Postgame notes/quotes

Great game by the Kings today, I was at the game and they came out pretty strong. Even though Harrold's penalty cost us a goal, I'm glad that he stuck up for O'Sullivan like he did. It looked kind of dangerous though, king of like the Bertuzzi head punch on Moore. But anyway, great game by the Kings, both goals were the result of battles in front of the net that the Kings simply converted. GO KINGS!

Hey Rich,

I think for Patrick O'Sullivan, you mean (4-7=11), not (4-7=10).

Thanks for the update as always.

Kopi and POS just belong together on the ice. When Purcell starts to find his rhythm, that line will be dangerous.
TM had another good day of coaching.
Excellent win against a stingy defensive team.
Now lets go for three in row against Rob Blake and the rest of the _ussys of San Jose.
TM, keep Kopi and POS together or I'll cut off your balls and send them to DL as a Christmas gift.

Yo, Nykingsfan, Rob, Ian, Cicarelli, JDM, how do like them apples

Good win for our boys. It's really important for us to get as many victories at home as we can since the schedule is so road-heavy the 2nd half of the season. Re: Harrold's penalty that led to the Wild goal--I don't mind the guys taking penalties while standing up for each other. We haven't seen enough of that the past couple of seasons. GO KINGS!!

The Kings are definately learning to win now.Fro needs to be on the 2nd line put Calder on the 3rd.Also Moller should be on the 3rd .This is my suggested lineup.
Sully Kopi Teddy
Fro Stoll Brown
Calder Zeus Moller
Richardson Army Simmonds Extras Zeiler Ivanans

Defense any thing other than Harrold and Gauthier together if they play it is imperative they don't play in tandem!

See what happens when Kyle Calder is NOT on your top line?!?!?!?!

The King's GAA is down from last season, they have a better record (although it is early), and the chemistry/lockeroom and attitude of the team overall (not to mention their play on the ice) seems to be better than ever.

Yeah... DL and TM are doing a HORRIBLE job.

Great game today. The Kings looked well balanced. They are not an elite team yet but they are well on there way. Powerplay has some life, players are moving shots are coming from everywhere. Penaltykill was good still gave up one but solid none the less. The defense with Johnson will be deadly. Go Kings.

I am surprised by the lack of support for the team on this blog today. If they had lost there would have been about 30 posts asking for different lines, Murray to be fired and two or three trades. Show some love for the team, they are playing great hockey and can still make a great playoff push.

Wow. The Kings were REALLY good today.

I watched the Wild play as well, and the fact of the matter is that the Kings just dismantled them the same way they took apart St. Louis the other night. The Wild could have come out harder, but all aspects of the Kings' game came together - PP, forechecking, strong play along the boards, and GOALTENDING (yeah Iceberg, that's right!!) especially. I really liked what I saw from the Kings in the defensive zone - they were more aggressive than the typical get in the passing and shooting lanes kind of defense. It was sorta like the Red Wings' defensive play.

Simmons, Quincey, and O'Sullivan all brought their A-games.

If they continue to play with this kind of attitude then Sharks v. Kings game on Monday will be contentious and really fun to watch.

If we play like this we can beat anybody, we have the chance every night. Great game!

Where did Kopitar get his new-found dynamism? Credited with three hits?! Hey Stat Man, when has that ever happened before? They're not fluke hits either, you can really seem him being more physical. He's looked better all-around these past two games than ever before. Flying, hitting, scoring (against a goalie), jumping out away from hits!; really impressive.

Purcell is still nervous/anxious. His passing up quality shooting chances to make a pass demonstrates a lack of assertiveness. Sully & Kopi need to encourage him take the shot.

Another dazzling effort by the Kings...and anthony too for that matter!

Nice to see Kopitar actually laying a legit hit here and there! He also made some great plays today. Harrold had a pretty solid game too i thought...

Damn Anthony you were so close to a credible post until you threw in that last attempt at humor. But good on ya for giving it a shot.

Well played game by the Kings today against a pretty good Wild team today. It will be interesting to see how they match up against the Sharks this time. This will show how far they've come and how much further they have to go.

