GDT: 2022-23 season game 53 LA Kings vs Carolina Hurricanes @4:00pm 1/31/23

[GoldenBearHockey]

The Hurricanes took what the Kings gave them in the 3rd. They're a good team which is why the Kings play was NOT GOOD because they allowed Carolina to get momentum and take the victory away. If the Kings dream of remaining a playoff team, this cannot happen. The failure was spread around the team. No one came up with the big play to stop the bleeding and there was no answer in scoring. Andersen ended up playing better than Copley in the end when it mattered most.

100%....that doesn't mean the Kings played POORLY.....

You realize that BOTH teams can play good....and one team STILL will lose right?

 

[Sol]

There's a main board thread about how good the Canes are at coming back, it's more than half their games, and lately they've been at the hottest pace in the league. So again, there's the 'alibi.' Not super mad about this game in a vacuum--the issue is that this is repetitive, not a one-off. Has anyone told TM yet he has time outs?

That’s not an alibi and I think it’s even a bad move to bring that up. Kings have been forfeiting victories so often that this isn’t textbook Canes as much as it’s definitely textbook Kings. Immediately they started 1-3-1 in the third AGAIN. And got curbstomped for it.

 

[Sol]

“Todd is a great coach” “Kings standings” “you guys just bitch to bitch”

Anyone with eyes and minuscule understanding of the game can see the Kings have been riding the massive dong of Kevin Fiala to get to where they are. Through luck and unsustainable methods of outscoring their opponents in one game to getting absolutely crushed another. This isn’t a good team. This is just Fiala pushing them into a spot they have no business being in.

 

[YP44]

The Pacific is so tight, and right now LA does not hold the ROW tie breaker.

 

[LeftKinger]

“Todd is a great coach” “Kings standings” “you guys just bitch to bitch”

Anyone with eyes and minuscule understanding of the game can see the Kings have been riding the massive dong of Kevin Fiala to get to where they are. Through luck and unsustainable methods of outscoring their opponents in one game to getting absolutely crushed another. This isn’t a good team. This is just Fiala pushing them into a spot they have no business being in.

I’m actually beginning to believe this as well. I thought the goal differential was mainly due to the putrid goaltending and uncharacteristically bad d to start the season, but this is still a negative team. Wins are always by a close margin. They allow teams back into games they're controlling and some losses become blow outs due to mental collapses. Fringe playoff team with some gaping holes is all this team will be until the younger guys can mature and they find a goalie. Blake has to make room for some of these guys to develop.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

“Todd is a great coach” “Kings standings” “you guys just bitch to bitch”

Anyone with eyes and minuscule understanding of the game can see the Kings have been riding the massive dong of Kevin Fiala to get to where they are. Through luck and unsustainable methods of outscoring their opponents in one game to getting absolutely crushed another. This isn’t a good team. This is just Fiala pushing them into a spot they have no business being in.

Why in the f*** does goal differential matter?

5 game stretches, you win 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 2-1 and get blown up 6-0 loss, your goal differential is -2, 25 games, that's a -10, but you are 20-5, does anyone give a f*** what your goal differential is at that point? 50 games, that's 40-10 but a -20........

People focus on the most stupidest shit ever to reinforce a false narrative

 

[kingsholygrail]

100%....that doesn't mean the Kings played POORLY.....

You realize that BOTH teams can play good....and one team STILL will lose right?

It's also possible for both teams to play poorly and one of them win.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

It's also possible for both teams to play poorly and one of them win.

100%,

Define poor play.....maybe you can do it today, I asked you to do it last night while it was fresh, you declined.....

The other team scoring a goal, is not indicative of poor play throughout the game...so please expand on that.

 

[Nasti]

Why in the f*** does goal differential matter?

5 game stretches, you win 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 2-1 and get blown up 6-0 loss, your goal differential is -2, 25 games, that's a -10, but you are 20-5, does anyone give a f*** what your goal differential is at that point? 50 games, that's 40-10 but a -20........

People focus on the most stupidest shit ever to reinforce a false narrative

Goal differential matters because it’s indicative of a team that has mental lapses. It doesn’t dictate standings but it’s a sign of a problem. You can’t be blind to this. Show me the last cup winner with a negative differential.

 

[bmr]

This is precisely the problem, and why I've become a broken record with things like, "Blake has no plan."

From the day they were hired, Blake and Luc have always wanted to contend. They literally said as much in their first presser even though it was clear the 12-14 team was running on empty and changes were needed. They re-shuffled the deck with a safe coaching hire, opened up the offensive system, and got a career year out of Anze Kopitar. And then they got wrecked in the first round by an expansion Vegas team.

