Our powerplay is bunk, Doughty is really missed right now
Quote:
Originally Posted by William H Bonney
- Our defensemen really need to stop winding up for huge slap shots every time they shoot. Even when they don't actually take a slap shot, they fake it; quick low wrist shots are never a bad idea, especially with guys like Handzus, Smyth, and Brown on the team. Someone from the Kings video team needs to make a compilation of Lidstrom and Rafalski shooting from the point and make all of our defenders sit there and watch it on repeat.
This is my biggest problem with JJ. He gets the puck at the point, and almost everytime, rather than snapping off a quick wrister or a half slapper, he fakes a slap shot, allowing the goalie to get into position and see it. The big slap shot is not the killer that everyone thinks it is. Far more effective is the low wrist shot, allowing for rebounds, and getting through far more often as well.
I think that soon, many players covering him on the point will pick up his tendency to fake a shot first and it will cost us a short handed goal or a out numbered rush.
STOP HESTITATING JJ and get the shot to the NET, QUICKLY. Thats how the best of 'em do it.
Agreed. He needs to stop with the head fakes from the point too. It just allows the forward to close him down and force a weak pass to the boards or a blocked shot.
Mitchell seems to only wind up for big slap shots too. Quincey was so good at just wristing the puck as soon as he got it and let the forwards crash the net.
Bernier has been pretty decent. And on that third goal, you don't give the NHL goal leader a look like that. Sure, he whiffed and missed, but you give a great goal scorer an opportunity like that, he'll bury it almost half the time, regardless of who is in net.
How quickly we turn on our goalies. I'm not here to defend Bernier at all. He hasn't been great, but the team isn't playing great in front of him either. He's played 3 games, 2 of which the Kings scored 1 goal each. How is he supposed to win those?
That being said, he needs to learn to be a backup and that will come. We're 10 games in, let him get used to the NHL. He has gone from playing all 10 games normally in his career to playing 3. As you notice, he always looks more comfortable in the later periods.
It's not like his stats are terrible: GAA of 2.68 and a save % of .910. Some teams at this point would love their #1 to be playing with those numbers.
Also, just because Quick and Bernier have two totally different styles doesn't mean one style is better than the other. Bernier relies on the technical aspect, Quick on reflexes.
The Kings goaltending has been fine. It hasn't been stellar at all times, but the goalies are giving the team a chance to win each and every night. I remember when...
If we can get a win tonight, it'll be a very good road trip.. especially without drew. Also, does anyone have a video on Jack Johnson's hit on Hossa? I'd love to watch that again
If we can get a win tonight, it'll be a very good road trip.. especially without drew. Also, does anyone have a video on Jack Johnson's hit on Hossa? I'd love to watch that again
Dallas is always a more rough and tumble game. Makes sense on paper to dress Westgarth, though it remains to be seen if he accomplishes anything out there.
The big slap shot is not the killer that everyone thinks it is. Far more effective is the low wrist shot, allowing for rebounds, and getting through far more often as well.
Are you insinuating we reinstate "all-star" Modry?
They don't know if that play is when he got hurt. He may have been hurt before that. Hossa has a history of shoulder issues and maybe this was not completely healed. I am just glad it wasn't another head issue. The NHL has had a lot of them so far this year.
Quote:
Coach Joel Quenneville handed out the bad news following Thursday's practice, but did add that Hossa's injury would not require surgery.
"I don't know if it was (from) a defining hit or anything like that," Quenneville said of Hossa's injury. "You can't really tell. It's tough to see or say when it exactly was."
Last edited by William H Bonney: 10-28-2010 at 07:14 PM.
Reason: removed qp
As a Kings fan originally from Montreal I've got to say that the goaltender competition is detrimental. Some people will like Quick's style, some will like Bernier's style (although, if we're being honest, there's probably a lot of America vs Canada going on, like with Drew and JJ). Let's not make this a Price/Halak thing. Quick is great, yeah, but that doesn't change how good Bernier is.
I could see this much talk about goaltending being reasonable if Bernier was outplaying Quick by a lot but, talking about how an experienced goalie is better than a rookie is laughable.
Bernier's play is great, he's very technically sound. He's also a bit jumpy, unfortunately and is used to being the best player on the ice, which he isn't. He also needs to get used to NHL speed when it comes to lateral movement and just shots. Let's give him more than 6 games before talking about Ersberg and the AHL.
Bernier's play is great, he's very technically sound. He's also a bit jumpy, unfortunately and is used to being the best player on the ice, which he isn't. He also needs to get used to NHL speed when it comes to lateral movement and just shots. Let's give him more than 6 games before talking about Ersberg and the AHL.
Good take on Bernier about being used to being the best player on the ice and along with speed and other factors the NHL brings to a Rookie goalie. It can be an adjustment, he has time to figure it out, and I suspect when the season goes a long, he will get better and won't be "jumpy" as you say.
Bernier has all the tools obviously, just needs to get the mental repetitions in this league in order to master it.
