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

[Raccoon Jesus]

I'm also being cautious because we were likely one bad Dustin Brown pass and a shootout away from having wildly different opinons, lol. OTL after a two goal lead is kind of disgusting, don't get me wrong, but I'm trying not to mistake the outcome for the play.

 

[Statto]

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 completely. Like you, I do like him but only as a 4c long term. I’m fine using him to shelter certain guys like Vilardi early on but by game 5, if not sooner, Vilardi has to be getting used as the 2C. He had missed a few practices so Vilardi was probably a little undercooked going into the first game .

 

[jfont]

Brown messed up on that pass..

I'd like to see him dish out more of his signature hits. I feel it changes the complexion of the game when he starts hitting. Would have been great if he could lay a body on no 97 in green.

 

[YP44]

he

Can Doughty go back to doing this?

tried and hit the boards last night

 

[YP44]

Brown messed up on that pass..

I'd like to see him dish out more of his signature hits. I feel it changes the complexion of the game when he starts hitting. Would have been great if he could lay a body on no 97 in green.

He owned and explained it today at least

 

[Riposte!]

I have been watching the Kings for over two decades, and I have to say that the turnover that wound up giving the Wild the win in OT was the most Dustin Brown-ass pass I have ever seen him make.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I have been watching the Kings for over two decades, and I have to say that the turnover that wound up giving the Wild the win in OT was the most Dustin Brown-ass pass I have ever seen him make.

 

[funky]

Well look at it this way.

we are 7-0-1 in our last 8.

makes me feel better thinking of it in that regard.

 

[KingLB]

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

Also said we’d score 1 goal...

So even if they get shut out, ahead of your expectations!

 

[KingsFan7824]

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.

This was always the concern. Doughty always got by on his talent. That was even the knock on him when he was drafted. Certainly as those other guys hit 30, nobody had any questions. Most of those guys were in competitive situations as they hit 30+ though.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I have been watching the Kings for over two decades, and I have to say that the turnover that wound up giving the Wild the win in OT was the most Dustin Brown-ass pass I have ever seen him make.

The Dustin giveth, the Dustin taketh away. He otherwise had a pretty decent game overall.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This was always the concern. Doughty always got by on his talent. That was even the knock on him when he was drafted. Certainly as those other guys hit 30, nobody had any questions. Most of those guys were in competitive situations as they hit 30+ though.

Damnit. I had a good post typed up auditing every one of those guys' careers and then I closed tab

The short of it, though, is that most of those guys didn't truly emerge till their mid or late 20s, while Doughty broke in at 18. They have more in common with Hedman's development timeline than Drew's (except Bourque who is a freak). Arguably that harmed Drew, I truly thought with his brain he'd age well--I know we have yet to see it. But he's got a lot more miles on his body than literally anyone since he came into the league, so if he doesn't sort the fitness thing out soon, it's too late. It may be anyway. But last night he didn't look worn down or burned out, so we'll see.

 

[kilowatt]

Damnit. I had a good post typed up auditing every one of those guys' careers and then I closed tab

The short of it, though, is that most of those guys didn't truly emerge till their mid or late 20s, while Doughty broke in at 18. They have more in common with Hedman's development timeline than Drew's (except Bourque who is a freak). Arguably that harmed Drew, I truly thought with his brain he'd age well--I know we have yet to see it. But he's got a lot more miles on his body than literally anyone since he came into the league, so if he doesn't sort the fitness thing out soon, it's too late. It may be anyway. But last night he didn't look worn down or burned out, so we'll see.

I won't necessarily blame TM for playing Doughty 30 minutes last night with Alt and Clague as our third pair, but man, that's a lot of minutes. Alt only got 11, Clague about 15. Roy, Anderson, and Maatta all played over 20. If we have a third pair of Bjornfot - Walker that can eat up about 18 minutes, maybe Doughty can play 22 minutes or so per game and use those minutes well. I don't know, I still believe in him, but I think it's time to find someone else to use offensively and leave Doughty to the defensive side of things.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I won't necessarily blame TM for playing Doughty 30 minutes last night with Alt and Clague as our third pair, but man, that's a lot of minutes. Alt only got 11, Clague about 15. Roy, Anderson, and Maatta all played over 20. If we have a third pair of Bjornfot - Walker that can eat up about 18 minutes, maybe Doughty can play 22 minutes or so per game and use those minutes well. I don't know, I still believe in him, but I think it's time to find someone else to use offensively and leave Doughty to the defensive side of things.

