder injury – both are on short-term IR.
- Colin Fraser, beside Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, has shown the makings to quite possibly be the Kings’ most valuable asset attained over the summer. Fraser is showing attributes that fit quite well into a 4th-line centerman role, where he’ll be positioned again tonight in his third game as a King. He’s been more involved than Ethan Moreau and Dustin Penner, tossing his frame around with 9 hits and finding opportunity with 1 goal on 2 shots in his first appearances.
- After the three-day break, expect Jonathan Quick to get the starting nod in both contests against the Anaheim Ducks, likewise Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Red Wings. I see Jonathan Bernier sliding into the rotation next Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues.
Reconfiguration – Rejuvenation?
Voynov Effect: Due to Viatcheslav Voynov‘s recall from the AHL‘s Manchester Monarchs to fill in for the injured Alec Martinez, the defensive lines will get shuffled a bit. Voynov, who appeared in 5 games for the Kings in October, was then filling in for Drew Doughty. Voynov’s stint was a respectable one, chipping in with 1 goal, 2 assists, 8 hits, 9 shots in his five appearances.
Voynov will be paired with Willie Mitchell‘s secure play, which is very sensible. The other two pairs will be Matt Greene with Rob Scuderi, and Drew Doughty with Jack Johnson. This creates a shutdown tandem of Greene and Scuderi, a balanced duo of experience and playing style in Voynov and Mitchell, and an all-facet threat with Doughty and Johnson’s partnership.
If nothing else, this will play extremely well into Terry Murray‘s matchup strategies, not many NHL clubs can ice three defensive pairings that resemble such a wide variety of strong attributes as the Kings can with these six players. Unless Voynov impresses to a degree in which the Kings would be foolish to designate him to the AHL again, expect the Chelyabinsk native to take assignment when Alec Martinez returns.
Top-Six Boost
Andrei’s Up: After failing to make the Kings’ roster out of training camp, Andrei Loktionov gets another jab at the NHL level. Loktionov’s past call-ups haven’t come with a lack of pressure, where he’s been accustomed to aggressive lineup configuration from Terry Murray. Loktionov has been thrown into vital roles on the top two lines in the majority of games he’s played as a King, switching from his accustomed role at center to left wing.
Loktionov finds himself in that position again, tabbed to hold the left wing spot on the second line with Mike Richards and Dustin Brown tonight. The high-pressure position as a top-six forward, and out of his natural position at center, actually fared all right last season. In 19 games with the Kings last season, Loktionov played along the left side of Anze Kopitar on the Kings’ top line. The results weren’t staggering, notching 4 goals and 3 assists in his ’10-’11 stint. In 17 games with the Manchester Monarchs this season, Loktionov leads the central New Hampshire club with 14 points, via 3 goals and 11 assists.
Loktionov will bring much-needed speed, something that has been a moderate issue for this offense. The bigger question regarding Loktionov will be his strength, how well he recovers, handles, and creates opportunity with loose pucks. Winning races to pucks has never been a flaw for Loktionov, his ability to attain control with heavy pressure has. The addition of Loktionov’s speed factor is an enticing look alongside Richards and Brown, but puck recovery and control will only make substantial use of that value.
Hey! Don’t get caught wearing the jersey of a former not so great underachiever like Alexander Frolov, when you can easily transform it into the jersey of someone who probably wont be that great but are maximizing their achievement ceiling like Colin Fraser!!
All you have to do is switch the ‘olov’ to ‘aser’ and you’re good to go. Just use some black tape, letter stencils, and some white paint or something and stop being a b*tch.
Here’s what Colin Fraser thinks about Alexander Frolov jerseys
Colin Fraser also doesn’t give a sh*t about mouth guards
There’s the face of a fourth-line centerman
Fraser and the Russians are on watch tonight
Bailey going Tony Montana on Wild Wing
Wouldn’t have, but it’s Kings-Ducks for two in a row. Back-to-back, Home-and-home.
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The regular season is winding down and the Western Conference remains tighter then ever! In this brand new installment we talk about the Blues, Ducks & Flames games, give our thoughts on booing your own team, the Jersey change for next season and the Justin Williams injury. Question of the Day; what do you think of the jersey changes?
This episode is brought to you by Grinder Threads.
Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. This edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of February 7 with a look ahead to the week of February 14.
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The Week That Was: The week started with a four-day break from action as the Kings prepared for an East Coast swing which called for a contest on Thursday night and a pair of matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The Kings, with a 2-0-1 record this week, have recorded at least one point in their last ten games with a record of 8-0-2. The injury-ridden Pittsburgh Penguins were the downpoint to the week, the Penguins recovered from a shocking loss to the New York Islanders with a 2-1 overtime victory with the Kings in town. Jordan Staal continued his strong return to Pittsburgh’s lineup with the OT decider against the Kings. Saturday afternoon called for 3rd period goals in bed. In what was a 9:30 AM puck-drop Pacific Standard Time, the Kings’ overwhelmed the Washington Capitals with three unanswered third period goals, leaving the Nation’s Capital with a 4-1 victory. You couldn’t have asked for a sweeter finale on Sunday, the Kings knocked off the Eastern Conference‘s elite with a 1-0 shutout victory. The win snapped the Philadelphia Flyers‘ three game win streak, a team who is also a stellar 13-3-0 in their last 16 contests. Anze Kopitar tallied his first goal in 11 games in Washington, just his second goal in his previous 20. Goaltenders Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier enter the week on good terms allowing only 3 goals combined with no regulation losses.
