GDT: GM#4 LA Kings vs Montreal Canadiens @4:30pm 10/11/18

[Little Psycho]

I think Lewis needs to sit out personally.

He's been one of the worst players on the team so far.

Only reason we need Lewis right now is for the PK so Kopitar doesn't have to play the full 2 mintues. Lewis has looked bad so far; his stonitis is back.

 

[King'sPawn]

Stevens out here playing chess while the rest of the league is playing checkers. #Justtryingtoconfusethem

Kings hockey:
Pride=Passion=Pessimism

Courage=Character=Confusion
#NewKingsHockey

 

[SettlementRichie10]

The confusion meme is probably my favorite to come out of this board in a long time.

Let’s hope things look better tonight.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Only reason we need Lewis right now is for the PK so Kopitar doesn't have to play the full 2 mintues. Lewis has looked bad so far; his stonitis is back.

Instead of scratching guys like Clifford, JAD, and Wagner who haven't been terrible I'd like to see Stevens bench Lewis/Pearson and actually send a message to the team that if you don't play well then you're out. Just bump Thompson's or Iafallo's PK ice-time if you do scratch a Lewis/Pearson. Also I think it's time for Kempe to score a goal. 35 games without a goal is exactly why we don't have any secondary scoring.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Except in his own zone.

He didn’t have the same jump after he lost his guy on that goal. Could just be a mental rest, it’s a long grind for rookies.

Was that actually his guy, though? Scheifele is a center and Wagner is a winger. Wingers aren’t generally tasked with covering centers (usually tasked to the defending center or one of the defensemen). Scheifele did circle up into the high slot, but I’m not sure he was really Wagner’s guy to cover. Maybe there was a verbal switch called, but it wasn’t clear based on how the play unfolded. Rosen noted it at intermission, too.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I think Lewis needs to sit out personally.

He's been one of the worst players on the team so far.

Well, whichever one of the three that battle it out for goat du jour. Seems Rempal/Rymsha/Watson would be a better 4th line option. Just as long as it's not any of the big 3. They're not going anywhere soon though, so, while they're all here, they're probably going to play more often than not. All 3 will be given longer leashes than Wagner or JAD. That would be the case with probably 90% of coaches that could be behind the Kings bench, so it's not a problem isolated to Stevens. Lewis has been playing 70+ games a year for 8 years now. He's not going to be sat for Wagner. Even if they played the same position. Going by there's a chance for anything, Lewis is a coach's dream for 30 of the 31 coaches in the NHL? He's not a guy that gets scratched. He can have 10 bad games in a row, and he's going to be in there for #11.

 

[Sol]

Except in his own zone.

He didn’t have the same jump after he lost his guy on that goal. Could just be a mental rest, it’s a long grind for rookies.

One lapse. Really. Bullshit reasoning.

 

[KingsHockey24]

One lapse. Really. Bull**** reasoning.

Be grateful Wagner even saw ice-time.

He could be like Amadio and see 6 minutes of ice-time a game.

 

[kingsholygrail]

The confusion meme is probably my favorite to come out of this board in a long time.

Let’s hope things look better tonight.

Early candidate for playoff avatars if we get there.

 

[yankeeking]

Well, whichever one of the three that battle it out for goat du jour. Seems Rempal/Rymsha/Watson would be a better 4th line option. Just as long as it's not any of the big 3. They're not going anywhere soon though, so, while they're all here, they're probably going to play more often than not. All 3 will be given longer leashes than Wagner or JAD. That would be the case with probably 90% of coaches that could be behind the Kings bench, so it's not a problem isolated to Stevens. Lewis has been playing 70+ games a year for 8 years now. He's not going to be sat for Wagner. Even if they played the same position. Going by there's a chance for anything, Lewis is a coach's dream for 30 of the 31 coaches in the NHL? He's not a guy that gets scratched. He can have 10 bad games in a row, and he's going to be in there for #11.[/QUOTE

This is why it would send a big message that you have to contribute, guys going game after game without creating scoring chances let alone goals can’t be the norm and shooting into the goalies chest or into the side of the net doesn’t count, 35 games without a goal by the 2 or 3 center is unacceptable and benching rookies will not cure that , too many tenured guys not scoring, look what it has done to our school , we rank 47 in the nation in basic classes with the highest tax rate and among the highest teacher pay but they do not fear losing their jobs so busy as usual, we are a cap team with tons of talent and it appears the only one driving to the net is 17, 51 , 26 and 19 , when a business struggles there is a old saying change your people or change your people , sit some of these guys until they get the message , love Lewis and he has scored big goals for us in the past was that from better focus or whatever but we need more of that from a veteran with his talent, when paired with eichel was a leading scorer at worlds ,

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Kempe hasn’t scored a goal since February 7. It takes a special talent to go that long without producing.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Was that actually his guy, though? Scheifele is a center and Wagner is a winger. Wingers aren’t generally tasked with covering centers (usually tasked to the defending center or one of the defensemen). Scheifele did circle up into the high slot, but I’m not sure he was really Wagner’s guy to cover. Maybe there was a verbal switch called, but it wasn’t clear based on how the play unfolded. Rosen noted it at intermission, too.