Funny enough, Roy/Anderson played more PK time than Drew last night. only slightly, but still.

I don't think it's the best use of Doughty's talents to leave him off the PP altogether, but you are highlighting another problem--we haven't really had another very good offensive d-man since Voynov. Like, who takes his spot? It also depends on what the organization sees for him. I don't think you want to pay a guy 11 million and use him solely like Vlasic. But I agree, what a stupid # of minutes to throw in an opener.

 

[Basilisk]

2021 DRAFT!!!!!!

 

[BallPointHammer]

The players must love the tv timeouts in an empty arena.

 

[KingLB]

The players must love the tv timeouts in an empty arena.

Still gotta “sweep” the ice.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I think Doughty will continue to loaf around or make boneheaded plays until the team is actually good again and he has a reason to “plug in.” He has and always probably will be emotionally immature. Somewhere in the back of his Doty brain he knows that game doesn’t mean anything, and this season doesn’t mean much, either. He has his money and his #1 role and nothing’s threatening that. He knows the Kings aren’t competing for a Cup and he has sort of absorbed the mediocrity. But when the team is actually in the hunt again, he will suddenly put Doty back to bed and wake up Doughty and play at an elite level again.

At least, that’s what I like to tell myself at night.

 

[Steve Zissou]

The human wrecking ball Lizotte continues to be an absolute pest to play against, but he is unequivocally better suited in a 4th line role.

 

[Docgonzo]

Since there was no preseason and basically no camp TM is going with the incumbents of Amadio and Luff. I imagine they’ll get 10 games to prove something then it’s time to move Andersson or JAD in rather than just have them chilling on the taxi squad. Also Frk being healthy would help on PP2.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Damnit. I had a good post typed up auditing every one of those guys' careers and then I closed tab

The short of it, though, is that most of those guys didn't truly emerge till their mid or late 20s, while Doughty broke in at 18. They have more in common with Hedman's development timeline than Drew's (except Bourque who is a freak). Arguably that harmed Drew, I truly thought with his brain he'd age well--I know we have yet to see it. But he's got a lot more miles on his body than literally anyone since he came into the league, so if he doesn't sort the fitness thing out soon, it's too late. It may be anyway. But last night he didn't look worn down or burned out, so we'll see.

Mid to late 20's? Are we looking at the same guys? Late teens/early 20's. Chelios was 22. 21 if you count I guess essentially walking onto the Habs late in the year and being the 2nd leading scorer in the playoffs. Pronger took a while to become Pronger.

I think the competitive environment as an older guy has something to do with it. None of the names mentioned missed the playoffs at 29/30/31 years of age. Some won Cups around then. Deep playoff runs. At the very least teams that had good regular seasons, and maybe disappointed come playoff time, but they were in the game, part of the conversation. Of course most were 30 in the non-cap era. Easier to trade if they wanted to go. Easier to bring talent in to help them. Pronger and Niedermayer were that age right around the lockout, then ended up on the same team to form a super-duo. With the cap.

It has to be tough for all 5 old heads on the team. And all the holdovers that were here the last couple years. Who wants to be 30+, a former top player, on a bottom of the league team? Relative to the sports world(because they're still making a crap ton of money as players), it's like, what the hell am I doing here? At least if you're Ovechkin, you may not have won the Cup earlier, but you were in the trenches every year. As fans, 1 Cup for 10 years of crap, most fans will take it. It'll die down around year 4, and then you start complaining again, but most will take the trade. I have no doubt that Doughty would not trade the Cups for anything later in his career, but as a player, you might rather be SJ than Carolina. As you're playing. When you're done, when you retire, if you were in Carolina you get to say I was in that one moment of glory. As you're active though, you get the moment, but then the next 500+ games are pointless in the context of competing against your peers? That doesn't sound fun.

The problem with the "Doughty: is he done or just bored?" experiment is that every year that goes by he just gets older. If he could only stay 28 until the Kings were done rebuilding. But he'll be what, 32, the next time the Kings probably have a chance to catch a spot? That's assuming things go well, and most of what they try works out. Maybe 33? 34?