I am so proud of this team this year!! A loss like the one we had in Colorado would have put last years team in a funk for two weeks. These guys just keep working it, and I love that can-do spirit. I also thought all the lines played a solid game....I just might get out on a limb and say we may have them figured out at last! Plus I love the Doughty/Quincey defensive pairing, and it's nice to see Drew start to use his shot a little more.

And Mark, totally agree with you about Harrold. I really thought that hit on Sully was dirty and deserved some kind of penalty, maybe even a boarding call. Thank goodness he didn't get hurt. Harrold did the right thing, and I'd take that penalty any day of the week.

Way to go Kings!!!!

Great Game, I love watching the growth of our young players and the direction of this team.

Go Kings...

I like how guys have finally started going to the front of the net. Aside from the empty netter, both goals today happened with guys in front of the net. Last game at least 4 of the 6 goals were scored from the front of the net. They're working hard to get tips and deflections. I hope they can break the losing trend against the sharks.

Anthony, it's a refreshing change of tune from you...surprising, but refreshing too.

one of the better quality wins today, too bad we couldn't get a shut out for Ersberg

Well the Kings didn't really play all that well...ya know, it was more about the Wild playing poorly. I really didn't think the line combos were all that strong. I think there needs to be a real shake up. No time to be satisfied with a win. Blah, blah, blah

Just showing some love for the team. The Kings out-played the Wild today. I didn't necessarily expect that. We were statistically outmatched, but that is why you play the games.

I like the lines. I agree that Purcell will get more comfortable with those. If I were to tinker, I'd send Calder down to the 4th and move Moller up to the 2nd. I don't have to see that, just thinking about it.

Also would have liked to see Ersberg get the shutout, but the win is the most important thing. Harrold did well to jump Clutterbuck. I didn't appreciate that liberty on O'Sullivan. Guys that have my back are the kind of players I want on my team. Kudos Harrold, you aren't the biggest, but you were the closest. Good job.

I hope we can take down the Sharks on Monday. Maybe we can turn Blake into the pylon he was for most of last year.

Only 1 point out of a playoff spot right now. Very nice. Keep up the hard work!

Go Kings!

I just have to ask again...where are the TM bashers from 4 days ago?????? He changed the lines and all you people said he should be FIRED!!!!! HE DIDN"T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING!!!!!...HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!...After the game against St Louis you said we only won because we played a crappy team missing their best players...NOW WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY???? We beat one of the best teams in the LEAGUE!!!....now shut up fpr the rest of the season and let this great coach do his job....NO MORE WHINING!!!!

I don't really see what peoples problem w/ Harrold is. He plays some respectable defense. Lots better than Gauthier IMO. Sure he's made mistakes, same mistakes that Doughty's made. Also, you guys are forgetting Reisses' hit on Fro. Now that was dangerous. Time for me to go, wife's buggin'.

tantrum/wavesinair - though I never said TM should be fired, I was one of the critics the other day. you gotta give us time to watch our dvr's, man.
Great game by the Kings. Who would have thought Kopitar would be smiling again? Purcell looks great on that line. Why'd that take so long to figure out? Simmonds is just great, isn't he? I really got to eat a little crow on that because I'd completely lost hope that DL had his sanity.
I wonder if Calder would have gotten a shift after that turnover that created a 3on1 with under 5 minutes to play if not for the penalties? It's a shame because he had a great game otherwise.
The only problem is that the 4th line is still too weak and why were they out there with Goat/Harrold pairing???? Maybe TM is testing? I don't know. But Moller is definitely not as effective in this game like he was against depleted St. Louis. NOt that it's Moller's fault, but his line can't get on much. That's a shame. I'd still like to see this worked out, but I'm gaining hope that it will be. I'd suggest Moller with Stoll and Brown while moving Ivan onto Fro/Zus to protect and stand in front.
If we could get at least Calder and Simmonds on that 4th line with a center like Lewis, Boyle, or possibly Richardson, I think we can challenge in most games because the 4th line would be a scoring threat as well.

Also, If you really are wavesinair, you are the one who said the Kings can't make the playoffs. All these TM critics want is to see this team play this type of game with 4 solid lines and we are in the running.

