GDT: 2023-24 season game 20 LA kings vs Washington Capitals @7:30pm 11/29/23

[bland]

I get what you are saying but have to disagree about last night. They outworked the Caps. Couldnt score and it happens. Like you said they were sloppy.
Now if you wanna look back at that Philly loss they got outworked that night 100%.

It was the exact same thing - the Kings and most teams struggle agsinst teams that play consistent big man hockey. You need your skill players to make individually strong plays to overcome that kind of game.

They let the Kings do what they wanted from the outside but they got very, very few clean looks at the net. Everything was heavily contested.

Possession isn't everything, especially when the opponent sets up to allow you low percentage chances. The Caps parked the bus, told the Kings they would have to do more to best them, and the Kings fumbled too many opportunities.

The Caps were clearly the better team last night. Their style of play dictated the game.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

The one thing that I kept noticing was our fourth line definitely needs Lizotte back. I know one goal game it’s not the fourth line that we depend on the score but we sure are missing their edge game that they had earlier in the month. Small as he is, Lizotte is a buzz saw that provides even more energy to his line and the team.

Agreed. Never have been a JAD fan...I keep hoping he will change my mind, but it's not happening. At this point, would like to see Turcotte get a chance if Lizzo is out.

The Caps were clearly the better team last night. Their style of play dictated the game.

Absurd. The only thing better from the Caps was their goaltending.

 

[johnjm22]

7gp
5-2-0
2.30gaa
0.934sv%

Lindgren is a total rando, but he's arguably been one of the best goalies in the league this season.

 

[johnjm22]

It was the exact same thing - the Kings and most teams struggle agsinst teams that play consistent big man hockey. You need your skill players to make individually strong plays to overcome that kind of game.

They let the Kings do what they wanted from the outside but they got very, very few clean looks at the net. Everything was heavily contested.

Possession isn't everything, especially when the opponent sets up to allow you low percentage chances. The Caps parked the bus, told the Kings they would have to do more to best them, and the Kings fumbled too many opportunities.

The Caps were clearly the better team last night. Their style of play dictated the game.

I agree with some of what you're saying here, but LA did have more scoring chances and shots from high danger areas than the Capitals did.

 

[Fishhead]

It was the exact same thing - the Kings and most teams struggle agsinst teams that play consistent big man hockey. You need your skill players to make individually strong plays to overcome that kind of game.

They let the Kings do what they wanted from the outside but they got very, very few clean looks at the net. Everything was heavily contested.

Possession isn't everything, especially when the opponent sets up to allow you low percentage chances. The Caps parked the bus, told the Kings they would have to do more to best them, and the Kings fumbled too many opportunities.

The Caps were clearly the better team last night. Their style of play dictated the game.

This is the opposite of what the shot charts say, the bulk of the King's chances were from right in front of the net.

I would guess the take that the Caps were clearly better would be in the small minority, contrarian even.

 

[Master Yoda]

The Kings may have dominated possession and shown some terrific recovery skills over the past few games, but they have really been fighting the puck. Lots of hope passes into the skates, just out of reach, quality opportunities turned into near misses, and some lazy reads mixed in as well.

They bullied Montreal into a shutout without being sharp, then were outworked in the trenches last night. Complain about the schedule all you want, but having a few days to practice right now is better than potentially picking up another L right away while trying to get back on track.

Yeah, there's been a lot of these types of plays over the past few games.
Even the last second pass last night by Doughty to I think Fiala was too far out front and Fiala couldn't one time it.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

This is the opposite of what the shot charts say, the bulk of the King's chances were from right in front of the net.

I would guess the take that the Caps were clearly better would be in the small minority, contrarian even.

Can’t trust those fancy advanced stats like “shot location.”

 

[King'sPawn]

No, KP, the Caps played their asses off and let the Kings do whatever they wanted to on the outside for low percentage plays but kept the middle of the ice jammed. Very, very few shots required Lindgren to do anything other than just hold his position as the puck was hoped into him.

Kings were shooting wide and into shin pads all night. They were lucky that Washington's offense was so anemic because apart from the first and last 5 minutes of the game the Kings were badly outworked.

Kings were getting shots blocked because they kept working to recover pucks and keep possession. There was no outworking from the Caps, aside from a commitment to blocking shooting lanes like the Vigneault Rangers.

Lindgren read the many quality chances perfectly and was already in position, which made it look like he didn't have to do much.

