I’m not going to dwell too much on this game, because it’s simple. The Kings controlled the play, but the bounces weren’t there this afternoon. The Canucks won, and yet their fans are still whining about something or other (how do they manage that?); we’re calm because we have the Cup.
Same old, same old.
The Kings held the Canucks to 13 shots, and had more than double the shot attempts themselves. They had genuine high quality scoring chances, particularly in the first, but didn’t tip one in.
Quick also had another solid game, but no win to show for it. If it weren’t for a gaffe by Jake Muzzin, who missed his man and allowed a breakaway, we’d have at least gone into overtime. But mistakes like that were minimal.
Here’s Sutter’s postgame interview, where he praises Quick for being more consistent:
To take this game as a sign that there are major problems would be wrong, in my view. In fact, they played far worse in their last two wins. Still, it’s not great that they didn’t get more shots through, and now they’ve dropped two games without even getting a Bettman point. They’re headed into a tough five game road trip, their longest of the season. It’s broken up by a cross country trip to the White House.
The Kings are still in good position, but have by no means secured a playoff spot. Let me know your personal stars and goats of the game and what lineup you’d like to see as we get ready for Chicago. (I’m pretty sure my number one jackass will always go to Burrows.)
Ahem. And let’s end with a serenity prayer.
Champions.