So Huzzah to Murray. He's coming along with these guys. Is he getting to know them better? Why is Kopi looking reborn without Brown?

Finally, I'd like to see a shifting of d-lines to put Harrold with O'D, and Greene with Goat. I like Goat, but he's slow. I think O'D would be better at covering if Harrold gets caught up ice. Plus, Harrold is still young and it would be good for him to have O'D there on the bench to communicate with and learn.

go kings?

ps - coming later, I explain Murray's punishment system. ( any of the TM backers want to beat me to it? )

FOR THE RECORD:

Supposedly personal attacks are not allowed, yet here I am defending against one. I am NOT tantrum4. I don't know why anyone would post under "anonymous" or feel compelled to change their name. It's not me. tantrum4's post is crossing Rich's line too. Stop antagonizing and stop making false assumptions. As Rich suggested, please post your email address so we can take this away from here.

PS: As per Rich's rules, this post is neither a personal attack, nor is it profane. Therefore, it shouldn't be deleted.

I was at the game & we left that building proud to be a Kings fan. What more can you say then that? I've come up with some fun nicknames - anyone else?

Sean Old Donnel
Drew No Doubt-y
Mack (Truck) Green
Anze KopiStar
Alexander Scorelov
Beater Harrold
Eric Iceberg (of course)
Dust-off Brown
Style Quincy
Kyle Colder
Oscar Smaller
Jarred Score (talking about the girlfriend)
Derek I'm-strong
Denis Go-away
Teddy Passcell
Patrick O'Snipervan
Rightcross Ivanans
Pain Simmonds
Tom Passing-through
Jason LaFlopra

OFF TOPIC: Stars and Avery Part Ways

What Will Avery Do?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_stars_avery;_ylt=AlGtapzBlq_q4FA.H3lsiEYLMxIF

Good win against a boring team, the next 4 games will really show where this team is at (SJ DET NYR). Calder is off the top line but he doesn't belong on the 2nd either Terry neither does Moller on the 4th if that's the case send him back to juniors. Love to see them take some points from the top teams and really open the eyes of the rest of the league. Consistency is what this team needs and Iceberg playing 5 outta every 6 games.

Hell of a win, Great effort, they put on a clinic! Even Anthony is happy. Gotta love it!

Way to go Anthony..you're almost a convert. You had to throw in that last line though, ha? Only you man!

I love watching this team compete. In a real short period of time, these guys have become something special to watch.
One thing I'm noticing...The more I watch Simmonds on a nightly basis, the more I'm impressed with him. This guy hustles his ass off every shift and just makes things happen with his relentless forechecking. He fits into whatever line that he's been put with and just plays his game. Late in the 3rd period he was unbelievably solid getting the puck deep in the offensive zone. How many rookies would be put in that kind of situation in the last minutes of a close game? We have 3 of those guys...Simmonds/Moller/Doughty. THANK YOU DL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another solid performance by Ersberg. Big saves when necessary. The way he controls his rebounds is amazing. There was a point, I believe it was in the 1st period...The Wild had pressure on us big time and you could see we were desperate for a whistle. Ersberg hung on to a difficult shot in his chest and snared the puck out of mid air to get the whistle. That was a huge play in the game. We took over momentum right after that. In a game of great plays, I thought that was the play of the game.

Kudos to Harrold for sticking up for Sully. There's nothing more important than knowing your teammates have your back. I wish we would have killed the penalty, but I'll take the win. I'm sure Harrold scored some huge points in the locker room after that.

These next few games will be huge and certainly not easy ones.
We have SJ/NYR/and Buff/Detroit back to back on the road. It will take efforts like we've seen the last 2 games to compete with these teams. I look forward to seeing how we do. I think we'll surprise a few people this week...

