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LAK 3, DAL 1 — Postgame Bullets

  • I’m tempted to limit this to one bullet: the Kings are now 11-3, which ties the 1974 Kings (9-1-4) for the best start in franchise history. The ’74 Kings didn’t get their 11th win until their 21st game.
  • The Kings are 1st in the Pacific, 1st in the Western Conference, and — by WIN% — 1st over-all. Washington has two more points, but they’ve played two more games.
  • At this point, just assume that Quick played his ass off until someone says otherwise. There’s no point in recapping it.
  • One of the things Justin Williams does really well is taking a quick step laterally to change the angle of his shot.
  • I had Ryan Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Williams budgeted for 20 goals apiece this season. They’re on pace for 41, 29 and 23.
  • Smyth‘s and Scott Parse‘s screens on goals two and three made those plays happen. They did not touch the puck and did not get assists. I wish I had the energy to keep track of those sine-qua-non non-assists.
  • I only got one look at it, in real time, but it looked to me like Dustin Brown embellished that elbow/interference, drawing the penalty. I could be wrong.
  • Michal Handzus is a UFA next summer. I really can’t imagine anyone in the Kings depth chart being able to do what he does. I don’t care if he’s old. Give him a three-year deal at $2.5MM, or something similar, and let him be (as I’ve been saying for months now) the forward version of Obiwan O’Donnell.
  • Congratulations to Kyle Clifford on game ten.

Talking Points