GDT: GM #7 LA Kings vs Columbus Blue Jackets @4:00 PST #SavetheCrew

[SettlementRichie10]

Someone showed Kopitar Kings17 post history.

 

[KopitarFAN]

I don't believe in +/- as a legit stat, but it's pretty funny that Kopi and Brown are 1st and 2nd league-wide.

EDIT: Tied for 1st.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Didn't get to watch the game. Looked like a real barn burner. Great test for the Kings and they come away with the win.

 

[Kingsfan1]

Who was the Dman that had his face pushed through the boards? I get all these new guys numbers confused, 5,7 ,25, 79 It makes my head hurt

Folin

 

[KINGS17]

Someone showed Kopitar Kings17 post history.

Hey, if that's what finally lit a fire under his ass, I'm fine with it. I doubt it has anything to do with me questioning his value relative to his contract.

He is off to a great start as is Dustin Brown. At some point they will both taper off. We can't expect either of them to be 80-point players this season. Pearson and Toffoli need to pick up the slack when Brown and Kopitar's production returns to something resembling their averages.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Brown and Kopitar are the big stories right now.

But what I really like is the steady secondary production. The defence is involved, Lewis continues to do his thing, Cammalleri quietly chipping in another assist. Kempe gets robbed on that breakaway... glad to see him continuing to create offensive opportunities.

 

[guderian]

It's sure fun to have back those 6-4 wins, love it so far.
Kopitar is like best player in a league atm, just looks godly. I missed that for so long.
And I am so happy Brown is shownig he is not done, really happy for him and Kings.

But Kings17 has good point. It's great Kopitar and Brown are scoring and look unstoppable, but if Pearson and Toffoli can't get going Kings will be in trouble very soon. Just like they were couple of years ago when Pearson/Carter/Toffoli line was blasting everybody for a month or so but 1st line was MIA almost all year. When that line went cold Kings were done. Carter's injurie doesn't help at all.

 

[Kingsfan1]

It's sure fun to have back those 6-4 wins, love it so far.
Kopitar is like best player in a league atm, just looks godly. I missed that for so long.
And I am so happy Brown is shownig he is not done, really happy for him and Kings.

But Kings17 has good point. It's great Kopitar and Brown are scoring and look unstoppable, but if Pearson and Toffoli can't get going Kings will be in trouble very soon. Just like they were couple of years ago when Pearson/Carter/Toffoli line was blasting everybody for a month or so but 1st line was MIA almost all year. When that line went cold Kings were done. Carter's injurie doesn't help at all.

I know Pearson and Toffoli haven't looked all that good and Carter being hurt for sure isn't helping but Toffoli quietly has 5 pts in 7 and Pearson has 3 in 7. Could be much worse once they get going it'll be scarier how much better this team can play

 

[Sol]

As a life time kings fan, I am so happy with this new style of hockey. I haven't had this much fun watching the Kings in such a long time. I am actually rewatching highlights. So happy Sutter and Lombardi are gone. The game is fun, team is scoring. Everything just seems a lot better and fun lol. Love seeing this.

 

[Statto]

I think it's fair to say Stevens isn't Sutter Lite as some were insisting after he was appointed. His approach is perfect for the NHL as it currently is and it's so much fun.

I liked what I saw from pretty much everyone as even though some guys are not scoring they aren't hurting us either. I'm fine with that. I thought Laich looked Okay, especially in the third. As long as he stays solid he could be some much needed experience in the bottom 6.

 

[LAKings88]

I am grateful to Sutter and DL. Obviously signs were there when Sutter was locked out. Probably should have been removed two seasons ago. I’m so used to structure that these games look hectic. I know it’s a knew structure but it’s been fun again. Even I felt blah about LA the last few years.

 

[TonySCV]

I will never have an ill word for Sutter and Lombardi. They did (twice) what NO ONE was ever able to do before.

That said, this is FAR more entertaining hockey to watch. Hope it translates to success in the playoffs as well, assuming the Kings can keep this up.

