Postgame quotes (2/16)
KINGS COACH TERRY MURRAY:
(Re game recap): ``Coming back from being down three goals, you have to be happy with that. There are two different games out there tonight. The start, we're down when they score on a 5-on-3. They score on the next play at the net on the power play and it's 3-0. They score on the second shift of the game, just over a minute into the game, so we're down 3-0 and it's a big hole that we're in, like the last two games, but there was a lot of dig-in to come back and tie it up.''
(Re a challenging upcoming schedule): ``The next game we have Anaheim, but you can't overwhelm yourself by looking at the remaining part of the schedule; that's too hard. There are a lot of road games there, but the next game at Anaheim we have to regroup and come out with the right kind of effort to get the two points. That's the way the schedule is and we have to go play it.''
KINGS CENTER ANZE KOPITAR:
(Re game recap): ``This time of the year, you want to get two points, not just one. Maybe we're fortunate enough to get one but that's not enough. I mean, like I said, to give up six goals at home, it's hard and it definitely shouldn't happen. The Thrashers came out strong and the last couple of games we stayed flat-footed, but they came out strong and ready to play and we simply weren't ready. The next game we need to make sure we are ready from the get-go. It's a mental thing to be ready when the puck drops, and I hope we can do that to be ready.''
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Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
Maybe we can "build" off this passed two games, and win the Quacks and Sharks......
I still hate the REFS!!!!!!!
I can't understand how some of you continue to blame TM for this team's mistakes. They have been taught a system and they are professionals, so in my book if they don't play the system it's the PLAYERS' fault. I also would like to see less passing around the perimiters on the 5 on 3 and more shooting. The Kings are still in the hunt so let's stay positive.
Its getting a little worrisome that we are falling behind very early in games. We're putting ourselves in a hole and not coming all the way out of it. We needed the extra point last night..same as on Saturday.
I know we played well on the road, but we're letting valuable points at home slip away.
It's hard to blame Quick, but sometimes you need your goalie to bail you out of a tough start. He certainly didn't do that.. Ersberg's 1st game in a while, so it's hard to get on him.
The positives from the game are these guys never give up and fight right until the end. They're an exciting team to watch.
Kopitar/Frolov/Sully were flying the whole night.
JJ and Doughty are a scary duo on the point in the offensive zone.
I also liked the way Army played. He was involved all night long.
The negatives....Absolute worst game of the season for Simmonds. Actually the last couple of games have been sub par. He's a rookie, so it should have been expected that he might hit a wall. Hopefully its just a tough streak and he battles his way through it. He needs to keep working hard and keep his game simple.
The goaltending was not what we've come to expect. It has to get a lot better if we're going to make a run at this.
It's a lot to ask of the young guys, but if they want to make the playoffs they are going to have to play as if they were seasoned veterans. They need to come out with fire to start the game and put the other team back on its heels.
Worst game of the season, 6 goals! Excitng yes but very poorly played by the Kings!
Bad game by the players tonight. No way anyone can blame the coach for this one or they absolutely know nothing about how a hockey game is played and are using the same old tired excuse they've been using since Andy Murray was here, whenever the team loses, it's the coach's fault. lol. Too bad the coach can only do that, coach. He can't be on the ice holding each players hand showing them where they are supposed to be on each shift. The players have to figure some things out for themselves. The one thing that has hurt us each of the last 3 games and may have cost us the win each time is our 5 on 3 powerplay, absolutley horrible. How can we score 4 times with a one man advantage, and zero times on four 5 on 3's in the last 3 games?? Unbeleivable....
Tantrum4 is right.
We are really doing well drawing penalties and we've had many 5 on 3's. There is just NO excuse for not scoring on those. If someone gives you 4 chances to make a 3""putt do you think you can at least get 2 of them?
Very disappointed as well. Although the game was exciting, we should never have allowed so many goals. We had good fore checking and maintained a lot of pressure the second half of the game, but our defense was piss poor. Just when I thought LA had established some consistency, they go 0-1-2 at home, giving away 2 first periods to the oilers and thrashers. Maybe its their age, but they need to change their mentality and play as hard as possible all 60 min. WTF Kings? You have proved you are capable of better!
Glad that most of our remaining games are on the road, hopefully they can climb back up the point ladder in the next couple weeks, I'm not holding my breath though. And even if we do make the playoffs, if we can't win home games there is no point even being there.
Also, ANOTHER shoot out loss. I know LA is built D first, but we have our scorers who NEED to finish the job. Anze schooled Hedberg followed by 2 very pathetic attempts. Did JJ and Brown not see how its done? I'm confused. Kovalchek missing the net should have given us the W, but instead we dig ourselves out of a hole just to lose later on. If we continued to play OT rather than a skills competition I think we would have won more games. But that doesn't matter, figure out how to score on a 1-0 before making a playoff run. Pathetic.
this game was maddening. I almost wish I was watching it on TV rather than in person, what a drain.
who waits until there is under 10 seconds left down 1 with the goalie pulled on a 6-on-4 to shoot the puck?
what the heck was wrong with Quincey tonight (and I say that as one of his biggest supporters). did he EVER take a shot on net? certainly not in the 3rd.
when the Kings scored to make it 6-5 and had 36 shots, it was clear if they just took another 8 or 9 shots they would have one or two more goals and probably the game. the one erased, notwithstanding, it took until 5 seconds left to make it happen.
Atlanta looked dead tired with about 12 minutes left in regulation and the Kings barely had more energy than them for some reason. the shootout was a bummer but I felt fortunate to get away with one point...
One of the worst games of the season for LA. The Kings just looked lethargic out there until the 3rd. They were playing a sub-par team in their own building on their back end of game & game situation. This should have been a Kings romp, instead it was a disaster. I don't buy into the "1 point" gained thinking. The last two games, the Kings needed 4 points, not two. The showed no fire against the Oil and even less against Atlanta. It was awful. I don't hold Quick responsible since the entire team abandoned him in the first. Also, I don't know what' going on with our shootouts. We've got some good players that can shoot the puck. Hedberg isn't by far one of the better goalies in the league. Kopi was the only one that looked like he knew what he wanted to do, no razzle-dazzle, he just skated in hard and put a hard shot on net, top-shelf. If the others can't do that, then DL truly needs to sign himself a long term sniper.
Like Nykingsfan, digging a hole so deep in the early going is killing the Kings. They've got to come out skating, passing and playing in the 1st like they really want the game. The message they sent to Atlanta in the 1st was basically, "It's yours for the taking". The Thrashers took the game to LA in their own building, absolutely wrong, and won. If this team doesn't get some consistant motivation soon, DL will be a trader come March and the Kings will be looking at another high end 1st round draft pick come June. What more motivation does this team need than to make the playoffs for the first time in five years? Anyone? Beuller?? Ferris Beuller???
btw, Kings are 2-6 in shootouts (Nick & Darryl pointed out on the post-game last night). you can blame at least a couple of those losses squarely on LaBarbera, but we really need to find some better (meaning, consistent) shooters!!
I think Murray should identify who the top 6 shooters are and have 3 or 4 penciled in, ready to go at any given time. at this point, it seems like we just throw out 3 guys at random and hope for the best. O'Sullivan is in a shootout slump, and they know the book on him now. give him a rest.
last night I would've done Kopi, Simmonds and Frolov. Brown wasn't having a good game so I don't know why they thought he'd have scored. at least he did hit the post on that one shot IIRC