GDT: 2023-24 season game 51 LA Kings vs New Jersey Devils @4:00pm 2/15/24

[BigKing]

The team is going to be better with Arvidsson in the lineup. He's a legit player that generally keeps the puck going forward as opposed to dicking around with it at the blueline like some of geniuses on this team.

Hiller is going to need to find some line combos that work though outside of the Danault line, i.e. where does he stick Fiala and who does he play with PLD?

I really like Laf but it's borderline malpractice how he is basically dressed every game while Kaliyev rots and Spence/Clarke play musical chairs. Let's give the lowest ceiling prospect all the ice and then dick around with the higher ceiling guys.

 

[johnjm22]

If Koptiar can find his early season form, and Turcotte can play like he did in Nashville, the lineup will really come together if PLD performs well.

RV has those wily old veteran vibes. Always making smart little clever plays.

Byfield-Kopitar-Kempe
Moore-Danault-Arvidsson
Fiala-PLD-XXXX*
Kaliyev-Turcotte-Lewis
JAD

IR: Lizotte, Grundstrom
Ontario: Laf

*I'd really like a physical bottom six winger who's good defensively and has some size in the 3rd line RW spot.

Turcotte and Kaliyev should be playing together.

 

[Fripp]

Holy f*** the officiating was horrible for both sides, who were these dipshit referees? Called up from the ECHL? NJ looked awful, especially on the PP. Almost any other team in the league makes the Kings pay with that many PP's. Q is a beast, I believe he could have 1C potential.

RV had major life. Show's the difference between a fresh player to guys that are running the gauntlet of a long season.

I just kept thinking, "Man, the players are pissed and they deserve to be. The refs are so inconsistent, no one knows what's a penalty and what isn't and what they can and can't do." Also, if I was watching my first hockey game last night, I'd hate it. That was slop, mostly due to the refs losing control early.

 

[KopitarGOAT420]

Good/Much needed win and stuff but this nonsense with our D pairings has got to stop. We're ruining Spence and Clarke by jerking them around. This team has been struggling for over a month and our coaching staff still refuses to play our best players available. I feel like I'm going insane. Englund is NOT better than either Clarke or Spence. Period, end of discussion. He's not better defensively and we know damn well he's not on the same planet as those guys offensively.

Englund was a pleasant surprise but at this point what's the argument for keeping him in the lineup other than he shoots left?? He rarely hits. He very rarely fights. He VERY rarely contributes offensively. And he's generally on the ice for goals against more often than goals for. This team needs offense. Yet every. single. game. they choose to sit a very talented, young, skilled, puck moving defenseman in the press box.

They also can't fathom the idea of splitting up Anderson and Doughty despite obvious shortcomings from the pair lately. It's quite literally the definition of insanity - Trying the same thing over and over again hoping it'll just magically start working again. We could have a VERY good/deep defense if we just.... Played. Our. Best. Players. But for some reason that idea is unthinkable to our coaching staff.

 

[Herby]

Good/Much needed win and stuff but this nonsense with our D pairings has got to stop. We're ruining Spence and Clarke by jerking them around. This team has been struggling for over a month and our coaching staff still refuses to play our best players available. I feel like I'm going insane. Englund is NOT better than either Clarke or Spence. Period, end of discussion. He's not better defensively and we know damn well he's not on the same planet as those guys offensively.

Englund was a pleasant surprise but at this point what's the argument for keeping him in the lineup other than he shoots left?? He rarely hits. He very rarely fights. He VERY rarely contributes offensively. And he's generally on the ice for goals against more often than goals for. This team needs offense. Yet every. single. game. they choose to sit a very talented, young, skilled, puck moving defenseman in the press box.

They also can't fathom the idea of splitting up Anderson and Doughty despite obvious shortcomings from the pair lately. It's quite literally the definition of insanity - Trying the same thing over and over again hoping it'll just magically start working again. We could have a VERY good/deep defense if we just.... Played. Our. Best. Players. But for some reason that idea is unthinkable to our coaching staff.

They are probably afraid that Drew will get pissed if he has to play with a younger RH guy, we all know he loves playing with Anderson.

