Not having a #1 center right now is what's hurting this team the most. It's clear as day. We have good goaltending, good defense, and a good bottom 9.
Kopitar has proven many times in the past that he, himself, is the determining factor in whether or not he's producing. It's not the system, it's not his linemates, it's HIM.
If he's injured (which I doubt), then he needs to sit.
All this Kopitar bashing makes me wonder, with Schenn in the minors and Stoll signed for another year-is there any possibility the Spezza rumor is straight up for Kopi?
How many games would you be willing to forfeit to send a message?
Actually, healthy scratching Dustin Brown may send shock waves through this team. If he sleep walks through the Washington game it would be nice to see some accountability from somebody other than Westgarth and Richardson.
The opposition doesn't have to worry about anyone but Kopitar. He can be shaowed by 2 guys. I can not recall Brown's name being mentioned.
Loktionov only has alot of space because quite frankly, the other teams don't pay him much mind.
Sure, Kopitar could be more assertive...but until the attention is drawn away from him, he will continue to struggle. Sturm or Parse won't be the answer either.
The opposition doesn't have to worry about anyone but Kopitar. He can be shaowed by 2 guys. I can not recall Brown's name being mentioned.
Loktionov only has alot of space because quite frankly, the other teams don't pay him much mind.
Sure, Kopitar could be more assertive...but until the attention is drawn away from him, he will continue to struggle. Sturm or Parse won't be the answer either.
The other team doesn't have to focus on him because he defers at the first opportunity almost every time.
[Rant]
If this continues we need to let Schenn develop into the #1 Center position and Loktionov at #2.
Trade Kopitar and Brown for whatever you can get.[/Rant]
I was chastised for suggesting this during the 2-10 skid. I think one of them needs to go. I'd rather part with Brown than Kopitar but Kopitar will be the bigger return. I wouldn't trade either just for the sake of trading them but for the right deal, both should be considered. Both of them have been coasting most of the season and as players that are supposed to be leaders, both are doing a very poor job of leading or doing much of anything.
Im amazed at the number of people that compare Kopitar to Crosby due to both having poor linemates. It just doesnt make any sense, since Kopitar isnt the best player in the world, which kind of sets him apart from Crosby
Kopitar is 7th in centre scoring, and with the exception of Crosby, everyone above him and say down to 15th behind him all play with better linemates (Taking into account that most of Keslers points have come on the pp with the Sedins)
Just look at who he is ahead of scoring wise. He is ahead of Toews, who has the luxury of playing with a Kane/Sharp/Hossa (im not sure which 1 plays on his line), Backstrom who plays with that ovechkin guy, Richards and Carter who play on 2nd highest scoring team in the league, Thornton who plays with 2 50 goal scorers, he has a higher ppg than Getzlaf who also plays with 2 great wingers.
Kopitar is beating them despite being the only offensive spearhead on his line. Ye there are still places he can improve, but he is also still only 23? He will still get better
You also have the situation where if Kopitar isnt putting the puck in the net, you know that he is at least responsible on the ice so goals aren't being conceded while he is out there either
He just needs someone he can trust on his line. He had chemistry when Brown was playing well at the start of the season, but since Brown has taken a step back, Kopitar is all alone out there with no real faith in his linemates.
People thinking of trading Brown are also hilarious, there aren't many better bang for your buck contracts in the league than Brown's.
Sorry to come off so harsh. I didn't mean to, but really? JJ for the Leafs pick who probably won't be getting the first overall? (And I'm not sure why you quoted the same thing twice in a row).
Hhahaha. People are blaming Westgarth and we lost by one goal in OT because of a bad read by Jack Johnson. Hilarious.
You are the one that refuses to address their record with him in the line up. You don't seem to understand that dressing Westgarth messes with the flow of the game because they can't afford to have him out there more than 5 minutes a game. I'm not saying they win last nights game without him, but the team plays better without him in the line up. The proof is in the pudding but you choose to ignore it.
Jack Johnson made an error last night that costs the Kings the game, you are right. The fact of the matter is Jack Johnson should have never been in that position. This team lacks a killer instinct on all fronts... even your lover Westgarth doesn't have a killer instinct. What kind of chicken **** enforcer throws punches to the body? That is bush league **** right there. What is he trying to rope-a-dope in a hockey fight? Give me a ****ing break.
Hey at least the players felt protected last night. They certainly played like it! The team plays better when they feel like they need to watch out for themselves apparently. They gotta get their big boy pants on.
Kopitar is beating them despite being the only offensive spearhead on his line. Ye there are still places he can improve, but he is also still only 23? He will still get better
It ain't about points man. Would you rather have Toews or Kopitar leading this team? That is the point. Toews gets it done when it matters. He has the jewelry to prove it. Can Kopitar get there? I suppose but you can't really teach the killer instinct that players like Toews and Crosby have. They are competitors first, great hockey players second.
You are the one that refuses to address their record with him in the line up. You don't seem to understand that dressing Westgarth messes with the flow of the game because they can't afford to have him out there more than 5 minutes a game. I'm not saying they win last nights game without him, but the team plays better without him in the line up. The proof is in the pudding but you choose to ignore it.
