Who's in goal?

Ha-ha, Rich...how silly a question is that?

Ha-ha, Jill...how silly a question is that?

Ersberg has seemed pretty solid, I think he should get to keep going.

Ersburg

Murray should keep Ersberg in until Ersberg gives him reason to take him out! He's give us 3 points in 2 games, and except for the 1st goal he let in last night has looked solid!!! Why mess with a good thing? Let him try and keep his point streak for the kings going!!

Would rather see LaBabs in goal against StLoo. Hold Ersberg to that same standard, give up a crappy goal & you're out. It won't hurt Ersberg to sit a game after getting a few starts and sitting a few should give JLB the incentive to some in with a good focused effort. All that being said, if he sucks start Ersberg the rest of the year! ;)

Not sure Ersberg "gave" us 3 points in the last two games. He only faced 15 shots last night and let 2 in, not too good. I like Ersberg and everything and I hate Labarbara, but lets not forget Barbs shutout St Loius in the first game against them this season. Gotta stick with what works.....

I think Ersberg should get the chance to show he can be the #1..same as Barbs got. TM gave Barbs 10 games to put a stranglehold on the #1 job..In my opinion, he did't take advantage of that opportunity..I think Ersberg deserves the same chance.

Is this a trick question? I would think Ersberg by a landslide.

Ersberg

Go ahead. Throw Labs in there again. He'll probably screw up and blow our chance of staying in the game - and maybe, just maybe TM will stop saying Labs is the #1.

I agree with Fox, Esberg is having a calming effect on the defense and they are more comfortable taking offensive chances with the puck. Everytime Labs starts flopping around and doing 360's when the puck goes behind the net it makes me nervous, imagine how the players on the ice feel.

So go ahead TM - let Labs screw up again and make this the last straw.

p.s. I think TM's doing a good job with the defense and didn't mind the lines last night (for the most part)

Iceberg... no question.

his calmness seems to translate to the team.

yes, he gave up a softy last night.

Labs has been doing that for a long long time.

hmmm... i wonder how the team would vote on this...

deep thoughts.

There is no way Ersberg plays on Saturday. JLB shut out the Blues the last time the Kings played them.

I'd rather see Ersberg again, but think that Murray will start the other guy.

Exactly what has Babs done to deserve this kind of confidence? I'm sick of Murray plays Labs because Labs needs to play often or whatever. He's had his chance and has failed to be able to consistently deliver. Ersberg isn't spectacular, but who cares, he gives us a chance to win every night. And I think if this team could get some consistency in goal, we could be good enough to compete for a #8 or #7 spot this year. Heck, when a goaltender like Turco stinks, he gets pulled too. I don't ever see Labs being mentioned in the same paragraph as Turco, yet somehow he gets more rope?

" yojack45 & nykingfan. 3 points in two games. LaBarbara not impressive enough in 10 games. Give Ersberg 10 games, then decide who's #1.

Ersbeg hands down. So many reasons ahead of this response as to why. More than anything for me it's his calming presence translating to the players. Why mess with that? 3 ponts in 2 games should say enough.

TM knows he's gonna play the Iceberg 10 games. He's just posturing. Oh the drama.

so i guess posting a 1.61 GAA and a .911 save percentage isnt good enough to beat labs's pathetic 3.01 GG and .884 save percentage? Murray is an idiot if he doesnt play ersberg

Ersberg should get every start until he loses in regulation. Ill even go a step further and say "loses badly in regulation."

I think Ersbergs calm and composed style translates on to the rest of the team. He deserves another start and should continue playing until he does or does not deserve it.

Ersberg 3pts 2 games
GAA 1.61 SVV% .911

Labarbera 7pts in 10 games, 2 of which he was pulled.
GAA 3.01 SVV% .884

Shouldn't even be a discussion. From the end of last year to the start of this year Ersberg has shown the ability to play solid and control his rebounds. Labs is a liability and I think everyone knows he isn't in the long term plans. Ersberg as a number 1, Labs as a backup and wait until Quick and Bernier get enough experience down in Manchester to be able to come up and be productive.

Jill thanks for the good commentary
it appears to me that the team plays better and more confident with Ersberg in the lineup. Keep him in. the team isn's behind LaBarbera

I guess it depends on what we are playing for? Labs gives us the best chance to get the #1 overall pick in next years draft. Ersberg will steal some games for us and we'll wind up around the 4th or 5th pick. It's funny, our D which was supposed to be our Achilles heel this year is playing outstanding. Our Forwards, they are killing us. If we could score like last year we'd be in good shape. Just my .02

THE ICEBERG. It goes without saying. He's a better goaltender than Barbs, plain and simple. Better instincts, (way) better movement, better mental game.

