Tied Up!; Kings 3, Canucks 2 (OT)
by Connie Kim on Apr 18, 2010 6:00 AM PDT
in Game Recaps
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Just when I decided to write a post-game recap on how Anze Kopitar has done virtually nothing these past two games, he scored the game winner in overtime. Wait, back track; let me first say that completely scratching Justin Williams (Stanley Cup winner) to move up Wayne Simmonds and add Rich Clune to the lineup was a terrible decision. You could tell in the pre-game interview that Kopitar didn't wholly agree with this change, but you can't argue a coaching decision. That being said, Clune did even less than Kopitar, Williams, and Randy Jones combined! Wait again, I take that back. Clune didn't negatively impact the team like Jones does on a normal basis, so there's that.
This game was a lot better for the Kings compared to Game 1, so there's a huge positive. The Kings only had four penalties while the Canucks took seven, and the Kings outshot their opponent 32-26. Basically, there was a lot going on in this game so I'm going to go with bullet points:
- Once again, the Kings fell behind with an unfortunate goal while Brad Richardson's stick was in the hands of Rob Scuderi. Both players made the correct decision, but the Canucks took full advantage.
- The second goal by Mikael Samuelsson was worse because it was let in by Jonathan Quick on his own volition. But I've seen worse these playoffs, trust me, whew!
- Good thing for the Kings though was how Andrew Alberts was still in the game. Word was he was going to be sat for a more capable D-man, but he was paired with Shane O'Brien and I was definitely relieved. Alberts ended with three penalties and O'Brien had one. If Alain Vigneault keep this pairing again (I don't know why in the world he would) Terry Murray better exploit the hell out of it.
- Do you think Alexander Frolov could play any less soft against this team? He has had virtually zero posession time, which is his thing, because the Canucks are breaking up every single play. Fro, you're killing me.
- Nothing but props for Drew FREAKING Doughty. His stick check to break up the pass by the on-rushing Sedins near the end of the game brought me out of my seat. He played 32:56 and I am damned proud of this kid. I will say his spin move out of the defensive zone was a bit gratuitous, but I'll take it!
Bottom line, the Kings tied up the series 1-1 and they're headed back to STAPLES Center for Monday night's game. For this next one, here's what Terry Murray should do:
- Remove Rich Clune from the line up. Putting in a kid in place of Williams? Let's correct that.
- Either move Peter Harrold at a 4th line winger position or sit him and bring in Davis Drewiske. I know Harrold hasn't played in a long while, but he shouldn't be getting overpowered as easily as he was. Right now, I'd rather Jones have that 15 minutes of ice time Harrold was given.
- I don't mind bringing back Raitis Ivanans if it means he'll contribute at least on one shift and gets Rich Clune off the roster.
- Simmonds played 17:09 last night. Please keep his minutes that high from here on out.
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At least Clune skated.
I don’t think he did much to hurt the Kings last night, and the message had to be sent to JW. Either that or Williams is hurt and they don’t want to announce it.
I expect JW to be back in the lineup on Monday, but I expect Jones to remain out.
It was Parse who started in place of JW, btw
I would prefer to see Parse play in Halpern’s stead, but they don’t really plat the same position.
The only reason to have Ivanans in the game is to fight and agitate. Maybe that should happen to keep the pressure off Brown and O’Donnell. Otherwise Clune is a more likely playmaker.
I’d give Harrold another shot. He has shown the ability to be an effective two way presence when give ice time this season. Scuderi is the D-Man we should be expecting to step up in the Kings zone. He needs to be more of a presence, IMHO.
Maybe JW needed a night off. Obviously he’ll be in the lineup on Monday, unless he’s hurt.
"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King
It was Parse who started in place of JW, btw
Bottom line is a 4th liner was brought in. Parse had around 10 minutes of ice time so those minutes had to be reallocated somewhere else.
4th line is important in the playoffs
Especially as series draw out, overtimes get played.
You have to have an effective 4th line that can move the puck, play defense and induce penalties. In that respect I like Clune over Ivanans.
