Shootout woes

Shootouts haven’t been kind to Kings goalie Jason LaBarbera this season. He’s 0-3 in shootouts this season, and opponents have scored on six of their seven chances against him. Before this season, LaBarbera had a 4-1 record in shootouts and had stopped 10 of 15 attempts. Here’s what LaBarbera said, on the Kings’ website, about his shootout woes:

LABARBERA: “I would say it’s a mental thing. I’m thinking about it too much. A lot of it is timing and I don’t have my timing down now. I’ve been trying to be too patient and getting myself caught sometimes. It’s one of those things where you over think it and screw yourself over. I am just thinking about it too much and instead of reacting to it I am more worried about the guy shooting, so I get stagnant. I am not really in any kind of position to react to a deke. I mean I would rather the guys deke than shoot, but it obviously hasn’t been working out too well.

“You play great for 65 minutes and then it goes to a skills competition. Don’t get me wrong. As a fan, I love it. I love watching it on TV, or on the bench watching, it’s exciting. But when you’re in there… when you win it’s exciting too, but when you lose it’s a tough pill to swallow. Especially if you are a goalie. I kind of take it personally sometimes, and it is pretty frustrating.”

More notes and quotes from the website:
KINGS NOTEBOOK (DEC. 16)

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