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GDT: 2019-20 GM#1 LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers @7:00pm 10/5/19

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My takeaways from the game

Forwards:
The 1st and 4th lines had chemistry carried over from last year and should remain. I don't see how moving Iafallo off the top line will help the other lines. The middle six forwards are a hot mess. I think we should go back to the Grundstrom Kempe Toffoli line and put Kovy Lizotte Carter together.

Defense:
Overall we need some size back there. We lost board battles and looked sloppy moving the puck. Hutton\Walker looked like a good pair.

Positives
Kopitar looked good and seems rejuvenated. Hopefully they can cut his minutes so they don't burn him out.
Amadio looked confident, needs to continue improving and gain some
consistency.
TMac giving Toffoli and Kempe power play time. Seems to know he needs to get them going hopefully it works.

Negatives
The PP still has the same look, yes we scored but we should be seeing more low plays as well. Pretty predictable hopefully we see more Lizotte\Amadio on it for a different look.

Overall expectations are low. Want to see progression while getting another top 5 pick if that's possible.
 
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First impression probably confirms what many were already saying. Most of the work Blake has to do is on the back end. Down in Ontario Petersen is looking like he is ready to assume a larger role in the near future. Let's see how guys like Anderson, Bjornfot, Durzi, Brickley, and Clague develop. This is going to take time, and not all of those players are going to make it. They just have to keep acquiring younger assets whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Hopefully Forbort makes it back soon. I don't see the benefit of keeping Bjornfot in the NHL for an entire season.
 
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Didn't realize bjornfot made the roster... how has he looked.

Did he earn it or was it more injury based? (was a huge fan of the pick, glad hes doing well)
 
Mats26 said:
My takeaways from the game

Forwards:
The 1st and 4th lines had chemistry carried over from last year and should remain. I don't see how moving Iafallo off the top line will help the other lines. The middle six forwards are a hot mess. I think we should go back to the Grundstrom Kempe Toffoli line and put Kovy Lizotte Carter together.

Defense:
Overall we need some size back there. We lost board battles and looked sloppy moving the puck. Hutton\Walker looked like a good pair.

Positives
Kopitar looked good and seems rejuvenated. Hopefully they can cut his minutes so they don't burn him out.
Amadio looked confident, needs to continue improving and gain some
consistency.
TMac giving Toffoli and Kempe power play time. Seems to know he needs to get them going hopefully it works.

Negatives
The PP still has the same look, yes we scored but we should be seeing more low plays as well. Pretty predictable hopefully we see more Lizotte\Amadio on it for a different look.

Overall expectations are low. Want to see progression while getting another top 5 pick if that's possible.
Click to expand...

I’d like to try something like this...
Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown
Grundström-Amadio-Lizotte
Kovalchuk-Carter-Toffoli... Wags replaces SLO
Clifford-Kempe-Lewis... JAD replaces Lewis
Wagner

Bjornfot-Doughty
Hutton-Roy/Walker... Mikey is coming their YR!
Ryan-Martinez
MacDermid

Quick-Campbell
 
Ollie Weeks said:
Man Kempe looked lost on that back check on the 5th goal or whatever. We gave up 4 ES goals and his line owns 3 of them. Oof. Loved what I saw from Amadio.

Bounce back watch: Kopitar and Doughty looked great. Carter and Kovy did not. Quick gets a mulligan because that was some of the worst defending I’ve seen in years.

Fun game though. Good pace.
Click to expand...
kempe looked lost for most of the game, i really couldn't pinpoint anything he did well. real shame.

fun's what i'm holding onto though, i really couldn't give a f*** less about the result cause they went out and played some exciting hockey. only thing more i could ask is a bit more checking but i'm sure that varies by team
 
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Getz2noone said:
Didn't realize bjornfot made the roster... how has he looked.

Did he earn it or was it more injury based? (was a huge fan of the pick, glad hes doing well)
Click to expand...

He was excellent in preseason and 100% earned his spot. Doughty couldn't stop talking about how good he was. It probably did help that Forbort is out, but honestly he's better than Forbort. He did alright last night. Got burned by McDavid a couple times last night, but we're not playing the oilers every night
 
Enjoyed the game, instead of losing 6-0, we only lost 6-5. Most forwards have adapted to their new system. Even though Kempe had a rough game, Amadio and Lizzote played a solid game. Coach is going to figure out Kempe plays better with younger guys, like Grundstrom & Wagner. Carter & Kovy has their best preseason game with Lizzote, surprised McClelland did not play them together more often.

Our Defense was pretty bad and make it even more difficult if they are trying to keep Bjornfot minutes down when he is on the 1st pairing. Might as well, try Hutton their. Martinez should be the man in charge of our second pairing, not filling in on the 1st pairing, or the rest of the pairings will be a mess.

