GDT: GM 2: Kings vs Sharks 7:30 @ SAP Center 10/7/17

[Fishhead]

God damn was that fun. I haven't seen this much creativity from a Kings team since the Marc Crawford **** show. So many creative plays and passes force the opponent to be honest with their defense which only reinforces our previous strength--puck possession/cycle--with creativity and speed.

Seriously. The team is forcing the opposition to make plays to score, rather than handing them goals on a silver platter. Their speed at moving the puck is backing teams off and causing them to turn pucks over. Tonight looked like a game out of the 2012 playoffs, without the bruising hits.

 

[kingsfan28]

Anemic offense - 4
Sharks -1
Top line very productive.

 

[kingsfan28]

I guess that 3rd line will be an ongoing experiment. I imagine at some point Iafallo will be back there not because he deserves to be but because he's so damn good he could make that line work. Imagine when Gaborik comes back and is unleashed--some combo of Gaborik-Kempe-Cammalleri-Dowd-Brodzinski. Or Gaborik-Iafallo. Whatever the tough decision to make is, it's really, really nice to have these options as problems.



Same but honestly Muzzin/Folin has looked better than Muzzin/Martinez has EVER looked. That's been a pleasant surprise and causes some positive 'issues' when Marty returns; Marty plays on the THIRD pairing with McD? With Fantenberg, who has looked fantastic in his own right? I've loved MacD's game, but if you only gonna play him like a 7th d-man, may as well sit him. Our D has been amazing with and without the puck with some hiccups that are mostly chemistry issues.

I don't miss Gravel one bit, sadly.



Clifford has been playing like a total freak though, he's earned it. So has Muzzin. And Doughty can shoulder that load because he's the experienced guy who is talented enough to play all situations, so it makes sense if other guys can hang at 5v5, Drew can help smooth things out elsewhere while guys continue to learn.

God damn was that fun. I haven't seen this much creativity from a Kings team since the Marc Crawford **** show. So many creative plays and passes force the opponent to be honest with their defense which only reinforces our previous strength--puck possession/cycle--with creativity and speed.

We look so less predictable just two games in. I swear under Sutter, teams didn't even look at tape because they knew what we would do. Now the pucks are going cross ice and plays are being created around the middle, unlike previous years.

 

[damacles1156]

The biggest change has been the league Refs. This no slashing/sticks into the body is whats making even the Kings look fast. Every team in the NHL looks like a track team right now. Now Guys like Ovi/Crosby/Kane are really dangerous.

Biggest change on the back end for the Kings is Fantenberg is the real deal like I thought he would be. Folin has surprised as well.

Quick so far, looks like 2012 Quick. That is a very good sign.

 

[Statto]

To those of you that jumped on Kopi's back after ONE GAME; a gift...

 

[DoktorJeep]

Good game, didn’t let SJS use the PP to beat us. Wednesday against CGY will be another test. Let’s see how the new Kings do against a “speedy” team.

 

[tny760]

Quick so far, looks like 2012 Quick. That is a very good sign.

crazy thing to me is that he didn't even look that great last night, he fumbled a few pucks trying to collect rebounds, gave up a few juicy ones and his movement didn't seem quite as crisp as the flyers game where he was basically a puck vacuum. i mean it got the job done no question but i feel like i've seen him better as far as collecting pucks

 

[Omni Owl]

So far so good. Where did this Iafollo kid come from? The D has been a pleasant surprise so far. If Kempe or Brodzinski ever got going, then our offense would truly be dangerous, but I'm not expecting much from either one of those guys.

