Game #37: Kings vs. Avalanche - 12/21/13 - Shootout Win! 3-2

[Another Carter Snipe]

Rick and Toffs really going to waste out there on the 3rd line. Would be a nice to a solid LW to go there as a mainstay.

With that said, Brown and Williams have helped Stoll's game and I do like that line.

 

[Live in the Now]

Remember when King sucked and he needed to be gone because he sucked and his suckiness was always brought up all the time? Keep harping on Lewis everyone.

Lewis is a UFA to be with 0 points, playing on a team that has removed multiple players with greater point production out of the lineup to put him into it. Our center making 5+ million is now saddled with this 0 points in 28 games linemate. He deserves to be harped on, and I hope very much that DL has no intention of bringing him back next season.

 

[damacles1156]

Remember when King sucked and he needed to be gone because he sucked and his suckiness was always brought up all the time? Keep harping on Lewis everyone.

Sadly Dwight King is way more skilled than Lewis, Lewis didn't even display an offensive touch in the AHL(except one year).

Dwight King has scored every where he has played.

Lewis has been a minus player over his last 60+ games. Defense is suppose to be his saving grace.

The guy has to go, I wish him luck on his next team. Cup contenders can't afford to ice players like Fraser/Lewis anymore.

Not when you have to go through a team Like ANH and Chicago to win a cup.

You have to score on those teams.

 

[moosehead81]

Rick and Toffs really going to waste out there on the 3rd line. Would be a nice to a solid LW to go there as a mainstay.

With that said, Brown and Williams have helped Stoll's game and I do like that line.

I'd be half inclined to put Nolan with Richards and Toffoli for a while; couldn't be any worse than who the two of them have had to play with up to now.

 

[jml87]

Richards has some chemistry with Toffoli for sure but the other guy(s) are just dragging them down. Richards is now playing third line center minutes (TOI has dropped right off although today he had a bit more) and I mean it's hard to argue with success, but something doesn't seem right to me. Either Richards has some sort of nagging injury or they're saving him for the playoffs or he's in Sutter's doghouse or whatever. But once they put Carter with Kopitar and Williams and Brown with Stoll, it looked like whoever's left was going to be with Richards (and Toffoli). Can't be easy playing with one mill-stone around your neck, no matter who it is.

This isn't the first time Richards was on the third line. In fact it's been much worse. He played with Nodl and Carcillo on the Flyers and still got them points. He's been known as a guy who can produce with a lot of guys so sometimes he gets stuck with subpar wingers. Toffoli has chemistry with Richards so that's fine, but Lewis has literally been a black hole this season. I don't think Richards can help him.

 

[Live in the Now]

I'd be half inclined to put Nolan with Richards and Toffoli for a while; couldn't be any worse than who the two of them have had to play with up to now.

Not a bad idea. He goes to the net, can stick-handle and make plays, but that's from his RW side. Don't know how he'd adapt to playing LW.

 

[damacles1156]

Not a bad idea. He goes to the net, can stick-handle and make plays, but that's from his RW side. Don't know how he'd adapt to playing LW.

Nolan can play all three Forward positions. He did so in JR's and the AHL.

Nolan and Vey are probably the most versatile NHL forwards the Kings have playing positions.

 

[jml87]

Nolan played with Richards and Toffoli when the lines first changed. He did fine there and then for whatever reason Sutter switched to Clifford and now Lewis.

 

[HYORI 1963]

Not a bad idea. He goes to the net, can stick-handle and make plays, but that's from his RW side. Don't know how he'd adapt to playing LW.

You must have missed some games, because Nolan's played 2 games with TT and MR.

He did ok. Nothing special.

 

[damacles1156]

Sutter moved Lewis up cause most likely, he is trying to get Lewis off this offensive funk he is in.

But at some point, Sutter is going to have to let Lewis figure it out on the fourth line.

You can't keep Lewis with Richards/Toffoli and having him drag that line down.

There is no reason for Lewis to be playing over ten minutes a game.

I would even support Clifford/Lewis/Vey. Fourth line.

Lewis can just play that High F 3 , and Defend.

 

[Telos]

I'd like to see Carcillo out there with Richards and Toffoli and see what they can do.

 

[Winger23]

Remember when King sucked and he needed to be gone because he sucked and his suckiness was always brought up all the time? Keep harping on Lewis everyone.

