Game 13: Kings vs. Blackhawks - 2/17/13 - Another Regulation Loss...

[The Tikkanen]

I was losing my mind watching Kopitar play today. Every season the guy has to be reminded that he needs to shoot the puck to be effective. He had 0 shots on goal today and has had 7 shots in the last 8 games.

Not sure if it's the knee, but Kopitar looks like shell of his former self out there

He's back to playing on the perimeter and just taking what the defense gives him. I think that's the biggest flaw in the Kings so far this season. They run a system that utilizes the boards and the corners for puck possession but you still have to attack the middle of the ice. The puck cannot stay on the outside if you want to generate goals. I'm all for some sort of wake up call-type trade, last year was great, a great run to the Cup but it's this year now and a nice message can be sent to the locker room by shipping out somebody who isn't producing. Accountability, there is no tomorrow!

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Kopi is seriously worrying me, I mean the guy has less shots on goal than freaking Trevor Lewis! That should never happen.

 

[Model62]

That has always been Streaky as well. People have selective memory with Brown.

You guys expect him to be consistent every year, when the guy never has been.

Brown always has two to three months in a 82 game season, were he hits everything, every puck goes in.

He has always been like that.

So, since I didn't believe Brown's hitting has been as streaky as his scoring, I pulled some data out of the game logs for the first 13 from 11-12 and compared with the first 13 from this year. For giggles I pulled the totals for all of 11-12, too.

Twenty minutes later, you're still right and I'm still wrong (Hits in bold):

G A Pts +/- PIM PPG Hits Bks SOG
12-13 13 Game Total 3 3 6 -7 10 3 28 3 44
12-13 13 Game Avg 0.23 0.23 0.46 -0.54 0.77 0.23 2.15 0.23 3.38

11-12 13 Game Total 3 6 9 -1 10 2 28 5 35
11-12 13 Game Avg 0.23 0.46 0.69 -0.08 0.77 0.15 2.15 0.38 2.69

11-12 Season Total 22 32 54 18 53 9 293 32 214
11-12 Season Avg 0.27 0.39 0.66 0.22 0.65 0.11 3.57 0.39 2.61

 

[KingKopitar11*]

So no changes, nothing happening it seems.

 

[Whiskeypete]

its time for Sutter to make a statement and keep the lines set for a few games. he needs to do what he did last year and maintain consistency.

Brown - Kopi - JW
Clifford - Richards - Carter
Gagne/Penner - Stoll - Lewis/Richardson
King - Fraser - Nolan

the statement is to flip flop the #1 and #2 lines. if the #1 line won't play and produce then reduce their TOI. Richards line is producing, the Kopitar line is not producing up to expectations.

get DB back on the left where he was effective last season. get JW back with Kopitar, whom he has some chemistry with and someone he can play g-n-g with. DB also gives them a big body in the front.

Clifford gives 10 and 77 a big body out front, in the corners and space to operate.

the #3 who knows what to do with that menagerie of guys. someone there needs to start putting some points on the board.....period.

get King back on the line with Nolan and Fraser. he isn't producing on the other line and needs to get back to basics. strong, heavy up ice pressure on the #4 line that leads to turnovers and goals....just like last year.

Sutter needs to emphasize two things. shots and traffic. this team is not a finesse and skill team, although they seem to think they are. nobody on this team is willing to play in front of the net on a consistent basis. they want to keep playing on the posts to much, instead of parking their ass dead center. they also need to start shooting. i think the lack of shots has to due with the lack of traffic out front. they grind, cycle and maintain possession but the puck never moves off the boards. guys are looking to shoot, but there isn't anyone out front.

 

[AmadiosAmigos]

I use to think I could match some decent lines up but it seems like that is even gone out the window. Our prospect pool isnt as deep as it once was so trading guys to acquire players becomes more difficult when we consider we could be emptying the cupboard and with no 1st this year it makes it even tougher.

Im not sure what it would take to get Clutterbuck out of Minny but Id really like to see them attempt to grab him. Energy, toughness with skill and speed are what he will offer with the ability to chip in offensively. Not seeing any of that from the guys we are currently putting in the mix down there.

A scoring winger is what we need IMO to wake Kopi up, someone with speed and the ability to put the puck in the net. Grabner? Sure, but is he available for what we can afford. Are there any other options out there?

Gagne needs a goal to kick start him. Sure he's not his old elite self, but he looks and skates healthier then the past 4 years. If he gets one, his production should start to take off. But getting one may be the problem.

Many teams have played for NOW every year, making trades that appear to gut them of young talent but year after year they're talked about as one of the top contenders. We're on that level, I want to maintain it.

