GAME SEVEN!!! News
Los Angeles Kings
- Willie Mitchell skated this morning, which was intriguing. However, Darryl Sutter made it clear that Mitchell will not play tonight. On the bright side, he helped rescue a dog yesterday. Willie Mitchell, heart of gold.
- Remember Gaborik’s previous playoff struggles? Evan Sporer does, and he hypothesizes as to why Gaborik is performing so well this year. He also uses the phrase “He’s leading the way, but there’s plenty of other jewels on the crown.” Bonus points!
- Here are your preview quotes from Jarret Stoll, Mike Richards, and Darryl Sutter. Thanks, Jon Rosen!
- I am obliged to once again mention our “Game Seven History Lesson” article, because once again, it’s relevant!
- I love this video of Jarret Stoll mic’d up for Jake Muzzin’s goal in Game 6, specifically because of the different celebrations by the guys on the bench. Trevor Lewis was clearly pumped up, which must’ve helped him score the second goal.
Anaheim Ducks
- Kid Ish over at Anaheim Calling had an in-depth look at what went wrong in Game 6 for the Ducks, including why Teemu Selanne was hurting the team. Great stuff.
- Shockingly, Selanne has decided not to think of this has possibly being his last game.
- The Ducks are loose heading into Game 7. Look how much fun they’re having! They’re like a team of Tomas Hertls!
- Dimitri Filpovic (Sporting News) talked about the importance of Sami Vatanen, and why having him in the lineup helps the ducks. The lens he used? Zone entries, which the Kings did a far better job of dealing with in Game 6 (after this article was written).
- Happy Birthday, Corey Perry! Try not to slam your stick on anything tonight.
Other
- Forbes asks whether the rest of the country/state/county is actually going to watch Game Seven on TV.
- Encouraging: via Steve Lepore, the Kings-Ducks series broke one million total viewers during Game 6!
- Rich Hammond’s look at why Game 7 is going to be “cool” is clearly an effort to reach out to non-hockey fans, and that’s okay./
Podcasts! So Many Podcasts!
- Robert joined Cam Charron and Dimitri Filipovic on an NHL Numbers podcast to discuss the awesomeness of Anze Kopitar and the __________ of Jonathan Quick! I believe the proper hashtag there is #nerds.
- The All the Kings Men podcast discusses the mood going into Game 7. I believe the proper hashtag there is #BookendSweep.
- Thx Bud’s post-Game 5 podcast is worth a listen. I believe the proper hashtag there is #PlayADamnFullGame… which they did in Game 6 and should hopefully do in Game 7.
- Jon Rosen was joined by Cam Fowler for a brief edition of the LA Kings Insider podcast. I believe the proper hashtag there is #CamSucks.
Other News, Which Matters Little
The Sharks have decided that Dan Boyle and Martin Havlat aren’t coming back, and Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau might be traded. John wrote about that. Meanwhile, Ray Shero got fired, and Dan Bylsma did not… yet. It’s interesting and you can read about it, but who cares, Game 7 is in less than six hours!