GDT: GM#57 LA Kings vs Vancouver Canucks @7:30pm 2/14/19

[kilowatt]

Actually, this is the worst season Doughty has ever had. Since his run of 5 games or so not getting scored on at the beginning of the season, he's been almost Phaneuf level bad. Zero goals at even strength, 7 short handed goals against on the power play, an epic -20 (now the worst on the team by -3). If you want to hang this awful season on someone, Drew Doughty is not a bad candidate.

I know it's heresy to speak poorly of the greatest defenseman the Kings have ever had, but Doughty needs to look himself square in the mirror and pick up his game for next season. It's not about his minutes, and sure, Forbort's dragging him down, but he's better than this.

Kings have given up a lot of empty net goals, for what it’s worth. That drags down the +/- of anyone out there late - Kopitar, Doughty, etc. Not that -20 is in any way acceptable for our former Norris trophy winner. Wonder if he’ll finish top twenty in voting on name recognition alone?

 

[kilowatt]

I"m definitely not making excuses for them. I'm more disgusted with them collectively now than I was after that 2015 Sharks series.

But it's more a condemnation of the lie of "four lines Willie" than anything. Doughty played 31 minutes tonight. Kopitar 25 and a half. Wagner 7. Clifford, 2 points and +2, 10 minutes.

Everyone else has demonstrated they can be effective now. There's zero reason to be murdering the core with stupid minutes just for the sake of stupid minutes, whether one believes the season is lost or still going. If it's lost, give the kids time to mature, play tougher matchups sometimes. If it's still going, you need to get your 'stars' some rest, and the kids are outplaying them right now anyway.

And for the love of god someone hide Forbort's skates somewhere.

That’s what I don’t get. Our worst line is the Kopitar-Brown-Iafallo line and it isn’t even close. Actually, I would just say that Kopitar and Carter are our two least effective forwards and that is really scary. Every other line that doesn’t involve those two guys at least gives effort on the ice. It’s crazy. I don’t understand what happened to them, they were great last year.

 

[KINGS17]

Just scratch Kopitar already.

 

[Steve Zissou]

It's comical to hear Alex Faust talk about Kopitar notable 'silent leadership' as if he actually knows what he's talking about.

And I'm sorry but the whole 'Foxy & Fausty' tandem has never been funny, especially when they try to be with their cute innuendoes. It doesn't work.

Faust isn't as bad when he's away from Fox, but the two of them together just doesn't work.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I"m definitely not making excuses for them. I'm more disgusted with them collectively now than I was after that 2015 Sharks series.

But it's more a condemnation of the lie of "four lines Willie" than anything. Doughty played 31 minutes tonight. Kopitar 25 and a half. Wagner 7. Clifford, 2 points and +2, 10 minutes.

Everyone else has demonstrated they can be effective now. There's zero reason to be murdering the core with stupid minutes just for the sake of stupid minutes, whether one believes the season is lost or still going. If it's lost, give the kids time to mature, play tougher matchups sometimes. If it's still going, you need to get your 'stars' some rest, and the kids are outplaying them right now anyway.

And for the love of god someone hide Forbort's skates somewhere.

I sort of get it, because when they're trying to hold a 1 goal lead, or trying to come back from down 1 or 2, they vets get thrown out there, because that's what coaches do. On the other hand, and I don't normally get bent out of shape because of ice time decisions by coaches, because you do what you gotta do to win any given moment in a game, but WD is such a non-entity that it's irritating when he does it.

Walker gets back in the lineup, and then plays less than Phaneuf did in the previous game. Why put Walker in? Wagner is a young guy, but ends up playing more on the last road trip than he has over the last handful of home games. It must mean he just gets stuck out there on the road more often. WD makes it sound like he has little control over in-game ice time, or who dresses in any given game, but when he has more control in a game over who gets on the ice, Wagner tends to get less. If they just gave him the head coaching job for next year, I'd be less annoyed at his ice time choices. At least it would feel like the choices have some authority to them. Right now, he's a substitute teacher trying to get kids who clearly don't care to listen. He turns around to write the lesson for the day on the chalkboard, and he gets a spitball to the back of the head. Then he turns around and says, "Oooooook, guys, who did that? Come on, be honest", and then everyone giggles, and nobody makes eye contact, because what's the sub going to do?

 

[Fat Elvis]

Like Kopitar even less and I was already at a minus of like.

WD is such a tool. In the post game interview he was asked about the Amadio-Wagner line. I'd even put Clifford
Desjardins, on Michael Amadio and Austin Wagner:
"Yeah, it’s good. They had a couple again tonight. That line, they’re pretty opportunistic right now. They’ve been capitalizing on their chances, which is good. Not only that, they had some pressure too. Like, when they were out on the ice, they were hard on the other team’s D. They were working hard."