Last night he shook off that weird goal pretty quickly; that's what good NHL goaltenders do when they make mistakes. That kind of flub isn't typical of The Iceberg, so while it did totally suck, I'm not too worried.

The other day someone posted something about the Kings deciding to not keep Garon. I never understood why they let him go. I also think he's a more natural goaltender than Barbs. Barbs is just not NHL-caliber.

Ersberg - hands down.

I loved the move by Murray to pick a #1 netminder and then ride him. He really is in a bind I think though.

He hasn't changed the line-up after a win or if the team plays well.

That being said, I don't think it should be any different in goal. Ersberg is getting it done right now.

Have to avoid a netminder carousel though, and this has the potential to start it. If he goes back to LaBarbera then Antonio should be pretty motivated to play well. If he comes back and throws up a clunker his #1 status will be in jeopardy.

If it were me...I would ride the Ersberg wave and get some wins.

What will happen though, Murray WILL go back to his #1 guy. Next game is St. Louis and LaBarbera shut them out a couple weeks ago. For mainly this reason, LaBarbera will be back in net Saturday.

Big Rob - Are the forwards not scoring less because they can no longer leave without the puck? Did you notice how many times we skated the puck out of our own zone last night? Our counter attacks, although rarely outnumbered, were quick, aggressive and allowed us easy entry crossing the blue line.

EE did not play as well last night as he did against the ducks. I hope that it is just the sore knee rather than a lack of concentration.

I agree with most here. Give Ersberg 10 games and we'll see where they both stand. If Ersberg isn't up to going full time over a long season, perhaps the answer is to platoon them.

Obviously Ersberg. LaBarbera: five game losing streak, 3.00 gaa, 7 points out of a possible 20. Ersberg: two games, three goals against, 3 points out of a possible 4. And the team plays better in front of Ersberg. No brainer.

Ersberg, and the reason why is simple - he's poised, not flopping around like a fish and can actually stop a puck. And as others have said, the team as a whole plays with more confidence when he is in net.

I dunno guys. I like losing. It's fun watching a team stink night after night. I have no interest in making the playoffs. What's the fun in that? Finish last is much more enjoyable.

NOT!!!!

Ersberg of course. At least give him the same 10 game shot he gave LaBarbara and see where we're at. That's 1/4 of the season (10 games + 10 games). If Ersberg's numbers aren't better, or even comparable with LaBarbara, put Labs back in and I'll shut up. :D

This shouldn't even be a question. Obviously Ersberg.

LaBarbera had his chance, and he has POOR stats over 10 games. Ersberg has, yet again, VERY GOOD stats over the games he has played.

Not only do the stats overwhelmingly support Ersberg as the starter, he also plays with twice the calm of LaBarbera.

Waiting to play a backup goalie for 10 games is also a dick move, no matter how you turn and twist it. Especially considering that Ersberg was BETTER last year, and actually got most starts towards the end.

as much as I would love to see EE beat the Blues, I'm sure Babs will be back in there again since Murray seems to love him so much and doesn't want him to get "rusty".. ha

FWIW, LaBarbera did shut the Blues out in St. Louis two weeks ago... I don't see any reason why he shouldn't get the chance to continue his mastery over Andy Murray's boys...

That being said, I'd personally rather see Brust or Fukufuji...

I want the one that gives the team the best chance to win. Right now, that's Ersberg. LaBarbara has been given chance after chance to be the #1 guy and he continues to fail. Let's move on, please.

Ersberg! Ersberg! Ersberg! Did anyone else notice LaBarbera using smelling salts on the bench on Tuesday night? The TV camera got a shot of him early in the telecast and it just happened to be a moment when he was taking a few whiffs. It was pretty funny maybe we could dig it up on youtube...

Ersberg

Ersberg

Ersberg #1 #2 hey rich can you get close up shots of the ice girls stat.

Ersberg. Give him one more. With his great game against the ducks and last night's win, let him have it!

needs to be said, Ersberg deserves at least 35 games. that translates to about 30 starts...

of course when Labs breaks down after his 45th start, EE will get a ton of starts so maybe we should just wait for that, and not complain until then?

I would like to see Ersberg in goal tomorrow and in 75% of the remaining games.

LaBarbera has never proven ANY consistency. Give the young Swede a real chance, not like Sully's half game with Kopi and Brown, and we'll see what he can do. In his two starts, he's only let in one goal that he should have stopped. How many of those has Jason let past him?

JLB!!

I LOVE Ersberg...he should be the #1 next year, with Bernier as his backup.