Pacific Division Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
Dallas 56 31 19 6 68
Anaheim 57 32 21 4 68
Phoenix 57 29 19 9 67
San Jose 57 30 21 6 66
Los Angeles 56 31 22 3 65
Pacific Division Notes: Although the Kings have grabbed points in ten consecutive games, they continue to vacate the cellar of the Pacific Division. The San Jose Sharks, who jumped to 2nd in the division last week find themselves back in 4th with a 2-2-0 record this week. The Dallas Stars manage to maintain the top slot with a 1-1-1 record following three consecutive losses. They’ve surrendered their cushion with a 3-6-1 record in their last ten games. The Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks continue to win, both clubs snagging six points this week with 3-0-0 records respectively.
Western Conference Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
5. Nashville 56 30 19 7 67
6. Phoenix 57 29 19 9 67
7. San Jose 57 30 21 6 66
8. Minnesota 55 30 20 5 65
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9. Los Angeles 56 31 22 3 65
10. Calgary 58 28 22 8 64
11. Chicago 56 28 22 6 62
12. Columbus 56 28 23 5 61
Western Conference Notes: For the second consecutive week the Kings pocketed five out of the possible six points on the board. Even without a regulation loss, the Kings dropped out of the top eight, just goes to show how tight things are this year. The Pacific Division remains a stronghold in the playoff picture with the Kings as the only team in the group out of playoff position. A week away from the Western Conference allowed for point-implications to center in on this team, with extra points only available to the Eastern Conference. The previous two weeks have done little in separating contenders from pretenders, which may have an effect on moves initiated at the trade-deadline. The only way to keep pace in the conference is with wins. Three teams are within striking distance of the Kings’ 9th slot, with only 4 points separating the 12th seeded Columbus Blue Jackets. Add the Colorado Avalanche to the list of outsiders, they’re sinking fast with seven consecutive losses. You can safely count out the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers from playoff contention as well. 12 out of the 15 teams in the Western Conference are wholeheartedly in the playoff hunt. Not a ton of room for error.
The Week Ahead: Three games are slated for the week, two more contests with Eastern Conference opponents along with the third meeting of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The franchise-record ten game road trip hits it’s 7th, 8th, and 9th installments with a Midwest twist. The Kings start the week in Ohio against a Blue Jackets team that is riding two consecutive wins, just four points behind the Kings in the Western Conference. The remainder of the week calls for New York, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers and Saturday night in Uniondale against the Islanders. The Rangers hold the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, the Islanders own the 14th position. Extra points are for the taking in New York, but Wednesday night’s visit to Columbus can’t afford much but a regulation victory.
Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. This edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of January 31 with a look ahead to the week of February 7.
The Week That Was: The Kings resumed play with a donut in Minnesota, but managed to snag five out of the six points on the board this week. Extra points were surrendered to Western Conference counterparts Minnesota and Calgary with shootout implications in each contest. After Niklas Backstrom blanked the Kings in 65 minutes of play and three rounds of a shootout, the Kings responded with six goals in their next two games, three of those goals coming on the powerplay. The offense has seemed to embrace a heavy-shooting approach since the drought in Minnesota. Jonathan Quick has two consecutive wins, and Jonathan Bernier is riding a shutout. Justin Williams was a factor in Calgary, and it’s been too long. Williams’ tallied three points in the game, equaling his total in his previous eight games. Dustin Brown decided to take part in Saturday night’s scoresheet as well, with a goal and an assist. Brown recorded his first goal since December 8th, and his two points in the game eclipsed his total in his previous eight games.
Pacific Division Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
Dallas 53 30 18 5 65
San Jose 53 28 19 6 62
Anaheim 54 29 21 4 62
Phoenix 54 26 19 9 61
Los Angeles 53 29 22 2 60
Pacific Division Notes: The San Jose Sharks were the story of the week, jumping from 4th place to 2nd in the division. San Jose knocked off Pacific Divison clubs in the Anaheim Ducks and Phoenix Coyotes to return from the break. The Sharks finished the week in Boston with a shutout victory over the Bruins, giving them a 2-0 start to their season-long seven game road trip. Just as notable, the top spot in the division remained idle, as the Dallas Stars failed to add to their 65 points with three consecutive regulation losses. Anaheim and Phoenix fell one spot in the division standings respectively. The Coyotes finished the week with a 1-2-0 record, and the Ducks split their two games going 1-1-0. What seemed far-fetched just a week ago suddenly becomes a realistic goal, a Pacific Division championship. The Kings, although still sitting in the basement, are only five points out of first place.
