Postgame notes

That was Purcell's best effort, definitely. He actually drove to the net ALL night and took the body along the boards. Really impressed with him. If he can keep up that kind of fearless play, we're in good shape.

I was at the game tonight, and it was a great game. Doughty made 2 nice checks... Jacks SH goal beating two players on a 4-3.... Also Dodgers won!!!

Simmonds had 2 goals and 4 assists - with only two goals scored? Wow. :)

Hey guys, just got back from the game. A few thoughts I had...

Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty were both amazing tonight. Johnson had such a sick shorthanded goal, deked 2 Coyotes and then owned Montoya. Such a great play. He looked mean out there too. Doughty absolutely leveled some guy, crowd got really excited.

Hickey looked pretty good out there. A lot of composure, and I'm glad I can say this, he looked like he got a lot bigger. He looks like a man more than a kid now. Some smart plays, I think he could make the team.

The Moller-Loktionov-Purcell line looked fantastic. Purcell is going to surprise a lot of people this year, he looks a lot bigger as well. Moller has too much heart to send him down to Manchester, he is always the first one in the corner regardless of who is about to hit him. Loktionov, if Stoll is hurt at the beginning of the season, could see some time at the start of the season. He looked really good today, made some nice plays. Looked more in place than out of it.

Mikus looked decent. Schenn and Clifford looked a lot better than he did though. Clifford isn't afraid of anyone. I like that.

Williams had one of the nicest goals I've seen in a long time. Well, nice moves, then stuffed in his own rebound. Awesome toe drag around a sliding defender.

Scuderi looked horrible out there. Made a stupid pass that lead to Korpikoski's penalty shot. Then was unlucky and had the puck deflected off his stick into the goal. Sure hope it was an off day for him, because he was the worst defender and player on the ice in a Kings sweater today.

Teubert needs to settle down. He is taking dumb penalties and is trying to fight too much. He needs to be a smart defender BEFORE being a goon. Lets worry more about not giving up a powerplay than acting like a big tough guy.

Kopitar just always looks lazy...

Smyth missed a couple point blank tap ins on some nice passes by Kopi and Williams. Who, by the way, looked pretty good out there together.

Bernier wasn't all that and a bag of chips. He looked decent and had no chance on the second goal, and the first was just an amazing shot by Boedker. But he still wasn't that great. Looked a little frantic.

Best rookies out there tonight were Schenn, Clifford, Loktionov, and Hickey. I'd be surprised if Hickey didn't make the team.

Is there any highlights somewhere? I want to watch the JJ goal.. I cant find it on the web, do one of you have link?

Well the cameras were on during the game. It would be pretty lame if they didn't have tapes in the cameras and were just live broadcasting through Staples. So, unless they are THAT cheap (although HDCAM tapes ain't exactly cheap themselves, but come on, it's a friggin' hockey team), the footage from the game should exist somewhere. I would have to think it will go up on Kings Vision tomorrow.

No, you know what, I know they tape the damn exhibition games because they showed a highlight package at the game with Simmonds wearing #57, which if I recall he only did in preseason. Or am I crazy and he wore it to start last season?

What annoys me about last night is that while the Kings were playing 2 preseason games, what was Fox Sports Prime Ticket showing? "Classic NHL" broadcasting a Kings @ Ducks game from like last year or something. I have a memory. I don't need to watch a game I've seen, especially when live games are going on.

Dying to see some highlights here!

So very happy to see Purcell playing hard in Game one and being recognized for it. I truly do believe he'll be a force to reckon with this year... and JW for that matter. Sounds like he had a fantastic game... let alone Jack! These 3 players in my opinion have something to prove this year and prove something they will!

Bring on October!

Glad to hear that JMFJ and JW are playing well. Those were two big question marks before the season. I hope it keeps up.

Also good to see Simmonds bag two with Fro and Zeus on his line. Frolov can use a few more assists this year!

Smythe played well. Plays hard, gets to the front.