 

[HansH]

I posted this over in the "how many points to make the playoffs thread", but though I'd mention it here for completeness:

As of now 51 points is projected to get teams into a five- or more- way tie for 7th-11th, so the Kings need 52 to be "safe".

That translates to a record of 20-15 for the rest of the season (a points percentage of .571)... and the brutality of the March schedule is coming upon them pretty quickly...

 

[Reaper45]

did you see the kings as a contender last year?

Did anyone? Difference last season was that it was a full season. There was time to turn it around. There isn't really time to turn it around this season.

 

[bobafettish*]

Did anyone? Difference last season was that it was a full season. There was time to turn it around. There isn't really time to turn it around this season.

my point is we should at least see how the team is playing at the trade deadline before we throw in the towel. i sure as hell didnt think they would win a playoff series let aloen the SC. maybe they get hot again, who knows.

 

[The Butcher]

Lol, throw in the towel after game 13.

Always a good laugh around here.

 

[Reaper45]

my point is we should at least see how the team is playing at the trade deadline before we throw in the towel. i sure as hell didnt think they would win a playoff series let aloen the SC. maybe they get hot again, who knows.

That's your opinion. Maybe moving dead weight like Penner and co. now works out better in the long run. I personally have seen enough of him and guys like Richardson to want to cut ties now. But that's just me.

 

[Reaper45]

Lol, throw in the towel after game 13.

Always a good laugh around here.

They don't look very good after 13 games, but that's 13 games with them needing to go 20-15 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. If this was an 82 games season calling for a re-load would be ridiculous. When it's a 48 game season and we suck after a quarter of it, I just don't think that's being ridiculous, I think that's just me being realistic.


I said we need to cut the dead weight and re-load. People are taking it as if I'm calling for a full on rebuild. Jesus christ the reading comprehension around here is pathetic.

 

[The Butcher]

They don't look very good after 13 games, but that's 13 games with them needing to go 20-15 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. If this was an 82 games season calling for a re-load would be ridiculous. When it's a 48 game season and we suck after a quarter of it, I just don't think that's being ridiculous, I think that's just me being realistic.


I said we need to cut the dead weight and re-load. People are taking it as if I'm calling for a full on rebuild. Jesus christ the reading comprehension around here is pathetic.

My comprehension is fine, thank you very much. 20-15 isn't some miracle run.

Relax. In more departments than one.

I find the folks who are unable to participate in a disagreement with someone without insulting them... amusing.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

A lot of you guys are hitting the panic button because of the shortened season without realizing that a shortened season works both ways. Getting behind in points is bad because you don't have as much "time" to catch up. However, catching up can happen twice as fast due to the shortened season, as well. It's a canceling out effect. A four or five game winning streak lands this team firmly in the playoffs. The whole shortened season thing works both ways - twice as easy to fall behind in points, but twice as easy to make up points.

If there were 13 games left, I'd worry. With 35 games left, I wouldn't worry.

 

[JBernierFan]

A lot of you guys are hitting the panic button because of the shortened season without realizing that a shortened season works both ways. Getting behind in points is bad because you don't have as much "time" to catch up. However, catching up can happen twice as fast due to the shortened season, as well. It's a canceling out effect. A four or five game winning streak lands this team firmly in the playoffs. The whole shortened season thing works both ways - twice as easy to fall behind in points, but twice as easy to make up points.

If there were 13 games left, I'd worry. With 35 games left, I wouldn't worry.

I kind of said this in the other thread, but I'll say it here too. I think people are worried because of how our vets have responded up to this point. Players like Kopitar, Brown, Williams and Quick look like shells of their former selves. They're coasting along. I can think of one good game out of each of this year, and the rest of the time I'm screaming at my TV at them because of their lackluster play.

Kopi hasn't even been very strong in the D zone. People are stripping him of the puck and in both zones he's not winning his board battles.

Brown just plain sucks. The only thing he can do is stand in front of the goalie on the PP. He's not even hitting anymore. Clifford has basically turned into Brown all of the sudden.

Williams had that one game that he went into beast mode and was all over the place in a good way. Since (and before) then, he's sucked. He looks lost, taking stupid penalties and basically disappearing.


If I see another team score one more goal on Quick by shooting wide, him turning around facing the back of his net completely and then being out of position when the puck jumps off the boards, resulting in him swimming on his stomach while the other team scores I'm going to throw something. In practically every game he's played, he's given up a goal like this. It makes you wonder if he doesn't have the mobility in his back right now to stay facing front but swiveling his neck/back/waist to look behind him. It's unreal! I don't blame the loss yesterday on him, but he hasn't won us a single game himself this year, and if any, have lost us a few where the Kings were the better team (i.e. Nashville and Detroit).

