Crawford interview
He talks about Blake, the Cammalleri-O'Sullivan-Frolov line, Armstrong, Frolov (who now has 54 points in 52 games), December's struggles, tomorrow's game against Chicago (remember, it's a 1 p.m. start), Ellis, Ersberg and (once again) Harrold.
On Blake practicing: ``It was nice to see. He looks pretty good right now. He told me the past few days the pain is becoming a little bit more tolerable. I'm interested to see what he has to say after today. I don’t think he'll be ready for tomorrow. I'd be surprised if he was. But I think we see now that next week is a possibility for sure.''
On sticking with the Cammalleri-O'Sullivan-Frolov line: ``For sure. Unfortunately, we have to do without Army here for a short period of time and those guys were terrific yesterday, they really were. They're feeling good about themselves today. The thing about Brown and kKopitar is they’ve had different linemates all year. Yesterday, I think Thornton did a good job. After his fight, Brian Willsie played few shifts with them and I think Brian played extremely well with them on the left side as well. If there’s a spot that’s probably favorable for any of our players, it would be to play on left side with those two guys. That would allow us to keep Cammy, Fro and Sully together.''
On Armstrong's injury: ``We don’t have the official word on it. We think it’s a knee sprain, though. We don’t think it’s anything further than that.''
On Frolov: ``Last night he showed great hands. The goals he scored looked almost effortless, but watch closer and you see the skill level he’s got. He’s a very talented player. He’s talented hanging onto the puck, he’s talented with his creativity and his shot is very good. If he’s in tight, when he has the opportunity, he knows what he’s doing. He’s had a great production season this year, and he has had to deal with a lot of soreness and a lot of issues. He’s feeling a lot better since he was out in early December.
``I think the whole month of December we were injury riddled, with Cammalleri being out for much of it, Frolov being out for much of it and LaBarbera being out for a great deal of it. That was the month that really killed us because we had that eight-game streak where we couldn’t get a save. When you can’t get a save and you’re missing a lot of you’re scoring punch, that adds up to making it difficult to find wins.
``We’re playing a lot better now. I’m pleased with how the group has competed. We’ve got to continue to compete hard. I think there’s a lot to be gained with each of these games. We’re going to be facing a desperate Chicago team tomorrow. They’ve got a lot of confidence after their shutout victory the other day. That’s a good challenge for us. It would be nice for us to go into the 3-4 days off with another victory. It’s going to take a lot of effort and desperation on our part, and we don’t have the natural desperation right now. We’ve got to manufacture it. We’ve got to rely on people coming with great dedication and real professionalism.''
On Ellis: ``I was pleased with how he practiced today. He’s a very conscientious kid. He seems like a very hard-working person. That’s what we heard about him and he definitely showed those attributes today. I would think he’ll play tomorrow.''
On Ersberg: ``I did like him today. It’s the first time I’ve liked him in practice. He looked like he was much more comfortable. I think for goalies the release happens quicker. The guy’s ability to get shots away in very short, confining time spaces is the big difference between the AHL and NHL. There’s probably a read element for the goaltender to read the release of the shooter. He looked like he was overwhelmed with it the first couple of days but today he looked a lot more comfortable.''
On Harrold: ``We love his competitiveness. For a guy who is not the biggest of defenseman, he is a very competitive, competitive person. We’ve tried to give him some of the intelligence of Modry. I think they read the play very similarly but Jaro knew I don’t need to go in there first and get my shoulder taken out by bigger guys. There are times when it's smarter and a lot more efficient to play a contained game. I think Peter will learn that over time. He’s such a competitor, though. You have to be smart in this game. No sense going in first, getting taken out of the play and risking injury when a lot of times the smart decision is to contain a forward and hopefully steer him into an area where you can take the puck away. I love Peter’s ability to skate. His decision making is above average. We’re going to continue trying to utilize those tools. Like any young player he is going to get better.''
"Unfortunately we have to do without Army here"
Nothing unfortunate about that. Mr. Crawfish.
Only the probability that Frolov & Cammi will put up a ton of points again.
I would also hope that He'd try Purcell on the line with Brown & Kopi. Not Wilsie. Give me a break.
Hi Anthony, why dont you take your s..... elsewhere. You dont know how importent players like army is on a team. he brings energy and leadership into every game. He is not the flashy player like kopi and fro and he is not a dominant player either but he is the man you take with u when ur going to war.
They should bring Boyle back while Army is out. The kid was great to watch and earned more time here. The Chi game could be a good one if the right Kings team shows up.
I'm going to beat Daryl Evans like a rented mule Saturday at the 5K, just kidding, he's got a few years on me and it's a charity event! It sure is better giving to the Kings charities than to AEG.
I hate to admit it but I agree with Anthony. Armstrong gets tons of PP time and he's not the guy I'd go to the PP with...or war for that matter.
I'm sure he's a great guy personally but his play this season is lackluster.
personally, i love army... but not on the second line. i want him on my team, but not as a go-to upper-line scorer.
Anthony, you are right on. Army and Willsie suck, and Crow better not put Ivanans with Frolov ever again.
I used to like Army until he held out for more money on my NHL 08 dynasty mode.
Army is a 4th line player. He has the hussle but just doesnt have the offensive skills to be a top 6 forward on any team in the NHL.
I think Army's a good 3rd line center. A hell of a lot better than Handzus. I think it's official. HE SUCKS!
BobMillersHair you just might have BobMillersBrain. Army is a good guy, but he's really just a glorified Guilliano.
Having Boyle up with Brownie and KopiStar seems like the ideal top line. We get talent and big bodies to create room. Then having Sully-Fro-Cammy as as second line makes it hard to match up against.
On a separate note I feel like that last few game JMFJ is playing a lot more physical which is great to see
I'm interested to see what this Ellis guy can do in his first game. I don't expect a ton of offense but good PK and addition on our checking line will be a plus. the Kings have close to 2 good forward lines now they need to improve the rest for the NHL club next year.
Armstrong would be a decent 3rd line center on any time. unfortunately for the Kings, they've had to promote him to 2nd line center all this time. eventually, no more... but I don't mind him as much as I did earlier this season or last