 

[cyclones22]

I missed most of the preseason games because of travel, so these last 2 games have been it for me in terms of seeing the new offensive philosophy. A few things, how great is it not to just dump the puck in on a majority of offensive possessions? Even the 4th line is no longer just dumping and chasing it automatically. The last few seasons of Sutter reminded me a lot of the last season of Terry Murray. When Willie Mitchell told the press that there was no creativity allowed and players had to basically just skate down their lanes and try to produce offense that way in regards to Murray. That's not to say that's what Sutter did, but judging by some of the player comments this offseason, it sounded like they strictly adhered to Sutter's wishes because they didn't want to get shit from him or be replaced by a less talented player who would. They didn't middle ground, they went extreme, which is a sign that the coach has lost the room. It's early, but how nice is it that the line blender is in the cupboard for now? It was so tiring to see a young player placed in a top 6 role only to have him moved to the 4th line a period and a half later and mix up all the lines. Patience is nice. A test for Stevens on how different he is from Sutter will be when AMart returns. Will he break up Muzzin / Folin, which has been a great pairing or will he partner Marty with Fantenberg? Marty has been an elite 3rd pairing guy and only just an average 2nd pairing defenseman. Last season, he and Muzzin together just didn't work at all. Please keep Folin with Muzzin until it fails more than it works, please.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

crazy thing to me is that he didn't even look that great last night, he fumbled a few pucks trying to collect rebounds, gave up a few juicy ones and his movement didn't seem quite as crisp as the flyers game where he was basically a puck vacuum. i mean it got the job done no question but i feel like i've seen him better as far as collecting pucks

The biggest thing to me with Quick is he's tracking the puck through traffic perfectly. Last couple of seasons, it's like anytime a point shot came through, he was looking around for it. Did he get a new prescription or something?

Last night I know what you mean and I'm wondering if that was just a function of being cold or what.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The biggest change has been the league Refs. This no slashing/sticks into the body is whats making even the Kings look fast. Every team in the NHL looks like a track team right now. Now Guys like Ovi/Crosby/Kane are really dangerous.

Biggest change on the back end for the Kings is Fantenberg is the real deal like I thought he would be. Folin has surprised as well.

Quick so far, looks like 2012 Quick. That is a very good sign.

Yep. Fantenberg and Iafollo both were critical pickups.

 

[KINGS17]

Nice win over San Jose. Good to see Kopitar get a couple of goals. Hope he can reverse the trend.

Lewis - Shore - Clifford continue to impress, and Quick was solid. Quick is tracking the puck extremely well right now. When he is on top of his game there aren't too many shots he doesn't see. He works hard to get into position to see the puck.

The Sharks were terrible from top to bottom. I am anxious to see what kind of results we see when the Kings are facing a team which is at the top of their game. You can only play the games on the schedule, so 2-0 is a great start.

 

[Bandit]

To those of you that jumped on Kopi's back after ONE GAME*; a gift...

View attachment 78639

* one season plus one pre-season plus one game.

And BTW you're doing the same thing after ONE GAME.

 

[johnjm22]

There's suddenly a lot of optimism around here. It's only been two games, and the Sharks are a bad team. Let's not get too excited.

That said, with Folin/Fantenberg looking good, and Muzzin returning to form we now have a lot of depth on D. If those players keep up it's going to make a huge difference for us.

The team looks re-energized. A coaching change will do that. Let's see how long it lasts.

 

[Sol]

One good game from Kopitar people say time to eat crow? Lol. Dude I hope he keeps it up. Definitely agree kings definitely look unpredictable

 

[Sol]

Such a fun game. They look so much better. So happy to see this team being allowed to play creatively.

 

[Basilisk]

Anemic offense - 4
Sharks -1
Top line very productive.

It's more like.....

LA Kings ........................4
ZZ Top ....not enough!


Seriously, are Thornton & Burns NEVER going to shave?!

 

[cyclones22]

It's more like.....

LA Kings ........................4
ZZ Top ....not enough!


Seriously, are Thornton & Burns NEVER going to shave?!

Well can't say I blame them as it's likely they'll never sniff the Stanley Cup final ever again. They do look lame though.

I don't think everyone is all excited about the results per se, but more the stylistic way the Kings are performing. Which is such a welcome change over the last few seasons. They are generating more scoring chances in prime spots on the ice while still being able to actually play defense responsibly. That is exciting in and of itself.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Kings looked good, the Sharks on the other hand...

