GDT: 2022-23 season LA Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights @7:00pm 10/11/22

[lumbergh]

Or just release Walker and hope someone claims him…
Durzi shouldn’t be in the top 4 let alone getting 20min+, it’s literally a 4 vs 5 with him out there but he’s in valuable on the PP until Clarke is giving a shot at it..
Edler looks to have lost more than a step from last season and I’d much rather see
Bjornfot - Durzi in the 3rd pairing

You're pairing the player with the worst even strength goals ratio last season with the player with the second worst here. Minus on minus. Not sure why you'd do that, unless you're planning to play the third pairing for zero minutes per game.

 

[Lt Dan]

You're pairing the player with the worst even strength goals ratio last season with the player with the second worst here. Minus on minus. Not sure why you'd do that, unless you're planning to play the third pairing for zero minutes per game.

and you need him to come in tomorrow....

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Or just release Walker and hope someone claims him…
Durzi shouldn’t be in the top 4 let alone getting 20min+, it’s literally a 4 vs 5 with him out there but he’s in valuable on the PP until Clarke is giving a shot at it..
Edler looks to have lost more than a step from last season and I’d much rather see
Bjornfot - Durzi in the 3rd pairing

To me a lot of the problems on D is that we have talented (but redundant) parts but the chemistry doesn't seem to work.

Bjornfot-Durzi is rough together due to size and TB having to cover for Durzi.
Roy-Durzi was obviously a complete tire fire as well.
Bjornfot-Roy doesn't really work either, due to size and no real identity (can't be defensive stoppers either as they just get run over).

Due to injuries we haven't tried Walker-Durzi, Walker-Bjornfot, but would those be any better?

Something's gotta give soonish with the cohort of dmen including Walker, Durzi, Roy, Bjornfot, Spence.

Anderson-Doughty works, Edler-Clarke/Roy/Durzi works, we cannot get a functional pairing out of the remaining pieces for the better part of a year so far it seems (though moverare fit nicely on the left with them).

 

[Herby]

What purpose does Walker serve? Say what you want about Durzi but there is clear upside to having him in the lineup. Sure there is downside too, but last year the positive plays outnumbered the negative plays and Durzi was a big asset for the Kings once DD went down.

Walker just doesn’t have that kind of ability, I get it, he is a solid veteran and the Kings want to reward him for battling back from a major injury but if Clarke is going to enter the lineup for anyone it should be Walker.

I just feel like the Kings last night did not dress their 6 best d-man, and had guys who are more like 8-10 on an actual meritocracy based depth chart in there because of non-performance related reasons.

When we play better and more talented teams (especially on the road) teams are going to exploit that defense pairing.

 

[kings11]

You're pairing the player with the worst even strength goals ratio last season with the player with the second worst here. Minus on minus. Not sure why you'd do that, unless you're planning to play the third pairing for zero minutes per game.

They were actually pretty good last season but at this point it can’t get any worse as the whole defense was out in a blender and told to figure it out with those shit preseason pairings

 

[lexlavender]

To me it was an OK game, but the real hitches are still in Line composition and deployment.

For how well Iafallo-Byfield-Vilardi did it was really

Vilardi
Byfield






Iafallo

I was a big Iafallo fan, but he seems to have lost the speed, tenacity, and pest-like play that made him really good. He should really be on another line. I can see the 4th just for convenience sake, but I think a conversation needs to be had that he traditionally had played well with Kopitar, not to mention he really exploded a year ago when playing with Danault and Moore.

Also, Kaliyev is simply just WAY too good to be on the fourth line. Even disregarding his amazing shot, his ability to keep plays alive in the offensive zone is just too valuable to be on the fourth line.

Finally, Lizotte was not really great last night. Possible he should sit for Kupari or JAD.

Realistic next line up:

Fiala-Kopitar-Kempe
Moore-Danault-Arviddsson
Kaliyev-Byfield-Vilardi
Iafallo-JAD/Kupari-Grunstrom

Maybe board

Iafallo-Kopitar-Kempe
Moore-Danault-Vilardi
Fiala-Byfield-Kaliyev
Grundstrom-JAD-Arvidsson

 

[kings11]

To me a lot of the problems on D is that we have talented (but redundant) parts but the chemistry doesn't seem to work.

