i'd like to see Brown and Frolov together again for at least another game.
Yeah, and I would prefer to keep Williams with Smyth and Kopitar when he's healthy, but I wouldn't be opposed to seeing what Justin could do with Stoll and Purcell.
I think Murray is a little obsessed with that traditional playmaker-saftey valve-grinder line composition. While it is important to stick to the same systematic approach, I would prefer to give the opposition some different things to look at from line to line and force some better matchups.
I think Drewiske, as solid of a dude as he is, is going to get injured at some point this season. He can't protect himself from hits for squat...the dude leaves himself open to at least one highlight-reel big hit from the opposition every game. That's gonna wear on him as the season goes on.
I think he's also taken atleast a penalty in the last 4 or 5 games, if not two.
Does anyone else think that Purcell is still being affected by the flu? He doesn't look like an NHL'er right now. If the right deal came along, I wouldn't be surprised if they dealt him.
Dallas isn't that good of a team anymore. Kind of frustrating to give them one point out of that game.
I think they are actually better than they are given credit for sometimes. Neal and Benn have really rounded out their top 6, and they now have two good scoring lines in Richards-Neal-Erisksson and Ribeiro-Benn-Morrow. When Lehtinen and Modano come back, they will have some solid veteran depth too. I am a big fan of Ott too.
Their d is a little young, and their goaltending can be a bit shakey, but they should be i nthe chase thru the spring.
I think they are actually better than they are given credit for sometimes. Neal and Benn have really rounded out their top 6, and they now have two good scoring lines in Richards-Neal-Erisksson and Ribeiro-Benn-Morrow. When Lehtinen and Modano come back, they will have some solid veteran depth too. I am a big fan of Ott too.
Their d is a little young, and their goaltending can be a bit shakey, but they should be i nthe chase thru the spring.
Eh, they're asking a lot of Benn and Neal this year and they will both have to come through in a big way for them to make the playoffs. Ribeiro is a slick playmaker, but after that I think he has some holes in his game.
Turco is extremely shaky and the defense is just ok. When I look at the rosters of these two teams, Dallas is a team the Kings should handle on a pretty regular basis.
He got a Blake-worthy booing when they showed him on the jumbotron.
Actually, for a pretty sparse crowd, everyone was pretty loud... though I almost jumped off the railing a few times from those clappers they handed out. When everyone was shaking them it looked like a sea wriggling sperm.
Drewiske was nails the one time he was put on the power play. Just sayin'
Speaking off the PP, I LOVE Doughty and Johnson switching off playing the full 2 minutes. And yes, Drewiske looked good on the PP. Better than Stoll...
Dallas isn't that good of a team anymore. Kind of frustrating to give them one point out of that game.
My thoughts exactly. I am very happy to see that our leaders (A, A and C) mentioned the same thing after the game. They felt bad because of the point they gave to Dallas. It is obvious that Kopitar is a big team player, but even I was surprised how genuinely disturbed he was by falling back after he scored a freaking hat trick. Rare to see in NHL, many guys wouldn't even know what the final score was.
Decent at times, but if we had to get rid of one for a 'true' second line center, I would dump Stoll in a heartbeat over Zues. Felt that way for a long time now.
Stoll wasn't bad, and he made some really strong plays, but I don't think he really fits on this team anymore.
Stoll has been playing a good game and has a bomb from the point on the PP. I do agree that an upgrade at 2nd line center is due, but I will take Stoll for now.
He fits into TM style of play, so he should stick around
quick seems to let a lot of shots from far away go in. why the hell is that?
Bottom line he goes down too soon, which is a bad habit or crutch that goalies can get into to cover the lower portion of the net. He needs to see where the shot the shot is going before he makes a move, not just anticipate a shot and go down.
Watched the last two periods on DVR after my game. One word: Scary.
Scary good: Kopitar
Scary bad: losing a 3 goal lead.
I thought Frolov looked much sharper and his puck possession gave Dallas (as it does most teams) fits down low.
Doughty and JMFJ looked good, and I particularly like how Johnson is finding ways to get his shots through, but they need to be lower shots fro the wings to capitalize on rebounds.
Drewiske: does anyone realize he is leading the team in plus/minus? He is solid defensively, and the only knock on him is that he leaves himself open to being hit. However, its usually when he absorbs a hit to make a play, or clear the puck. I like that he is not afraid to take a hit. How many guys on the team can you say that about?
Stoll needs more (or less) meds. I think this arthritis thing may be affecting him more than he is willing to admit.
Simmonds was very good tonight and I would be far remiss to not single out out the CAPTAIN, DUSTIN BROWN, as a playerr that had a great game.
Both Zues and Smyth also played well, and how can you not appreciate a guy who score the game winner in OT, even it 99% of the goalies stop that shot 99% of the time!
Purcell was not on tonight, and he needs to make his plays quicker, more decisively. The talent is there, but maybe he needs more of the Frolov treatment (or is Frolov the only one who that is reserved for?)
Finally, Jonathon Quick must recall that his job is the same no matter the score, and in fact, when his team is leading, a cheapie goal can be very detrimental to the team psyche. He looked downright awful in the third and even late in the second too. Scuds saved a goal when Quick had no idea where the puck went. Many here are talking about his ability on long shots, I am seeing a lot less rebound control than last season too. That must change for him to carry us through a whole season.
Lucky (gritty?) win for the boys, who better pick up their third period play, if they want to avenge that first game loss to desert dogs come Saturday night.
Wait... now saying a player could play better when they could and played well when they do is worth raging over?
I'm glad the team's attitude isn't "well we won so everything is fine".
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabwat
why?
i still like Quick fine. i just think he was pretty stinky tonight. he could have the game of Jacques Plante's career against Phoenix and lose 3-0, and i'll praise him just the same.
More in response to the calls to bring up Bernier and such.
It's something fundamentally wrong with Quick's game, which is the scary thing. He's extremely strong down low, because he's flexible and can really stretch out his body. But he tends to do that at every shot, which opens up his top corners really, really big.
I thought our defense played above average if not very solidly. Goaltending will truly haunt this team all season, which sucks.
I'm not ready to jump on the call up Bernier bandwagon, regardless of his stats in the AHL. But Quick needs to get it together, and fast. Because the Kings are only going to get lucky like this so many times before Quick solely loses us a game, and it's a downward spiral from there.
Its called goaltending 2009. Goaltenders protect low there are no more stand up goalies. So the new breed of great goaltenders will be 6'-3" and above butterfly and you need a perfect shot high or rebound to beat them. Quick is listed 6'-1" but I doubt he reaches 6' because I'm 5-11 and taller than Quick. The shot by Benn is a perfect example of a shot that beats goalies now. Is it a soft goal? Yes, but the percentages are better protecting low when traffic is in front.