Western Conference Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
4. Nashville 53 28 18 7 63
5. San Jose 53 28 19 6 62
6. Anaheim 54 29 21 4 62
7. Phoenix 54 26 19 9 61
8. Los Angeles 53 29 22 2 60
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9. Minnesota 52 27 20 5 59
10. Calgary 54 26 21 7 59
11. Chicago 52 27 21 4 58
Western Conference Notes: With the 5 points pocketed this week, the Kings find themselves back in the Western Conference‘s top eight. In a matter of three games, the Kings hopped three slots to improve from the 11th seed they held last week. This makes the Pacific Division the only grouping in the NHL to have all of it’s teams in the playoff picture. Breaking the top eight is no reason to sit satisfied, six teams are within six points of the Kings. 14 of the 15 teams in the conference are contending, the Edmonton Oilers have a furnished basement. You really can’t argue security unless you’re talking the Vancouver Canucks, who are undefeated out of the break, riding five consecutive wins and atop the Western Conference with 77 points. The Kings take a break on conference opponents this week, slated for contests with three teams that make up the Eastern Conference‘s top five.
The Week Ahead: The franchise-record 10 game road-swing continues with three games scheduled for the week. And boy, does it look difficult. The Kings visit Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for their only meetings with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals this season. Pittsburgh holds the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference, and Washington is in the shadows in 5th place. For the Penguins, they’ll be without Evgeni Malkin, who is out for the season with two torn ligaments in his right knee. Crosby has yet to return from his concussion syndromes, his status for Thursday night is unclear. Pittsburgh is 8-2-0 in their previous ten games. As for Washington, they’re slowly recovering from January with two consecutive victories and a 5-2-3 record in their previous ten games. Defenseman Mike Green, who took a puck to the head off of a Brooks Orpik shot earlier today, isn’t expected to miss any time. The Kings will cap off the week while finishing their back-to-back weekend matinee series in Philadelphia. The Flyers are atop the Eastern Conference with 75 points, and hold an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games. The Philadelphia Flyers are 1-0-0 against the Kings this season with a 7-4 victory on December 30th in Los Angeles.
Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. Our first edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of January 24 with a look ahead to the week of January 31.
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The Week That Was: Like the rest of the league, the Kings’ had a short week of work due to this weekend’s NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh, NC. Only two games were on the slate this past week, an Eastern Conference opponent in the Boston Bruins and a Pacific Division rival in the San Jose Sharks. With victories against both opponents, the Kings entered the break on a three game win streak. The Kings now have 55 points through 50 games, here’s where they stand in the Western Conference and Pacific Division:
Pacific Division Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
Dallas 50 30 15 5 65
Anaheim 52 28 20 4 60
Phoenix 51 25 17 9 59
San Jose 50 25 19 6 56
Los Angeles 50 27 22 1 55
Pacific Division Notes: If you’re looking for a surprising division, look no further. Out of this group, there were two highly touted favorites to win the division; the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings. Hasn’t really worked out. The Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars have shocked the league, and they continue to win; Anaheim and Dallas have 7 wins in their last 10 games respectively. As of now, the Kings’ attention must be centered on a top 8 seeding in the Western Conference. A division championship seems far-fetched at this point, and quite frankly shouldn’t even be stressed.
Western Conference Standings
TEAM GP W L OT PTS
5. Anaheim 52 28 20 4 60
6. Phoenix 51 25 17 9 59
7. Chicago 50 26 20 4 56
8. San Jose 50 25 19 6 56
9. Colorado 50 25 19 6 56
10. Minnesota 49 25 19 5 55
11. Los Angeles 50 27 22 1 55
12. Calgary 51 24 21 6 54
Western Conference Notes: This is as tight of a conference you’ll see at this point of the season. There are six teams within five points of the final playoff position, only the Edmonton Oilers can truly count themselves out at this point, sitting in the basement with a lowly 38 points. With 55 points, the Kings sit at 11th place, but only one point from breaking the top eight. Talk about Pacific Division dominance this season, the Kings are the only team in the group out of the top eight.
The Week Ahead: The schedule out of the All-Star break certainly doesn’t favor the Kings. A season-long 10 game road swing begins tomorrow night, with three games slated for this week. Looking at the upcoming three opponents, you could tag them as “should win” games. Unfortunately, “must-win” is the only manner in which these opponents can be approached. Tuesday night calls for the Minnesota Wild, who sit one spot ahead of the Kings in the conference with 55 points. The Kings are 1-0-1 against Minnesota this season. Wednesday night is slated for the Edmonton Oilers, the cellar dwellers of the West. The Kings are 2-0-0 against Edmonton this season. The week will continue, and finish in Alberta. The Kings’ will skate with the Calgary Flames Saturday night; Calgary sits one spot behind in the conference with the 12th seed with 54 points. The Kings are 1-1-0 against Calgary this season.
Associated Press / Reed Saxon
Associated Press
