GDT: GM#66 LA Kings vs Chicago Blackhawks @1:00pm

[Raccoon Jesus]

6-3 in our last nine. End of the world probably, though.

I've kinda given up trying to understand this team's ability to win games they shouldn't (VGKx2, WPG at home) and lose games they should win. All I could do this afternoon is laugh. At least they get to rot with it until next Thursday, I think that will leave a bad enough taste in their mouths to do the right things. 11 games in 19 nights is going to lead to some shenanigans, but this is a foul way to end the stretch, and I think that won't sit well. Good.

That's about as pissed as I've ever seen Stevens and I like it. I don't think Doughty's stupidity would resonate or teach a lesson unless they choked away the game.

Stevens sums it up nicely for me: "No. You can look over the course of the season, there are lots of games we’ve come back and won. You go back to the Boston game, there’s games we tied up. It’s like going on a golf course, and all you remember is the 10-footer you missed, but you forget about the 30-footer you made and the one you chipped in from the fringe. It’s easy to just remember the bad and forget the good. We put ourselves in a position down the stretch track to make the playoffs, and that’s what we intend to do."

I think we need to petition the league to change the rules. No game starts before the second period and we then play periods 2-2-3.

About time to hire a professional hypnotist.

Honestly I find it so strange that ever since Carter returned Pearson and Toffoli are skating much quicker. What the **** is that about? I can't be the only one seeing this

He opens up space. Kempe is a great skater but he's indecisive. Carter is a bull who is going to get the puck across that line. Pearson is an above-average skater and Toffoli is a below-average skater but they both look great when they have to keep pace and fill the vacuum left by a hard-charging Carter.

Doughty plays with emotion and you have to accept that Would be nice for him to cool it especially when the team is up by two late in a game But doing so might take away his effectiveness.
I'll gladly take the bad for all the good we get to see from him Even with this being a hard loss and big two points

Amen.

Today's actions were unacceptable, but in the big picture, that's part and parcel of what makes him so god damn good.

 

[LAKings88]

The Kings shelled from the start of the third. They had one opportunity which Muzzin couldn’t convert and called it a game. It did not all come down to Doughty. Yes it was stupid but you accept the bad with the good. Both calls were weak but the Kings failed on the pk. Tough loss, the two points would have been huge. Wonder if tip a King will be awkward tonight.

 

[Seventyx7]

They can't allow him to just walk. Even if it means being worse next season, they have to move him if they get the sense he isn't re-signing. Losing him for nothing will sink the franchise. Trading him will at least allow them to stay afloat.

I agree. If he isn't showing that he is going to sign early July, then all options need to be considered. Him walking for nothing is not acceptable.

But still, the priority needs to be keeping him. True #1 defenseman are too hard to come by. We will be searching for one for another twenty years. Even in a rebuild, we have the Carey Price problem (with Kopitar) where we will never be bad enough for a top 3 pick. How else can a top 10 D be acquired? Not very easily..

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

The Kings shelled from the start of the third. They had one opportunity which Muzzin couldn’t convert and called it a game. It did not all come down to Doughty. Yes it was stupid but you accept the bad with the good. Both calls were weak but the Kings failed on the pk. Tough loss, the two points would have been huge. Wonder if tip a King will be awkward tonight.

They had another chance when they had a 3 on 1 but Brown fell over his own feet and lost the puck.

I agree. If he isn't showing that he is going to sign early July, then all options need to be considered. Him walking for nothing is not acceptable.

But still, the priority needs to be keeping him. True #1 defenseman are too hard to come by. We will be searching for one for another twenty years. Even in a rebuild, we have the Carey Price problem (with Kopitar) where we will never be bad enough for a top 3 pick. How else can a top 10 D be acquired? Not very easily..

Absolutely. His positives waaaaaay outweigh the negatives. With him they're a better team. I do wonder though how having him and Kopitar for $21-22 million affects the rest of the team though. Look at Chicago. Absolutely no depth.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Kings shelled from the start of the third. They had one opportunity which Muzzin couldn’t convert and called it a game. It did not all come down to Doughty. Yes it was stupid but you accept the bad with the good. Both calls were weak but the Kings failed on the pk. Tough loss, the two points would have been huge. Wonder if tip a King will be awkward tonight.

That call on Pearson was absolutely abysmal. One of the worst I've ever seen, frankly.

Just like the Oilers game it shoudn't get to that point, but my god, the ref was spinning out of position and called what he thought he saw based on reaction. Terrible.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

They had another chance when they had a 3 on 1 but Brown fell over his own feet and lost the puck.