I thought Clifford looked good. He has size, speed and strength. There were a couple of plays where he went to the front through a defender's hold: strong by NHL standards already. Took a bunch of minor (dumb) penalties though. Little less skill then Simmonds but sort of reminded me of Simmonds last year

I thought Piskula looked solid. Has good size; makes it look easy; makes the simple play. Teubert took a bunch of penalties.

I thought Kopitar played fine. He had a few rushes and made a bunch of plays. Stayed in position when needed.

Playing with Doughty, Hickey made some nice plays and had no rushs, which maybe was appropriate as Doughty played up a few times and Hickey covered. Hickey's very quick.

I thought Bernier played well. Gave up one goal when he misplayed a puck behind his net. The other goals were offensive beats combined with deflections. Scuderi had an awesome own goal off a centering pass. (pretty sure it was Scuderi)

Teubs is like that overanxious (Yet vicious in this case) puppy who just needs time to grow up. He'll be a beast.

Last nights game in Phoenix though, I still cannot believe Drew Bagnall got 3 penalties in about 8 minutes. Gotta feel for him. Apparantely he was trying to get something going with Lesard, but he wouldn't bite, since they had the lead. That has to be a record of some sort. 3 separately called penalties on one player in 8 minutes. From the boxscore:

02:31 LAK Drew Bagnall : Interference - 2 min
06:38 LAK Drew Bagnall : Interference - 2 min
10:20 LAK Drew Bagnall : Interference - 2 min

Well, at least he's consistent.

I hope the highlights end up on KingsVision and they stream tomorrow night's game.

How come nobody is talking about the fight between Westgarth and the huge Mitch Fritz? This should be included in the conversation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOCmoE2_NbA&feature=player_embedded

Speaking of Teddy, I liked this little bit about him here..

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/27884-THNcom-Blog-Sophomore-slumps-and-secondyear-stars.html

"Purcell is a seasoned vet compared to Boedker. He’s 24, played a year of college hockey and is entering his third pro season. In 2008, he was an American League first team all-star and was named rookie of the year after scoring 25 goals and 83 points in 67 games. He then averaged a point per game in 38 AHL games last season before being called up to L.A., where his numbers dropped. Expect that to change this season."

Nice.

RaitisWestgarth said:
How come nobody is talking about the fight between Westgarth and the huge Mitch Fritz? This should be included in the conversation

Because fighting is needed about once every 10 games. Scoring, defense, and goaltending are needed EVERY game.

Thanks for the link Ers. I'll be watching Ted closely this season... though of course I have been since I knew he was in the Kingdom. I just personally think he's going to light it up this season. I'm taking him in my fantasy league, let's put it that way... and perhaps over Brown or Williams.

I am confused as to what side he'll play on though should he stay on the 2nd line. Will he be a lefty to Browns right?

Hey Cynic, thanks for the attempted help last night. I hope tomorrow nights game fares better for me.

Markisonfire, anyone else at the game,

Thanks a lot for the recap! Really cool to read and it sounds like the players who have the most to prove, Purcell, Williams, and Johnson, are taking their jobs seriously.

Got tickets for Thursday, and I've never been this excited for a preseason game. I'm really fiending for hockey this year!

KingNewfie-

I believe he'll be playing on the left side, since the other guys have been playing RW throughout their career. I guess what'll really be happening is we'll have to RW with a Center, which works, too.

Scuderi has the Post-Cup winner Syndrome...

Hope he will show up by the start of the season.

Ersberg:

Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad. I just hope he gets some time with Brown and Stoll in the coming days to help build that chemistry.

Looks like he may become a very effective PP man as well, meaning he could be paired with anyone.

It's all very exciting for this Teddy fan... let alone my adoration for the rest of the team.

...And the Williams-POS contest is off to a rousing start, even though it is pre-season, two for POS, one for Williams!

Anthonyy, where are you?

Kingnewfie/Ersberg -

Purcell is a RW who can play off-wing. He played LW on the PP a little last year. Brown, in contrast, sucks at LW by his own admission. Moller can play all three forward positions (natural center though). Loktionov is a natural center, but played RW on the powerplay in Windsor last year.

