LaBarbera still confident

Poor Barbs...due to your laid back attitude, you are about to be killed here on this blog. Not by me, but others will state the following observations:

How can he be so laid back?
Does he even care about playing?
The team busts their ass and the goalie could care less whether they win or lose...as long as he feels he's playing well.
TM's clueless!!!! (Anthony)
This is proof enough that Ersberg should be in goal

His reasoning makes sense to me..it's like a closer in baseball...forget your last game and go get the next one...beating yourself up over a loss isn't going to help you win the next game.

NY, I feel you on that one man....

Of course you gotta move on as a goalie, but to not even look at the schedule? That's just not doing your homework. I know he's just making a point, but he's not the sharpest skate on the ice.

I think that we'll have another number-one goalie by Thanksgiving, whether it's one of the kids or a veteran brought in to try to give a little stability to the position.

Confidence or not, he sure has the coach in his pocket.

boy this place sure seems like it would love for him to fail?! How bout a little support.

Pauly - There is support still lingering in some of us. C'mon Jason.

Rich - Any chance you've spoken with Hextall about the issues in net?

I don't think the opinions shared here are intended to reflect a hoped for failure on JL's part, but a valid recognition of his lack of ability to be a number 1 golie in this league.

He is settling into a pattern of play familiar to anybody who's cared to pay attention over the past few years. One good game followed by one or two bad games. He talks like these losses are no big deal, I'm glad he can maintain such a cavalier attitude. But the fact is we're a below .500 club coming up against Detroit tonight. If, and that is a giant if, he wins tonight we'll be at .500, on the other hand if we lose tonight we'll be 2 games under .500. Does his laid back attitude sound good now? It's almost as if he thinks that expectations for this club are so low that winning and lossing doesn't matter.

Murray's the coach and it's his choice to make but I hope he cares enough about the win-loss column to have the courage to replace JL when he see's that Labarbara is at best a second tier goalie.

Although "not that bad" is not a ringing self-endorsement. Jamie Storr (of whom I was a fan, but who, in retrospect, didn't have the mental thing down, especially not like he claimed he did) used to always be "confident" too. But, really, what's LaBarbera going to say, "I'm completely freaking out right now"?

So far, he's neither great nor horrible. Some soft goals, some spectacular saves. "Not that bad" about covers it.

p.s. there's an article or post out there somewhere (Puck Stops Here, maybe?) about how the Kings defense is a big surprise this young season. The writer thinks it's a fluke since there's no way you subtract Blake and Lubo and end up better (cue Cristobal). He notes that the Kings have the lowest shots against average in the league. I don't happen to think this is a fluke at all.

Kings/Wings in HD tonight.

Also, the "laid-back" thing is just boilerplate. It means nothing. He has to say it. It doesn't mean he IS laid-back. The guy is in his last year before going UFA. He knows perfectly well that every game he plays, and every interview he gives, is an audition. What he does now determines, in no small way, the trajectory of the rest of his career. He's at the crossroads of DaFoe/Huet/Garon Street and Stauber/Storr/Berthiaume Blvd.

Barbs will play his best game of the season tonight...
thats right I said it... positive thinking...
KINGS WIN BIG ! will be the headline.
and Rich while your copping my headline what tonights lineup.

Quisp - The defense has also picked up O'Donnell and Quincey between then and now.
The team defense has been outstanding at times. Like I said on Friday, the Blues game was reminiscent of Manchester United putting the clamps on a second division team. They were great. There IS, however, a lack of contribution on the offensive end from the defense. If the forwards were getting it done by themselves it woulndn't matter, but the defense is visibly weak at providing much in the offensive zone. I don't have a huge problem with it, but its undeniable IMO.
Also, its a lot easier to forget mistakes by a rookie like Doughty than it is by players who are experienced and no longer part of the club. Many say Corvo was horrible because he turned the puck over trying to move up ice. Well, Doughty has done that a few times but nobody's going to say he sucks and should move on.
Finally, Preissing has already been dropped for 2 games and Gauthier seems to have been benched (unless its an unreported injury) the other night in Nash. We'll get another look at where the defense is tonight. I'm hoping it's another strong TEAM effort and we hold Detroit under 30 shots. Under 20 would be great but with Detroit under 30 is respectable.

This guy looked very good in St. Louis against the Kings despite giving up 2 goals.
Forget Gaborik and see if St. Louis will part with a prospect in net.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/ben_bishop

Kings/Wings in HD tonight.

But for those of us who live outside of L.A and can't go to the game, their using the rinkside view again.
I hope they improve on their first try tonight and use more of the end board views when the puck is in the offensive zone.

Scary, I almost agree with Anthony about Jason LaBarbara, I just wish he'd stop being such a little be-atch about it and stop with the stupid little nicknames.

In TM I trust (so far)

Cristobal -

Points from defense are down a bit, but I think that will change as Doughty gets more comfortable, which is obviously happening every day. When Johnson is back, the Kings will be pretty aggressively mobile on the point. When the forwards hit their various strides, the defense will find themselves open more, as opponents key on the players with hot hands. In other words, everything feeds off of everything else. I think the Kings are wise to continue to focus on team defense, since success in that area cures a world of ills.

And re the Red Wings and shots: They're averaging 40 shots a game. I don't think we stand much of a chance of holding them to under 20.

Quisp.

When JJ returns, which D-man sits?
Quimcey?

anthony said:
Quisp.

When JJ returns, which D-man sits?
Quimcey?

I say Quincey stays. Sit Harrold and waive Gauthier.

Green - JJ
OD - Doughty
Preising - Quincey

Harrold

That gives us a skill guy and a banger at every pairing.

Anthony -

Good question. I think Quincey is going to stay in LA for the rest of his career, ultimately having his number retired after eclipsing all franchise records for games played by a defenseman.

Gauthier, despite his reputation, I kind of like. He's mean and I think quite good for a third pairing defenseman.

Harrold will have time between now and February to make his case.

Doughty / O'Donnell
Quincey / Johnson
Greene / Preissing
Gauthier

(actually, you can mix those guys up in a number of interesting combination; e.g. Doughty/Greene, Quincey/O'Donnell, Johnson/Preissing; but at this point, I kind of favor snarlier Gauthier over fleet(er) Harrold; like I said, Harrold looks like he will be given the time to change minds...this is his big shot.)

Of course, it's possible for inj***es to "simplify" this situation considerably. Also, Preissing will have some trade value at the deadline, having playoff experience. I hope he pulls it together and sticks around for another season, though.

cristobal- Bishop playes for Andy Murray. He played his two games and inuried an undisclosed upper, inner thigh muscle.

I'm the only person in on the planet who loved the rink-side view. Looks like I'm in for a fun night!