Kings 2, Canadiens 5

I found myself shaking my head so many times while at Staples that I couldn't even keep count, but it wasn't just because of the Kings. There were so many other things going on in Staples that the viewer could not see on TV that it was amazing! Habs jerseys at every turn, Canadian flags, audible singing of the Canadian anthem even though it was in French, bullshit calls by the refs, you get the picture. But like the last game, let me rewind and go back to the start of the game.


Pre-Game Thoughts:
- Traffic is shitty in LA at all times of the day; there's really no way around it.
- There were many more Canadiens fans today than there were Senators fans on Thursday.
- Kings started the game with their 2nd offensive line and defensive pair.
- Okay, Kings fans, stop booing Marc Crawford. It's CLEAR that he's not getting fired before the season ends! Get over it!

1st Period:
- The Kings first power play didn't really look like a power play. The Habs were pretty feisty and there was actually a disallowed goal that was scored by the Kings. I thought we were gonna be able to jump on the score board first, but the refs thought otherwise. I will watch the DVR'd game later so that I can get some answers!!!!
- I thought this first period was going at a pretty good pace seeing as how it was a 1PM start. Although the first 10 minutes both teams spent more time trying to get possession and making passes that mattered more than anything else.
- 12:51 - Koivu and Calder go to the box for roughing, which produced a very tense 4-on-4 situation. It was kind of surprising at how quiet the sellout crowd was.
- Kings PK at 15:40 by Kopi - this was a great kill and Sully was able to get some short-handed chances.
- The Kings had a great first period with the shots even at 10 apiece. They're obviously playing for pride at this point in the season while the Habs are attempting to climb higher in the Eastern Conference. The positives I take from this period are that Ivanans is showing some good foot speed, Preissing is getting knocked around but is actually noticeable to me by NOT making mistakes, and Ersberg is rocking it in net and keeping the Kings fans calm. The negatives are that Willie and Dallman still kinda suck.

2nd Period:
- Canadiens Goal - Brisebois unassisted. So much cheering...we're in Los Angeles, right??
- Kings PK - So right when I see Willsie on the ice and say, "C'mon, Willsie, don't suck," he takes a penalty for slashing. And to top it off Saku Koivu scores by redirecting a shot at 7:40. Habs up 2-0.
- In this period the Habs have woken up a little and have had more possession time with the puck than in the first. The Kings are trying to maintain the energy they had in the first and I'm hoping they can stage a comeback soon enough.
- Canadians Goal - Latendresse at 12:43. Uhh...yeah....
- The Kings 2nd line looked like it had potential to make a huge difference in the first period, but they aren't able to get the simple things done because the Habs are getting their act together and shutting down the Kings. Frolov is trying to be way too fancy for the fans and it's actually kind of annoying me because he's not as strong on the puck today than he has been in every game this season!
- Kings PP - Kings Goal - Rob Blake (7) nets his 700th NHL point!!!! I'm so happy I was there to see the milestone!! Score is Habs 3, Kings 1 at 16:53.


- Here's what pissed me off: With 46 seconds left on the clock, a pane of glass needed to be replaced, which was fine. The Kings had a tremendous amount of momentum going ever since Blake netted his goal that I just KNEW the Kings were going to score another before the period ended. The crew is about halfway through changing out the glass when they announce that they're going to take the intermission right at that point and come back to finish the 2nd and start the 3rd. OKAY, WHAT THE FUCK. You're just gonna let the refs take away your momentum?? I know it's not the Kings decision to do that, but didn't someone on the coaching staff complain?? The part that makes this even shitter was that the crew was done changing the glass BEFORE both benches went to the dressing room!!!

3rd Period:
- They run out the 46 remaining seconds, the horn goes, and the play is dead while the clock resets. I can't even describe how pissed I am at this.
- Canadiens Goal - Andrei Kostitsyn nets one at 3:49. Bla.
- The Habs continue to take control of the game. They're exuding more energy and are shutting down the Kings left and right. ...so many Habs fans cheering....


- Kings Goal - Anze Fucking Kopitar nets is 29th of the season at 6:29. I haven't watched the game on TV yet, but I'm wondering why Fro wasn't given an assist on this play. But anyhoo, Fro had the puck at the goal line along the boards on the left, he had two Habs on him and passed to Sully who went around the net behind Halak. Sully passes to Kopi who was in front of the net and it's Kings 2, Habs 4.
- Halfway through the period: The Kings amazingly enough have 31 shots on while the Habs have 21. I touched on this earlier, but I think this is the first game where Frolov hasn't had stellar puck possession. He's getting pushed out and getting knocked off the puck, which is just frustrating the hell out of me since this is not supposed to be happening!!!!
- More things to note at this point:

• The 1st line is trying to be too fancy and is waiting for the perfect opportunity. This period was the best opportunity to just throw the puck at the net, but....yeah....
• The 2nd line had a little more spunk but Frolov was showing off a little too much, which caused him to loose possession one too many times.
• The 3rd line showed the most grit in my opinion. They were going for the dirty garbage goals, but this dude named Willsie was definitely the weakest link.
• The 4th line brought some grit as well by shutting down the Habs as best they could.

- The Canadiens net their 5th goal on an empty net at 18:07 by Tom "I like to steal purses" Kostopoulos.
- Harrold definitely has some growing up to do. I know he's a rookie and I don't like picking on rookies, so all I'm gonna say is, "Can you just please make less mistakes?"

Game:
- Kings 2, Canadiens 5 (shots on 37, 23)
- The Kings showed something that has actually been rare this season, which was their ability to come out strong in the first period. They were beating the Habs to pucks and were a little faster and better with their passing. But if you look at the game from start to finish, the Kings faded while the Habs did just the opposite. They started out iffy making me wonder how much better the West was than the East, but then they brought it in the second and third. In the end, I guess I'm okay with getting beaten by the number one team in the Eastern Conference.