Blake tried to pull a rabbit out of his hat by signing Kovalchuk, but that failed spectacularly, and at some point it became clear the glory days were well and truly over. But Blake couldn't risk alienating his franchise defenseman by committing to a scorched earth rebuild, so now we're stuck in this awkward will they or won't they retool.

There is no long term plan or vision or culture for this organization, and there hasn't been since 2017. Blake and Luc thought they could sweep in and re-heat Lombardi's leftovers and continue contending for Cups. Blake has made some good picks and trades, but he has proven himself to be objectively terrible at any sort of long term (3+ year) planning. Everything is always right now or next year. Dean and Darryl are gone? Promote Stevens and contend for another year or two. Can't score in the playoffs against Vegas? Sign Ilya Kovalchuk and contend for another year or two. Team is terrible, but can't rebuild because Doughty is crying to the media? Bring in some vets and contend for another year or two.

Half measures. The story of Rob Blake.

I agree with you to an extent. I think Blake could improve his long-term plan/vision and the culture/identity of this team. I believe he does some things very well where Lombardi may have been lacking. Taking Kovalchuk and Petersen out of the equation (these are short-term contracts, so not exactly an albatross), most of the trades/UFA signings he has made has really benefitted the team (Danault/Fiala). I think he has a good pulse on what the team needs and addresses deficiencies while not mortgaging our future assets, something Lombardi was clearly going off the rails with post-2014 Stanley Cup run (Sekera/Lucic). Adding Jim Hiller this year and seeing how much our powerplay and offensive dynamic have increased is something all of us were lobbying for. I think he ultimately understands what we are lacking at D and goalie and will address those needs. I respect his ability to be patient and not make knee-jerk decisions. It's really hard to talk too much smack about this organization when we are sitting where we are in the Pacific Division.

The jury is still out for me. As you guys have alluded to, there are going to be some seriously important moves coming in the next year or two that will have broad ramifications to the team and its long-term competitiveness. If we are still making the playoffs and being competitive, I see no reason to call this a failure.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Goal differential matters because it’s indicative of a team that has mental lapses. It doesn’t dictate standings but it’s a sign of a problem. You can’t be blind to this. Show me the last cup winner with a negative differential.

Every team has mental laspes......but according to your logic, that means if our wins are 5-3, 4-2, 3-1, 6-4 and a loss of 6-0, that's fine because thats a plus 2 goal differential......?

 

[Nasti]

Every team has mental laspes......but according to your logic, that means if our wins are 5-3, 4-2, 3-1, 6-4 and a loss of 6-0, that's fine because thats a plus 2 goal differential......?

Clearly not as much as the Kings do. Hence this being a problem.

 

[Sol]

I agree with you to an extent. I think Blake could improve his long-term plan/vision and the culture/identity of this team. I believe he does some things very well where Lombardi may have been lacking. Taking Kovalchuk and Petersen out of the equation (these are short-term contracts, so not exactly an albatross), most of the trades/UFA signings he has made has really benefitted the team (Danault/Fiala). I think he has a good pulse on what the team needs and addresses deficiencies while not mortgaging our future assets, something Lombardi was clearly going off the rails with post-2014 Stanley Cup run (Sekera/Lucic). Adding Jim Hiller this year and seeing how much our powerplay and offensive dynamic have increased is something all of us were lobbying for. I think he ultimately understands what we are lacking at D and goalie and will address those needs. I respect his ability to be patient and not make knee-jerk decisions. It's really hard to talk too much smack about this organization when we are sitting where we are in the Pacific Division.

The jury is still out for me. As you guys have alluded to, there are going to be some seriously important moves coming in the next year or two that will have broad ramifications to the team and its long-term competitiveness. If we are still making the playoffs and being competitive, I see no reason to call this a failure.

If the Kings management wants them to improve from last year then those moves must be done before the playoffs THIS year imo. If they’re cool with letting this year sink then they probably won’t. But you can tell the Kings are focusing on improving from last years performance. Waiting until next season will look bad for Blake if the goal was to be better than next last season because the Kings are playing some of the most pathetic hockey they’ve played in a while. Scoring is up but goaltending and defense is non existent. This is at best equivalent to last years team in competency.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Kings have shown a tendency to let off when they have a lead of two or more. I know this is natural to an extent, but the way the Kings have collapsed at times this year has been jarring. The fact that TM doesn’t use timeouts doesn’t help, but this team has proven to be mentally fragile. I don’t think you can give them the benefit of the doubt in this game, and say well Carolina is a good team and just took it to the Kings in the third.

Im not sure its due to mental fragility as it is lack of talent in goal and the d-corps..pressure exposes those weaknesses more.

 

[KINGS17]

...another of my favorite stats from the good ol' days is record when leading after two periods.

Yes, good teams with 3-goal leads have mental lapses at times, but they don't go comatose in the third period.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

In fact--Kings are currently OUT of a playoff spot by points percentage.