"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King
by Buck Turgidson on Apr 18, 2010 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Sorry, Connie, I respectfully disagree. Williams has not been the same player since the broken leg and you could see that he was two steps slow. When he touched the puck, the top line came to a screaching halt. Simmonds made a huge difference on the top line.
Clune, Parse and Halperin gave the Kings some of the best 4th line play they’ve had all year. How often this year has the Kings 4th line gotten that many minutes and that many useful shifts? And I think you need to roll 4 lines in the playoffs — it is a tremendous grind.
Overall, the Kings were fine on special teams, but they have to do much better 5-on-5, especially since we won’t have our best player in the lineup … Andrew Alberts.
I thought Kopi was pretty visible on the 3-on-1 goal...
… so I wouldn’t say he was entirely invisible up to scoring the OT goal. That was a very pretty play for the entire line, with everybody performing their roles as well as you could expect.
Am I the only one who saw that Kopitar’s line was absolved of full responsibility for managing the Sedins? I thought for sure I saw the 4th line take a bunch of shifts against them?
I think that was Vingaults doing, not Murrays
by Nut on Apr 18, 2010 1:08 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Well, either way...
… if Kopitar’s line didn’t have to worry about the Sedins as much, I think that explains some of why Kopi had a much better game than in Game 1.
don't think so
murray is the one who wanted to get some room for the kopitar line. also murray obviously read my suggestions.
Wait till this year.
Connie, I respectfully have to disagree with your assessment of Frolov. I thought he showed some of the best puck possession skills of all the Kings forwards in Game 2. The unfortunate thing is that his linemates’ cycle just isn’t in sync. So Fro often finds himslef carrying the puck along the boards and eventually behind the opponent’s net with no decent outlet pass available…
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
by DodgerBlueBalls on Apr 18, 2010 11:48 AM PDT reply actions
Looks like the Canucks are in serious trouble right around now, I mean a matter of maybe 1 1/2 inches is what is the differance between 1-1 and Kings up 2-0 and heading to home ice.So for that i say great job Kings and keep on representing So Cal as good as you are. By the way did anyone else just seem violated by the nasty freaks in the green spandex, i mean god forbid an innocent little girl be sitting in the crowd near these dickweeds, with their junk all exposed and the Canadians love em, go figure
If practice makes perfect....
Yet nobodies perfect.....
Then why practice ???
Clune >> Ivanans
Also, Clune did more last night than Williams did in game 1 by virtue of drawing a penalty and not being a defensive and offensive liability.
I’m not convinced Williams is ready to be playing. The guy had a broken leg like two months ago.
http://inplaynoouts.blogspot.com/ - A blog about teams I like, written by me.
Agree...
BTW, JW was HORRIBLE in game one.
I don’t mind putting JW back in the lineup because he can’t be that bad in game 3 but I don’t want to see a #41 Kings uniform. The guy brings nothing to the table but the ability to fight and it’s obvious that nobody’s fighting in this series.
what a game, what a game!
now that’s playoff hockey, sudden death!! …the Kings grinded that win out and Quick was great when it counted, keepin the Kings in that game…
Yes, you can tinker w the lineup, but the core players are the one’s who are gonna get the Kings far in the playoffs, such as Kopitar and Doughty, etc! Go Kings! and they played like a team, together, tough, gritty, smart…that last PP possession where they scored in OT illustrated that! can’t wait for Monday night!
Yea, that last possession with Kopi's goal was a thing of beauty
Textbook teamplay to serve as an example for many team sports (like soccer and water polo for instance). Fox and company broke it down after the game really well, and you could see that Johnson was key to controlling the puck, getting the puck to his teammates for good shots—2X to Doughty—and particularly, after taking a wicked slapper himself, fhen he faked the shot on his next possession and set up Doughty beautifully for what would eventually lead to the winning goal. Good coaching, good hustle, good team play, good scrappy plucky Kopi play, and really solid work by Johnson controlling the play overall.
What I want to know is how the Kings changed the momentum so much? Particularly as the Canucks looked better and faster for 4+ periods in the two games. Are we wearing them down and frustrating them?
