Game #1: Kings lose to Blackhawks 5-2

[damacles1156]

TT is a RW and the times that he plays off wing he looks out of place.

Behind Gagne Penner King Clifford and DB playing LW as his off wing we have Pearson Kitsyn (not until next season at the earliest) and Andy Andy who more than likely would play on the bottom 6 causing King Cliffy etc to move up.

After this season when Penner and Gagne become UFA's (if we don't try to keep Penner) we will have to address our second line LW situation one way or the other. Or I suppose sooner depending on how things go.

TT will give us a ton of flexibility for how we handle our top 6, just not by playing LW.

Where Gagne is concerned I am all for giving him as many as 20 games to get his head back to being NHL ready. The guy has been out for a season and is coming off of a major injury at that. Give the guy time to get himself back into the NHL game. My only concern is that with the shortened season we may not have the time he needs to get him back up to speed.

I think he still has game. Here's to hoping he can get it together asap so we don't have to be concerned.

20 Games is half the season pretty much. Most of these games are going to be 4 point games.

Kings better figure it out in 10.

Id be willing to give Gagne Five games. That's about it. By then you have to get Clifford or Nolan(put people back into correct spots) back in the lineup. Also get the tops six going.

Are people forgetting the Dominance the Kigns had in the playoff's? Might have been cause Gagne was not in the top six ?

 

[Muzzinga]

Pretty simple math: Kings - Kopitar - Mitchell = loss.

I mean, really, if you were asked to pick two players to remove from the Kings lineup who's absence would have the most impact, would you pick anyone other than Kopi and Willie?

Kopitar and Doughty would be a far worse combo

Gagne has played like 60 minutes of competitive hockey in the last year. Lets chill on the he is washed up talk

 

[etherialone]

20 Games is half the season pretty much.

20 games is less than half the season, 4 games less but less. Also, I said that we may not have that much time to give him. I expect that it will take him around that long to get himself back up to speed though.

We share the same concerns though "My only concern is that with the shortened season we may not have the time he needs to get him back up to speed".

Of course it doesn't matter what either of us or anyone else wants to give Gagne as far as recovery time is concerned. It will take as long as it takes.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I will even give Gagne since Nov 3 last year....

30GP 4G 6A 10P -10.....Hell I'll add All of last year... I'll be fair.

39GP 7G 10A 17P -6..... Awful for someone with top six minutes.

Pretty awful.

He should have retired, Hope he proves me wrong.

Alright you can hold on to what he used to be, all I see from him is an average player with people hanging on to what he used to be. He's an injury prone and an average 2nd 3rd liner. I rather not waste time and pull the plug while we have a player like Toffoli who is currently successful instead of hoping for some injury prone play like what he used to be years ago. I guess you are more patient than me.

You guys are overreacting to one game. I'm surprised no one has hung Quick yet for batting .770.

 

[CNS]

Was I the only one that thought Penner had some REALLY nice shifts, including the one right before Scuds goal? I give him **** a lot but he looked good tonight.

 

[damacles1156]

You guys are overreacting to one game. I'm surprised no one has hung Quick yet for batting .770.

Quick didn't even have a bad game. He might have had a shot at one of those pucks maybe...

The rest were ether world class shots or flukes.

 

[damacles1156]

Was I the only one that thought Penner had some REALLY nice shifts, including the one right before Scuds goal? I give him **** a lot but he looked good tonight.

Penner looked great, Moving his feet ETC. He almost had a goal on that pass from A-Mart that just went off his stick.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Quick didn't even have a bad game. He might have had a shot at one of those pucks maybe...

The rest were ether world class shots or flukes.

He had a shot at at least two of them. He didn't have a great game. Most of the players did not have great games.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

You guys are overreacting to one game. I'm surprised no one has hung Quick yet for batting .770.

I'm not overreacting I just expected him to play well for a guy who said he feels better than ever. He's played like **** for a while this game was the seal for me. Penner played great and I expected Gagne to do well too but he was bad has been bad for a while and I'm not the patient one who loves waiting for a miracle, just time to pull the plug.

 

[kingsholygrail]

I'm not overreacting I just expected him to play well for a guy who said he feels better than ever. He's played like **** for a while this game was the seal for me. Penner played great and I expected Gagne to do well too but he was bad has been bad for a while and I'm not the patient one who loves waiting for a miracle, just time to pull the plug.

You're gonna blow Penner who hasn't scored more than ten goals in a season with the Kings since coming here, but you're gonna **** on Gagne?

 

[etherialone]

Was I the only one that thought Penner had some REALLY nice shifts, including the one right before Scuds goal? I give him **** a lot but he looked good tonight.

I think you are right on the money.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

You're gonna blow Penner who hasn't scored more than ten goals in a season with the Kings since coming here, but you're gonna **** on Gagne?

He's actually changed and isn't injured 24/7 and actually helped in the play offs. Sorry if I'm being rational. Penner first game on kings to today's first game is very different. Can't say the same for Gagne and I'm not in the mood to wait for him to take a chance for an unlikely bounce back that some of you are anticipating when we have ahl players that are more likely to make more of an impact.

 

[damacles1156]

You're gonna blow Penner who hasn't scored more than ten goals in a season with the Kings since coming here, but you're gonna **** on Gagne?

Ever accrued to anyone that the Kings top six was so dominant in the playoff's cause Gagne was not part of it ?

Slot people in the correct spots.

 

[kingsholygrail]

He's actually changed and isn't injured 24/7 and actually helped in the play offs. Sorry if I'm being rational.

