Some post-game notes

Just got back from the game & it was fun. The Kings dominated more than the score shows. But I was embarrassed by all the empty seats. You could literally sit where you want. And we did - center ice, about 6 rows up behind the penalty boxes. And we came down from the 300 section. Nobody seemed to care as I think they welcome people down there now.

So come on down to a game. It is not too expensive. A pair of cheap tickets on Ebay can go for as little as $20.00 to 30.00. Park near the metro stop & it cost $5.00 to park. A little more than a movie & a hundred times more fun.

I know I am in the minority here but I like Ivanans. You really know when he is on the ice. He was really throwing his weight around. But for the third or fourth game nobody would "go" with him. But he serves a purpose.

O'Sullivan was great, Doughty was great. We've outplayed so many of our opponents & lost. It was noce to win one.

I wonder why Doughty didn't come out for his third star of the game intro. I hope he wasn't injured.

The line combos seemed to work fine tonight. POS seemed to be happy playing with BB & PH, the other lines all contributed...

Did Jay Bouwmeester (sp?) leave the ice??

Hey BRS!

I'm part of that minority... I love the intensity and effort of Ivan. He definitely tries hard to go beyond just the tough guy roll. I long for the day that I get to watch him punch someone in the face again...everyone seems to look him in the eyes and then chicken out!

Watch'n it on TV it looked like there was some confussion at the end of the game.
Drew was going...then staying...then going off to the locker room... I think he was getting mixed messages on who the stars of the game were. I'm 99% sure that there was no injury.

My thoughts:

Ersberg - 2 soft goals but also made at least 4 great saves. Was good when it mattered most.

Doughty - Keeps impressing. Easily the best Kings D-man, plays with composure, made at least one stand-out defensive play where he threw himself and poked the puck on a PK.

Preissing - Very nice goal on the PP, no awful plays that I can remember. Just what we need from him.

O'Sullivan - Best player on the ice. Worked very hard, created a lot. Should be on the first line.

Boyle - Looks very good, strong on the puck. Plays a bit like Penner along the boards, protecting the puck with his huge frame. Smart player, which showed on the goal he scored.

Brown - Keeps shooting A LOT. Needs to pass a little more to Kopitar (and O'Sullivan when he gets back on the line where he belongs). Nice goal though. Works hard, played very well overall.

Kopitar - Played a million times better than last game against Ducks. Should have scored on the empty net. Outstanding play on the powerplay when he faked a shot and made a perfect pass to Preissing. I don't think we need to be worried as long as he gets to play his game, and isn't stuck grinding along the boards (as has been the case too much this season imo..)

Ivanans - Why does he get this much icetime? I can appreciate the value of playing 4 lines, but either doubleshift people or play someone else in games against teams who don't have an enforcer. He's just not a good hockey player..

Rich,
This is just an observation. Have you noticed that kings are not very crisp with their passing? Specially the defensemen. This area of their game has cost them some victories. Also, another observation that I have is, the players are not responding naturally to offensive opportunities. They seem to be thinking before they make a play, instead of reacting to the natural flow of the game. Perhaps this is due to learning a new system under the new coach; also they seem to be afraid of making mistakes, which in turn degrades their play on the ice.

Roger

I like Ivan getting time. He's the best hockey playing goon the Kings have had since McSorley. He's a true heavy weight and the scares the other team when he's on. That shouldn't be underestimated. He's almost scored a few times this season and even showed a blistering shot from the blue line in a game, i think, against the blues. He could actually become a contributor in other ways if he worked on it. He's not Gretzky, but I think his skill level is underestimated. The only thing I worry about is that he could have been called for some face washing and slaps if the refs were in a different mood. I don't want him taking stupid penalties.

Great win by the Kings last night. They had a total team effort, especially on the defensive end.

If Florida is not the worst team in the league, I'd hate to see who's worse. that was a pathetic performance on their part. Why can't we play them 8 times a year?

I thought the line of Boyle/Harrold/Sully was the best line by far last night. They played with energy and purpose. Boyle continues to use his size effectively. He's not going to leave the lineup playing like this. Sully had his best game in a long time and Harrold played outstanding.
Also, great game by Brownie and Kopitar.

I also agree with the minority about Ivanans. If he stays away from stupid penalties, he can be an effective checker.

Defense was terrific..Doughty continues to impress every night. I've said it before, I can't believe he's a rookie. He plays with the poise of a seasoned veteran.

Ersberg? that goal was disgusting. I think he deserves to stay in goal for the forseeable future, but lets be serious...If that was Barbs last night, most people here would be calling for his head after giving up that goal.
We had a comfortable lead and that goal very easily could have given Florida new life. Lucky for us, they suck.

TO CRISTOBAL: How can you say when Ivanans is on the ice that they are scared of him. How wrong you are if you ask the opposing players according to Hockey News there is no need for goons in the NHL anymore and why go out and get in a fight and put your team down a player when the guy your going against is not a scoring threat. Crosby, Malkin, Heatley, Spezza, the Sedin Twins, Zettenberg, the Mule Frazen this what really bothers the players is the fact that these guys can score and score a bunch if you let you up. You kinow when the real good fighters like Probert, Domi, Rae were playing the other players were never afraid because they knew that these guys would go against each other and let the skilled players play their game.

We can do alot better,remember this game was against probably the worst team in the league(if it isn't us).If you wan't to win at a higher rate Murray must play the scorers together in order to produce enough.

sapper - I know what you mean, but there are some games that are going to get rough. The team has a lot of toughness throughout, but there have been some games in the league (not involving the kings) that have gotten out of hand physically and I like Ivan being there. I know he's not a gifted skilled player but he's not a far cry from the level of some of the goons you listed. He's got a good shot, passes the puck pretty well, can actually skate pretty well (at least for a forward) and if he could turn into a pest that gets the other team off their game just a little bit its an advantage. I've seen too many Kings games when they had to concern themselves with protecting themselves rather than play hockey. During A. Murray's time, they were never an aggressive team and on trip through the north-east they'd get pushed around. I don't know if you remember that Ottawa game in Ottawa 4 or 5 years ago, but they not only beat us on the scoreboard, they beat us up (Eloranta got pummelled and Mair had to come off the bench to help him - then got suspended for over 10 games). Don't forget that Ivan was on the ice quite a bit last night and was part of holding Florida (yes NYKINGSFAN they are poor offensively, but not too bad defensively) to 6 shots in the first 2 periods. I can understand not liking him out there a lot, but I support it.

nykingsfan - I agree with what you said. Florida is really weak up front whereas the Kings are very strong. The amount of shots is making our defense look great but I believe its due to our strong cycling and control in the offensive zone. The forwards are all back-checking the lights out. Isn't it amazing that all the goals against seem to be coming on mistakes that are easily fixed? I DO think Doughty is great but I continue to see quite a few errors and there was a power play where he let the play get behind him and only a horrible miscue by the Florida winger kept them from converting into a wide open net. That was Doughty's. There were some other errors as well and a decent team is going to capitalize.
The goals Ersberg gave up are going to keep him honest. From what they're saying he works real hard in practice and as long as he continues to do that he'll be fine.
Preissing's goal was nice, but it was also horrible goaltending. I think we can add Brown's goal to that too. I thought Vokoun was supposed to be solid but he was real weak there. But you create your chances and it was good to see the puck find the net rather than the goalie, for sure.
Finally, I prefer the nickname - the bergermeister. But thats me.