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Pre-Game Talk: SCF Game 5: NY Rangers @ LA Kings

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Ziggy Stardust said:
The last time Kopitar scored a goal was in the second round against the Ducks, the 6-2 drubbing in Game 7. Since then, Kopitar has had 7 assists over the past 11 games against the Hawks and Rangers.

He needs to step it up in order for the Kings to win this series. He's gone too long without contributing offensively. Yes, he's doing a hell of a job with his two-way play, but he's the #1 C who is expected to be the driving force offensively.

They've been winning games despite his lack of production. It's amazing that he still leads the playoffs in scoring despite his recent struggles. Goes to show you how dominant he was in the first two rounds as opposed to the last two rounds.

Also worth noting that Kopitar had zero shots on goal last night, when the Kings had 40+ shots in Lundqvist.
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1 goal in that last 18 games as well. It's just another December/January goal scoring slump for Kopitar, where he's just not pushing the puck toward the net. The Kings are where they are, so you don't want to get too crazy about it. At the same time...gah. You want to reach through the TV and give him a nudge to the center of the ice instead of the boards. I know teams take that option away from him more times than not though.

The Kings need to get skating. Move the feet. Use the body along the boards, not the stick. Skate through the puck, not just to the puck. Win board battles. Get to the front of the net.

No more early turnovers. First seconds of Game 4, Doughty turns it over with a weak pass, and the Rangers have an immediate 2 on 1. Don't make yourself chase the game when it starts. That's why the Kings are falling behind all the time. Rangers have speed, they're going to cause a few turnovers, but like the Doughty play, they're not all because of the speed.
 
Julius Caesar Milan said:
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i hope kings will be -1 tomorrow after the 1st. not -2, or even -3, just -1. to wake up while there's still a chance, rangers will park their little helloween train after the first lead infront of henrik's net. lennox lewis once said he's asleep in every first round, slow bones, only hard shots waking him up. lak acting in a same way, first 20 min nothing. that's a pattern so far.
 
Ron said:
Wish I had your confidence.

My feeling is the Kings are definitely superior to the Rangers. Having said that, I just find a 15-10 record in the playoffs substandard. I'm not used to such mediocrity.* The Kings of 2012 spoiled me rotten.

*I know, I know...I know. I have followed this team when I wished we were as GOOD as MEDIOCRITY.
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16-4, and especially up 3-0 in every series isn't a thing that happens. You can't let that spoil you.

Nobody still knows what happened in those first two games against SJ. The worst 2 games any team has played in the playoffs this year. Since then, they're 15-8, which is winning 2 of every 3 games. Considering the competition, that's pretty good.

They've been sloppy at times through most of the playoffs though. You wish they could cut down on that a bit more, but they are where they are. They're up 3-1 in the Final with a chance to win the Cup on home ice. As of today, at pretty much any point during this season, that would be a situation you want every day of the week.

It's right there for this team, they just have to take it. They haven't been great in every close out game over the years, but there is another team out there that wants to win just as much. It would be nice if they could finish this thing tomorrow.
 
KingsFan7824 said:
1 goal in that last 18 games as well. It's just another December/January goal scoring slump for Kopitar, where he's just not pushing the puck toward the net. The Kings are where they are, so you don't want to get too crazy about it. At the same time...gah. You want to reach through the TV and give him a nudge to the center of the ice instead of the boards. I know teams take that option away from him more times than not though.

The Kings need to get skating. Move the feet. Use the body along the boards, not the stick. Skate through the puck, not just to the puck. Win board battles. Get to the front of the net.

No more early turnovers. First seconds of Game 4, Doughty turns it over with a weak pass, and the Rangers have an immediate 2 on 1. Don't make yourself chase the game when it starts. That's why the Kings are falling behind all the time. Rangers have speed, they're going to cause a few turnovers, but like the Doughty play, they're not all because of the speed.
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Great post and perception. I so wish that Kopitar would get off the half wall on the PP and get to the middle and in front of the net more. He's always looking for Gabby even when he has a shot. This may sound stupid, but I really wish one of is teammates would just tell him "how many are you gonna bury tonight? 2, 3? I bet you could get 3 on Hank tonight" Kopi would probably be shocked. Get it in his head that he is an elite GOAL SCORER. He can be. He obviously has confidence in every other area of the game. I think one aspect is that he lacks confidence to score, or at least not enough. When he's in the shootout, he does have confidence going in, or on breakaways. Otherwise, he doesn't seem to. Not critical, the guy is awesome and I wear his jersey to the AVs games in Denver. I just wish he would take it upon himself to HUNGER to score goals.

I thought it was great that Doughty said in an interview a few weeks ago - how everyone is important on the team and how everyone MUST have utmost confidence in their game and each other. So true. Why not tell him to go bury some? I think it's in his head, that Gabby, Carter and others put the puck in the net. That he may chip one in here and there. That's the mindset I think he has.
 
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I'm pretty amazed at how confident everyone here is that we're going to win tomorrow. Unless it's the Blues we're not very good at closing out series', I'm pretty nervous about tomorrow. We don't win and it's a 3-2 series going back to NY, don't like that idea at all...
 