You're not being rational when you apply different standards to each of the players based on your feelings.

Ever accrued to anyone that the Kings top six was so dominant in the playoff's cause Gagne was not part of it ?

Slot people in the correct spots.

Correlation =/= Causation. Explain the Finals if Gagne is such weight on the team's shoulders.

 

[Ron*]

He had a shot at at least two of them. He didn't have a great game. Most of the players did not have great games.

Nonsense. I was at the game and had a pretty good view of all the goals from up top. I can't recall one goal in which he wasn't screened, or his defense let him down, or the goals scored were earned.

There were no bad goals in this game.

 

[damacles1156]

Things should be better when Kopitar gets back, it moves people into correct spots.

Also you can't replace Kopitar's play in the middle. Carter and Richards proved that.

Toews and Bolland owned the middle of the ice all game long.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

You're not being rational when you apply different standards to each of the players based on your feelings.



Correlation =/= Causation.

Are you really going to compare one player that actually improved his play to a stagnant player.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Nonsense. I was at the game and had a pretty good view of all the goals from up top. I can't recall one goal in which he wasn't screened, or his defense let him down, or the goals scored were earned.

There were no bad goals in this game.

He could have made some of those saves. I'm not saying he's why they lost. The whole team just just looked like they were chasing the Blackhawks around all game making blind passes, not communicating, running into each other, falling over on the ice, etc. They played like they didn't have a real preseason or training camp. Hence why I wrote this game off entirely.

But I mean come on, to hang Gagne for this game is just silly.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

Correlation =/= Causation. Explain the Finals if Gagne is such weight on the team's shoulders.[/QUOTE]

Are you implying that Gagne made an impact on our finals...

 

[damacles1156]

He could have made some of those saves. I'm not saying he's why they lost. The whole team just just looked like they were chasing the Blackhawks around all game making blind passes, not communicating, running into each other, falling over on the ice, etc. They played like they didn't have a real preseason or training camp. Hence why I wrote this game off entirely.

But I mean come on, to hang Gagne for this game is just silly.

Nobody is ......

We are discussing who should be removed from the lineup when Kopi comes back.

Gagne is a good candidate if you ask me.

If he is not, Clifford or Nolan has too, and that breaks up the Awesome Fourth line we have.

Heck Maybe King, if people feel Gagne is going to return to the Guy he was Six years ago.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Are you really going to compare one player that actually improved his play to a stagnant player.

Define improved. Penner is supposed to be a top six winger. He hasn't played like one, at all, ever while with the Kings. Did he step it up in the post season? Yes and we all love him for that. But the fact is, his job is to score goals. He's not scoring them. None of the top six scored today. Our 4th line was the offensive powerhouse of the afternoon. That's not good enough.

Feel free to hang it all around Gagne's neck, but you're doing so with no rational basis.

Correlation =/= Causation. Explain the Finals if Gagne is such weight on the team's shoulders.

Are you implying that Gagne made an impact on our finals...[/QUOTE]

I believe that was what you were implying considering you proposed that the team played better without him. I don't think he hurt the team by being on the ice and none of his teammates or the coach seemed to have an issue with it.

Are you questioning Sutter's decision to let him play?

Nobody is ......

We are discussing who should be removed from the lineup when Kopi comes back.

Gagne is a good candidate if you ask me.

If he is not, Clifford or Nolan has too, and that breaks up the Awesome Fourth line we have.

Heck Maybe King, if people feel Gagne is going to return to the Guy he was Six years ago.

They're gonna likely move Gagne down and get back to the lines from the playoffs. Brown back to the left side where he plays a lot better from, carter back on wing, etc. I don't think Gagne should be top line. I think he's a better threat lower down. It's like when we had Stoll as our second center and he improved greatly when he got bumped to third.

There's just no doubt being without Kopitar screws everything up.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

I think you are very misinformed its not this one game. He's been bad overall and today if he claimed was as healthy as he is then he should have no problem showing it. But he was trash today.

 

[damacles1156]

Correlation =/= Causation. Explain the Finals if Gagne is such weight on the team's shoulders.

Are you implying that Gagne made an impact on our finals...[/QUOTE]

4GP 0G 0A -1 say's No.

 

[etherialone]

Nobody is ......

We are discussing who should be removed from the lineup when Kopi comes back.

Gagne is a good candidate if you ask me.

If he is not, Clifford or Nolan has too and that breaks up the Awesome Fourth line we have.

Not saying we will but I wonder if it is time to waive Richardson so we can send him down if he goes unclaimed. Not a bad player but we will have to do something when Kopi comes back and to me he is the most redundant forward that we have.

I can't see us doing anything with Gagne right away, he will get some time to gel.

 

[damacles1156]

Define improved. Penner is supposed to be a top six winger. He hasn't played like one, at all, ever while with the Kings. Did he step it up in the post season? Yes and we all love him for that. But the fact is, his job is to score goals. He's not scoring them. None of the top six scored today. Our 4th line was the offensive powerhouse of the afternoon. That's not good enough.

Feel free to hang it all around Gagne's neck, but you're doing so with no rational basis.



Are you implying that Gagne made an impact on our finals...

I believe that was what you were implying considering you proposed that the team played better without him. I don't think he hurt the team by being on the ice and none of his teammates or the coach seemed to have an issue with it.

Are you questioning Sutter's decision to let him play?[/QUOTE]

A forward has to be dropped from the lineup....Who would you suggest.