"You been putting it up your whole life. You just didnt know it" Anton Chigurh
Re: Momentum
That’s a good question, and I’m not sure I have the answer. But I will make the observation that this team has come from behind quite a bit this season, and it’s usually a matter of just keeping their wits about them when the chips are down.
I wish I had $5 for each time we heard something like this in the between-periods interviews over the last two season:
“So how do the Kings come back in this game?”
“Well, we just have to stay patient and play our system.”
Last season, the Kings said it but didn’t necessarily do it. This year, they’re doing it, and it gives Murray’s system a chance to work as it was designed to work. So the Kings score a goal or two, and when fear and doubt begin to creep into the other team, they score more.
I think that’s how it works, anyway.
"The system" is nice.....
But I think it started in that first game which the Canucks barely won (and would not have but for an absolutely brilliant save by Luongo on Johnson’s OT shot) despite 40+ shots and seeming to dominate the game: it starts with Quick. Disillusionment begins to settle in the Canuck’s heads and the next game is much closer. And then they get beat. On home ice.
But we’ll see what happens at home—I think it will be good.
"You been putting it up your whole life. You just didnt know it" Anton Chigurh
who is murray going to sit to put williams back in?
and where is he going to put him?
probably we’ll just go back to the original lines. i guess it depends on how murray thinks parse did. clune is a separate issue. that’s a clune or ivanans choice. murray isn’t going to sit both of them. my choice would be to sit halpern, but then you have to put richardson on the fourth line since parse isn’t a center. on the other hand, halpern is pretty good killing penalties, while parse is not, so…probably parse will sit. too bad, because parse is kontos.
Wait till this year.
That's a good question
I think JW kind of has to get back into the lineup at some point, regardless. Benching him for a game or two is one thing, but over the long haul you’re not paying him to wear street clothes.
I like Parse = Chris Kontos, but I hope Parse sticks around longer than Kontos did!
p.s. murray says he's going with the same line-up, so williams is out again
i wonder about his leg, also. could be.
Wait till this year.
Parse was pretty good...
I liked his energy and the boy has some skills when he decides to show up.
Parse, Clune and Halprin
I felt all three made a decent impact and picked up 7 minutes of ice time. Halpern was especially noticeable, as was Clune. Those 4th minutes are so important in a series.
Williams, while missed was just a tad slow…too bad, if he was early season form he would have had a quite an impact.
I agree...
momentum, not sure who has it…Vancouver is fricken good, they can skate, the speed, skill, tough too, obviously goal tending a strength…I mean, it’s pretty even, the kings have a slight edge in physical play maybe and Vanc on skill, speed, but two over time games in a row!!…what a series, wow! Monday is gonna be an epic game! can’t wait!
“Wait, back track; let me first say that completely scratching Justin Williams (Stanley Cup winner) to move up Wayne Simmonds and add Rich Clune to the lineup was a terrible decision.”
… Personally, I thought it was a great decision; a decision long overdue. I don’t know of anyone on the Kings’ squad more overrated than Williams, with the possible exception of Quick.
Since November, Williams has played 40 games and has posted 7 goals and 20 points, with a 1 rating and a shooting percentage of 6% - this while playing the majority of his shifts with guys like Smyth and Kopitar. Counting the playoffs, the Kings are 26-24 when Williams plays, and 21-12 when he doesn’t.
Williams was terrible in game 1. If Murray’s going to keep everyone accountable for their play, he HAS to sit Williams. I don’t care if the man has won ten Cups. It’s obvious to me that the man isn’t the player he once was.
… Yeah, I have no idea why the line about Williams plus/minus and shooting percentage was crossed out. Whatever.
Canada Speaks Out
Vancouver blogs are ranting that officials with “orders” to extend the series are responsible for last night’s loss.
Rants insist “accidentally” touching a puck in a “too many men” situation is not a penalty.
"The call come from a (lowly) linesman. The Refs knew it was a “non-call”".
Huh? A “fix is in” but the Refs didn’t call it? Canuck logic
Even better, why extend the series? “Bettman wants the Kings to face Phoenix”.