Not that Doughty is the only one. I'm sure Patrick Kane has no interest in coming to work this year. All the guys left in SJ are up in the air as to what that team is anymore.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Mid to late 20's? Are we looking at the same guys? Late teens/early 20's. Chelios was 22. 21 if you count I guess essentially walking onto the Habs late in the year and being the 2nd leading scorer in the playoffs. Pronger took a while to become Pronger.

I think the competitive environment as an older guy has something to do with it. None of the names mentioned missed the playoffs at 29/30/31 years of age. Some won Cups around then. Deep playoff runs. At the very least teams that had good regular seasons, and maybe disappointed come playoff time, but they were in the game, part of the conversation. Of course most were 30 in the non-cap era. Easier to trade if they wanted to go. Easier to bring talent in to help them. Pronger and Niedermayer were that age right around the lockout, then ended up on the same team to form a super-duo. With the cap.

It has to be tough for all 5 old heads on the team. And all the holdovers that were here the last couple years. Who wants to be 30+, a former top player, on a bottom of the league team? Relative to the sports world(because they're still making a crap ton of money as players), it's like, what the hell am I doing here? At least if you're Ovechkin, you may not have won the Cup earlier, but you were in the trenches every year. As fans, 1 Cup for 10 years of crap, most fans will take it. It'll die down around year 4, and then you start complaining again, but most will take the trade. I have no doubt that Doughty would not trade the Cups for anything later in his career, but as a player, you might rather be SJ than Carolina. As you're playing. When you're done, when you retire, if you were in Carolina you get to say I was in that one moment of glory. As you're active though, you get the moment, but then the next 500+ games are pointless in the context of competing against your peers? That doesn't sound fun.

The problem with the "Doughty: is he done or just bored?" experiment is that every year that goes by he just gets older. If he could only stay 28 until the Kings were done rebuilding. But he'll be what, 32, the next time the Kings probably have a chance to catch a spot? That's assuming things go well, and most of what they try works out. Maybe 33? 34?

Not that Doughty is the only one. I'm sure Patrick Kane has no interest in coming to work this year. All the guys left in SJ are up in the air as to what that team is anymore.

Yeah, same guys. A lot of them entered the nhl at 21/22--but weren't doing notable things until 23-24 or later. Lidstrom? Not all of them, it's not a hard and fast rule. But the point is, on top of the lack of competitive team, Doughty was playing massive minutes at a high level in all situations for 5 or more years before some of thhese guys were even on a top pairing. That's not to excuse him, if anything it emphasizes your point about him taking better care of himself, it's just that we get caught up in the legacies of some of these guys because they finished strong and assume they were like Drew, but Drew was special earlier, MUCh earlier in some cases. Using Lidstrom as an example, he's "only" got about 11 years of utter dominance starting in his LATE 20s, which is about as many years as Drew has on his resume. The difference so far is one did it on the tail end of their career, one did it at the beginning. Doughty gets the honor of writing the rest of his legacy at least but he'll be remembered less fondly than the others simply for being dominant at the 'wrong' time (and for making a bunch of people grumpy with his antics) in comparison.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to having two games of sample size instead of one before saying he's washed. I didn't see anything last night that suggested this year will be like the last two. He was fast, showing effort, making some great plays. The brain farts may have called back some terrible recent memories but if he sucks this year it's not because he looks like he's out of shape/doesn't care. THEN it WOULD be problematic. But with 10 months off, I'm not ready to dumpster him because his partner was spinning like a helicopter on a bouncing puck.

 

[AlphaBravo]

I haven’t read through all the comments, but did anyone else notice how awesome Mikey Anderson was? Such a smooth skater, great breakouts, and good timings when deciding to jump in the play. Reminds me of Voynov.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I haven’t read through all the comments, but did anyone else notice how awesome Mikey Anderson was? Such a smooth skater, great breakouts, and good timings when deciding to jump in the play. Reminds me of Voynov.

Some clear jitters but very good season debut...Anderson and Roy as a pairing are pretty nails. And they played serious minutes, Roy 23:27, and Anderson 21:42.

 

[killermiller]

Some clear jitters but very good season debut...Anderson and Roy as a pairing are pretty nails. And they played serious minutes, Roy 23:27, and Anderson 21:42.

Pretty nuts to think about how Anderson, Roy and Walker have all become huge parts of our defense after what, a season and a half? Anderson has surprised me with how quick he's picking it up.

Not bad for a 4th rounder, a 7th rounder and an undrafted defenseman eh?