 

[SLang]

With the short season I think the time is now for DL to leak the Brown trade rumor, instead of waiting for the TD. Hell, worked like a charm last year!

 

[RonSwanson*]

My comprehension is fine, thank you very much. 20-15 isn't some miracle run.

Relax. In more departments than one.

I find the folks who are unable to participate in a disagreement with someone without insulting them... amusing.

Since no one in this thread has advocated "throwing in the towel", I'd question your comprehension.

 

[The Butcher]

Since no one in this thread has advocated "throwing in the towel", I'd question your comprehension.

There is are quite a few posters here that mention trading half this team away after every loss. Not just this season, but every season. Every thread.

I wasn't pointing the finger at anyone specifically but everyone knows who they are. They have a right to post, but I have a right to laugh at them.

 

[kingsfan28]

Back to the topic of the PGT, I'm glad someone on the NHL network brought up Quick getting his stick shoved out of the way on the Seabrook goal.They talked talk to an official that said a penalty should've been called and the goal disallowed. I guess those are the breaks you get when you're the current NHL's darlings.

 

[etherialone]

Did anyone? Difference last season was that it was a full season. There was time to turn it around. There isn't really time to turn it around this season.

There were a few of us. Not everyone agreed but I took heat for being an unrealistic cheerleader. That said I only every said for the past couple of years that I thought that 12 was our year and I never said we would win the cup. I said that I thought we would make the playoffs and do serious damage. To me that was win the cup.

There is time to turn it around this season and I see us starting to do so. Lots of respect to you Reaper but I just disagree with where you are now. You could be right but I am not seeing it. I guess we will see soon enough though.

I know we both want the same thing so lets hope I am right.

 

[JT8888]

There were a few of us. Not everyone agreed but I took heat for being an unrealistic cheerleader. That said I only every said for the past couple of years that I thought that 12 was our year and I never said we would win the cup. I said that I thought we would make the playoffs and do serious damage. To me that was win the cup.

There is time to turn it around this season and I see us starting to do so. Lots of respect to you Reaper but I just disagree with where you are now. You could be right but I am not seeing it. I guess we will see soon enough though.

I know we both want the same thing so lets hope I am right.

I agree. I see the boys starting to get it going. The 2 games right before this one we looked like the champs. We ran into the hottest team in the league, just need to put this behind us and strive to do better tomorrow.

Quick does look out of sync, as far as kopi and brown I don't see a problem. Yes kopi needs to shoot more and brown just needs to bury the gifts he has been getting. But none of this is new, that has been the players they have always been.

 

[RonSwanson*]

There is are quite a few posters here that mention trading half this team away after every loss. Not just this season, but every season. Every thread.

I wasn't pointing the finger at anyone specifically but everyone knows who they are. They have a right to post, but I have a right to laugh at them.

C'mon man. If anyone says that Penner, Lewis, Richardson, etc should be traded, is that the equivalent of throwing in the towel? Do you really believe that?

There's a difference between fans pointing out the dead weight on the team and looking for ways to improve and "RELOAD" the team before the season is lost, vs throwing in the towel and blowing it all up.

Again, NO ONE has said they want to throw in the towel.

 

[The Butcher]

C'mon man. If anyone says that Penner, Lewis, Richardson, etc should be traded, is that the equivalent of throwing in the towel? Do you really believe that?

There's a difference between fans pointing out the dead weight on the team and looking for ways to improve and "RELOAD" the team before the season is lost, vs throwing in the towel and blowing it all up.

Again, NO ONE has said they want to throw in the towel.

The expectations of those players are way too high. Who are we going to trade them for? The only one I agree with on that list is Dustin Penner, but even then I can still see him scoring some big goals for us at some point.

Lewy and Richardson do what they are expected to do. I want players that are able to turn they're game to the highest level when everything is at stake. PLAYOFF type players. Pat Verbeek, Thomas Holmstrom, Claude Lemieux. These guys weren't going to dazzle you in week one, but watch out in May and June.

Then you have the trade Mike Richards, Jaret Stoll, and Justin Williams crowd. This is where I really just have to laugh. It's not a personal slight against you or anyone else that posts here, but many people give up on this team night after night. As if they haven't earned our trust for at least a little bit longer.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

While its still too early to hit the panic/reset button, let's also keep in mind that a quarter of the season has passed.

After 11 more games, the Kings will reach the midway point of the season. So these next 11 games are going to be critical in where this team positions itself in the standings. There isn't a whole lot of leeway in a 48-game schedule.

This team can't afford to take a month off then play .500 hockey the rest of the season. Otherwise, they'll be watching playoff hockey from the comfort of their homes come April. After making the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, I would consider missing the playoffs a gigantic step backwards for a team that was supposed to trend upwards.