Bjornfot-Durzi is rough together due to size and TB having to cover for Durzi.
Roy-Durzi was obviously a complete tire fire as well.
Bjornfot-Roy doesn't really work either, due to size and no real identity (can't be defensive stoppers either as they just get run over).

Due to injuries we haven't tried Walker-Durzi, Walker-Bjornfot, but would those be any better?

Something's gotta give soonish with the cohort of dmen including Walker, Durzi, Roy, Bjornfot, Spence.

Anderson-Doughty works, Edler-Clarke/Roy/Durzi works, we cannot get a functional pairing out of the remaining pieces for the better part of a year so far it seems (though moverare fit nicely on the left with them).

Size isn’t really the problem. If you rewatch the game you’ll notice a complete Lack of awareness and communication with our defense.. almost as if they hadn’t played all that much together aka the preseason.
I still say drop Durzi to the 3rd pairing and drop his minutes to the low teens while supplementing that with lots of PP time, which is where his value is.
They need a few more games to gel but it could get ugly again…

 

[lexlavender]

What purpose does Walker serve? Say what you want about Durzi but there is clear upside to having him in the lineup. Sure there is downside too, but last year the positive plays outnumbered the negative plays and Durzi was a big asset for the Kings once DD went down.

Walker just doesn’t have that kind of ability, I get it, he is a solid veteran and the Kings want to reward him for battling back from a major injury but if Clarke is going to enter the lineup for anyone it should be Walker.

I just feel like the Kings last night did not dress their 6 best d-man, and had guys who are more like 8-10 on an actual meritocracy based depth chart in there because of non-performance related reasons.

When we play better and more talented teams (especially on the road) teams are going to exploit that defense pairing.

The only purpose Walker serves is that the Kings are obsessed with sitting on assets. They'd rather force him in an upsetting D-line then trade him for nothing to make room.

Another thought, Our D is too physically weak to support playing anyone on their off-side. They need their sticks on the outside to disrupt plays coming in to their zone, because they are not physically strong enough to bully large players to the outside and pin them

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

One personal positive from last night…only 34 more points from Byfield to win Sol’s money that he won’t pay.

 

[Docgonzo]

I don’t believe Kopitar and Kempe work well together. Kopitar’s whole career is more of a cycle and grind game, Kempe is more of a rush player. And I think that’s why that line suffers. Kopitar likes to use his size and strength to wear down defenses but when Kempe goes for a scoring chance off the rush Kopitar is just skating back and forth down the ice, which he can’t do anymore.

There was that image they put up that Kings were 1st in shots off the rush but 26th in scoring chances. I think it’s from the top line chemistry/style.

I’d rather see Kopitar with Kaliyev and Vilardi more cerebral thinkers that can work and pass well from the board and receive passes.

Kempe would be better fitted properly for Byfield since he scored a lot of goals off the rush in juniors. Unsure on Fiala since I’m not familiar with him.

 

[head eyes]

Not sure why people are calling for Durzi to be benched. Anytime a rookie forward made a mistake and was benched last season, many would call for TM's head. Durzi is still a rookie. It's a teachable moment. I can guarantee Durzi's head shrunk two sizes after that mistake.

 

[tny760]

Not sure why people are calling for Durzi to be benched. Anytime a rookie forward made a mistake and was benched last season, many would call for TM's head. Durzi is still a rookie. It's a teachable moment. I can guarantee Durzi's head shrunk two sizes after that mistake.

a few wild swinging strikeouts here and there is a welcome change from safe safe safe too

 

[bland]

I'm wondering how long Fiala is going to stick on Kopi's wing. Stylistically, it never seemed like a fit, especially with Kempe on the other wing. You're looking at two good rush players and that's not Kopi most years but definitely not at 35. Kopi is slow it down, maintain possession in the o-zone and generate chances wearing out the opposing line. No idea how it's going to work without a worker bee on his line. Last season was the first season of his line routinely losing matchups. Is there a bounce back or is that the status quo now?

You either need Fiala to become patient, which seems to be the opposite of what has made him successful, or you need to move him off Kopitar's wing.