Whether Stoll is really going to be ready to be #2 center in October is still a big question, no matter what Stoll says "hasn't entered his mind." Right now, I think you have to assume he's hurt and doesn't know when he's going to be better; and that makes the likely second line Purcell/Moller/Brown.

But I'm sure Terry Murray has his own surprises in store for us, line-wise. (right now, it seems like he's pretty settled in his #1 and #3 lines, and 2 and 4 are up for grabs.)

I was at the game as well, and let's just say that like many of you, I have never been this excited for the exhibition games. Plus I wanted to make sure that this team wasn't going to be cursed in it's first game, and see one our top guys go down on the first shift of the game and be out the rest of the year. So in that aspect I am relieved. I agree with most of your thoughts in the fact that Johnson was the man tonight. That short handed goal he scored would of been a classic had it been a regular season game. The person that I was most impressed with however was Williams. He seemed involved in almost all aspects of the game, plus he just looked quick out there, and healthy, like his legs were doing the things that he wanted to do and not holding him back. If Johnson and Williams play like this the whole year (and stay healthy), life will be worth living again in Kings Land. However, I really feel that if any of our core guys get hurt, we're screwed. Hope I'm wrong, and that this will be a year that we will all never forget (in a good way). Now if you excuse me, I have to get ready to hear the boos for Heatley of Thursday.

Quisp-

Stoll on the 2nd line is another "story" altogether.
I really feel Stoll should give a wing position a shot, and let Moller or Lok play the 2nd line roll.

But as you've stated, Murray will likely have some surprises in store for us. I just hope it's not something too wild, such as Harrold playing center.

Hey Newfie-

No prob. Hope it works out for you. Sucks not being able to watch the team you love.

I really like the sound of the Moller-Loktionov-Purcell line last night. I just don't want a $4 million dollar 4th line center in Stoll. You could have Mo-Lo-Purce as the 4th line, although it's kinda small. Against a fast team, might be worth it but Lokti needs minutes to keep developing. I agree 2 & 4 lines are up for grabs.

Gonna be interesting. Can't wait for the season to start!

The Stoll situation seems severe. Not just for the team of course, which is a serious bummer, but for him personally. I love his positive attitude, but watching the interview left me feeling like it's only a matter of (little) time before his career is over.

He mentioned he's taking Humira, which is a hardcore arthritis drug and that there are no side-effects. However, a brief look online reveals there is potential for severe side-effects including serious infections that can be fatal. I know he hopes the medication "gets the arthritis out of my body" but the reality is that it's a progressive, chronic disease.

I was really looking forward to him having a great season and coming through with clutch face-offs. I hope it happens for him (and us), but like I said, I have a sinking feeling his condition is more severe than he's letting on.

Quisp:

Thanks for the info. I actually like the idea of Moller centering that line... but I am saddened of these Stoll thoughts. I'm sure we'll survive without him, but his speciaties are quite special.

Having said that, maybe this is a good thing in a way. It certainly gives some of the other players a chance to strut their stuff and build chemistry.

Purcell / Moller / Brown all the way... and if not, put Ted up with Kopi and JW.

my thoughts from the game last night-

1. i thought williams was the best player on the ice. he back checked like a mofo and just had a complete game in my eyes. disruptive when defending and effective when attacking with or without the puck.

2. smyth-kopi-williams line looks to be legit. they were constantly talking to each other between face offs and on the bench. they seem to enjoy playing each other as they were constantly laughing and smiling.

3. doughty was doughty.

4. i thought JJ started a little shaky. that said after his second shift he was exactly what we all expect him to be.

5. 'the piece' [scuderi] is definitely a man adjusting to a new system. a couple of ill advised outlet passes led to turnovers and a penalty shot. however, he still made a handful of nice plays defensively and actually remind me of norstrom in a couple of those situations.

6. purcell played by far his best game with a crown on his chest. used his body; went to the 'tough areas'; and played the half wall great on the PP. his performance was only outdone by williams. IMHO

7. hickey looked comfortable and made some nice plays. i think i would still like him to get a year of the "A" under his belt though. towards the end of the game he and doughty looked great defending our end... i kept thinking to myself, 'soon enough i will be seeing this on a regular basis'

8. i thought the line of moller-lokti-purcell looked solid. that said lokti will be a really good top six forward for us soon. i felt like i was watching the future while they were playing. [well, they are, so i suppose that's why]

9. clifford impressed me. still needs some polishing, but he tenacity is to be commended. good pick up DL and crew.