For now, however, and for what we need, we should give JLB a full season to 'claim that #1 spot' and help to get us Tavares. Or the Big Swede. Add one of those guys, and next season (with all our youngsters a year more experienced) we will move into Elite status. Just watch.

Thus: LaBarbera, please.

ERSBERG!

Go with the Berg! No question.

Barbs does not make the big save. Ersberg brings a calmness and confidence that has been sorely lacking.

Give him 10 games and see who has the better stats.

Ersberg for sure!!!!! Are you kidding me?
Ersberg until he makes a mistake.
HE is calmer and quicker than Lab.

Ersberg gave up a softie yesterday, but the second goal was a wicked deflection that nobody would have stopped. but for the second half of the third period, when he really needed to be solid and come up with THE BIG SAVES, he did. Labarbera had those same chances and failed us.

when you win, especially for a team that doesn't win much, if you go back to labarbera RIGHT NOW, you're sending a message to your team that you don't care about winning, you care more about the draft pick, and that's really the wrong message to send. they deserve better.

Why don't we label Cloutier the #1 get him out as much as possible and see if he can recover? oh wait that was Crawford and he got fired... Cmon Murray, don't be a blind bat. Players play better in front of Ersberg.

I am really not satisfied with this guy. He wants more offense and wants a better power play yet he benches Preissing till a few games ago and puts Harrold on as a forward now, puts O'sullivan on the 4th line and Calder on the 1st line. Calder on the power play?? He complains that Kopitar isn't doing enough. Can one of our coaches please leave a line together for a while and let them actually gel. So far the only thing I don't like about Dean Lombardi is these absentminded power hungry coaches who seem to somehow make a bad team worst. Someone please wake me up when this nightmare is finally over. I'm going to keep my promise to a few Kings fans that are my friends, I turn on the Kings Game and Jason "Barbie" Labarbera is in net looking nervous, I'm not watching. It's time to win or atleast look like we're going with the players that give us the best chance. Maybe the 11k attendance will light a fire under somebodys ass. (11k announced and 8k in reality)

Can we please get a coach who's IQ is just a little above Forest Gumps?

Agree with Brianguy and everyone else who chimed in for Ersberg. Labs has had his annual 2 or 3 game run and now he's back to showing us that he's always going to be in over his head at this level.

If RINKSIDE VIEW LABARBARA .

Ersberg. End of discussion.

ERSBERG! whats so hard about leaving in the better goalie. we have seen labarbera let in midiocre goals and cost the kings games for two plus years now. i am sick of seeing him in goal. let ersberg play. he atleast has a chance of developing into a solid goaltender.

I agree, with the 10 games and then see where both of them are..

I dont get this coach at all he still holds this fantasy that Jason is a #1 goalie in anything more then his mind. Its obvious that that if you want a real chance to win you need to start Erik. Jason is a UFA come this summer so if this is some bad ploy to get his value up to trade him or to tank for high draft pick, please stop. Give Erik a real chance to show you what he can do as he also is a UFA come this summer. No clear cut alternatives in the minors are seemingly ready to step up "right now". So where does that leave this team for the rest of the season into next season.

Ersberg for sure! I can see him starting LaBarbera though, just to see if the team plays well with his current lines or if it is in fact Ersberg who helps earn points. Ersberg was the #1 goalie at the end of last year, and he should earn it again this year.

Deelo said:

What will happen though, Murray WILL go back to his #1 guy. Next game is St. Louis and LaBarbera shut them out a couple weeks ago. For mainly this reason, LaBarbera will be back in net Saturday.

I don't like it, but I agree with Deelo; TM will go back to Labs, because he's the declared #1, and he had the S.O. against St. Louis. The only thing that might have changed that would have been a S.O. last night for Ersberg, or a game where he had to stand on his head. Sad but true.

The Bergermeister has given up 3 soft ones but they'll keep him honest. If he's as hardworking as Jim Fox says he'll only learn from the mistakes he makes, just like the skaters. Labarbara is like a Labrador and will be there if we go back to him, but the Bergermeister may be THE guy. We need to see more. Can Murray really call the Labrador his No. 1 after he jumped ship on him?
At what point does Lombardi extend Ersberg?
The incredible defense is being generated by the forwards. They're forechecking and cycling the opposition into oblivion. Criticizing the forwards and praising the defensemen is getting it all wrong. Think Kopitar is struggling? He's constantly up and down the ice and picking up the puck deep in our zone.
Weird that our best line was arguably one with Harrold on it. What a talent he is. It's difficult to state just how different it is to switch back and forth like that. Completely different mind set.
On a negative, I think it was Harrold, Quincey, Zus, Moller, and Simmonds on the ice for Florida's second. It was a power play, but I can't imagine anyone knew where they were supposed to be at that point - too much juggling and inexperience on the ice at the end of the game. Also, no Stoll on the power play is a little disappointing.
The score flattered the Panthers as they were badly outplayed, but we still only won by a goal. Murray needs to "dig-in" a little better and kill-off games against poor teams like that.