He may be the most talented winger on Kopitar's side since Gaborik, but Gaborik was a very patient, elegant player who mastered moving in and out of high danger areas as needed. Fiala's game is more frenetic energy and about getting out and in front of the attack.

Of course Fiala could evolve his game to better fit, but you might risk losing the very qualities that made him so attractive in the first place.

I still set the over/under on Fiala and Iafallo switching spots at Halloween.

 

[Mats26]

Any righty-righty combo is a patched solution for a failed off season to secure a LD. We need to move a RD and get some stability on that left side.

 

[Telos]

It's tough, but in the end, it is too early to knee-jerk any reaction. Obviously, every Kings fan right now wants to throw Durzi and Roy out of the airlock and throw Clarke and Spence, etc. in there instead. We are high on Clarke right now and every one of us wants to believe he would have made that pass to Kopitar for the goal and would have played more defensively responsible than Durzi, but of course, that is also us wishing with the limited sample size we have seen from him thus far.

There were a lot of positives last night. Hopefully, Byfield and Vilardi will continue to progress. Fiala is still settling in and the top two lines look decent. Kopitar isn't as fast as he used to be but he isn't holding the line back either and Kempe and Fiala should be good enough weapons to complement him. I like Iafallo but he is on the 3rd line because of his history and TMac's thoughts on his acumen on defense, but that third line really should be Vilardi-Byfield-Kaliyev.

Quick looks great. Hopefully, his health keeps up. Pulling for Ranford to bring Petersen back down to the basics and get his game ironed out to at least be decent and competitive.

Walker is another Iafallo-like situation. Where the player has done great things in the past, they've earned respect in the locker room, and clout amongst the coaching staff, but they may not cut it anymore and their on-ice performance isn't what it used to be. It is a tough conversation to have for coaching I am sure, but there are logjams literally everywhere on this roster and good prospects are eager to jump in. Quick decisions are needed this season and hopefully, they aren't too afraid to follow through with them. We can't keep all the prospects and players as is without losing some.

 

[shuchukfan]

I only caught the 3rd period. In my younger days, I probably would have thrown something across the room after that ending. Now I just turn the TV off and get on with my life. Sucks that it was against Vegas, but what can you do? We aren't the ones getting paid millions to play a game, nor or we the ones getting paid millions to coach and assemble the team. We just pay to watch them, sometimes to our regret.

First game and some guys are rusty and, as others have pointed out, defensive pairings didn't have time to gel during preseason. It will get better, hopefully sooner than later since points count the same whether at the beginning or end of the season. Win or lose, I just want the effort to be there. Don't make me feel like I'm wasting my time by watching.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not sure why people are calling for Durzi to be benched. Anytime a rookie forward made a mistake and was benched last season, many would call for TM's head. Durzi is still a rookie. It's a teachable moment. I can guarantee Durzi's head shrunk two sizes after that mistake.

Unpopular opinion--that play wasn't even THAT bad. Ill advised a little dumb sure given other options, but it was OUT OF THE ZONE and Pietrangelo had to make a very good play, everyone else shit the bed immediately after too, it wasn't just Durzi lacking focus. Between Roy doing f***ing nothing but trying to catch his breath for the entire time after he gave the puck to Durzi, Danault of all people just standing nearby making small crop circles, and Arvidsson doing a driveby Lundqvist impersonation, there was enough self-inflicted stupidity there to light a powder keg, Durzi was simply the match...everyone let their guard down thinking it was OT time.

Durzi is a big boy and I hold him responsible for his decision there but I wouldn't be surprised if Arvidsson being a pissy little bitch didn't give Sean a little extra heat like "okay you guys want to push forward, let me hit Moore who is flying instead of you since you're too busy snapping your head back and looking up at the sky."

 

[King'sPawn]

Not sure why people are calling for Durzi to be benched. Anytime a rookie forward made a mistake and was benched last season, many would call for TM's head. Durzi is still a rookie. It's a teachable moment. I can guarantee Durzi's head shrunk two sizes after that mistake.

I don't disagree entirely. I guess my biggest consternation is I would have been okay with Clarke making a mistake like that, who has had no professional experience. Durzi has 155 professional games (including AHL) where he should have known better. And I am sorry if this is pedantic, but Durzi's technically not a rookie by NHL standards (more than 25 games in a single season last year).

