GDT: 2020-21 season Game #1 LA Kings vs Minnesota Wild @7:00pm 1/14/21

[Raccoon Jesus]

Clague looked like he was playing on some local hockey rink on a warm muggy day in Florida. Every time he went to pass the puck the puck seemed to hit some wet patch and stop. Staples Center was evidently not prepared for a hockey game, for some reason.

The ice did look like absolute crap. I'm sure it was partially that and partially rust, but especially in the first when guys were just falling everywhere I was dying

Maatta kind of had the same issues, they just landed him in more trouble.

Clague had some really good defensive moments too, I just hope his consistency picks up.

And to balance it for Alt, I actually thought he looked pretty solid defensively most of the time, you could tell he was a veteran. But that guy handling the puck made Derek Forbort look like Erik Karlsson.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I posted something like this a while ago. He didn't look like a first-line winger last year and is riding Kopitar's coattails at this point. Brown is now a checking line winger, and it's time to put him on a checking line.

I've always liked Carter on Kopi's wing. You can see that chemistry on the Kings' s first goal last night.
Iafallo-Kopitar-Carter

Kopitar/Carter have usually looked good together, but I don't know if that particular goal showed chemistry. That was last second faceoff and drive the net in the hope of a rebound.

That's the age old question though. Do you throw your best players on one line, or try and spread them around? They got 3 last night, and had a 2 goal lead at home in the 3rd period. Not that home ice is quite the same these days. Offense wasn't the problem.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Matty Roy was the Kings best player last night. Dude is nails, he is just rock solid on D and is excellent at all areas in the defensive zone. He really carried Anderson in the game, who looked overmatched physically quite a few times on the boards and down low around his net.

Alt will return to the AHL as soon as Walker and MacD are back. It’s a good idea to get him some nhl paychecks early in the season so he’s feeling happy when sent to the Reign. Clague had an up and down game, but didn’t stand out in a bad way to me. Pairing him with Walker doesn’t inspire confidence, but Walker is a very good player, so it might work against favorable matchups and may score the odd goal.

Doughty seems to have infected Maata with the “tries to do too much” bug. His late game obstruction penalty was telegraphed 3 seconds before the infraction was called. I lost count of the number of times he or Drew were spinning in circles or down on the ice.

You’d have liked to see some goals out of the Iafallo, Kempe, Vilardi group, but AA got his first, and I think he fits in that group. The forwards who are tweeners / JAGs didn’t impress positively, overall. Lizotte was ineffective and I was glad to see Vilardi with more shifts by the end of the game. Some of those minutes were from the large number of PPs the Kings had.

For all the talk about Coach Todd’s system, I’m pressed to describe exactly what it is after over a year. It’s obvious that the Kings score more goals now, by about 1 a game. It’s still disappointing to hear Kopitar say post game that the team needed to lock things down to preserve the win in the third period. You’d hope to hear him talk about keeping up the attack and answering back with more goals.

Overall, the vets produced, which is what they’re paid to do. And the vets got the most ice time. Carter had some nice plays for sure, which gives me hope that he raises his trade value. Can’t say the same for Quick, who posted an .852 SV % on less than 30 shots. Can’t wait for Cal to get some starts and great to have Kings hockey back.

 

[Lt Dan]

The ice did look like absolute crap. I'm sure it was partially that and partially rust, but especially in the first when guys were just falling everywhere I was dying

Maatta kind of had the same issues, they just landed him in more trouble.

Clague had some really good defensive moments too, I just hope his consistency picks up.

And to balance it for Alt, I actually thought he looked pretty solid defensively most of the time, you could tell he was a veteran. But that guy handling the puck made Derek Forbort look like Erik Karlsson.

Clague played D well but looked afraid to carry the puck

 

[bland]

At what point do we consider moving Brown off the first line, by the way?

2013.

Sutter was always right about that one.

 

[Yog S'loth]

New season; same old Kings.

 

[Fat Elvis]

I'd like to see this on defense next game.

Bjornfot-DD#8
Anderson-Roy
Maata-Walker

Those few games Bjornfot played with #8 last season were #8's best games. And cap that #8's minutes around 22-24 a night.

 

[YP44]

I'd like to see this on defense next game.

Bjornfot-DD#8
Anderson-Roy
Maata-Walker

Those few games Bjornfot played with #8 last season were #8's best games. And cap that #8's minutes around 22-24 a night.

I'd switched Bjornfot and Maata. I think Maata and Drew could be could and want to give it at least a handful of games.

Carter looked great last night
Kempe's penalty killing impressed me
This was not on Quick but I think same issues with him. He is such an aggressive goalie it leaves him out of position and he is getting too old to make up for it. It is why he always use to make the highlight saves.

was awesome to see a kings game even though it was against the Wild. Kings vs Wild has to be one of the worst matchups since Minnesota came into the league. Always is boring as hell. After Saturday only 6 more meetings to go!

 

[KingsFan7824]

2013.