 

[The Tikkanen]

I will never have an ill word for Sutter and Lombardi. They did (twice) what NO ONE was ever able to do before.

That said, this is FAR more entertaining hockey to watch. Hope it translates to success in the playoffs as well, assuming the Kings can keep this up.

Agreed. If you have any complaints about this team so far you are really reaching to find something. This is the new NHL, no more tough barns, no more 2-1 games night in and night out. It's full speed, end to end as hard as a diamond in an ice storm. They look like they are playing as though they are recent 2 time champs, they have swagger, they have their mojo back. I'm all out of movie references.

 

[BigKing]

I've been in Italy since the 12th so I'm watching on delay. Great game to watch. Easily the win to be most excited about so far.

I just wanted them to be fun to watch this season. The winning has just been a bonus so far.

Sutter should have been gone after 2015. It was said by many at the time. His departure is the main reason for the turnaround. Credit Blake for closing on AI and Fantenburg but don't give too much as it was DL's staff that was already on these guys long before the firing. This is almost entirely due to the coaching change, although I'm interested to see how Blake navigates the season as he may be a buyer and not a seller, something I was definitely not expecting.

 

[Kings4thecup]

Hey, if that's what finally lit a fire under his ass, I'm fine with it. I doubt it has anything to do with me questioning his value relative to his contract.

He is off to a great start as is Dustin Brown. At some point they will both taper off. We can't expect either of them to be 80-point players this season. Pearson and Toffoli need to pick up the slack when Brown and Kopitar's production returns to something resembling their averages.

To be fair, no one expected the low point totals for them the last 2 seasons, either. Anything can happen, and as of this moment, they are playing like 80 point/season players. Hopefully it can be sustained though out the season. It's fun to actually watch the Kopitar we fell in love with. The last couple season he didn't have the compete level for the puck that he had in the past. When he had the puck, it was impossible to take it from him. He seems to have that back, as well as he skating into the high slot to accept passses, and doesn't seem to be afraid to shoot it.

There will definately be slumps during the season for these (and all) players, but a little change of philosophy and some confidence can go a long way. GKG!

 

[Kings4thecup]

Hey, if that's what finally lit a fire under his ass, I'm fine with it. I doubt it has anything to do with me questioning his value relative to his contract.

He is off to a great start as is Dustin Brown. At some point they will both taper off. We can't expect either of them to be 80-point players this season. Pearson and Toffoli need to pick up the slack when Brown and Kopitar's production returns to something resembling their averages.

To be fair, no one expected the low point totals for them the last 2 seasons, either. Anything can happen, and as of this moment, they are playing like 80 point/season players. Hopefully it can be sustained though out the season. It's fun to actually watch the Kopitar we fell in love with. The last couple season he didn't have the compete level for the puck that he had in the past. When he had the puck, it was impossible to take it from him. He seems to have that back, as well as he skating into the high slot to accept passses, and doesn't seem to be afraid to shoot it.

There will definately be slumps during the season for these (and all) players, but a little change of philosophy and some confidence can go a long way. GKG!

 

[Statto]

I don't believe in +/- as a legit stat, but it's pretty funny that Kopi and Brown are 1st and 2nd league-wide.

EDIT: Tied for 1st.

It's a great stat when used within context, appropriately. As a raw number, which is how it's normally used, it's meaningless.

 

[Statto]

I've been in Italy since the 12th so I'm watching on delay. Great game to watch. Easily the win to be most excited about so far.

I just wanted them to be fun to watch this season. The winning has just been a bonus so far.

Sutter should have been gone after 2015. It was said by many at the time. His departure is the main reason for the turnaround. Credit Blake for closing on AI and Fantenburg but don't give too much as it was DL's staff that was already on these guys long before the firing. This is almost entirely due to the coaching change, although I'm interested to see how Blake navigates the season as he may be a buyer and not a seller, something I was definitely not expecting.

You say that but... DL's scouts may have done the homework on Iaffalo and Fantenberg but they don't really fit the model under DL/DS, Iafallo especially. There are no guarantees that DL would have signed either player up as they are both, Iaffaolo especially, a much better fit for Stevens hockey rather than DS hockey.