Per the Swedish press, Moller will be playing in the world Juniors.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/hockey/article3994128.ab
http://hockeysverige.se/news_show.html?id=4834293

VERY CLEVER BRS. THANK YOU.

i have to be honest, i'm really not surprised that are team is playing well. i could see it in camp, during the preseason games and early on. this is a different team than what has been on the ice the last few years. dl has done an amazing job putting these guys together. its no fluke. all of our players have come from successful junior or college programs and been leaders and tough, gritty players on previous teams. these are dl's kind of players. this is what dl has been saying since he arrived. maybe you don't listen or care to listen to what he has to say. he wanted to add leadership qualities and toughness. he wanted to have the kind of players that would play hurt and not complain.

some of you complain, but the players don't. they only take responsibility for their play. period. i wish some of you would take responsibility for your riduculous posts, like when some moron said that sully was demanding a trade and it would happen on that following monday. well that was 7 weeks ago. well? he wasn't traded. this team is good now. they just have to learn how to win in the nhl. this will take some time. we are ahead of schedule. tm has done an amazing job with this group - 3rd youngest in the nhl. some of you complain that he changes the lines to often and then you complain that he doesn't change them fast enough. get real people. a coach must give each line combo a chance. one or two games does not make a great line or a season. this is also the case with the goalies. he has given each one of them about half of the games. ersberg has proven to be the better goalie, but needs a break about every 4-5 games. that's fine. tm has changed the lines appropriately when he feels that his combos are not working. do you change your companies policies every day because someone violated the rules? of course not. give tm a chance to shape and focus this team. give dl a chance to add to our depth and fill in the pieces in the next couple of years. around the league, people are talking that we will be one of the class teams in a year or two. let it happen.

throwing crap on the wall after a bad loss will not make this team better, it will only dirty your walls and make you look foolish. i am pleased with the progress this team has made. i am pleased with the heart and effort this team is showing. dl and tm, keep up the good work and go kings!

anthony, for once I do like your apples very much!

Ok... that came out kind of wrong.

Kings Love! Kings rule! What a great game. We looked like a playoff team. I don't care if the Wild are hurting right now, they are a playoff team this season, and we whipped them.

Even when Kopistar and O'Snipervan (hat tip BRS) and Dusty are playing well, Frolov continues to be our best player imo. He does absolutely everything, and continues to show that he is one of the strongest board players and best puck possession players/puck strippers in the entire league. Please DL, next time you talk about the core, include Fro!

Aside from the fact that its great wee little Harrold is sticking up for his teammates, he is growing as a hockey player. Last night was the best game I've seen him play, ever. He was playing sound defensively, and getting tons of shots through to the net.

Speaking of shots to the net... how lucky are we to have Quincey? You can see the Detroit system oozing out of him. It seems that virtually every time he shoots the puck, a scoring chance or scramble in front of the net results.

I love the lines. Don't touch them. This is our team!

Purcell looks damn good and much more confident than last year, which is surprising, because even still he is clearly hesitating out there. When he hits a groove, watch out. He has such a slick, sweeping shot, he is bound to fool a few goalies. Oh, and I love all the little puck battles he is winning and loose pucks he is pouncing on.

The housing market may suck, but I'd like to put in a bid to live on Cloud Nine forever. I don't EXPECT us to win against SJ, but I feel confident we can steal the game and at the least, give them a run for their money. These next 4 games are tough as nails game, but no reason we shouldn't win at least 2 of them playing the way we are. Could you imagine winning 3 out of 4 here? Ok, ok, I'll stop. No jinxing allowed. I'll be happy, win or lose, if they play the same game they played so splendidly yesterday.

BRS - some good stuff. Can I join the fun?

PurSullitar
Hannah-Barbera
Wee Oscar or lil' Oscar
Doughn-town
prince harry
King Brown
The Bergermeister. (for my money much better than iceberg)

Not too surprised to see Harrold step in there. If I'm not mistaken he was team captain at BC and the Kings/Monarchs coaching and management all seem to rave about his character and leadership. That hit on Sully was a d!ck move and needed to be addressed.
Great game by the Kings and glad I was there! I figure the Sharks are due for a loss so lets hope the boys find a way to get it done Monday. Boooooooo!

Great game boys.