5th in the division, 9th in the conference.

So whatever smug bullshit is being peddled about where we are in the standings vs. what we want is just ignorant...but I guess there's a reason ignore is there.

Can someone please ask RJ what he's smoking and how he magically came up with these figures?

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

...another of my favorite stats from the good ol' days is record when leading after two periods.

Yes, teams with 3-goal leads have mental lapses at times, but they don't go comatose in the third period.

Some do....quite often....no one is saying last night was a "good" look......I'm just saying the team played well enough to hang and should have beaten a Carolina team one of the best in the league....if that's not a good thing, tell me what is please

 

[SettlementRichie10]

I agree with you to an extent. I think Blake could improve his long-term plan/vision and the culture/identity of this team. I believe he does some things very well where Lombardi may have been lacking. Taking Kovalchuk and Petersen out of the equation (these are short-term contracts, so not exactly an albatross), most of the trades/UFA signings he has made has really benefitted the team (Danault/Fiala). I think he has a good pulse on what the team needs and addresses deficiencies while not mortgaging our future assets, something Lombardi was clearly going off the rails with post-2014 Stanley Cup run (Sekera/Lucic). Adding Jim Hiller this year and seeing how much our powerplay and offensive dynamic have increased is something all of us were lobbying for. I think he ultimately understands what we are lacking at D and goalie and will address those needs. I respect his ability to be patient and not make knee-jerk decisions. It's really hard to talk too much smack about this organization when we are sitting where we are in the Pacific Division.

The jury is still out for me. As you guys have alluded to, there are going to be some seriously important moves coming in the next year or two that will have broad ramifications to the team and its long-term competitiveness. If we are still making the playoffs and being competitive, I see no reason to call this a failure.

Blake has won nothing as a general manager in the NHL. Nothing.

If and when he puts together a Cup winning team, we can compare his post-Cup years to Dean Lombardi's. Until then, there is no comparison. GMs are operating in another world of pressure and expectations after winning a Cup, and most of them wind up making the same mistakes Lombardi did. IF Blake ever gets to that world, we'll talk.

If Blake had his pulse on the team's needs, he would've seen Bjornfot and Spence knocking on the door last season, and made room for them this year. Clarke's ascension, at least, came somewhat out of left field. But there was absolutely no reason for Blake to be okay with going into 22/23 with Doughty, Durzi, Roy, Walker, and Spence all right handed and NHL ready. That is a colossal failure of roster construction.

I won't take Petersen and Kovalchuk out of the equation because they're direct evidence of Blake's issues as a GM. Both of these contracts were one year too long at the time of their signing. Both of Roy and Walker's deals were one year too long at the time of their signing. Blake has not demonstrated the ability to see 3+ years ahead, and it continues to hurt the team's long term future.

In a vacuum, yes, the Fiala trade was fantastic. We added a PPG top flight winger for futures. And how much did it improve the team? Not at all.

This is the problem with the discourse on Rob Blake among Kings fans. Blake gets showered with praise for making a shrewd trade or UFA signing. Meanwhile, the team continues to tread water if not outright regress. Enough is enough. This is year six of Blake's tenure as GM. No more excuses.

 

[Kurrilino]

100%, they are both very dynamic players....Durzi has done some crap with the puck, that no other LA player has done....except for Fiala.....but yea, let's hate on him because he's young Dman with defensive holes......lol f***ing amazing this board

I see a significant difference here.
While Fiala has some flaws, he executes his role as a winger damn fine and scores.
A defender's task is to prevent goals, which in Durzi's case is not executes even remotely fine

 

[YP44]

Can someone please ask RJ what he's smoking and how he magically came up with these figures?

View attachment 644736

Colorado holds ROW tie break FWIW

 

[Nasti]

...another of my favorite stats from the good ol' days is record when leading after two periods.

Yes, good teams with 3-goal leads have mental lapses at times, but they don't go comatose in the third period.

I’m convinced that there are some people here who just flat out don’t believe in trends. Everything is about the here and the now.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

I’m convinced that there are some people here who just flat out don’t believe in trends. Everything is about the here and the now.

Just as there are some people who CLEARLY don't watch the games, just post based on box scores....

 

[Nasti]

Just as there are some people who CLEARLY don't watch the games, just post based on box scores....

Yes, watching the Kings blow a 3 goal third period lead gives you a much better impression from seeing it on the box score.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yes, watching the Kings blow a 3 goal third period lead gives you a much better impression from seeing it on the box score.

Maybe...but out of curiosity, how many 2 goal, 3 goal leads have the Kings gone on to lose and lose the game?

 

[Bandit]

It’s going to suck big time when Blake chooses to trade Spence instead of Durzi, Roy, or Walker.

Imagine how you'll feel when you discover he also threw in Kaliyev.