Kings 3, Blue Jackets 0

good to see Calder and LaBarbera-- arguably the two most-criticized LA players-- helping the Kings win today. especially after coming home from a really disappointing game at the Rose Bowl...

hopefully they can keep up the good play, and if we're trying to sell Calder as a viable trade option, more games like this won't hurt.

simmonds played a great game as did labs...HUGE win for the kings...if we lost...would have been incredibly hard to bounce back for the next game...next game is big as well...GO KINGS!!!

After the 13th game, there was a little debate about the Kings making the playoffs. My prediction for the season has always been that the Kings would finish outside of the playoffs with points somewhere in the low to mid 80s (the usual playoff threshold being 93 points or thereabouts). However, after the 13th game, in our debate, I said this:

"Here's how the Kings make the playoffs this year. Let's take the season in 13 game chunks, since we've already played 13 games. In order to make the playoffs, what the Kings need to do is: improve by one point in each 13 game chunk. They've earned 12 points so far this year, just slightly under .500. In the next 13, they need to earn 13 points, then 14, then 15, then 16, and finally 17. At which point there will be four games left in the season, and they will be six points from the presumed playoff threshold.

first 13 games: 12 pts, .461 (12 pts, .461 total)
second 13: 13 pts, .500 (25 pts, .480)
third 13: 14 pts, .538 (39 pts, .500)
fourth 13: 15 pts, .576 (54 pts, .519)
fifth 13: 16 pts, .615 (70 pts, .538)
sixth 13: 17 pts, .653 (87 pts, .557)
last four games: 6 pts, .750 (93 pts, .567)

Overview: the Kings need another 81 points over the remaining 69 games. That's a winning %, from now on, of .587."

Now we've played 26 games. The Kings outperformed my little algorithm, netting 14 points in the second chunk of 13 games. So they're one point ahead of this schedule. They are of course within shouting distance of last place and, in the other direction, a playoff spot. The point is, if they stick to a regimen of slow, plodding but steady improvement, they can actually do this thing that everyone seemed to think was impossible.

I forgot to mention, the Kings now need 67 points in their remaining 56 games (assuming 93 will do it) to get into the playoffs. Winning %, from now on, of .598.

I'm La Barbara Of Sevilllllllleeeee!!!!
Figaro, Figaro.

Anthony, for at least one night LaBarbara of Seville has his revenge. Eat it.
And a goal by Calder - and quite a nice one.

Tonight's Kings game was good times. It's good to see Labs looking jaundiced again.

oh yeah, and F
University of
Steroids and
Cashpayments.

Labarbara is the heart and soul of this club.

The great Calder finally scored a goal on the top line.
So I gues TM is validated to continue to play him there for another 20 games.

Sully - I think we've got a good coach?
NOT.
If he were good you would be playing on the top line line with top line players, instead of scrubs.

Good game though. Lets go for two now.
Right.

I don't want to spoil the party. But making the playoffs is not going to help them get Tavers. We need that scoring punch in order to become more competitive in the west. I loved the way they played this game. And actually almost every game they have played. They just need some more key players to put this team over the top. One more thing I like to add. What can I say about Doughty. This kid is a phenomenal hockey player. Where in the world did DL find this kid? DL deserves a raise.

Roger

The Kings, widely expected to finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference this season, remain three points out of the final playoff spot in the West, but they're exceeding expectations and exceeding last season's pace. Through 26 games, the Kings are playing .500 hockey, with an 11-11-4 record. Last season, the Kings had 22 points (10-14-2) through 26 games.

I think it needs to be pointed out that not only are they 3 points out of the playoffs, the Kings are also 2 points out of last place in the Western Conference

Quisp: you forget to mention that we've played 18 home games as opposed to 8 away games. which means we'll be on the road alot at the end of the season and they are 3-5-0 away from staples. not saying they can't do it, but i'll wait for them to play the games first.