I think a lot of you guys/gals are more confident then I am. This years team is literally up and down win a few and lose a few and I don't even know what to expect tomorrow especially when the Rangers have been up in three of the four games. Someone help ease the anxiety cuz I'm just nervous as HELL!
 
Rangers are trash. Most of there goals have been off Kings mistakes and Hank and the Snow bailing them out. The Kings will come out on top.
 
Brettb1234 said:
I'm pretty amazed at how confident everyone here is that we're going to win tomorrow. Unless it's the Blues we're not very good at closing out series', I'm pretty nervous about tomorrow. We don't win and it's a 3-2 series going back to NY, don't like that idea at all...
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I'd say difference is this time is that the team has been improving as the series has gone on and New York has gotten worse. Last two games the Kings stopped the track-meet style they started playing late in the Chicago series and played Kings hockey. I'm nervous also, but I'm confident that if they bring it again like these last two games, they'll be lifting the cup.
 
Kopitar 2 Brown said:
I'd say difference is this time is that the team has been improving as the series has gone on and New York has gotten worse. Last two games the Kings stopped the track-meet style they started playing late in the Chicago series and played Kings hockey. I'm nervous also, but I'm confident that if they bring it again like these last two games, they'll be lifting the cup.
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Not sure why I didn't notice it until you pointed it out but the Kings have gotten better as this series has gone on. It's just hard to look at the previous series' (including 2012/2013) and be REALLY confident that we win tomorrow. I'm confident too but we all know hockey can be weird and you don't always win even if you dominate (like last night). Also don't like that 3 of the 4 games we've gone down 2-0, we really need to stop doing that...
 
Ron said:
Wish I had your confidence.

My feeling is the Kings are definitely superior to the Rangers. Having said that, I just find a 15-10 record in the playoffs substandard. I'm not used to such mediocrity.* The Kings of 2012 spoiled me rotten.

*I know, I know...I know. I have followed this team when I wished we were as GOOD as MEDIOCRITY.
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No, I'm just confident because I know this team can play a full game at the level that they played in the period & a half that they played in game 4. I don't really give a crap about prior stats. This team has made history so many times this Cup run. It really is a special group. I truly have full confidence this series ends tomorrow. The Rangers are playing an extra game only because of 2 pucks that sat on the goal line.
 
Ron said:
Wish I had your confidence.

My feeling is the Kings are definitely superior to the Rangers. Having said that, I just find a 15-10 record in the playoffs substandard. I'm not used to such mediocrity.* The Kings of 2012 spoiled me rotten.

*I know, I know...I know. I have followed this team when I wished we were as GOOD as MEDIOCRITY.
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Does not matter if they get to 12 loses as long as they get 16 wins. You are very spoiled. :)
 
;)
Ron said:
I'm going to say it again.

They didn't have the desire to go to Vancouver for a 5th game. (2012)
They didn't have the desire to go to Phoenix for a 5th game. (2012)
They didn't have the desire to go to New Jersey for a 5th game. (2012)
They didn't have the desire to go to Chicago for a 7th game. (2014)

For all we that we gush over this team (and believe me, there is plenty to gush over), one thing they don't do very well is close teams out. Their record in close out games is not commensurate with their otherwise outstanding record in the playoffs in the past three seasons:

2012: 4-4 (other games, 12-0) (lol)
2013: 2-1 (other games, 7-8)
2014: 3-3 (so far) (other games, 12-7)

So, from their total playoff record over the past three seasons of 40-23 (.635), they are 9-8 in close out games (.529) and 31-15 otherwise (.674).
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Whatever with your "stats" and "facts". Information, historically, has never done anyone any good so stop being a Barbara Bummer. ;)
 
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Meh, doesn't really matter what we think or what anyone else thinks. We've seen the Kings set all kinds of records from the 2012 run and with the recent run as well.

We can be optimistic, pessimistic, stressed out, confident (sometimes overconfident), concerned, etc., but seeing the crap we've been through as fans, not just during this playoff run but in our lifetime as Kings fans, I've learned to be prepared for anything.

Worrying over these games is just putting unwanted stress on yourself. No matter how anyone feels, it's out of our control, so just sit back and enjoy what's to come.

Of course there will be a whole lot of disappointment if they're not successful tomorrow and we'll try to figure out what went wrong, but hopefully we won't be having that conversation and we'll all be too busy celebrating.

They're one win away from lifting their second Stanley Cup in three years. When did we ever think we'd be saying that? Saw how close they came last year to reaching the Finals until they ran into the juggernaut that was the 2013 Blackhawks who pretty much tore the league up from Game 1 of the abbreviated season all the way to their Cup win when they scored two quick goals in the final minute of Game 6 in the Cup Final.

And look at how both Hawks Stanley Cup wins have come on the road. Big opportunity for the Kings to do something special in front of their wives, kids, families, friends and 18,000+ rabid fans inside Staples Center and countless others watching from home (or sports bars). Less than twenty more hours to go for puck drop!
 
after watching the highlights again, his majesty got beat twice on goals he should have got a better piece of and only a snowstorm behind him prevented him from losing.

I would be shocked if the Rags took it to the Kings and steal the game by dominating, the only way the Kings lose is if they beat themselves and I don't see them doing it 4 games in a row.

JMO
 
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