Sutter was always right about that one.

Nah. He was on the 1st line for the 2nd Cup.

When Stevens took over, Brown had a good year. Unfortunately he was already old by then. Sutter likely wasted a couple good years for Brown. Also, whatever happened between those two made re-signing Gaborik that much more important, and we know how that worked out. Whatever happened between those two also probably ended up bringing Lucic here after Williams left.

Then they took the C from him, and Brown really hasn't been the same since. He no longer internalized the game, and his play reflects that. And the league cracked down in the dirtier stuff, which is what we loved about the guy. Plus, he's obviously gotten even older, and that certainly plays a role, even if he and Sutter were BFF and he still had the C.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Can Doughty go back to doing this?

 

[fsanford]

Would you rather:

Randy Jones/Denis Gauthier
Kale Clague/Mark Alt?

Um I thought we agreed that the name of Randy Jones would not be spoken of ever again on this site.
The only guy in NHL history that was given 2 minute penalties for simply being a bad defensemen.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Darryl Sutter is no longer the coach of the Kings. Just thought I'd remind people.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Can Doughty go back to doing this?

Doughty is more worried about people not thinking of him as a top of the league defenseman than being one, so probably no.

 

[tny760]

I'd like to see this on defense next game.

Bjornfot-DD#8
Anderson-Roy
Maata-Walker

Those few games Bjornfot played with #8 last season were #8's best games. And cap that #8's minutes around 22-24 a night.

i have to think maatta/doughty sticks for a while, that's just too "NHL coach" of a pairing.. talented loose cannon with a reliable relief valve

i like bjornfot but i don't know if he's ready to be doughty's relief valve

have to think we're just gonna see the clague/alt pairing replaced by walker/macdermid

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Doughty is more worried about people not thinking of him as a top of the league defenseman than being one, so probably no.

Someone should grab a hold of him and say to him, “show me, don’t tell me.”

Last night’s game was a shit show for obvious reasons, but given Doughty’s comments before the start of the season, he has a lot to prove this year if he still thinks of himself as one of the league’s top defensemen.

You’d think he’d prosper for a long time, like Bourque, Niedermayer, MacInnis, Pronger, Lidstrom, Chelios all did until their late 30s and even into their 40s, but Drew hasn’t played like his normal self since 2017-18.

 

[BigKing]

Just want to put it out there once again and be on the record with it, but I don't think Lizotte is anything more than a 4th line player on a good team. Don't dislike him and love his hustle, moxie etc...but he is simply too small and not skilled enough to overcome that for a long career in this league, IMO. I know I will get a lot of push back on that but there is a bit of Leipsic syndrome here where the team sucks but he is always motoring around so effort gets confused with real talent.

Not a big knock on him either since there are a lot of people on this team that won't make the cut once they move towards being a contender. My favorite in MacD is more than likely one of them as well.

I could be wrong and it would be great if I am. Thought he was brutal last night though.

 

[Schmooley]

Just want to put it out there once again and be on the record with it, but I don't think Lizotte is anything more than a 4th line player on a good team. Don't dislike him and love his hustle, moxie etc...but he is simply too small and not skilled enough to overcome that for a long career in this league, IMO. I know I will get a lot of push back on that but there is a bit of Leipsic syndrome here where the team sucks but he is always motoring around so effort gets confused with real talent.

Not a big knock on him either since there are a lot of people on this team that won't make the cut once they move towards being a contender. My favorite in MacD is more than likely one of them as well.

I could be wrong and it would be great if I am. Thought he was brutal last night though.

I like him and do agree he is not a 2nd line center. Last year he had a strong camp and kept rolling all season with the momentum. The long break was the worst thing for him. I watched a ton of the first games and a lot of guys havent played well yet so he just may need to get back into a rhythm to even be a bottom sixer. He cant rely on talent if hes playing bad cause in his case his game is all heart.

 

[head eyes]

Just want to put it out there once again and be on the record with it, but I don't think Lizotte is anything more than a 4th line player on a good team. Don't dislike him and love his hustle, moxie etc...but he is simply too small and not skilled enough to overcome that for a long career in this league, IMO. I know I will get a lot of push back on that but there is a bit of Leipsic syndrome here where the team sucks but he is always motoring around so effort gets confused with real talent.

Not a big knock on him either since there are a lot of people on this team that won't make the cut once they move towards being a contender. My favorite in MacD is more than likely one of them as well.

I could be wrong and it would be great if I am. Thought he was brutal last night though.

I agree with you. He'll always be that player that looks amazing in practice because he's going 110%, but in practice you don't have people that want to knock you into the 5th row.

I have similar thoughts about Amadio. I don't like his game so I always put him under a microscope, which may not be fair, but he's just way too soft on the puck. He always tries to make cute plays and when they work out they look great, but when they don't, they look obviously awful. So many soft passes that get picked off, or trying to thread needle through some defensemen's legs - picked off, or soft dump-ins that the defensemen knocks down - picked off. He had multiple turnovers last night and it's infuriating once you notice it.