Too funny when Northwest #1 is a mire 2 points better then Pacific #3.
Not really a fair generalization...
Let’s be fair when saying “Canada Speaks out.” Sure, there are numerous newspapers and sports media personalities north of the 48th who are wearing tin hits, crying out conspiracy and blaming the game 2 outcome on the refs.
However, I am very impressed with th composure of the fine folks over at Nucks Misconduct. Aside from one little “Whoa are the Canucks! We have to play against 2 opponents during this first round!” article posted this morning, they have taken their favorite team’s loss in stride, and seem to be above blaming the refs for Saturday’s Kings victory.
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
by DodgerBlueBalls on Apr 19, 2010 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions
It was a pretty questionable call, but the best teams can find ways to overcome poor officiating. I think that sums up the mood in Vancouver right now. Had Vancouver remembered to play the final forty like the first twenty, the Kings would be starting Ersberg tonight.
And, honestly, no one thought this series would be a cakewalk. The Kings have a strong side. They’ll push this series to the limit, I think. I don’t think they’re capable of beating Vancouver, but it’s fun to watch them try. Having nothing to lose (unlike the Canucks) doesn’t hurt, either.
Let 'em wear tinfoil
As outrageous as it is, I am content to let Canuck-dom wallow in scapegoating and conspiracy theories. Especially if it becomes a distraction for team (e.g., was Vigneault serious in his post-game rant?).
Scapegoating and conspiracy theories — and I mean this as a universal law of human nature — are always attempts to avoid real causes and real problems because it’s too uncomfortable to face them. So, subconsciously, you try to pin it on something or someone else.
So if the Canucks can somehow be persuaded to avoid facing up to the real reasons why the Kings beat them in Game 2, all the better for the Kings. Exploits left unpatched.
Every team faces these problems in the playoffs. The “‘accidentally’ touching a puck” comment is akin to if a Kings fan said Jarret Stoll didn’t MEAN to shoot the puck over the glass causing him to take a delay of game penalty. Basically everyone can be crying by the end of a game, unless you take your head outta your rear end.
Nice!
I agree…breaks happen for both teams in every game…its how you deal with the results of those breaks that determine who wins. Quick gave up a questionable goal in the first…did the Kings lay down? No we kept plugging along like we have done all year. We don’t cry about penalties or any other crap…when we lose, we focus on our players and their mistakes and shortcoming’s and try to fix the problems. It makes me mad to hear some Canucks fans, or any fan for that matter, complaining that the refs determined the outcome of a game. The players still have to play no matter what the refs do.
All this jabber-jawing will do is make it that much sweeter if we can pull out this series!!!
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
And there was Richie's stick breaking, too
That pretty much started the puck sliding downhill to the first Vancouver goal.
I’ll say it again: All season, the Kings have been able to come from behind because they don’t lose their heads when they get behind. That’s why I’m actually kind of encouraged that Vigneault got so worked up and started throwing flecks of spittle after the game.
All of Vancover can keep yelling about conspiracies and the refereeing, AFAIC. You tell ‘em. Alain! It’s all a plot by the Free Masons, the Illuminati and the Space Aliens to rig the playoffs! They’ve gotten to Bettman! And Kerry Frazier! And Bigfoot — this is the Pacific Northwest, right? The truth is out there!
To clarify what I meant by that post...
… it’s about composure. The Kings kept their heads and kept plugging away and came back to win the other night. TM is preaching the importance of composure in his public remarks today. I like it.
Vancouver, OTOH may be going in the opposite direction. I like that, too, because it bodes well for the Kings.
I think any Kings fan would have to agree…
We have seen our team play from behind many times this season and not appear rattled. Even in game 1 when we were drastically outplayed in the third we almost won it in overtime…composure is the key word.
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."-Alan Garner
There is always gonna be Conspiracies abuut officiating in ANY sport. Especially for a team expected to go at least the 2nd round. but seriously, alot of NHL so call experts even said it was the right call. It is stated in the rulebook that during an exchange of lines during play, if the puck touches a player going of the ice, the team is given a minor penalty for too many men on the ice.
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