You want to assert differently, good on you. If the roles were reversed and the Kings won 2-1 we'd rightfully be calling it an ugly win where the goalie bailed the team out.

 

[shuchukfan]

Game was the definition of blue balls.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Kings were getting shots blocked because they kept working to recover pucks and keep possession. There was no outworking from the Caps, aside from a commitment to blocking shooting lanes like the Vigneault Rangers.

Lindgren read the many quality chances perfectly and was already in position, which made it look like he didn't have to do much.

You want to assert differently, good on you. If the roles were reversed and the Kings won 2-1 we'd rightfully be calling it an ugly win where the goalie bailed the team out.

Yup! Part of it too was on the PP, the Kings were way too predictable on who is passing and who is going to pull the trigger. Lindgren went post to post for a routine save.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Kings were getting shots blocked because they kept working to recover pucks and keep possession. There was no outworking from the Caps, aside from a commitment to blocking shooting lanes like the Vigneault Rangers.

Lindgren read the many quality chances perfectly and was already in position, which made it look like he didn't have to do much.

You want to assert differently, good on you. If the roles were reversed and the Kings won 2-1 we'd rightfully be calling it an ugly win where the goalie bailed the team out.

@bland consistently shits on the Kings no matter the situation - his perception of last night's game is not surprising. Ridiculous, yes, but understandable given the source.

 

[Shellz]

The Caps played their asses off? No. They turtled and let their goalie win them the game. Usually doesn’t work but even luck works in mysterious ways.

 

[Buddy The Elf]

The Kings beat themselves last night. they should've adjusted and started ripping point shots and getting men in front. That said, they were a Kopitar skate length and/or a Kempe crossbar away from at least a point if not a win. Not much to really to be upset about in my opinion.

 

[bland]

The Caps played their asses off? No. They turtled and let their goalie win them the game. Usually doesn’t work but even luck works in mysterious ways.

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

Dude that's such a f***ed up view of what ACTUALLY happened......they reduced high danger chances by allowing 24 plus shots from the house? If that's reduction WTF were they doing BEFORE that?

They capitalized on two mistakes, literally there only high danger chances, and they stuck their head in the sand for the last 14 minutes and prayed nothing happened, and twice, an inch or less would have had them losing that game....

But yea, Kings are dogshit and played like crap...THAT is your take.......f***ing pathetic.

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

It's almost as if you think you were the only one to watch that game, and that everyone else can't ready a goddamn shooting chart

 

[Sol]

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

This is unfounded praise. The Caps didn’t lose because their goalie was playing their ass off. And bad puck luck.

To praise the capitals is crazy. They got dominated.

 

[Rick Knickleback]

No one goes 82-0. I’ll take this loss over that garbage game at home against Philly. Kings got curbstomped in that one.

Full credit to Lindgren.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I guess in short I'm just far past the point of praising moral victories because 'good enough' clearly isn't.

It wasn't just 'bad luck' that saw the Kings getting prime shots blocked and missing rebounds. There's a bear down element there that the Kings just were not interested in last night and I knew wouldn't be there as soon as they let Wilson off the hook for his loooooong post whistle shot.

"oh man they just couldn't get the rebounds in front" isn't the flex/argument it seems to be, and the Harlem Globetrotters act all around the outside of the zone isn't 'dominance' it's cowardice.

It's not like Lindgren was swallowing every puck, that thing was bouncing all over the place near him, no one wanted to get their dresses dirty.

The arguments against have been the Florida game--which has been the outlier so far--and games against Ottawa and AZ? Come on. Edit: and Vegas, which was the most satisfying game of the year but given their play since it was hardly against the powerhouse version.

I'm sorry to be overly pessimistic but @bland is absolutely right about this being a pattern. Big boy defensive hockey makes the Kings dance around the outside looking like 23 Kevin Fialas and Erik Karlssons, it's empty calories, not winning hockey.

But the optimist in me says hey, maybe they'll bear down when it matters and theyr'e just trying to stay healthy right now. But TM's history suggests no. So we'll see who shows up vs. Colorado or if it's more of the same.

By the way, not so gentle reminder that the Caps just lost to the SHarks 2-1 and the Oilers 5-0. We'll see how they fare vs. the Ducks tonight but if they win that one too you'd better believe I'm gonna lay on it.