Quisp, that's a very interesting method. It's hard to expect a team to consistently, gradually improve month by month, playing better in each successive month. That's a safe way to predict what a ~.500 team can do to have a good record.

As for tonight's game.. after the shot-fest against the Oilers last night, when the shots after the first period were 3-2 Kings (15-13 Oilers last night), you knew that these two games were going to be exact opposites. The Oilers won last night, so I predicted the Kings would win tonight. Now, 3-2 shots on goal through 20 minutes isn't a very good indicator as to who will be the better team, but nice to see the Kings played another great, solid defensive game. A good defense and solid goaltender, two things we have this season, translate into success. Now, we just need to work on getting those on the same night as a good offense.

This team could surprise many. The only things to hold your breath about are the splits. The Kings are 2-8-2 against the teams that currently hold the #1-8 seeds in the Western Conference. They are also 1-2-2 against the #9-11 seeds, the teams they need to beat just to compete for the 8th seed. They are 5-0-0 against the rest of the West, and 3-1-0 against the East.

Basically, what I'm saying is that the Kings need to step it up against the better teams. The Kings can beat the teams towards the bottom of the conference. But they can't beat the teams that guard the path to the final playoff spot, and they certainly can't beat, with any amount of consistency, the Top 8. Until the Kings can fix those problems, it's hard to say this will be a "playoff" team, or a 90-point team.

But tonight was a good start.

Bottom line -- we're only a win ahead of last year's pace. We'll find out how improved this team is when we play just 12 home games in the second half of the season.

This year 11-11-4, 26 pts.
2007-2008 10-14-2, 22 pts.
2006-2007 9-13-4, 22 pts.

I don't know, those 5 games in a row coming up against the Wild, Sharks, Rangers, Sabres and Wings can do some serious damage to maintaining the pace you set up (let alone the posts on this board if they go winless in 5 - oy vey). But that's why they play the games.

If the players show up and play hard for a full 3 periods, the Kings can probably increase their point pace over the next 13. Mistakes happen every game, but it's when they absent and have no energy for a period that really hurts them.

BringBackKingston --

Yep. I look at those five games against MIN, SJS, NYR, BUF and DET and I think, we need five or six points from those five games. Yeah, we could go 0-5. Going 1-2-2 (4 pts) wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Its misleading to compare last year to this year at this stage. As long as this team doesn't repeat last seasons stretch where they couldn't win a game for a month around the new year they will surpass last season totals even with Kyle Calder on the 1st line.

It is painfully obvious that the Kings are in fact going to sweep the Wild, Sharks, Rangers, and Sabres, thus vaulting themselves into first place of the universe.

And LaBarbara is going to post 5 shutouts in doing so. And we're going to fire Terry Murray and bring back Barry Melrose.

If the Kings win two of the games, hopefully against the Sharks and Red Wings, I think they will get a big boost in confidence. Thats a tough five-game stretch for any team.

While the Kings are 3 points out of 8th place, they are also 2 points out of last place in the Western Conference

Quisp,
I think the 2 most winnable are NYR and Buf. NYR play the night before and i think Buf is only a game or two over .500. I would say the Kings go either 2-3 or 1-3-1. Then they play the Flyers a few games later.

It's with those 50-50 games that i hope the kings show some improvement. It doesn't seem to me that the kings have been playing well recently against teams that are near them in the standings. The games against the Avs, Blues, 'Yotes and Blue Jackets are more important to win so space in the standings can be created. They are only 2 points out of last or 4 points from 8th.

What's up with last nights attendence? The place was freakin empty.

It was a good win but it showed how much work we still have to do. Defensively it was nice to see LA get back into their groove. Both teams looked sluggish but considering the Kings were on the back end of a back to back series shows that this Kings team can skate with a good skating team even on what should be an off night for them.