I've got to give Murray some credit after questioning his tactics a lot lately.
For a while I was beginning to believe that Murray was a taskmaster that liked to "doghouse" certain players. I was also afraid he was starting to alienate his players, thinking Kopitar was unhappy and that Frolov was being singled out unfairly.
Well, I've got to admit that the players seem reborn lately. I've seen a Kings team looking much more like the early season version that was using the body and being responsible. Kopitar had a great game and was smiling - not to mention, he back-checked with passion there at the end and went right through the net.
What I'm beginning to sense is that Murray isn't a nasty task-master, but perhaps a gentle teacher that revokes privileges because he knows the player is capable of better.
If this is what is going on, I'm ecstatic because these young guys ARE capable of great things and it takes the right guy to bring that out of them. I'd questioned early on whether this was, in a sense, pre-made agreements with players that if they made a mistake there would be a price - icetime and linemates being the lost privilege.
In those cases it's up to the player to earn back the privilege.
Since I don't know Murray's character at all, I don't think it's wrong to have questioned what was/is going on. But if it's the case that the players and coach have a great rapport, I love it.
Maybe it was evident to those Kings fans who have kids since parenting well, I would imagine, is a very similar process.
Anyway, as jumbled as these thoughts may be, the bottom line is I'm starting to see that this guy just may be the best guy for this job. I can't argue with the on-ice results over the majority of games. The defensive game we're committed to is usually highly effective.
While I always believe there is room for improvement, I like what I'm seeing and hope the progression continues.
I also hope that those who never waivered in their faith in Murray will be proven correct, and that it just takes a little patience and a commitment from the players to do what Murray asks of them.
I will especially be ecstatic if Murray is able to bring greatness out of Boyle. I really want to see this guy be an elite player and think he's capable. Just don't give up on him DL, please.

By the by, does anyone see a player-similarity between Dustin Brown and Wendell Clark?

Balls Anthony??? Dude, c'mon!

This was a good, solid win for LA against a very solid defensive team, one of the best in the league. The thing that impressed me the most was the Kings passing. The Wild plays an excellent trapping defense yet LA's breakout and neutral ice game kept Minnesota scrambling and on their heals for most of the night. Personally, it was one of our most gratifying wins of the season. This team is amazing and they haven't even discovered their potental. Like Nykingsfan, this week is going to be huge, SJC, NYR, Detroit, etc. I like the Kings chances but i won't be crestfallen if they don't do well. This is going to be a big challenge for them. Somehow I think the Kings are up for it...they're certainly playing that way.

Sully is definitely in his groove and Kopi has found his. He has always started slowly, now he's found his shot. From here he is going to be lethal, same for Sully who's playing out of this world right now. Doughty, yikes!

Kyle Quincey...I'm STILL trying to figure this one out, who is this guy and why did Detroit try to pass him through waivers? Why? He's just become one of the best defensemen on the team and possibly the league. Guess he just needed a chance that Detroit couldn't provide, that's my only answer. Good write up by Scott Burnside - ESPN this week on Kyle...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3759609&name=nhl

The Iceberg...keep playing the way you're playing dude.

TM - You've got my vote for the Jack Adams, great job with this young team, all they needed was leadership and confidence. You instilled it in them, thank you! And thank you for the defensive system we've never had, I like this team's chances night after night.

DL - Thank you for assembling a team that is fun to watch, I mean fun. I haven't felt this good about the Kings since the Deadmarsh days. Hockey is fun again in LA!

As for nicknames, I'm not a Little O fan...It's BIG OSCAR!

Ok, now for the main event(s) this week....Go Kings!

Don't look now, but 7 more home wins and we'll tie the number of home wins we had last season.

Kings are on pace to score 223 goals this season... Thats 8 less goals than last season. However, we're busting out of a scoring slump, so hopefully we can pick that up.

The real good news is that we're on pace for giving up 229 goals this season... that's 37 less goals than last year... That is a big opportunity to win some games!

Okay...I must say, the last two games may be the best two games I have seen a Kings team play since 1992/1993.

Sound defensively.

Overpowering on offense.

Very few mistakes.

Kinda fun to watch, isn't it? Can they keep it up? I'm not counting on it...young teams are inconsistent. There WILL be more clunkers like in Calgary and in Colorado, but what is great, is there will be more stellar performances like the last two games. This team is learning and growing together, and that my friends is how the West will be won in the coming years.

It won't be this year, but as you can see throughout the league with all the "experts" starting to take notice...these young kids are becoming the talk of the league.