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Around SBN: Africa Cup Of Nations Semifinal: Black Stars Ripe For Upset?

Kings Sneak Behind Sabres' Miller; Kings 4, Sabres 3 (SO)

Have you ever gotten a call from a friend with an extra ticket to a game? Awesome, right? What if the game started within the hour just as you're leaving work?

That's right, still awesome.

Forgetting about the fact that southern California has suddenly turned into northern Scotland, I drove to Staples Center hoping the walk into the arena wouldn't soak me to the bones. But the roads were surprisingly empty as were the Los Angeles Kings in the first 10 minutes of the game. Where were they? Perhaps outside searching for parking. Fortunately they showed up with the usual spunk and push, but it seemed nearly impossible for them to get any pucks past Ryan Miller even with all the pressure they were applying in the Sabres' zone. Unlike past games against the Sabres, the Kings and Sabres BOTH showed up! This wasn't a blowout for either team; rather, it was a solid contest from both sides.

Side note, there was a pleasant occurrence from Sean O'Donnell scoring his second goal of the season. I'm certain he surprised himself because everyone else in the arena was.

It's amazing how many small things you notice and can actually see when you're 5 rows from the glass. For instance, I'm sure the shaft of someone's stick scraping down your side feels great or having the metal stanchion impale you in the forehead. I saw these and more along with every single grimace from Jarret Stoll as he plastered a guy into the end boards. I love the feeling of excitement and anticipation when a player picks up the puck and takes control of the zone. There are a few of these players in the Kings roster who can put that spark in the air. Here are two: Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Here are two who do no such thing: Alexander Frolov and Teddy Purcell.

In the shootout, Miller was closed out with two backhanded shots by Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Jack Johnson had a bit of a fail with his attempt while Jonathan Quick was looking solid at the other end of the rink. With this win, the Kings are 7th in the West for the next 12 hours or so. They are looking toward a 5-game road trip with the first stop in Detroit, which I'm expecting to be a great game. The Red Wings are currently one point behind the Kings in 8th place so Saturday's game should be a VERY good one to watch.

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O’Donnell looked rough last night. Good thing he scored to make up for that own-goal tip in.

He Score, He Shoot! Number To Be Retired After Illustrious Career

by Greener on Jan 22, 2010 10:20 AM PST reply actions  

Whew, tell me about it!

by Connie Kim on Jan 22, 2010 10:37 AM PST up reply actions  

Anyone else notice?

Quick beat Miller and Thomas in SO’s this week. Poetry.

"I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything that I thought it could be." -- Peter Gibbons

by dtownmbrown on Jan 22, 2010 1:04 PM PST reply actions  

How many points has Quick grabbed for the Kings just with his shoot-out skills? A lot.

He Score, He Shoot! Number To Be Retired After Illustrious Career

by Greener on Jan 22, 2010 1:07 PM PST reply actions  

He’s the anti-Labarbera!

2009-10 Kings Hockey: Delivering Milk Steaks from the Meat Train at an arena near you!

by DodgerBlueBalls on Jan 22, 2010 2:02 PM PST up reply actions  

Haha

Love it. I’m so confident with Quick in the shootout. He’s looked great, but we all know shootouts don’t exist in the playoffs. That being said, I’ll take the points!

by Connie Kim on Jan 22, 2010 2:21 PM PST up reply actions  

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