10. tubes is making progress. made some bad turn-overs and took some unnecessary penalties. in a couple of years i see him as a more skilled matt greene.

11. clune was okay i suppose. hardly noticed him except when he was getting his face punched in. i like him better than zieler, so take that for what it's worth,

12. piskula should have a nice career in the AHL me thinks.

13. schenn looked solid for the most part. he played a solid if not conservative two way game.

14. the legendary mikus surprised me. he looked far better than he did at camp i thought. he used his body a lot more than i expected him to and because of that maintained possession better than i expected him to. is he ready for the show? no, but there is something there.

15. weekend at bernier was ok. made some nice saves, gave up a couple of fat rebounds, and misplayed the puck. i didn't have a good view of the first goal, but from my perspective it was soft due to his positioning and where it came from. he was completely responsible for the 3rd goal as he misplayed the puck behind the net. hickey had a line on it and he moved it away from him.

take it for what it's worth as this is just one guys perspective.

bottom line for me is that i saw more traffic in front of the opposing goalie last night than i saw all of last season combined.

with love,
jack handy

Dan H. said:

"Because fighting is needed about once every 10 games. Scoring, defense, and goaltending are needed EVERY game."

That's your opinion, as uninformed as it may be. Regardless, Westgarth should be discussed as either him or Ivanans will make the line-up and play game in and game out.

Great review Jack Handy, thanks!

Beware Dan H, looks like Raitis wants to "go"..;)

Yes, great reviews by everyone!!

Makes me smile to hear so many positive things. JJ's play is good news. We need him to be good and more importantly, consistent. It's also good news to hear Purcell has made noticeable improvements. Go Teddy!!

Don't be surprised by JW's play. He was brought here for a reason....he's a impact player. Not a level 1 impact player, but an individual that has all the tools at his disposal to make a difference and he uses them rather nicely. He will make a impact on our team. I predict a few of you will have a Williams jersey before the end of the season! Before it's all said and done we'll all been cheering JW.

Go Kings

Purcell's best game by far. He was phenomenal on the half-wall during the PP. He moved well to get to a puck receiving position, and then made crisp passes almost every time. And driving to the net? Teddy? Yes.
Mikus was better than expected. Loved the stiff arm he gave a Phx player while moving the puck toward the corner. Good quick release on a couple of shots. Second coming of Howe/Gretzky/Lemieux? Nah, but the guy does have some skills that could make him a good NHLer.
The game seems to be slowing down for Hickey. His reads were generally better, and the passes were on the tape. Positionally good overall as well. Maturity catching up with the skill set. He'll be a very good one next year, or late this year.
Lokti could steal a spot, esp. if Stoll stays out of the lineup. A bit rough still, but game sense was there. I think TM likes what he sees in Lokti.
Smyth/Kopi/Williams--they were enjoying each other's talents, and I liked the yakking they did on the bench.
Ray Borque said he'd like to grow up to be Doughty--but seriously, DD got a bit stronger over the break, and the game is really slowing down for him. He's almost to a point where he's controlling events when he has the puck--not always, but enough to influence shifts.
Bernier--couple of out of position plays (2d goal and the misplay on 3rd one) but solid. Another year of development will do him wonders.
This may be the first squad I've seen in years that can make final cuts tough on the coach. And thank heavens for that--good work scouts, and the GM whose name is anathema to Ant***yy.

Excellent reviews of this game folks. I hope some of the fans are there tonight so we can get much the same.

I'm really loving the Purcell talk here. I doubt anyone is as big a fan as I am, but it certainly is great to hear ya'll talk good things about him.

Besides Ted though, the one player I'm looking at a lot this year is JW. I love his attitude and I really think he's going to do wonders for this team, even more so than Smitty.

Bring on October!!!!