Kyle Quincey...I'm still trying to figure what was in the Wings heads waiving this guy. Everytime he cranks up from the point you know something good is going to happen, either a goal or a rebound. He plays defense like a tiger out there. If he continues to play the way he's playing, DL's going to have to consider locking him up long term. I'm still drooling at the prospect of getting JMFJ, Quincey, Greene, Doughty & O'Donnell back on the blue line together. Throw in Hickey, Martinez, Voynov or whoever and the Kings defense will be set for years to come......

Overall, a good game and win. Lets now string together a few victories, get some consistancy and see what develops. Personally, I'd like to see the Kings beat the ass off the Avs this week, anyone else???

Go Kings!

The "playoff" talk is as unhinged as the "fire Murray" talk.

Columbus is a team we should expect to beat.

It was good to see the Kings play a game with minimal mistakes and get more scoring from outside the "core" group.

The argument that Labs in net forces this team to play a more well rounded game deserves more consideration. I'm glad he got pissed off after last game as he's entitiled to. He shouldn't stand for a lack of focus or effort from his teamates as its they who are going to make him look good or bad. Hopefully, he'll continue to voice his opinion and jump on the guys if they're letting him down.

Is Kopitar possibly sulking because he's not captain? He doesn't seem motivated, and the Kopitown has shown zero chemistry this season. It's difficult to remember them EVER clicking together. I see no reason to keep playing them together. Kopitar needs a fresh perspective - how about O'Sullivan and Frolov?

Just after a Power Play on which LA did not score but had O'Sullivan out with Kopitown, the line that came on was Calder/Armstrong/Simmonds. STICK WITH THAT LINE MURRAY. It's a dominant grind line. I wish we'd seen it more after that one shift. If he'd go with that as the 4th line and get rid of Zeiler already, we'd have a dominant lineup across all 4 lines with Boyle coming into a position in which we could allow him to develop into a Rich Nash-stlye player.

Zeiler is a waste of our time despite his tremendous attitude.

Mike Commodore is a monster, isn't he?

One more thing I like to add. What can I say about Doughty. This kid is a phenomenal hockey player. Where in the world did DL find this kid? DL deserves a raise.

I guess he found him in the central scouting reports rankings of the top draft prospects of '08 - just behind or in front of Stamkos based on the opinion of the scout. Kinda like finding sand on the beach.

Does anyone else think that if Calder were a good face-off guy he'd be (from a distance) a carbon copy of Pat Conacher?

Eat, re "The 'playoff' talk is as unhinged as the 'fire Murray' talk":

(1) I didn't say the Kings were playoff-bound. I believe I said, before the beginning of the season and again yesterday, that I predicted they would finish somewhere in the low to mid 80s, a few points out of the playoffs.

(2) What I did was, revisit last month's template for what the Kings would have to do in order to make the playoffs. That template looked at the season after 13 games and looked at 13 game sections of the season. It made sense to bring it up again, having just played the 26th game.

(3) Looking at that "map" again showed the Kings to be one point ahead of the path of steady improvement necessary for them to make it to 93. In other words, so far so good.

(4) The point was never to say, in the wake of a single victory a la last night, "woo hoo, the Kings have arrived! Never will they lose again!" The point was to take a look at what would actually be necessary in reality for the Kings (or for that matter, any team in any year) to make it to the playoffs.

(5) re "Columbus is a team we should expect to beat": before the season, you predicted the Kings would finish with 50 points if they were lucky, dead last in the league, and finishing with the worst point total for the franchise since 1970. Based on that, there isn't any team we should expect to beat. Even if you now disown your previous prediction, I guess I would have to ask you, "Columbus is a team we should expect to beat if WHAT?" If we are a playoff team? If we are any good? If you, Eat, expect to beat Columbus on the second night of a back to back, I would argue your expectation for the Kings is much closer to that of a playoff team than a basement dweller.

(6) The reason I find it kind of interesting to map out what a plodding, steady path of improvement might do for the Kings: I think it's likely the Kings will in fact become a better team as the season wears on. You could make the argument that the kids will tire out and the wheels will fall off; that's something that's been known to happen to young teams, and it certainly could happen to this one.