When your rookie goalie with 1 secondary assist has more points than a forward getting more than 12 minutes of ice time there is something very wrong. Lewis is killing whatever line he is on.

 

[KingsCorona]

Remember when King sucked and he needed to be gone because he sucked and his suckiness was always brought up all the time? Keep harping on Lewis everyone.

King was drafted a season later, made his NHL debut 2 seasons later, and has played half as many games.
It seems to me that Lewis has had even more opportunity to succeed than King has, and yet he has 0 points to King's 17.
Exactly how patient do you think we need to be with him?

 

[damacles1156]

Also Dwight King is a developing NHL forward....Lewis stopped being that years ago.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Maybe that'll be a small smack in the face to not lose focus with silly penalties and letting the minds wander. Dallas is another possible stumble if the Kings don't regain some sharpness.

Amen, you can't have brain farts against such an explosive team. Good recovery, at least.

And hey, we won an afternoon game against our usual nemesis!

Lewis is hilarious. I thought it was always Black Hole Stoll's fault, but it turns out it's actually Black Hole Lewis, neutralizing the offense of BOTH teams Lewis is our John Madden. I think we need him on the roster but he is ideally a 4th-liner at this stage.

 

[KingKopitar11*]

At this point he's hurting the team rather than helping it.

 

[TonySCV]

2 points from a day game? I'll take it anyway it comes.

 

[KINGS17]

Not ready to see Lewis as a healthy scratch, but I think I would rather see Clifford skating with Richards and Toffoli.

 

[Another Carter Snipe]

Would like


King - Kopitar - Carter
Brown - Stoll - Williams
Clifford - Richards - Toffoli
Carcillo - Fraser - Nolan


Cliff would fit like the Power Forward - Playmaker - Sniper line model Sutter put together with the 1st line. Lewis? A RW on the left side and just doesn't provide enough value to complement the other two. That's just a waste of Top 6 talent in Richards and Toffoli.

 

[damacles1156]

I want to see Carcillo back in the lineup, he just seems to give the bench more life.

 

[Winger23]

Would like


King - Kopitar - Carter
Brown - Stoll - Williams
Clifford - Richards - Toffoli
Carcillo - Fraser - Nolan


Cliff would fit like the Power Forward - Playmaker - Sniper line model Sutter put together with the 1st line. Lewis? A RW on the left side and just doesn't provide enough value to complement the other two. That's just a waste of Top 6 talent in Richards and Toffoli.

I like these lines, and ideally would like to see vey instead of Fraser. That to me would be dressing the best team possible with the current personnel.

 

[deeshamrock]

Got the points. Now DL find a left winger for Richards please.

I can't understand what Sutter sees in Lewis. And he is dragging that line down. I hope to hell that DL is shopping for a legit LW , because I like MR with TT, he's the perfect center for him, very generous, takes the pressure on himself to give TT a bit more freedom. I think the more they play together, the more comfortable TT will become and as with any rookie, you have the lower TOI and the peaks and valleys that come with adjusting to the NHL.
But I can't stand the hole on the Left Side, creating a big imbalance.

 

[deeshamrock]

Lewis needs to go to the press box at the very least, ideally off the team entirely. Hurting the team to have him on in anything but a 5 minutes + PK role. .

How come just about everybody watching the Kings, except Sutter can see that Lewis is ineffective, hurting that line every shift and adding nothing out there? He's supposed to be a good hockey study? He has coaches, a staff and they do watch videos. WHat exactly does he see that nobody else can?
Nolan and Clifford were both better but I'd rather have a legit veteran scoring winger on there and no more yo yo, leave them in place as regulars, like the first 2 lines have the benefit of.
But in the meantime, please, Darryl, get your contacts changed already.

 

[johnjm22]

Sutter might be using Lewis to try and add speed to the Richards/Toffoli line. That's the only reason I can think of.

Richards skating in particular has gotten really bad this year. Nearly every game his lack of speed costs him a would-be scoring opportunity.

 

[damacles1156]

Lewis has been in a funk now for about 60+ games, he is a minus player in that time frame and not producing.

I think the Kings are just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Like they did with King/Clifford ETC. All players struggle at some point in their career.

Soon though, Lewis is going to have to put some good games together.

Sutter is not going to continue to let Lewis provide zero production.

He is not going to be in the lineup if he goes say 40+ games with no points.

It's really strange, cause in that short season, Lewis was on pace to have a Career year.