Shouldn't make me laugh but honestly it does

 

[KINGS17]

The day Doughty leaves this team is the day our window is closed. What's this talk about trading him ? This is Doughtys city and team just as much as it is Kopitars. Doughty is a generational defenseman and I wouldn't trade the guy for anyone in the league besides Mcdavid.

I hate to tell you this, but the window has been closed for a while.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

One of the goals was due to a temper tantrum

exactly and both are results of bad officiating

the tantrum would not have happened if the refs did their jobs properly (that's really not excusing Doughty's behavior so don't cherry pick my arguments please)

and Doughty should be more mature to behave properly despite the fact that some don't do their jobs

point is, doughty's behavior AND bad officiating occurred during this game (you can choose what to fume about here)

if one of the two didn't happen, we would have won the game

so in your mind you think you're right because you're focusing on Doughty (which is half of the truth)
but the other argument is also correct (which completes the truth)

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

I hate to tell you this, but the window has been closed for a while.

Yeah, they've been a bubble team for the last 3 seasons.

 

[KINGS17]

That call on Pearson was absolutely abysmal. One of the worst I've ever seen, frankly.

Just like the Oilers game it shoudn't get to that point, but my god, the ref was spinning out of position and called what he thought he saw based on reaction. Terrible.

Now imagine Pearson screaming "F! F! F!" all the way to the box, then throwing his stick, gloves and helmet once he sat down.

 

[KingsFan7824]

6-3 in our last nine. End of the world probably, though.

The issue is the regulation losses for the whole season. They now have 25, which is tied with Calgary, and they're tied with Calgary for 9th in the West in that particular stat. So even if they're better than Calgary, it might not matter. One team per season on average has made the playoffs in the West with 30+ regulation losses. They had maybe 6 to give before today, now down to 5, and this one shouldn't have been one of them.

Not the end of the world, and it's only a game, but since they can't beat western teams at home this season, games like today make their job that much more difficult.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

Also, i would add, that despite Doughty's behaviors (which i think comes from his hunger to win)
just like Quick's at times, that it's behaviors like these that make our team better than what we actually are

i don't blame Doughty, the refs did a piss poor job tonight, one of the worst ive seen in recent memory

i don't think that if Doughboy would have had a cool calm behavior that he'd become the elite player that he is today

it comes with the territory

 

[BigKing]

And the cheerleaders come in to dismiss it.

It's like Jim Fox has five HF accounts.

Those that complain about calls never talk about the ones in the Kings favor.

It's weak shit to try and pin this on the refs. End of story.

 

[LAKings88]

I hate to tell you this, but the window has been closed for a while.

This is still a core that won two cups and is insanely good. The supporting cast not so much but it’s better than last year. A rebuild will set them back a good six years. Vilardi may/may not make a difference next year. I don’t think they are world beaters but I want to see if they can do anything in the playoffs this year and next. I don’t relish another show down with San Jose or either top seed but that is what it is. Every team is tough. A rebuild vs retool all hinges on Doughty imho. Carter, Brown, Quick go and it will signal the end of this era. Kopi and Doughty could still be here in six or seven years.

 

[LAKings88]

Yeah, they've been a bubble team for the last 3 seasons.

With serious key injuries the last two years. They set a franchise record with Lucic didn’t they?

Not signaling you out but trading all these guys away for a rebuild reminds me of the post Gretzky years.

This team can still be competitive.

 

[KINGS17]

With serious key injuries the last two years. They set a franchise record with Lucic didn’t they?

Not signaling you out but trading all these guys away for a rebuild reminds me of the post Gretzky years.

This team can still be competitive.

Competitive is what you want to see from a team on the way up. It does a franchise no good to just be competitive when your top players are 30+ years of age.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

With serious key injuries the last two years. They set a franchise record with Lucic didn’t they?

Not signaling you out but trading all these guys away for a rebuild reminds me of the post Gretzky years.

This team can still be competitive.

Competitive, yes. Serious contenders, no. Everyone would have to play at the absolute best of their games to have a legitimate shot. I'm not saying they suck, I'm just saying they're a 6-10 seeded team in the west rather than a 1-5 and serious contender.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Doughty has always been a player I tolerate because of his immense talent, but don’t personally care for one way or the other.

He’s almost completely lost me. That was pathetic. Last chance.