I just read the article in the Athletic on Aaron Rodgers and how he is the quasi-GM/coach of the Jets, I kind of feel like that is the case with Doughty in LA. He is a Mount Rushmore player for the organization and nobody wants to do anything to piss him off.

 

[chris kontos]

We should of traded doughty when we couldve got something for him

 

[FSL KINGS]

I just kept thinking, "Man, the players are pissed and they deserve to be. The refs are so inconsistent, no one knows what's a penalty and what isn't and what they can and can't do." Also, if I was watching my first hockey game last night, I'd hate it. That was slop, mostly due to the refs losing control early.

The King's committed a lot of penalties. Then relied on their #1 PK & laughed as the Devils lost their shit. The King's completely derailed the game & won. Creating chaos & anger to win is a perfectly legitimate strategy in hockey.

Fiala, PL, RV, Danault, Turcotte all of these guys have the abilities to get under the other teams skin. Even Kempe, Moore & Byfield can get chippy.

Turcotte angers people through his puck pursuit & careless stick fouls, like that 5 min major he got last year.


"People pay to watch me play" God I missed Arvidsson.

 

[Statto]

I could get behind this version of PLD. I think we all wanted a physical, imposing center that was a bit more durable throughout the year. If he can maintain this level of play, the points will also come. This team should start trending back in the right direction with a little more confidence.

I said when he was playing at his worst I didn’t like his deployment positionally, it was too defensive. That seems to have changed under Hiller, so it’s not just about the good boy points that have been mentioned. As such he seemed more engaged and I accept there may be a bit of ‘chicken or egg’ in there. It doesn’t excuse his effort btw, but it’s important to be able to get into the heads of players.

 

[Herby]

People are funny, I thought Hughes was horrible last night, but who cares about the comments to Arvy.

It's nothing different than Doughty's comments to Maroon in the Dodger stadium game that has been laughed at and re-posted on this forum probably dozens of times over the years. Players talk shit on the ice all the time, go on Youtube and you can find hundreds of clips, there is a particularly good one with a 10 minutes of shit talk from Shawn Thornton.

 

[Herby]

It's become as plain as day that Byfield should be a C. His skill and size dictate that. Also, Spence shouldn't have to sit just so Clarke can get in the lineup.

Why does everything have to be so painfully obvious all the time? Rebuild yesterday. Play this player here, don't play this player there. Get a LD, get a goaltender! Fire the coach!

They still have a clear surplus at RD- 4 guys who should play and only 2 guys at LD who should play. This scenario that happens over and over again. Is it not obvious that Roy and whatever he could bring back should be automagically turned into a LD like ASAP? Matt Roy has served his purpose.

They never got him enough games at center before turning the page on the rebuild. He was pretty meh as a center because he just didn't have enough time to effectively learn the position. His skill at least has him as a good winger, but it's hard to be in a learning position when management has mandated that the team be a contender after he had 8 games of NHL experience. If they blow it up this summer he will be back at C, because Danault will be gone, if Blake survives and it's another black-hole year, he will be at wing again.

There was an ample opportunity for QB to play 56 games as a C at the NHL level, next to a solid veteran in Carter during the Covid year, but instead the Kings decided to try and put Gabe Vilardi, a player who was never going to skate well enough or be defensively responsible enough at C, which also damaged Vilardi's development by now having him at his optimal position. Every other team in the league probably would have gone down this path with a player they took #2 overall but the Kings have to be the Kings and develop players completely different than proven paths, with their AHL obsession.

Of course there were fans on this very forum bringing up this fact, how playing in that low-pressure environment and getting culture shock out of the way at 18 in a throw away year made sense (hence why everyone does it). But "How could Blake have known?" is that they will say.

 

[kingsfan28]

Another from the "how'd they miss that" file"

I mean, it's not like he wasn't looking at it or anything.

