One word to describe last night’s game.
The Kings weren’t ready to play the 1st and 3rd periods and didn’t bother to play the 2nd. 4’9″ Brian Gionta is allowed to stand in front of the net to whack away at the loose puck and no one knocked him on his ass. Dustin Brown skated right by him. Can’t score an easier goal.
In the 3rd the Kings were running around with no clue while Jonathan Quick was making snow angels on the ice. Brutal.
Jack Johnson had a bad night. I don’t know if it is a letdown from the Olympics but he was Captain Giveaway last night. His turnover led to the first goal. But he wasn’t the only King giving it away. The Kings could not adjust to the forechecking pressure the Canadiens threw at them. They sent two men deep on the puck all night and the Kings had no answer for it.
When the Kings won in Dallas you had the thought that they are continuing from where they left off. But the last two games have been different. The chemistry is off. You can’t think that adding two veterans players would throw the Kings off. Those two are an upgrade from the players benched. A caller to the Kings post game show wanted to know why Raitus Ivanans wasn’t in the lineup. Nick Nickson was diplomatic about it, but the answer is HE SUCKS! He couldn’t even make his Latvian Olympic team. Why waste that space when you have someone who can play. He not being in the lineup is not the reason the Kings lost.
What the Kings need to do is juggle the lineup a bit. Wayne Simmonds needs to be in the top six. Preferably with Kopitar. It wasn’t a coincidence that Kopitar went on that multi-game point scoring streak with Simmonds on his wing. Dustin Brown needs to go back with Handzus and Frolov. Stoll needs to center the 3rd line. The lines are off right now. They need to work on getting the chemistry back.

Related Blogs

• Canadiens grab 8th spot in Eastern Conference with 4-2 win over Kings
• Canadiens-Kings: Early Period Goals the Difference in the Habs …
• Frozen Royalty Audio and NHL Video: LA Kings Stumbling Out of …
• Are the LA Kings a better club with the additions of Modin and …
• Kopitar postgame quotes « LA Kings Insider
• Can 2010 Olympic Medalists Take The Flyers To The Next Stanley Cup …
• Tales from Intermission | …On Being a Sports Girl
• Los Angeles Kings: Brad Richardson And Wayne Simmonds Are Quite …
• Montreal Canadiens vs Los Angeles Kings | Montreal Mystique

Filed under: Hockey Talk by Craig
No Comments »