But I also think it's reasonable to assume that Doughty, Moller, Simmonds, Quincey and Ersberg (none of whom had played more than 13 NHL regular season games before this year, and three of whom had played zero) will get better. It's also reasonable to assume that the Kings will be better after the All-Star break when their #1 defenseman returns. It's also reasonable to assume Kopitar, Brown and O'Sullivan will not stay in their funk for an entire year. It's possible, of course, but who would bet on it? The fact that the Kings have exceeded expectations with those guys struggling and their #1 defenseman injured is a minor miracle. So those are all reasons to expect the Kings to become a better team as the season progresses. I personally would add to that I have some expectation regarding Purcell, Lewis, Boyle, Moulson, Clune and Bernier, that at least one if not a couple of those guys is going to come up and make a difference (unfortunately, two of those guys are out several weeks with injuries, so it's going to be later rather than sooner).

Bottom line, I enjoy thinking about what it would take to get there. Nobody can say any one path is certain.

Quisp,

Only you could write War and Peace based on a victory over Columbus.

We should expect to be the Jackets because they're a horrible franchise with one great player and a retread coach. Even their own blogger doesn't know the names of the players. Go ahead, click on the link to the right.
The Kings, on the other hand, have Brown, Kopitar, and Frolov. Even if we'd never gotten O'Sullivan or Doughty, Columbus should be easy work unless they've got a Murray-style commitment to defensive responsibility.

----------

It's unbelievable that after all the home games we've already had, we still have 6 of the next 11 this month at home.

Rich,

Is there an injury with O'Donnell? He took a shot from Souray in the foot on Friday and looked a little uncomfortable last night.

Sorry EAT THE RICH that the Kings won last night and ruined your night. Man, give the team a little credit, will ya?
DL picked Doughty..he could have gone several other ways as was debated on this site over the summer. He picked the right guy and deserves a lot of credit. I still think he would have taken Doughty #1 over Stamkos or made the trade to move down if he had #1 pick...but that's just my opinion.
The problem with the Kings last year was we couldn't beat bad teams or good teams. We couldn't keep the puck out of our own net and couldn't kill a penalty if our lives depended on it. I think this team has played a lot more good games than bad games. We've come up on the short end of things a couple of times when we deserved to win.
This year has a long way to go and they might surprise you if they stick to TM's defensive philosophy and limit the opponents chances. That is a necessity when you're playing against the top teams, which we'll be facing shortly.

wow, so much pessimism for the day after a victory...

"It is painfully obvious that the Kings are in fact going to sweep the Wild, Sharks, Rangers, and Sabres, thus vaulting themselves into first place of the universe.

And LaBarbara is going to post 5 shutouts in doing so. And we're going to fire Terry Murray and bring back Barry Melrose."

that might be the only thing that would get some people to stop complaining. except maybe the Melrose thing.

Calder had another good all-around game last night. Fox and Miller praised him a lot, and deservedly so. would he be a better fit on a line with Simmonds and Armstrong? probably. but am i going to complain after he helps us win a game? no.

ny'er - It sounds like you interpret my response to roger and quisp as disappointment. I just don't see any reason to talk playoffs after beating Columbus.

I did point out some tangible positives, but I guess you're not interested in those, like how effective the Calder, Armstrong, and Simmonds-line looked in the short shift they were given.
Also, I pointed out that the team has played better as a whole when Labs is in net and was usually mocked for it. If the team starts to rediscover how they were playing early in the season and limits mistakes, of course they can start thinking playoffs. On the evidence of the past 2 weeks, though, we'll have to wait and see what happens. If they DO turn it around, they may possibly have Labs to thank because they were seriously on the ropes friday night and last night Jason made it easy for them by directing the puck into the corners off of shots and having great positioning on anything from outside (which has been Ersberg's weakness).
Positive enough?