Chalk up another tally for the Iceberg.

Is there one person out there who WANTS to see Labs in net next game? So far not one single fan I know that wants Ersberg to sit.

That says something about the Iceberg. Something special.

I agree with you cristobal and many others, Eric Ersberg just may be OUR goalie to take us high places. There's only one way to find out, give the guy as many starts as possible! Labs got that same very chance on 3 separate occassions and did nothing to elevate his game. Let's see what Ers can do with that same kind of confidence and backing and workload. I have faith, very much faith in my man the Iceberg.

JDizzle pka JDA said:
Ersberg! Ersberg! Ersberg! Did anyone else notice LaBarbera using smelling salts on the bench on Tuesday night? The TV camera got a shot of him early in the telecast and it just happened to be a moment when he was taking a few whiffs. It was pretty funny maybe we could dig it up on youtube...

Yeah, I caught that too. After he was done with it, he gives it to the equipment guy or trainer behind him, and that guy takes a whiff too. I was cracking up. I guess you don't want your backup goalie sleeping on the bench.

Memo to people who think we're in the Tavares/Hedberg sweepstakes: We're not close to being the worst team in the NHL, even with Barbs in net...Florida/Islanders/Thrashers/ are a lot worse than we are. A LOT!!!!

Bernier

Keep Ersberg in until he loses in regulation, then give a start to Labs, and then keep Ersberg in until he loses in regulation again =P

three points and two regulation goals allowed in the last two games including the playing against hottest team in the league? Lets ride this horse (or pony) for awhile!

Does Esposito have anything to do with Florida anymore? They do seem a mess. Horton, Stewart, and Weiss are not getting it done for them.
Lombardi may have some black marks on his GM record, but McCabe at that price? Vokoun at that price? No wonder Bouwmeester wants out. I don't think it's about the money. He's a special hockey player. I was most impressed by Ballard, though. He's a dedicated player and they should build around him. They have no cohesiveness up front, at least based on last night.

Let the Swede play!

His calmness and rebound control are light years ahead of Labarbera. The Kings seem calm and confident when Ersberg is in goal.

Someone said that the Kings aren't behind Labarbera, I agree! The only thing behind Labarbera is the puck buried in the net!

I say again...Play the Swede!

Espo was involved with Tampa Bay, not Florida...

Poor Labrador. Everyone kicks him when he's down. The Bergermeister has given up much softer goals and hasn't had to battle deflected shots or players all alone 3 feet in front of him but he's praised to the rafters almost as an insult to Labrador. In the end it comes down to their names. Labarbara is just not an elite goaltenders name, while Ersberg is. I hope the Bergermeister lives up to the promise. There's no doubting the fundamentals are better, right now at least. In my opinion, the Labrador looks shaken, unsure of himself, full of doubt, and fragile. The Bergermeister looks more determined after giving up goals.

Plus, the Bergermeister doesn't have washed up rock stars on his helmet.

JFC! Some people ought to grow up!

Ersberg- it's a relief to see the puck coming into your own zone and you know chances are the puck isn't going into the net. With Lab- everytime the other team brings the puck into the zone I see that lamp post lighting up.

If Murray is so hell bent on Lab being number 1 then let him start if Ersberg and the team can't make a streak of this. Fair enough right?

Marc Nathan - thanks, misremembered that.

What is anonymous going on about?

"EMFE"
Wait is that take'n? thought I heard that from somewhere, Eric Mother F*#k'n Ersberg in the house......I still love the Ice Berg thing that is funny.
Go Salad !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put in LaBarbera! I want that first pick next year!!

Sarcasm aside, I think Ersberg is a really solid goalie. I was at the game tonight against St. Louis and aside from the second goal, I think, that just kind of somehow got in luckily, he played well. He sucks up rebounds and, to be honest, he wants it. Give Ersberg 10 straight starts. See what happens. If he does better than 3-5-1 (and hes 2-0-1 right now...) then I say keep him!

Another thing people say is that maybe the team plays better for Ersberg than LaBarbera. That could be because they don't feel extra pressure, like they have to make up for LaBarbera. Ersberg went out there last season and the Kings had nothing to lose last March and April, but look now. He's won two games and he's still looking pretty good. If the team feels like they can trust him, then great. Keep him in. He makes some big saves when he needs to.