That was absolutely his guy to cover...

 

[Sol]

Kempe hasn’t scored a goal since February 7. It takes a special talent to go that long without producing.

LMFAO how is that possible

 

[Sol]

Was that actually his guy, though? Scheifele is a center and Wagner is a winger. Wingers aren’t generally tasked with covering centers (usually tasked to the defending center or one of the defensemen). Scheifele did circle up into the high slot, but I’m not sure he was really Wagner’s guy to cover. Maybe there was a verbal switch called, but it wasn’t clear based on how the play unfolded. Rosen noted it at intermission, too.

I personally found it weird there was two defenseman pinching on a guy by the hash marks.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

That was absolutely his guy to cover...

Based on...?

Just because a player ends up near a player when a goal is scored doesn’t mean it was his player. Many times someone will recognize a breakdown and try and cover a player who ends up open, even though it wasn’t his assignment.

I’m glad you even bothered to address my particular breakdown of the play with respect to positions...

 

[KingsHockey24]

Kempe hasn’t scored a goal since February 7. It takes a special talent to go that long without producing.

Fantastic secondary scoring.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I personally found it weird there was two defenseman pinching on a guy by the hash marks.

When Muzzin and Martinez are paired together, anything is possible.

I scratch my head how none of them figured that covering the front of the net would be a good idea.

 

[KINGS17]

Incorrect post

 

[tny760]

wagner was sitting high waiting for toffoli to get out and close the point, which he didn't do terribly fast, so he got caught between

big f***in deal

 

[Stimpythecat]

If Carter is going to the third line, I would rather see Amadio at 2c than kempe.

 

[Stimpythecat]

On a side note, is the first goal of the game thread not happening this season?

 

[Dexter Sinister]

When Muzzin and Martinez are paired together, anything is possible.

I scratch my head how none of them figured that covering the front of the net would be a good idea.

Except defense

 

[KingsFan7824]

LMFAO how is that possible

He's won 14% of his offensive zone faceoffs this year? 39.2% in the 32 games since his last goal? He's got 41 shots in the 32 games since his last goal. Clifford has more goals and shots on net in that same time.

They're determined to make him a center. Sort of forced into trying it last year. This year, they seemed to want to try something different as training camp progressed, but Brown going down apparently threw the entire lineup into flux. And Carter has started quietly.

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

wagner was sitting high waiting for toffoli to get out and close the point, which he didn't do terribly fast, so he got caught between

big ****in deal

The issue is people are blaming Wagner when it wasn't his player. I just went and watched the goal frame by frame.

Wagner is down low in the slot because Trouba (his guy) had cycled down low in the slot. You'll notice that Carter is covering Scheifele as Scheifele is walking out of the corner. Toffoli is covering Morrissey. Muzzin is covering...Campbell? (Seriously, WTF.) Martinez is presumably supposed to be covering Connor, but he's in between two wingers.

In this screen shot, taken right after Scheifele gives the puck to Morrissey, you'll see that Carter leaves Scheifele and steps up to hit Morrissey. Notably, if any switch were to occur there, it should be Toffoli covering Scheifele because Carter stepped on Toffoli's man (Morrissey). Instead, Toffoli chooses to pursue the puck into the corner, even though Muzzin is down that way. Wagner is bodying up against Martinez's forward in the slot, but he's starting to make his way out Trouba at the point.

In this one, you'll see that Toffoli and Muzzin both go for the player in the corner (bad!). Scheifele is uncovered because Toffoli didn't switch even though he probably should have and Carter has fallen down after hitting Morrissey. Wagner is appropriately keeping inside position on Trouba, though he's probably too low in the slot (unless the Kings ask the wingers to sink into the slot in coverage against the point men).

In this last screenshot, you'll see that Wagner realizes that no one is covering Scheifele at all. He abandons any notion of sticking to his point man (Trouba, who is outside the picture frame at this point) and tries to make sure Scheifele can't get to the net. He clearly did not react quickly enough.

However, Scheifele was not Wagner's player on the play. He was trying to make up for a missed assignment that occurred between Carter and Toffoli on the strong side of the ice.

That's not to say that Wagner has been the bastion of defensive play in his games so far, but it is entirely unfair to pin that goal on him despite the fact that he was the closest one to Scheifele.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

On a side note, is the first goal of the game thread not happening this season?

There are 3 options:
1. Kopitar
2. Defense scores
3. Kings are shut-out