Expect more 1 goal losses if Murray continues to use the forward line combos the way he has.Until the top 6 are used together on the 2 top lines and the bottom 6 are used sparingly in their capacity there is no playoffs in the future. Fire Murray or keep him as the Defensive coach.The sooner the better.

Nobody's talking playoffs because of "beating Columbus." We're talking about the playoffs (or I am anyway) because it's after the 26th game, having previously started the conversation after the 13th game. The game could have been against the Harlem Globetrotters, or it could have been a loss to Columbus, and I would still have brought it up. And in 13 more games, I guess I'll bring it up again.

Quisp, I hope you bring it up again in 13 games.

If we could somehow combine LaBarbera's and Ersberg's qualities, we could potentially have a super goalie.

You know what I think the real problem is here? Ersberg needs to grow a handle bar mustache. That'll solve pretty much everything.

Kings played a solid game yesterday.

LaBarb played well also. 5 periods with one goal allowed. Not to shabby. I certainly wouldn't say the Kings play better in front of him or either of them is a solid number 1. After 10 or so games apiece, they both make me nervous. I definitely liked the fire LaBarb showed after the loss.

I think we can beat Min, NY, Buff on any given night, we always play Detroit tough, so that's possible. SJ forget about it. I can see a 2-1-2 record.

ny'er - Yes Lombardi deserves credit for choosing to take Doughty with that pick, but it's not like Drew was in hiding. We may not have gotten him if St. Louis or...who was 4th overall?...had won the lottery.
I've been VERY critical of Lombardi but admit that I didn't think what the team has accomplished was possible. I think he deserves credit for trading for Gauthier and O'Donnell (many thought he would go after Schneider) and for seeing promise in Moller and Simmonds - both of whom I see now (that I've seen them play) as sure fire NHLers barring injury.
The case with Quincey is more serendipitous in my opinion - he went on waivers seemingly minutes after Johnson was injured - but he may have passed on the opportunity given that Quincey was so green. So I guess he maybe does deserve credit here too, just for going for it. *i don't really know if the waiver claiming position he had is something you can maintain if you don't use it. Quisp? you know? Was there any reason NOT to claim Quincey?
The Calder and Handzus situations are areas where I don't know if Lombardi had a choice. Handzus undoubtedly has been good this year, but would Lombardi have stuck with him if he could have moved him?
Calder, other than the first game of the season, has also been a bright spot in my opinion. Whether he should be on the first line is doubtful, but in all but game 1 against San Jose he's been working hard and playing within the system. Again, if Lombardi had had an option I think we could credit him with having had faith, but Calder's grinding ability and salary weren't really drawing offers.
As far as Murray goes, I can't say we know if this is a positive or a negative yet. I like that Lombardi has built a team that seems to be willing to play Murray's system, but I don't know if it's going to be the answer. It seems to me the players were really frustrated recently despite their strong defensive efforts.
I DO think the Murray could be doing better with this squad (despite my pre-season dire predictions). The addition of O'Donnell and Quincey has helped tremendously considering we don't have Johnson, and the team defense is admirable. But I don't think he's getting what he could on the offensive end if he knew how to balance the lines better. I'm especially frustrated that Zeiler is once again with LA while Boyle has been sent back down.

There are still a lot of issues unsettled with Lombardi, but I can't believe that they've been able to be as good as they have. I don't know what that means really since the team is still 20th overall in a weakened league, but I'm not ashamed to be a Kings fan like I've been for about the past 5 years. That could all change in weeks if the wheels fall off, but the "over-achievement" of the first 1/3 of the season is real and admirable.

Finally, in response to the accusation of "negativity" I'd ask that you find where I've slammed any of our players. The only player I really don't like (purely based on ability) is Zeiler and even he'd be acceptable if he were just a grinder on a great team. The Kings aren't great and so shouldn't be wasting time on him.