Blake needs to sit down with him immediately and explain the mountains he has been moving, and will continue to move, to mould a team that allows for Doughty’s future here to exist. And what the expectations are in turn for such a financial committment.

 

[LAKings88]

Competitive is what you want to see from a team on the way up. It does a franchise no good to just be competitive when your top players are 30+ years of age.

Hence the influx of youth. These guys aren’t 35. I just think the trade everyone away talk is premature. I don’t think you will get any guarantee returns in prospects or picks. The picks likely would be late first. Doughty is the only real piece that could bring value but you lose a top five defensive talent in the world to do so. I think this core could have a couple kicks at the can, if they stay healthy.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And the cheerleaders come in to dismiss it.

It's like Jim Fox has five HF accounts.

Those that complain about calls never talk about the ones in the Kings favor.

It's weak **** to try and pin this on the refs. End of story.

That's about enough of the personal attacks. You can be mad without those.

Doughty has always been a player I tolerate because of his immense talent, but don’t personally care for one way or the other.

He’s almost completely lost me. That was pathetic. Last chance.

Blake needs to sit down with him immediately and explain the mountains he has been moving, and will continue to move, to mould a team that allows for Doughty’s future here to exist. And what the expectations are in turn for such a financial committment.

I think this is a fantastic approach to it. Especially as it's gotten worse lately rather than better.

I also think Kopitar is a good yin to Doughty's yang. Kopitar is a talented enough player with a level enough head that I think he'll get through to Drew as well.

But like I said, I kind of like that they just get to sit and stew in this until next week. Did a lot of good over this stretch including 2/3 of the game today, and shotgunned themselves in the face for no real good god damn reason, which they'll hopefully learn from and will keep them focused and honest imo.

I feel a bit weird that I'm not too upset about this loss, but I feel like too much good has happened lately to let today completely undo it.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The issue is the regulation losses for the whole season. They now have 25, which is tied with Calgary, and they're tied with Calgary for 9th in the West in that particular stat. So even if they're better than Calgary, it might not matter. One team per season on average has made the playoffs in the West with 30+ regulation losses. They had maybe 6 to give before today, now down to 5, and this one shouldn't have been one of them.

Not the end of the world, and it's only a game, but since they can't beat western teams at home this season, games like today make their job that much more difficult.

Great post, and I totally agree, but going 6-3 is a .667 points percentage, and that would see them get 10ish wins in their last 16 games, getting them to 97 points. It's cutting it very close, I agree, and we need them to find ways to get to OT when losing.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

Great post, and I totally agree, but going 6-3 is a .667 points percentage, and that would see them get 10ish wins in their last 16 games, getting them to 97 points. It's cutting it very close, I agree, and we need them to find ways to get to OT when losing.

Today should've been at worst an OT loss but that penalty was veeeery questionable.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Also, i would add, that despite Doughty's behaviors (which i think comes from his hunger to win)
just like Quick's at times, that it's behaviors like these that make our team better than what we actually are

i don't blame Doughty, the refs did a piss poor job tonight, one of the worst ive seen in recent memory

i don't think that if Doughboy would have had a cool calm behavior that he'd become the elite player that he is today

it comes with the territory

His teammates, who are as elite, at least a few of them anyway, have at times tried to tell him to calm down when he gets riled up. Refs let players say a few words on penalty calls that the vast majority of players never agree with, but there's a line. Going over it doesn't help anyone. Plant the seed that they made a bad call, and the ref might even agree. Just don't keep dogging them about it.

There's a difference between a drive and desire to be great with the talent you have, and losing you wits.

 

[BigKing]

That's about enough of the personal attacks. You can be mad without those.



I think this is a fantastic approach to it. Especially as it's gotten worse lately rather than better.

I also think Kopitar is a good yin to Doughty's yang. Kopitar is a talented enough player with a level enough head that I think he'll get through to Drew as well.

But like I said, I kind of like that they just get to sit and stew in this until next week. Did a lot of good over this stretch including 2/3 of the game today, and shotgunned themselves in the face for no real good god damn reason, which they'll hopefully learn from and will keep them focused and honest imo.

I feel a bit weird that I'm not too upset about this loss, but I feel like too much good has happened lately to let today completely undo it.

Everyone needs cheerleaders. I appreciate everyone who is; however, there comes a time when a spade needs to be called a spade.

There is really no excuse for today. Those that want to argue on Doughty's behalf should just pack up and come back another day.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Doughty not available for media?

If true, that's utter horseshit.

Then again, doubt any of our media would have had the balls to grill him anyway.

Lose-lose.