Jack Johnson made an error last night that costs the Kings the game, you are right. The fact of the matter is Jack Johnson should have never been in that position. This team lacks a killer instinct on all fronts... even your lover Westgarth doesn't have a killer instinct. What kind of chicken **** enforcer throws punches to the body? That is bush league **** right there. What is he trying to rope-a-dope in a hockey fight? Give me a ****ing break.
Hey at least the players felt protected last night. They certainly played like it! The team plays better when they feel like they need to watch out for themselves apparently. They gotta get their big boy pants on.
Is this English?
The Kings lost because of Jack Johnson...harsh to say. Westgarth didn't misread that play with less than a minute left in OT.
Westy fought Engelland after he leveled Smyth and came to the aid in a scrum when Mike Rupp was messing with Quick. Westy did his job last night, whether you like it or not.
The Kings lost because of Jack Johnson...harsh to say. Westgarth didn't misread that play with less than a minute left in OT.
Hey,
So do you think the Kings played good up until that point? Of course Westgarth didn't misread that play. He was busy intimidating and keeping people honest... on the bench. There should have never been an overtime. The fact that it got that far is pretty disappointing to me but I guess that is success to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Utah
Westy fought Engelland after he leveled Smyth and came to the aid in a scrum when Mike Rupp was messing with Quick. Westy did his job last night, whether you like it or not.
And the Kings lost. The Kings seem to lose a lot while Westgarth does his job.
Those were some heavy body shots he was throwing. I bet Engelland probably lost his breath for a minute! YOu know Engelland was nervous the rest of the night because he knew at any moment Westgarth might punch him in the gut again.
Last edited by TonySCV: 02-11-2011 at 01:54 PM.
Reason: inflammatory remarks removed
So do you think the Kings played good up until that point? Of course Westgarth didn't misread that play. He was busy intimidating and keeping people honest... on the bench. There should have never been an overtime. The fact that it got that far is pretty disappointing to me but I guess that is success to you.
And the Kings lost. The Kings seem to lose a lot while Westgarth does his job.
Those were some heavy body shots he was throwing. I bet Engelland probably lost his breath for a minute! YOu know Engelland was nervous the rest of the night because he knew at any moment Westgarth might punch him in the gut again.
It set the tone for the whole game. Pens had Engelland and Rupp, guys who are bigger and a weight class above Clifford or Simmonds. Kings showed they would answer the bell and would not take the abuse or getting run out of the Pens building.
We lost, but we didn't pummeled. In 50 more seconds it would've gone to a shootout. Can't blame Westgarth for everything....Poni and Lewis were invisble too. What about Brown? Kopitar? Johnson?
Actually, Ponikarovsky has been the worst. Take him out and put Richardson in. We paid 3.5 million for this?
Last edited by TonySCV: 02-11-2011 at 01:55 PM.
Reason: inflammatory remarks removed
It set the tone for the whole game. Pens had Engelland and Rupp, guys who are bigger and a weight class above Clifford or Simmonds. Kings showed they would answer the bell.
We lost, but we didn't get run over. Can't blame Westgarth for everything....Poni and Lewis were invisble too. What about Brown? Kopitar? Johnson?
Did you miss where I said the game never should have gone to OT? Brown and Kopitar were lousy and a big part for the Kings woes. But even you can't refute the record without Westgarth in the lineup. The team seems to be able to overcome their top players performing poorly when they can roll 4 lines.
I never have blamed Westgarth for everything. I (and think most around here) believe the team has their best chance to win without him in the line up. You seem to be ok with losing just as long as there is somebody there to answer the bell. I want to see the team make the playoffs.
Last edited by TonySCV: 02-11-2011 at 01:54 PM.
Reason: inflammatory remarks removed
Did you miss where I said the game never should have gone to OT? Brown and Kopitar were lousy and a big part for the Kings woes. But even you can't refute the record without Westgarth in the lineup. The team seems to be able to overcome their top players performing poorly when they can roll 4 lines.
I never have blamed Westgarth for everything. I (and think most around here) believe the team has their best chance to win without him in the line up. You seem to be ok with losing just as long as there is somebody there to answer the bell. I want to see the team make the playoffs.
I want to see them in the playoffs too....but in a visitors building with tough players you have to sacrifice speed for toughness to keep the opposition from running around.
Richardson, Lewis, Poni, Westy....none of them are game changing. Kings should've smoked the injury riddled Pens....
I want to see them in the playoffs too....but in a visitors building with tough players you have to sacrifice speed for toughness to keep the opposition from running around.
Richardson, Lewis, Poni, Westy....none of them are game changing. Kings should've smoked the injury riddled Pens....
You are right, none are game changing. They do allow our game changers to rest by playing more than 5 minutes a game. It is pointless to argue this with you. THe fact of the matter is I agree with you quite a bit about the toughness thing, I'm just willing to overlook that for the sake of the team making the playoffs. I don't think this team will make the playoffs if the continue to dress Westgarth regularly. Again, the proof is in the pudding. I don't think their record without Westgarth is a coincidence. You do. Case closed. I'll let you know where I'm sitting next game and you can do whatever it is you plan to do.
We're undefeated in regulation in our past seven games (5-0-2) and people want to trade our franchise forward? What?
I'm not advocating getting rid of him for the sake of it but I'm absolutely not against it for the right player(s). I'm not sold on Kopitar being the #1 center that will lead the Kings to the Cup. That is all I'm saying.