I still don't understand why you think Boyle deserves to be up with the Kings. He was playing poorly for the most part. Since this is the NHL and you earn your ice time, how did Boyle earn ice time this year? If your argument is that he was "mis-cast" playing on the 4th line, that doesn't wash. When Sully made his return from the minors, he started on the 4th line before he was moved to the top line. He played hard while on the 4th line. He earned the move to the top line. Boyle didn't earn a thing and he said as much in the article from Manchester.

The 4th line is supposed to be an energy line. If nothing else, Zeiler certainly brings energy when he's on the ice. He's not going to score, but a hit here or there can turn momentum around in a game.
Boyle brought no energy whatsoever with his play on the 4th line. Again, you earn your playing time here. he didn't earn the time.

As far as the negativity, it seems to be just an overall feeling that I and others get from your posts. Since it's hard to determine the tone of a post from reading it, maybe we're wrong in thinking the posts are negative.

Rich I agree with your comments. I saw the ominous line of Zeiler, Armstrong, and Ivanans the other night and just about ran head first into a wall.

Boyle didn't play up to his potential and maybe another stint in the minors is what he needs but that whole line can be replaced with Monarchs that do the same role without taking that many penalties and have more upside in their careers. We're most likely not making the playoffs, now is the time to bring up the kids without the pressure of knowing its win or nothing for them.

sorry guys, that was my comment that got listed under annonymous

I think it's way too early to determine that we're not going to the playoffs. We're one of many teams that's all bunched for the final playoff slots in the west. You can't tell me that teams like Pheonix, Edmonton, Columbus, etc are better than we are...at least not at this point of the season.
I'm sure when some of the guys in Manchester are ready to come up and contribute, DL will make the move to call them up...But that's going to mean that players like Purcell and Boyle have figured out how to become defensively responsible.

ny'er - Boyle, in the 10-11 games before Calgary, was minus - 1 playing on a handicapped line. How is that "not defensively responsible?" If Murray could figure out his lines, we might reach the playoffs. In fact I think we SHOULD make the playoffs with the players we have. It won't happen with Zeiler here, but could if Boyle were being used properly. He's an asset that's being misused. I'd personally love to seem Boyle in a playoff beard.
*don't you remember Boyle abusing R Neidermeier or Kent Huskins? don't you remember how solid he was playing with O'Sullivan and Harrold(!)?
*has Murray "earned" the right to be setting the lines based on the season?

.500 team record, .500 blog......go figure.

Nykingsfan...Good hearing from you again. Yep, I agree, Doughty would probably have been DL's No. 1 pick anyway and yes, as fans we would have been ready to string him up if he had picked Doughty over Stamkos if Stamkos had been available. I'm so glad he wasn't, the rest is history. Doughty, the man-child...he is amazing, I like the ads he's doing for the Kings now. He's going to be a fixture for years.....Agreed, this upcoming east coast swing will say a lot for the character of our young team.

Duckhunter, agreed also. I can see at least a 2-1-2 trip as well. The Wild game should be interesting, low scoring, defensive match. I like the Kings in that one. I'm not too worried about the NY or Sabre games and they do play the Wings tough although that probably won't be enough. Where we part is with the Sharks. I think the Kings are due against SJ. Yep, I can read the standings too and I think this is San Jose's year. I see LA going up there and having a good game, competitive at least. We'll see.

A couple of things.....

First, Terry Murray. He is an outstanding coach and is already being talked about for the Adams trophy. Remember, the Kings were flat out lousy last year. Granted their turnaround is attributed to DL & the kids but where would this team be right now if Crow was coaching? And who would you pick to take TM's spot? Another retread? The Kings needed someone who could communicate with the kids, a teacher with patience. They totally picked the right guy, a defensive coach who's good with youth.

Second, team defense. Ever listen to Jimmy Fox talk about LA's defense? One of the first things he's going to tell you is, when you turn your club from an offensive minded team into a defensive minded team, the goals are going to go down. A HUGE part of LA's problems in the past were the forwards not doing any back checking, getting back into their own end supporting the defense and jumping up into the neutral zone before the puck had been cleared out of their own end. That put an enormous amount of pressure on our defense and our goalies. Not so anymore, our kids are learning to play within a defensive system. Just look at what Fro went through this week.....Give LA some decent goaltending and this team will be going places, they've shown that already this season.

