GDT: GM#36 LA Kings vs Colorado Avalanche@7:30 Dustin Brown's 1,000th career game!

[Ziggy Stardust]

Muzzling was a mess last night. Looked slow or injured.

They sat him for quite a few shifts in the 3rd, as Doughty was skating with every defenseman in the lineup. I guess the coaches are using him as a scapegoat. At least according to those who are too afraid to admit his faults.

 

[kings11]

Brown will get a much deserved ceremony next Thursday before the game against Vegas. I think the one black mark on his resume is when he locked Sutter out of the lockerroom in Tampa Bay. If he indeed was the one who did that, which by accounts it is, that's a black mark to me. Nothing serious but it was unnecessary. Players only meetings happen all the time in sports. Locking a couch out of the lockerroom and barring it with trash cans? That doesn't happen. No question Sutter disliked Brown and did everything he could to make playing here miserable for him but locking Sutter out of the lockerroom was unnecessary in my opinion. Take whatever bull**** Sutter is going to throw at you after that game then organize a players only meeting later on. Drew too much unnecessary attention to the Kings.

As for Pysyk, not sure if I'm remembering correctly but I think the Kings had the option of taking McNabb or Pysyk in the trade with Buffalo but the Kings had Doughty- Voynov-Greene down the right side and needed that Mitchell replacement so they went with McNabb.

Not a black mark at all, in fact it was a reality check to ownership and the FO that changes needed to take place...

 

[LAK74]

Muzzling was a mess last night. Looked slow or injured.

He got hit pretty hard by someone- Zadorov, I think. Happened right in front of me (my seats are near the glass), and his facial expression after the hit didn’t look too good.

 

[Little Psycho]

They sat him for quite a few shifts in the 3rd, as Doughty was skating with every defenseman in the lineup. I guess the coaches are using him as a scapegoat. At least according to those who are too afraid to admit his faults.

It's worrisome especially since Forbort is having difficulty too. I hope Forbort pulls out of that funk (though his shot will remain tragic) I know we have the fancy stats and all that, and that some posters cannot handle the criticism towards certain players but when it's crunch time I hope Blake knows what he's doing.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

Not a black mark at all, in fact it was a reality check to ownership and the FO that changes needed to take place...

Then you do it in private in a non-childish way.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It's worrisome especially since Forbort is having difficulty too. I hope Forbort pulls out of that funk (though his shot will remain tragic) I know we have the fancy stats and all that, and that some posters cannot handle the criticism towards certain players but when it's crunch time I hope Blake knows what he's doing.

The fancy stats say Doughty is amazing, Folin is good, Fantenberg is ok, and everyone else is an AHLer. I don't think that's much different than what we've seen as median opinions here lately. Only one I'd dispute is Martinez just because his usage is brutal.

 

[Fishhead]

Then you do it in private in a non-childish way.

Perhaps that was tried and didn't work. Hard to say, really.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Then you do it in private in a non-childish way.

It was done in private though, it's just that word got out.

I didn't agree with how that situation was handled either, but it seemed more like there was tension between the locker and the head coach. Maybe it was a tact that Sutter wanted to try, but it was apparent that his communication with the players was starting to wane.

The players looked miserable on the ice, and in turn, that miserable hockey led to plenty of miserable fans.

 

[KINGS17]

Brown's 1000th NHL couldn't have ended any better. The guy has had a storybook career and life when you think about it.

 

[Little Psycho]

The fancy stats say Doughty is amazing, Folin is good, Fantenberg is ok, and everyone else is an AHLer. I don't think that's much different than what we've seen as median opinions here lately. Only one I'd dispute is Martinez just because his usage is brutal.

Martinez was passing to the other team left and right last night. Is there any numbers regarding his play after splitting up with Muzzin? I think he has been better.

Off the top of my head, I've seen posts about Forbort and Quick that have gotten some passive aggressive responses. We all know by now what each player brings to the team (except AA) No player plays perfect for 82 games, but when the trend of their bad play continues I don't see why they cannot be called out.

 

[BigKing]

He got hit pretty hard by someone- Zadorov, I think. Happened right in front of me (my seats are near the glass), and his facial expression after the hit didn’t look too good.

Yep. That hit by Zadorov was like running into a wall. He was definitely slowed by that hit.

 

[LAK74]

Yeah, I figured the hit might have had more to do with Muzzin’s missed shifts than just bad play.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Martinez was passing to the other team left and right last night. Is there any numbers regarding his play after splitting up with Muzzin? I think he has been better.

Off the top of my head, I've seen posts about Forbort and Quick that have gotten some passive aggressive responses. We all know by now what each player brings to the team (except AA) No player plays perfect for 82 games, but when the trend of their bad play continues I don't see why they cannot be called out.

Well, to be fair, passive aggressive stuff about Quick should be mocked, because he's been amongst the league leaders in everything all season and there's a strong case he's the best goalie in the league this year, especially given context. He hasn't had more than a 2-game 'bad' streak

Forborts play is all over the map so I can understand the more polarizing opinions there. But I agree there are too many negative confirmation bias opinions about Forbort regardless.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yeah, I figured the hit might have had more to do with Muzzin’s missed shifts than just bad play.

Muzzin still did play in the 3rd though, so not sure if they gave him a rest or sat him because of how often he was mishandling the puck or how often he looked like Bambi on ice. He just looked sloppy all around. My friend theorized that Muzzin might be buzzin'.

In the 3rd period, Doughty wound up paired with Martinez, Forbort, Fantenberg, and MacDermid (who didn't see the ice in the last 5 minutes of the game). Busy night for Drew.