Then this Hose-gobbler barely plays them in favor of a line that did squat. It's like we live in crazytown. #crap4Kakk0/Cozens

 

[Butch 19]

Kopitar should take notice.

Kopi makes too much money and is too old to care.

 

[Scottkmlps]

Like Kopitar even less and I was already at a minus of like.

WD is such a tool. In the post game interview he was asked about the Amadio-Wagner line. I'd even put Clifford
Desjardins, on Michael Amadio and Austin Wagner:
"Yeah, it’s good. They had a couple again tonight. That line, they’re pretty opportunistic right now. They’ve been capitalizing on their chances, which is good. Not only that, they had some pressure too. Like, when they were out on the ice, they were hard on the other team’s D. They were working hard."

Then this Hose-gobbler barely plays them in favor of a line that did squat. It's like we live in crazytown. #crap4Kakk0/Cozens

Only 25 games of that clown left.

 

[KINGS17]

Kopi makes too much money and is too old to care.

Only five years to go after this one.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Actually, this is the worst season Doughty has ever had. Since his run of 5 games or so not getting scored on at the beginning of the season, he's been almost Phaneuf level bad. Zero goals at even strength, 7 short handed goals against on the power play, an epic -20 (now the worst on the team by -3). If you want to hang this awful season on someone, Drew Doughty is not a bad candidate.

I know it's heresy to speak poorly of the greatest defenseman the Kings have ever had, but Doughty needs to look himself square in the mirror and pick up his game for next season. It's not about his minutes, and sure, Forbort's dragging him down, but he's better than this.

15 of those minuses are ENG. Yes, I counted.

Not at all opposed to hanging this season on him because we've been conditioned to expect Norris caliber from him, especially after last season arguably his best ever and signing that huge deal.

However, context. He's been played--unfortunately with Forbort--as a shutdown d-man so the kids like Walker and LaDue can be insulated as if they are one-dimensional offensive d-men. The problem is they're not good enough offensive d-men for that to really offset, and it's a waste of Doughty's talent.

The powerplay struggles--at least partly on him. The PK struggles--at least partly on him. 0 5v5 goals this far into the season? Definitely on him. I'm more worried about the visible loafing.

Hopefully this season is the kick in the dick he needs to consider his legacy and what he's going to look like in his 30s. Him and Kopitar have royally embarrassed themselves and the organization this year. Like I said earlier at least part of the reason the other lines are successful is because Doughty and Kopitar are still getting the toughest minutes, so we can't just ignore them...but they're getting absolutely crushed in those minutes, and the last two games have been the worst all season from that standpoint. He didn't score but f***ing PETTERSSON outmuscling Kopitar to the front of the net made me throw my drink. All Kopitar could muster was a half assed crosscheck after.

 

[BringTheReign]

Man, A-Mart looked so beaten down in the post-game interview. Gotta be rough to have a season like this knowing you’re name is also being mentioned in trade talks.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Kopi makes too much money and is too old to care.

He cared last year. Or, he was doing something last year that made him surprise damn near everyone on the planet. Kane cares this year, and has just as much money, and has had more personal and team success. Kopitar is just at the point where he can pick and choose whether to really dig in or not, since the Kings can't do anything to him.

 

[Reaper45]

It's comical to hear Alex Faust talk about Kopitar notable 'silent leadership' as if he actually knows what he's talking about.

And I'm sorry but the whole 'Foxy & Fausty' tandem has never been funny, especially when they try to be with their cute innuendoes. It doesn't work.

Faust isn't as bad when he's away from Fox, but the two of them together just doesn't work.

Faust is good for NBCSN or the Olympics. Something where it's mainly just for casual viewers. He's the worst as a teams broadcaster. His lack of knowledge just gets to me. I wouldve rather had Strangis or even Jack Edwards.

 

[KINGS17]

He cared last year. Or, he was doing something last year that made him surprise damn near everyone on the planet. Kane cares this year, and has just as much money, and has had more personal and team success. Kopitar is just at the point where he can pick and choose whether to really dig in or not, since the Kings can't do anything to him.

Guaranteed contracts for players are Un-American!!! Okay, maybe a little overboard there.

 

[Herby]

Faust is good for NBCSN or the Olympics. Something where it's mainly just for casual viewers. He's the worst as a teams broadcaster. His lack of knowledge just gets to me. I wouldve rather had Strangis or even Jack Edwards.

To bad Cuthbert was to big a name, that would have been perfect with him as the Kings PbP. I think either him or Gord Miller are the best voices in hockey right now.

 

[johnjm22]

It's weird watching a Kings team that's bad at defense. We got spoiled watching an elite defensive team over the past decade. That's over now, and our ability to easily develop goaltenders will go down with it.

All this talk about trading Quick is a fantasy. He has negative trade value.