I'm not calling for Durzi to be benched, but it's annoying to see a true rookie benched in favor of someone making his type of acceptable mistakes.

 

[Statto]

Having watched the Vegas game last night a several things stand out. Roy is not a top 4 D-man, Edler has gotten even slower and Kopi doesn't have much chemistry with Fiala. Whereas Kempe does and Danault didn't look great but neither did Arvidsson. Seems to me Viktor is still injured. Another thing to gripe about is that Blake had his hitting machine in the Back-end and gave him away instead of exposing 2010 1st rounder Derek Forbert. Oh well.LA's 3rd line looked pretty good if not great at times. Its obvious Iafallo doesn't work well with the young dynamic duo, Batman(Byfield) and Robin(Vilardi). Now how to fix the Defense well here's an easy solution,let the kids (Bjornfot,Clarke and Spence)play. The only D that played pretty well was Durzi. He looked like a young Doughty. Wish Doughty would look like a young Doughty. And Kopi a young Kopi. Quick does look pretty good and should be signed. I guess Blake is going to let things play out on the veteran front before deciding on moving on from them and bringing the kids up en masse. That's my bitch for the night/day

Durzi was terrible. He wasn’t necessarily the worst but he certainly didn’t play ‘pretty well’. His very nice offensive pass doesn’t remotely balance the defensive screw ups. Like I said he wasn’t the worst D out there, none of them were good. Clarke can’t do worse than any of them.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not to belabor the point but again--Durzi is coming off injury with rust, as is Walker. What was Roy's excuse last night, other than being paired with Durzi?

Sure he's an easy punching bag but the only dman who did more than tread water was Doughty, everyone else was various shades of crap. And a lot of Durzi's 'problems' began as a result of Roy's negligence and soft coverage.

 

[mysterman2]

It's one game but that defence was comical.

Roy was the biggest disappointment of the night for me. He was wearing a gold shirt last night. Nice tape to tape passes to the opposition in our zone.

Apart from Durzis gaffe- totally agreed...may have been the worst game Roy has played. Soft meek clearing passes were brutal. Thought he was the worst of the bunch until 19:30 of the 3rd period.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Not to belabor the point but again--Durzi is coming off injury with rust, as is Walker. What was Roy's excuse last night, other than being paired with Durzi?

Sure he's an easy punching bag but the only dman who did more than tread water was Doughty, everyone else was various shades of crap. And a lot of Durzi's 'problems' began as a result of Roy's negligence and soft coverage.

They were all crap, but no excuse for that pass when he already had the puck for 20-30 seconds doing donuts around the goal net with zero pressure.

 

[Statto]

The Kings only have 2 right handed forwards. One (Arvidsson) has more time playing with the guys on pp1 and the other (Vilardi) has more playing time with the guys on pp2 at the AHL and NHL levels. This seems like an attempt to put players where they can succeed.

I’m ok with the lines but not the split between the ice-time for the two units. No issue with pp1 having more time, just not that much more time.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

They were all crap, but no excuse for that pass when he already had the puck for 20-30 seconds doing donuts around the goal net with zero pressure.

Absolutely agree. I just think people are lightning rodding Durzi for this terrible play in particular while giving some other guys a pass for some pretty big issues throughout the game.

Like, I'm pretty sure Durzi won't be doing that again soon--what's to stop Roy from handling the puck like a grenade and backing off checks next game? That might have been the worst game I've seen him play in the NHL.

It's low hanging fruit and an important discussion point given it ended the game, but Durzi wasn't solely responsible for 50+ shots against, the worst defensive performance in 12 years.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

It's low hanging fruit and an important discussion point given it ended the game, but Durzi wasn't solely responsible for 50+ shots against, the worst defensive performance in 12 years.

Agree. So many major gaffes last night -- Iafallo launching a shot, at the end of a PP, that misses the net and rims around the board setting up that 3 on 1 (not to mention the line change at the same time) -- Fiala's bone-headed penalty -- and just overall sloppy play that was evident from the start of the game. I blame the chrome domes.