I guess I’m obsessed with news and links and other junk. Anyway, a new thread! And you can also catch up on all your Kings news before they take on the Rangers tonight at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.
Kings News
LA Times
Kings? Tired? Fuhgeddaboudit Newsflash: This hockey team is not made up of a bunch of robots; they’re actually human and do feel fatigue. However, Justin Williams insists that’s not an excuse. Also: Marian Gaborik‘s first trip back to the Garden since he got traded to Columbus in 2013. Is he excited? Well you have to read to find out.
Kings have built 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final in un-Kings-like way Gone are the days of stingy defense, barely giving any opposing team’s offense room to maneuver on the ice. It has since been replaced with… uhhh… I don’t know, but whatever it is, the Kings have a hardcore belief that they can win no matter what.
LA Daily News
Play It Forward: Ranking the top 10 sports events June 9-15 you won’t want to miss Kings are #1 on this list. That’s right, it starts at #1 with the Kings. What is this world that we live in?? Just reading the author’s description alone is worth it. Warning: it features a certain pest control aspect in it.
Los Angeles Kings get under New York Rangers’ skin Jill Painter is wonderful at finding a different angle amidst all the other narratives and this time, she brings up the screaming Will Ferrell ad that was a block away from MSG. Highly recommended read.
NHL.com
Kings’ Mitchell happy to be back and contributing After sitting out all of last year, defenseman Willie Mitchell is thrilled that he’s playing again and is helping the team in their quest for a second Stanley Cup.
TSN
COLD, HARD BELIEF AT CORE OF KINGS’ RESOLVE A little bit hyperbolic, but not a bad read. Jonas Siegel talks about the Kings’ attitude of never giving up and always believing that they can come back and win.
Puck Daddy
Dustin Brown endures as one of the NHL’s most criticized captains Quite the fluff piece about how Dustin Brown isn’t your typical NHL captain but he deserves respect and stuff.
Rangers News
NY Daily News
NY Rangers believe they can come back against Kings They don’t plan to quit and they’re hoping having home ice advantage can get them the breaks that LA got on Saturday.
NY Post
Time for Richards to prove his leadership mettle Kind of a “Get your shit together, Brad Richards” type of article. He’s been not-great for two games in a row and as the unofficial captain (basically, captain without the “C”), he needs to show that he can be better.
Blueshirts look to pick up defense Game plan: Keep LA away from the net and block more shots.
NY Times
For Buffalo, Few Points on the Ice but Plenty in the TV Ratings Not really Rangers news, but it’s sort of related since the city famous for its chicken wings has been second and third in TV ratings (behind only New York and LA) through the first two games of the SCF. Way to go, Buffalo.
CBC
Alain Vigneault, Rangers have lessons to fall back on With the experience of 2011 looming in the back of his mind, the Rangers’ coach knows firsthand how quickly a series can change. Also, after being down 3-1 against the Penguins (lol Pittsburgh), the Rangers feel like they can come back in the series.
NHL.com
Rangers confident despite 2-0 deficit in Cup Final Home ice advantage will help and a loud crowd at MSG will give the Rangers the confidence they need to win. Plus, they can totally match the Comeback Kings in narrative of erasing deficits. Puh-leeze. They knocked off the Penguins for crying out loud (lol Pittsburgh).
Goalie matchup Game 2: Lundqvist’s load increases Kings did a better job of getting into the home plate area while Rangers continued to attack from sharp angle shots and one timers. (Side note: Dear Kings, please stop letting guys camp out next to your net. Thanks)
Grantland
The Search for New York Rangers Optimism A humorous look at how the Rangers can be optimistic prior to the game tonight.
Elsewhere Around the League
LFR
PLAYOFF LFR: CROWN IN THE CREASE I have no idea how to classify this since he’s a neutral fan and I forgot to include this in yesterday’s news roundup. Whoops. Anyway. Watch it. It’s amazing.
TSN
OFF-SEASON GAME PLAN: ST. LOUIS BLUES Lesson learned: goaltending wasn’t the area that really needed fixing and with two inexpensive goalies on the roster, maybe there’s a possibility they can upgrade their offense this summer.
Puck Daddy
Wild expect Josh Harding to be available in time for training camp The former Masterton Trophy winner is progressing well in his rehab and should be fully ready for training camp.
Canucks Army
JOURNAL OF HOCKEY ANALYTICS: VOLUME I ISSUE 5 A roundup of links for all things hockey analytics. I recommend avoiding any Washington Post article written by Neil Greenberg because it’s very one sided and feels very half assed, IMO.