Third, the playoffs. Sorry all you naysayers but it isn't out of the question, not by a longshot. Yes, I can read the standings too. This east coast swing will be a good test for them and yes, the schedulers were very kind to LA in the early part of the season. Unfortunatly, our very young team is going to be out on the road a lot the 2nd half of the season and that's where the playoffs will be won. Possible? Yes. A tough challenge, definitely. But with this team, anything is truly possible.....

Lastly, yep, I'm quietly becoming a Calder fan too. He's a mucker, he gets down in the corners and digs it out. He's not afraid to throw a check and he's a good passer. He's very good at finding the open man and an open spot on the ice, more importantly, I see him going to the net more and more. I believe you're going to see more out of Calder as the season progresses. He's a good 3rd line winger but can obviously play 1st or 2nd as needed and the Kings lose little playing him on our top two lines.

Rich...most lastly. Thank you, Jill and the Daily News for making this the best sports blog there is. You guys have all of us "pent up frustration" Kings fans talking with each other and having a good ol time which is what hockey and sports is all about. It's one hellevua site, thank you again for all of your efforts, they are most appreciated.

Go Kings!

Sorry to get into the Boyle fray but...

Nykingsfan, DanH, etc....You guys are right, BB just wasn't cutting it with the big club and he's the first to admit it. Honestly, he played better last year with LA than this year. I dunno, maybe it was just a focus thing. He didn't seem to be going to the net or in the corners, wasn't using his size, just didn't seem to have any fire out there and a whole lot of times seemed lost. Same thing with Sully, he got sent down, got his act together, mentally and physically, returned to LA (there were still doubts at the time, remember?) and worked his way up to the top lines. He had to earn it and did.

ETR - You are right, Mike Commodore is a monster. I'd have like to seen him in a Kings sweater....

Eat the Rich

he did play well at times, but for the most part he wasn't playing effectively...meaning using his size and forechecking. He obviously has the talent to play at this level, but the work ethic needed to be more consistant...He admitted that in the article.

TM has earned the right to put whatever lines together he feels are the best for the team. He's the head coach...that gives him the right to do it.
You feel he's misused Boyle...that's your right to feel that way, but in no way does that make you correct...I will trust TM's decision making a little more than yours. You're a fan..like me and the rest...He's a professional coach. I can safely state that he knows more in his little finger about hockey than you, me, and everyone else on this blog combined. Myself, like many people here, have played hockey my whole life, but couldn't even come close to the knowledge that TM posesses.

Any talk of firing Murray is rediculous. The team is playing WAY better defensively and I hope he'll come around to the line combinations most of us have talked about but he's the coach....he has the right to play Zeiler on the top line if he wants. I hope I didn't just give him an idea.

There's the rub Dan. Hasn't Zeiler earned a spot on a top line since he does exactly what the coach asks of him? If committing to being an aggressive player and playing within the system is what Boyle needs to do to be considered for anything above 4th line duty, why isn't Zeiler getting those shifts with Kopitar and Brown? Kopitown ought to be able to get Zeiler goals by shooting them in off of him.
The arguments from Murray and others about Boyle's not deserving a better shot are propaganda.
I hope he comes back from Manch with even more vigor and determination, but even if he does, there's no gaurantee he'll get an honest chance to be HIS type of player - one that uses his size to score goals and control the outcome of games like Thornton.

ETR you don't get it man. You have this fascination with the 1st line and think that's where the best players go. I guess Zeus and Frolov should be pissed that they haven't been elevated to the top line. They've been two of the best players.
It's not a knock to be playing on the 4th line. It seems that you think it is.