 

[tny760]

Just want to put it out there once again and be on the record with it, but I don't think Lizotte is anything more than a 4th line player on a good team. Don't dislike him and love his hustle, moxie etc...but he is simply too small and not skilled enough to overcome that for a long career in this league, IMO. I know I will get a lot of push back on that but there is a bit of Leipsic syndrome here where the team sucks but he is always motoring around so effort gets confused with real talent.

Not a big knock on him either since there are a lot of people on this team that won't make the cut once they move towards being a contender. My favorite in MacD is more than likely one of them as well.

I could be wrong and it would be great if I am. Thought he was brutal last night though.

he's certainly miscast as a 2nd line center but i'm also not sure if vilardi's there yet. i'd rather give vilardi the chance though since amadio definitely can't move up the lineup. lizotte would probably be a really good 4th line guy on a pure "energy" checking line with someone like wagner who's willing to finish hits and get chippy. just kinda thin down the middle if tmac's forcing speed on the wings down the lineup

greenway cold shouldering him last night was very emblematic though. i know greenway's a big dude but that was comical

 

[MBH]

he's certainly miscast as a 2nd line center but i'm also not sure if vilardi's there yet. i'd rather give vilardi the chance though since amadio definitely can't move up the lineup. lizotte would probably be a really good 4th line guy on a pure "energy" checking line with someone like wagner who's willing to finish hits and get chippy. just kinda thin down the middle if tmac's forcing speed on the wings down the lineup

greenway cold shouldering him last night was very emblematic though. i know greenway's a big dude but that was comical

If you have a winger, you can consider running AA at 2C.
The last time he got an extended look at center he did this with Glendening and Hirose as his wingers.
Andreas Athanasiou 2018-19 Game Log | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Just want to put it out there once again and be on the record with it, but I don't think Lizotte is anything more than a 4th line player on a good team. Don't dislike him and love his hustle, moxie etc...but he is simply too small and not skilled enough to overcome that for a long career in this league, IMO. I know I will get a lot of push back on that but there is a bit of Leipsic syndrome here where the team sucks but he is always motoring around so effort gets confused with real talent.

Not a big knock on him either since there are a lot of people on this team that won't make the cut once they move towards being a contender. My favorite in MacD is more than likely one of them as well.

I could be wrong and it would be great if I am. Thought he was brutal last night though.

I'd say it's a matchups thing too, he was excellent last year in a 3-4C capacity because those are softer matchups. He probably has no business regularly playing against other 2Cs. Imagine Lizotte vs. Carter, Lizotte vs. Malkin, Lizotte vs. Backstrom, etc.

Edit yeah looking at his competition he spent a lot of time as expected vs. Greenway, Eriksson-ek---but they spent farrrr too much time vs. Parise-Kaprizov-Fiala too. I mean when we're playing away he's going to have to eat that a bit but he shouldn't be deliberately placed in that position consistently.

 

[Rusty Batch]

Our team might actually be solid if we called up the youth. So many of the guys in our lineup are just awful or playing in roles well above their skill level and we still are competitive.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I don't think Doughty was near as bad last night as people are making it seem. Lotta wrong place/wrong time stuff more than anything. A lot of that was Maatta. I mean the OT goal was a f***ing flop for the ages but the other ones he was tying a dude up to complete lockdown status while Olli spun in circles.

He showed a lot of 'old' doughty puck dominance, with some insane puck movement and control a lot of the night.

As TM said it was a very up and down performance but I think it was a night and day difference from the last two years--the effort and skating were there, the puck movement was there, the defense was mostly there. It wasn't just him shooting into shinpads and letting his partner beat the forechecker to the corner so he doesn't get hit, he was up in the trenches often.

He's gonna need to pull it together a little bit more but considering what a shitshow last night was, like I said, I'm giving everyone five games to shake off the ten months of rust.

 

[Statto]

Given the layoff I was never drawing any meaningful conclusions from last night win or lose. We’ve seen with all team sports, even with shorter layoffs, that it takes time for teams to find their rhythm. It’s the same with individual players, some get going from game one and some take a few games.

Don’t get me wrong, the issues were the issues but it’s a long way from where either team ends up and it’s the teams that find their groove fastest that have the best play-off odds. The biggest two takeaways I had from the game (I only saw bits live and extended highlights) is that Vilardi still looks like an NHL player and Carter seems to have found that yard of pace he had lost. He still looks hungry too and that should be good news. I also though Kempe and AA looked a threat.

What needs to happen Saturday is meaningful progression. They have to be better, regardless of the result. Once they’ve had a couple of games to shake off the rust, then I’ll start worryingly more about the details. By game 3 I really hope we see Björnfot and/or Andersson as both have the potential to move the needle.

 

[DoktorJeep]

I predicted 1 out of 4 pts in these first two games, so it’s all upside for tomorrow’s contest.