 

[Master Yoda]

Another from the "how'd they miss that" file"


View attachment 820946


I mean, it's not like he wasn't looking at it or anything.

he didn't touch the puck outside the trapezoid

 

[tny760]

Another from the "how'd they miss that" file"


View attachment 820946


I mean, it's not like he wasn't looking at it or anything.

i noticed that too but it's that stupid grey area where he stickhandled the puck backwards from outside the goal line but never touched it again until it was in the trapezoid

was definitely one of the more egregious ones i've seen but i think by letter of the law that's legal while still clearly being outside of the spirit of the rule

 

[BigKing]

They never got him enough games at center before turning the page on the rebuild. He was pretty meh as a center because he just didn't have enough time to effectively learn the position. His skill at least has him as a good winger, but it's hard to be in a learning position when management has mandated that the team be a contender after he had 8 games of NHL experience. If they blow it up this summer he will be back at C, because Danault will be gone, if Blake survives and it's another black-hole year, he will be at wing again.

There was an ample opportunity for QB to play 56 games as a C at the NHL level, next to a solid veteran in Carter during the Covid year, but instead the Kings decided to try and put Gabe Vilardi, a player who was never going to skate well enough or be defensively responsible enough at C, which also damaged Vilardi's development by now having him at his optimal position. Every other team in the league probably would have gone down this path with a player they took #2 overall but the Kings have to be the Kings and develop players completely different than proven paths, with their AHL obsession.

Of course there were fans on this very forum bringing up this fact, how playing in that low-pressure environment and getting culture shock out of the way at 18 in a throw away year made sense (hence why everyone does it). But "How could Blake have known?" is that they will say.

I don't really have a problem with them using the AHL loophole that season since he would have been OHL or NHL under normal circumstances. I think the various injury/illness issues played more of a role with the early development...I had no problem at the time with him playing in the AHL that season while saving a year of ELC. He could be a better player now if he was full-time NHL that season but he was also someone that was going to take time regardless, at least more than the other high draft picks in that class.

Now, if they kept him in Sudbury instead of in the NHL during a normal tanking season, that would have really been something.

I'm actually more annoyed with the handling of Clarke so far, to be honest.

 

[Bandit]

Then his "people come to watch me play" comment to Arvi as he goes to the box...

Is there video/audio of this somewhere? I’ve seen the quote but not a video.

I called this. My friend asked me who were best out there I said Clarke Byfield and PLD

View attachment 820539

Don’t worry, I’m sure Clarke will be going back to the press box asap.

 

[kilowatt]

I just don't see the love affair some posters have with Clarke like he's the 2nd coming or something...he's weak Defensively, a poor skater and really doesn't generate much Offense by my books, though I could be way off here

He had arguably the most prolific junior season by a defenseman ever in the OHL, and then followed it up by being a point per game as a rookie in the AHL. He has 16 games in the NHL through two seasons averaging 14 minutes a game with a total of 18 minutes on the power play through those two seasons. He just needs to play, he has game-breaking, franchise level talent.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Watched the replay today. PLD’s performance was night and day. Dude was hustling and finishing checks, drew a penalty, even generated a scoring chance with that sweet pass to Byfield in the 3rd. He was just playing his game out there and even scrumming it up. I hope he keeps up that type of play because that’s exactly what the Kings need right now. Also that slashing and interference penalty by Fiala was hilarious. It’s like watching a toddler knock down a glass of water, you’re seeing it happen and you can’t stop it, you know you’re going to have to clean up a mess.

 

[chris kontos]

Toddler is right

 

[johnjm22]

Another from the "how'd they miss that" file"


View attachment 820946


I mean, it's not like he wasn't looking at it or anything.

They kept missing calls, then had to make bad calls to makeup for the calls they missed.

It is what it is. I think it all evens out most of the time.

In every other sport I watch (especially the NFL), people complain about the officiating and call it a joke too.

 

[Schmooley]

They kept missing calls, then had to make bad calls to makeup for the calls they missed.

It is what it is. I think it all evens out most of the time.

In every other sport I watch (especially the NFL), people complain about the officiating and call it a joke too.

Its gotten worse and worse across all sports. I notice especially since sports betting became legal theres some serious game management going on. Not necessarily rigged but they are controlling too much of the game.