I also like how Fantenberg would try to drive the play on offense. Of course he's not at his level, but it kind of reminded me of what Lubomir Visnovsky used to do. Having another Lubo on the blueline, or a drama-free Voynov, is something this team would greatly benefit from. Seeing how they don't even place one of their dmen on the ice in the final five minutes, that just increases the burden for Drew Doughty, who has had to play babysitter for many various partners.

 

[yankeeking]

they do the celebration stuff on the first home game after the player's 1000th, so brownie will get his on the 28th i assume. i think they made a callout in the arena at a faceoff too, i think i remember seeing it on TV

they did say that at one point towards the end or right after that they would honor brownies 1,000 landmark against the knights .......... he looked pretty embarrassed when they showed him on the jumbotran and accomplishments , he looked incredibly happy after the goal and with all the guys , so ,so happy to see that after the last few years

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

It was done in private though, it's just that word got out.

I didn't agree with how that situation was handled either, but it seemed more like there was tension between the locker and the head coach. Maybe it was a tact that Sutter wanted to try, but it was apparent that his communication with the players was starting to wane.

The players looked miserable on the ice, and in turn, that miserable hockey led to plenty of miserable fans.

I'm not blaming Brown for the private meeting. What I'm bringing up is how they handled it. Locking the door after the game and blocking it with trashcans? That is not the way to handle it. Like I said before, players only meetings aren't uncommon. They could've had one at a later time when emotions weren't running high off a loss on a long and tiresome road trip. The media with Twitter is all over everything these days. A players only meeting isn't a big deal. A players only meeting where they lock out the coach and block the door is a big deal.

It's clear Sutter was the problem and needed to go. It's clear he treated Brown poorly. I just don't agree with how that meeting was handled. Was it an awful thing? Not at all. Just wasn't handled correctly in my opinion.

 

[Herby]

I don't blame Brown. And watch all the tributes last night, multiple players and Futa mentioned how much adversity he went through and basically implied that he was wronged by the organization.

Stripping Brown of the C was one of the lowest moments in team history, extremely happy that he is back and showing everyone, especially Sutter and Lombardi that he is still an impact player. Hopefully he finishes his career here.

 

[kingsboy11]

Trades, buyouts, expansion draft, stripped of captaincy. He's been through it all. For him to fight through it all and still be here is just incredible. And to see him having so much success this year has been awesome. If anybody deserves to retire as a King, its Brown.

 

[deaderhead28]

Caption that conversation lol

 

[Steve Zissou]

With Muzzin's play this season thus far I'm tempted to revert back to him by his 'Puffin' moniker.

 

[KingTrouty]

Four points in nine games while also playing PK minutes and being strong on the draw at an astonishing 60.9%.

The only critique of him thus far is that I'd like to see him stay out of the box and reduce the number of infractions that he takes. He has a bit of Stoll in him and has been the perfect addition for the fourth line center role.

So you sit Shore when Carter comes back?

Jussi-Mitchell-Brodz/Clifford?

I like Shore. But Mitchell is doing exactly what we wanted when we acquired him. A nice problem to have -- two quality 4th Line C's that do different things. I think Shore is a little better on D, (as you broached in your post) doesn't take many dumb penalties, and has a little more playmaker in him.

But that FO% can't be over-looked.

 

[KingTrouty]

With Muzzin's play this season thus far I'm tempted to revert back to him by his 'Puffin' moniker.

Please don't. It's already lame as hell seeing "Puffin/Muffin" in posts as it is. Even with his (frankly, overstated) troubles and all, it's still annoying.

Muzzin is fine. He's regressed from that dominant #2 that we saw a couple seasons ago, but he's still every bit a top-4.

He isn't shyte'ing the bed like many here freak out about. We have three legit D. It's the depth that plays hot and cold.

 

[King'sPawn]

Please don't. It's already lame as hell seeing "Puffin/Muffin" in posts as it is. Even with his (frankly, overstated) troubles and all, it's still annoying.

Muzzin is fine. He's regressed from that dominant #2 that we saw a couple seasons ago, but he's still every bit a top-4.

He isn't shyte'ing the bed like many here freak out about. We have three legit D. It's the depth that plays hot and cold.

Thank you.

Nicknames when a player isn't perfect just makes me think the poster is 12.

 

[Docgonzo]

I don't blame Brown. And watch all the tributes last night, multiple players and Futa mentioned how much adversity he went through and basically implied that he was wronged by the organization.

Stripping Brown of the C was one of the lowest moments in team history, extremely happy that he is back and showing everyone, especially Sutter and Lombardi that he is still an impact player. Hopefully he finishes his career here.

It was the only time I truely dislike Lombardi. I may never agreed on all his decisions but when they stripped Brown of the C I said to myself “Lombardi you’re an idiot”. Yes Browns numbers were down but this is a person you picked for Captain, who captained the team to two cups, bounced around from 1st line to 3rd and you do that? Haven’t seen a Captain truely treated that way before.

And sadly Kopitar is my favorite player but every time I see him with the C, it just doesn’t feel right.

 

[Bandit]

They sat him for quite a few shifts in the 3rd, as Doughty was skating with every defenseman in the lineup. I guess the coaches are using him as a scapegoat. At least according to those who are too afraid to admit his faults.

Doughty plays with pretty much everyone pretty much every night. That's what happens when you're on the ice for nearly half the game.

It's interesting that you equate "bored with all the bitching about him somewhere between 5-20 times a game for the last two years" with "too afraid to admit his faults." I'm pretty sure you'd be hard pressed to find a single post in the last two years claiming Muzzin is perfect. Have you ever considered that everyone is aware of his shortcomings, and that doesn't require going on and on about him endlessly?