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

One good game from Kopitar people say time to eat crow? Lol. Dude I hope he keeps it up. Definitely agree kings definitely look unpredictable

Not necessarily, but there were a whole lot of folks using Game 1 as an indicator of "here we go again," so it's more than fair to use Game 2 to completely dispel that, not sure anyone could ask for a much better performance from Kopitar than that, and I hope he plays like that going forward so the critics have to either get on board or disappear, because it's getting really f***ing old watching people find reasons to not enjoy wins and specific players.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Nice win over San Jose. Good to see Kopitar get a couple of goals. Hope he can reverse the trend.

Lewis - Shore - Clifford continue to impress, and Quick was solid. Quick is tracking the puck extremely well right now. When he is on top of his game there aren't too many shots he doesn't see. He works hard to get into position to see the puck.

The Sharks were terrible from top to bottom. I am anxious to see what kind of results we see when the Kings are facing a team which is at the top of their game. You can only play the games on the schedule, so 2-0 is a great start.

Yep, I said as much in the GDT.

First real measuring stick of the year is against Calgary.

 

[Fishhead]

Playoff odds at nearly 95%!

http://corsica.hockey/predictions/

Start that thread Hans!

 

[Sol]

Not necessarily, but there were a whole lot of folks using Game 1 as an indicator of "here we go again," so it's more than fair to use Game 2 to completely dispel that, not sure anyone could ask for a much better performance from Kopitar than that, and I hope he plays like that going forward so the critics have to either get on board or disappear, because it's getting really ****ing old watching people find reasons to not enjoy wins and specific players.

You're being disingenuous tbh if you think it was game one alone. He sucked last season, sucked this preseason, and continued to suck during the first game. Lets see how he does.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

You're being disingenuous tbh if you think it was game one alone. He sucked last season, sucked this preseason, and continued to suck during the first game. Lets see how he does.

I think some people either have short memories or went through many bottles to get by the disaster of last season.

You’d have to have your head buried deep in the annals of some dark place not to acknowledge Kopitar’s putrid performance and why he was one of the biggest question marks entering this season.

Hopefully his performance last night is a sign of things to come for this season. This team can’t afford to have its #1 center taking months off, which he’s done in two of the previous three seasons.

Yet some posters think others are being critical of Kopitar solely based on one game. Then proclaim “he’s back” after performing as he should. How dare we have any expectations?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

You're being disingenuous tbh if you think it was game one alone. He sucked last season, sucked this preseason, and continued to suck during the first game. Lets see how he does.

He wasn't good last season, who gives a flying shit about the preseason, and he was much, much better in game 1 than people will give him credit for because it doesn't fit the narrative. I'm not basing it at all on one game; I'm saying the folks who were excited to talk shit about him all game one despite him being fine suddenly either disappear or find ways to play down game 2. Just try to enjoy the player is all I'm saying.

I think some people either have short memories or went through many bottles to get by the disaster of last season.

You’d have to have your head buried deep in the annals of some dark place not to acknowledge Kopitar’s putrid performance and why he was one of the biggest question marks entering this season.

Hopefully his performance last night is a sign of things to come for this season. This team can’t afford to have its #1 center taking months off, which he’s done in two of the previous three seasons.

Yet some posters think others are being critical of Kopitar solely based on one game. Then proclaim “he’s back” after performing as he should. How dare we have any expectations?

You can talk to me directly, it's ok.

And come on, I've been in these conversations since the beginning, you don't need to strawman me. I know the criticism as a whole isn't based on one game; I'm saying using game 1 as some sort of lens for confirmation bias while completely disregarding or playing down game 2 is utter bullshit but the kind I'm sadly starting to expect around here. He was good in game 1, but visibly dominant in game 2 in a way he never was after injury last year.

Guilty on the many bottles, though.