I really don’t know how to describe what I’ve seen this year other then to say, wow. I can’t recall a Kings team having this combination of grit and skill. They are fun to watch at both ends of the ice.
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An interesting story line about the game and the LA broadcast was Heidi Androl was interviewing LA Kings Players fathers. […]
There was no prouder father in that box then Ryan Smyth’s Dad. He was easy to spot. He looks like and older version of his superstar son. It was that moment I realized how great the trade with the Avalanche was.
When I look at last years Kings roster I see a lot of talent. I see a lot of youth. I don’t see a lot of experience and I don’t see a lot of guys that had been there. I look at the roster now and there is one name that glares back at me Ryan Smyth. Maybe it’s placebo effect that Ryan has on the Kings. I believe he is the definite cure for what’s been ailing this team. I believe he really helps make this team a contender.
Ryan is playing with Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. Together they make up one of the highest scoring lines in the league right now. This is a line that reminds me of another famous line that the Kings had back in the day. The line has flash, grit, skill and a never say die attitude.
Last year the Kings didn’t win a lot of close games. They couldn’t grind them out. With Smyth not only can they grind them out, they can blow them out. […]
Anze Kopitar is shooting more […] and currently leading the NHL in scoring. […] Smyth being on his side has a lot to do with this. Smyth and Kopitar have chemistry. Smyth seems to always know where Anze is and how to get him the puck. […]
Toward the end of the second period last night, a period in which the Kings were outplayed, Smyth had the game changer. He scored the type of goal that’s defined his career. It was a never-give-up workman’s goal. He took a shot from the right side, and then took another whack at it and when it didn’t go he circled around the back of the net and slammed it home. This made it 3-2. This goal was at the end of the second and helped set the tone for the third.
via Best Trade The Kings Have Made Since Gretzky | Bleacher Report.