Anyhow, we have players in the AHL developing in areas LA will need to plug in guys like Mikey Anderson, JAD & Kupari.
 
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kingsboy11 said:
He was excellent in preseason and 100% earned his spot. Doughty couldn't stop talking about how good he was. It probably did help that Forbort is out, but honestly he's better than Forbort. He did alright last night. Got burned by McDavid a couple times last night, but we're not playing the oilers every night
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Idk if anything can really prepare you for what Mcdavid brings your way... so I don't blame him on that. Still pretty salty you guys grabbed him... thought there was a slight chance hed be there at 29
 
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Sausages said:
First game I didn't hit FFW button in about 2 and a half years.

Thank you, TM!

My only concern is that in the second half of the season the new systems will click and they will blow the top 5 pick.
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I agree,

if someone asks me, we can lose all 82 games 6-5 and grab that juicy top pick for the next 2 years.
 
Do the Kings target a Dman with their obvious Top 10 pick in the Draft? Looks like they should get a shot at either Drysdale or Barron. Both of those guys can skate very well.
 
The biggest things i saw yesterday that were an improvement on last year were the breakout and work ethic. Despite getting burned and occasional coverage issues the defense made good first passes to get out of the zone and didnt get hemmed in too much. I have been curious to see Hutton play a season game and he was quietly solid.
They played hard like they wanted to win until the buzzer. It wasnt a great game but i dont mind a loss when they are playing like that. Hope they can keep plugging away and if they lose its really because they just arent good enough. Not coaching or work ethic.

Before i start singling out guys to pick on ill give em a chance to get going.
 
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AzKing said:
Do the Kings target a Dman with their obvious Top 10 pick in the Draft? Looks like they should get a shot at either Drysdale or Barron. Both of those guys can skate very well.
Click to expand...

The way the team has looked in the preseason and yes after just one game... I see our best players stepping up, young players providing depth and a porous defense that’s likely to win some and lose some... I’m scared that we’ll win enough games to take us out of not only the top 5 but the top 10...
I really hope Blake says f*** it and ships out Toffoli, Martinez, Lewis, Campbell and Kovalchuk.. I don’t care if we retain 50% since almost all those players have expiring contracts minus Kovy... give me extra 2nds, 3rds and 4ths headed into a very deep draft..
1- 1st, 3- 2nds, 3- 3rds and I’d be happy
 
I hope people understand now though why it's important to have vets.

Can you imagine if our D last night also didn't have Martinez, Doughty, Hutton?

You'd have a bunch of kids getting absolutely shellshocked in their own end without positive support. Like, trading Martinez to make room for Clague or Anderson at this point would be cutting them off at the knees. Might even have to see how Bjornfot does from here on out, even though he had undoubtedly his toughest assignment right off the bat.

I'm not going to make too many assumptions after a coaching and systems changed, one game, 8 days off, on the road vs. a team's home opener and they've already played a game, though. McLellan pointed out this is going to be a process. Saw some really positive things last night, and some things that are totally systematically different that guys are clearly thinking about (guys wide open in front, Fox pointing out that now the RW is asked to be down low w/defensive responsibility, etc.).
 
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Also kind of clear to me--and everyone I think--that the weakness isn't the top of the lineup or the bottom--it's the middle six and the middle pairing. Kopitar-Brown-Iafallo were nails, sorry to the posters who have been overeager to throw dirt on Kopi's casket. Clifford-Amadio-Lewis were better than expected and Amadio is clearly ready for that step forward. Lizotte was okay and tenacious, but almost everyone around him--particularly Kempe, Kovalchuk--had very uneven play. And Martinez-Roy were getting absolutely obliterated all night.

The PK will also worry me accordingly--Drew has no one else to really rely on. Toby is new to it. The times we got scored on, walker was out there...that's all less than ideal. lol.
 
I was in deep with some rotgut last night but I thought Roy, Walker and Bjornfot looked bad but what can you say it was McDavid torching them all night. Kovalchuk and Carter look lost, I dont know what the Kings are gonna do with them...
 
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Reaper45 said:
I was in deep with some rotgut last night but I thought Roy, Walker and Bjornfot looked bad but what can you say it was McDavid torching them all night. Kovalchuk and Carter look lost, I dont know what the Kings are gonna do with them...
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He's honestly taken another step. It's plain as day. Absolutely unstoppable, especially with this new chip on his shoulder.

Will get a better evaluation against humans vs. Calgary.

Like, he's always looked otherworldly, but he looked defeated before. He was really digging in last night.
 
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