The arguments about Boyle are propaganda? Again you're just being clueless. Anyone with a little bit of hockey knowledge could see he wasn't giving a consistent effort every night. What would be the reason for that...the fact that he was sulking because he was playing on the 4th line with a bunch of scrubs? Yeah I'm sure as he's riding the bus in Manchester, he's happy to finally be playing with more "talented" players.
He said it in the Manchester article...he knew he wasn't playing well enough to stay and understand what the coaches are looking for. Hopefully he gets it and comes back a better player.
Players don't choose to be the type of player they want to be. Look at Sully. In the minors he cared only about offense. I'm sure he wanted to be the next Mike Bossy. He found out that in order to be successful in this league, he needed to become a much better defensive player. He did that and is now a complete player. Just because Boyle is a tall centerman, doesn't mean he'll be the next Joe Thornton. It doesn't work that way.

Look, it's really not as bleak as some of you seem to think. Boyle is developing. He's back in Manchester right now, skating next to Purcell. Good. There's no reason to believe they won't figure it out and make the jump to the Kings sooner rather than later, but if not, I wouldn't bet against them both sticking next year. That's just how it works. It doesn't mean that Murray mishandled Boyle, or didn't give him a chance. It was always (always always always) a given that Boyle was going to start out as the #4 center behind Kopitar, Stoll and Handzus. This year. Right now, we're lucky there are no key inj***es so we can afford to have Boyle in the AHL for a bit. That's all good.

Zeiler: I don't know. I never really liked him, but I think it's still worth looking at him with fresh eyes. He hasn't done anything wrong this year. And we need a player like him. Clune? When he's not hurt. Hard to say which one is better at this point, but I liked what little I saw of Clune before his first injury, and I like the way he writes on his blog, so there. I think an Avery type who isn't evil has a place on this team. We'll see if either of them work out.

Eat: I don't think your logic re Zeiler/Boyle earning first line minutes really makes sense. I know you're just trying to make a point about TM's logic. But really Zeiler is already basically the apotheosis of what he is, a third/fourth line energy player/pest. I'm not saying he isn't going to become a grown-up, a wily veteran, whatever. It's just that nobody thinks there's any hidden upside to him (not that this kind of player isn't valuable, etc.). Boyle, on the other hand, has tons of upside. You seem to think that he needs to skate on the first line in order to show that upside. But you're missing this point: he's on the fourth line (or was) so that he can (could) work on defense and not have to worry about the offensive side of the puck. He wasn't sent down because he wasn't producing. He was sent down because he wasn't focusing. On defense. Grinding. Hitting. Being -- you know the cliches -- "tough to play against."

Man, you don't get it. I don't see it the way you describe it. I see it from 180 degree different angle. I want to see Boyle become a dominant and at least borderline force in the NHL. What's the point in grooming checking line players. It doesn't matter if you call it line 1 or line 4, if you play this kid with Ivan and Zeiler you're only setting yourself up for disaster, like in Calgary. Murray gets an F at balancing his lines. Period.
Good Day, Sir.

Eat - Boyle didn't get sent down because of who his line-mates were. He got sent down because he didn't do his job. Whether he has done his job or not is not determined by looking at what his line-mates did. It's determined by looking at what he did. They have this thing called video. They look at it. They talk about it. If Boyle had a plus/minus of -50 and he was playing only with Ivanans and Bob Miller, he wouldn't gave been sent down if he had done his job. If he were playing on the first unit, he would be playing against better opposition, which would expose the weaknesses in his game. That's why he has to work his way up.

You might have noticed that Murray is playing a defense-first system. He's not kidding around. You need look no further than POS, Moulson, Purcell, Boyle and Frolov to see that.

As an aside, I can live without the condescending "Good day, sir" goofiness. This isn't the floor of Parliament and you aren't (I hope) wearing a powdered wig.

quisp - blah, blah, blah...

Condescending? I got it from Willy Wonka...it was supposed to be tounge in cheek. I mean, who really says that anymore? I have to admit, though, i was in stitches for about a minute after reading your response to it.
Cheers