I don't knock what DL and DS achieved for a second. I bought into the DL plan from day one and loved the guy, still do. However that ship has sailed it was time for a change and so far it seems to be the right change. Blake has done a great job so far, it would have been so easy not to sign Stevens and break away from the DL era completely when many expected it and plenty demanded it. So far it seem to be an inspired decision.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Its odd that Iafallo only has 3 assists while being on the same line.

He's good, but less involved than Brown and Kopi.

 

[driller1]

Its odd that Iafallo only has 3 assists while being on the same line.

He's good, but less involved than Brown and Kopi.

A lot of times he's doing the dirty work like winning a board battle, tipping a puck, or just pressuring the defense which causes a turnover and a resulting goal (without the statistical benefit). I think it's accurate to say his production isn't as high as what one might expect of playing on the top line, but he is certainly noticeable and involved on every play.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Its odd that Iafallo only has 3 assists while being on the same line.

He's good, but less involved than Brown and Kopi.

I wouldn't say that. Kopitar and Brown have gotten a few bounces, like Kopitar's one goal in SJ, or Brown's assist on Doughty's weird goal last night. Brown happened to get an EN goal. Kopitar has a SH assist. Kopitar's other goal in SJ was off a quick turnover. Brown's goal in SJ was a great shot, and Iafallo was driving the net. Brown had a couple deflection goals against Calgary, Iafallo assisted on one, and was like 5 feet from Brown on the other. He has the same amount of ES assists, and 1 fewer shot, than Kopitar.

Kopitar and Brown are just scoring on a ton of shots right now. Brown is at a career high sh% for a season, 7 games in, and Kopitar is doubling anything he's ever done over a full season at 33%. Hopefully, when Kopitar losses probably 50% of that production as the season goes on, Iafallo will pick up the slack a bit.

 

[BigKing]

You say that but... DL's scouts may have done the homework on Iaffalo and Fantenberg but they don't really fit the model under DL/DS, Iafallo especially. There are no guarantees that DL would have signed either player up as they are both, Iaffaolo especially, a much better fit for Stevens hockey rather than DS hockey.

I don't knock what DL and DS achieved for a second. I bought into the DL plan from day one and loved the guy, still do. However that ship has sailed it was time for a change and so far it seems to be the right change. Blake has done a great job so far, it would have been so easy not to sign Stevens and break away from the DL era completely when many expected it and plenty demanded it. So far it seem to be an inspired decision.

Point being DS was the problem as the players weren't happy and you can't fire them.

Stevens was always next up and it was an easy move to retain him IMO.

Credit Blake for not blowing it up and getting cute with a Dallas Eakins type hire.

 

[cyclones22]

The problem with marrying yourself to Sutter as DL did, is that you're confined to finding talent that Sutter will actually play. And again, Sutter is a legend and will always be held in high regard, but the pool of talent for a Sutter style player who can be successful in the NHL is limited. You resort to trying to mold a different style of player rather than adapting the team philosophy to fit the talent you can actually obtain.

I'm sure that the top line will eventually cool off, but the results aren't just a byproduct of better shooting percentages. There are articles on my Kings news feed which validate with shot charts what we've been seeing with our eyes, that the Kings are getting a ton of shots in the damn slot. That's not puck luck, that's a philosophical change on offense. The second line will heat up if they go to the net like the other lines have.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Any judgement of the team before game 20 is silly, but I do like the start so far.

 

[johnjm22]

The problem with marrying yourself to Sutter as DL did, is that you're confined to finding talent that Sutter will actually play. And again, Sutter is a legend and will always be held in high regard, but the pool of talent for a Sutter style player who can be successful in the NHL is limited. You resort to trying to mold a different style of player rather than adapting the team philosophy to fit the talent you can actually obtain.

This is the standard type of comment that people make about Sutter. Fact is, there's no specific type of player that can be successful under him or his "system".

Also, Sutter showed plenty of willingness to play unproven players.