 

[AbsentMojo]

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

Maybe you meant to say the Kings got outcoached? because they did not get outplayed and they definitely bore down in the 3rd to try to event it out. My takeaway from this game is PP1 looks disorganized. I hope they work on it over their recurring 4 day break.

 

[King'sPawn]

I guess in short I'm just far past the point of praising moral victories because 'good enough' clearly isn't.

It wasn't just 'bad luck' that saw the Kings getting prime shots blocked and missing rebounds. There's a bear down element there that the Kings just were not interested in last night and I knew wouldn't be there as soon as they let Wilson off the hook for his loooooong post whistle shot.

"oh man they just couldn't get the rebounds in front" isn't the flex/argument it seems to be, and the Harlem Globetrotters act all around the outside of the zone isn't 'dominance' it's cowardice.

It's not like Lindgren was swallowing every puck, that thing was bouncing all over the place near him, no one wanted to get their dresses dirty.

Sorry dude, I just can't agree. No team wins every game. Hell, no team wins every shift or puck battle. But the Kings were on the winning side of most things more often except in the scoreboard.

How many shots did Byfield get in the first alone that should have gone in? How many did he set up?

Watch the attack from the Kopitar line near the end of the second when he fed Kempe the one-timer: Lindgren was across and in position before Kempe even got a shot off, because he knew Kempe would have no other options. This also includes a crossbar and a goal that was called off when Kopitar didn't even try to stay onside.

Literally the only goal that got by Lindgren was because he doesn't have eyes in the back of his head and he couldn't anticipate that puck bounce off the wall. Dude was dialed in like a teen boy on a 1-900 sex line.

 

[Shellz]

Yes, because when you are a team lacking talent and depth you can succeed by having everybody sticking to the game plan.

They committed to passing and shooting lane coverages to reduce the high danger opportunities and forced the Kings to do something special to beat them.

Its a classic Sam Allardyce smash and grab win, for those of you familiar with the Premier League. You park the bus, let the opposition dominate possession, make key defensive stops and try to hit on the counter attack.

The Caps planned for that and they were able to succeed. They deserve full credit for that win. It wasn't some miraculous goaltending effort, the refs didn't screw the Kings, the Kings just got beat by a team committed to their gameplan.

Funny enough, if the Kings played the same way us fans would call that embarrassing. But, whatever, they did what they did for the win. I fully believe they were outplayed but did what needed to be done like getting in the lane and blocking shots. Luckily, I’m not upset about this loss. Just hope it doesn’t start a losing streak with another long break.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Sorry dude, I just can't agree. No team wins every game. Hell, no team wins every shift or puck battle. But the Kings were on the winning side of most things more often except in the scoreboard.

How many shots did Byfield get in the first alone that should have gone in? How many did he set up?

Watch the attack from the Kopitar line near the end of the second when he fed Kempe the one-timer: Lindgren was across and in position before Kempe even got a shot off, because he knew Kempe would have no other options. This also includes a crossbar and a goal that was called off when Kopitar didn't even try to stay onside.

Literally the only goal that got by Lindgren was because he doesn't have eyes in the back of his head and he couldn't anticipate that puck bounce off the wall. Dude was dialed in like a teen boy on a 1-900 sex line.

if you can't score you CAN keep them out. This is a team that got ZERO goals vs. the oilers and 2 vs. teh Sharks; you're telling me the Kings couldn't keep a lead in a low scoring game vs. a low scoring team that does nothing but collapse and check? That's very telling about their chances vs. playoff hockey.

 

[Shellz]

I mean reading the posts from Caps fans they would agree that they weren’t too happy with that effort.

 

[Nasti]

Did you know the Oilers/Kings did the same thing with Gretzky?! Gretzky had the record for most empty net goals and OV is now tied with him @ 56. It's an NHL coaches choice who he puts out on the ice when the opponent has an empty net towards the end of the game.

I don’t remember anyone putting Gretzky out there when it didn’t help the team just to break records. He broke the goal record during an Art Ross season.

 

[AbsentMojo]

if you can't score you CAN keep them out. This is a team that got ZERO goals vs. the oilers and 2 vs. teh Sharks; you're telling me the Kings couldn't keep a lead in a low scoring game vs. a low scoring team that does nothing but collapse and check? That's very telling about their chances vs. playoff hockey.

I dont know if this is the game to impugn their tight hockey performance... they did well in this style against Florida. And against the crappy teams they played recently, took shutouts into the 3rd. Im chalking this one up to puck luck more than anything.