While new Kings whipping boy Dustin Penner was having his best game in recent memory, the rest of the team decided to show up in time for the third period before carelessly losing in the closing seconds.
Fire Terry Murray. Promote Dustin Penner?
A quick three-save compilation from my game last night. One of my best games, so, naturally, we lost. I owe my teammates some additional video from both games, but goodness, editing video is time consuming.
Showing posts with label kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kings. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Loathing
Certain things inspire a particular loathing in the fans of a sports team. This year, the Kings managed to hit most of them during a single playoff series; they managed to hit most of them in one game:
In reality, the season was something of a success. They lost their best player and still finished with the same number of playoff wins as they did last year. Regardless of what happens in the offseason, though, failing to make it out of the first round next season must (and likely will) have dire consequences for the team and front office. The Kings were ahead of schedule in making the playoffs last year. They will be behind schedule losing in the first round next year.
Es el tiempo, amigos. This was the last playoff series the Kings are allowed to lose while still blaming youth, inexperience, and a developing system. This was the last year of my standing up for Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray when results don't reflect effort. This was the last season of writing off Doughty's defensive lapses, Kopitar's missed nets, and Quick's soft goals.
There is no more room for error. And there wouldn't be next season regardless of the ultimate results of this season. Kings fans put up with some very, very lean years with the promise that, given 5 years, the team would be able to regularly contend for the Stanley Cup. This was the fifth year.
2011-12 will be the most important Kings season since their acquisition of Wayne Gretzky. Failure will once again implode a promising core of young players in an effort to improve the product on the ice, a process which rarely succeeds in professional sports. It will derail all of the progress made over the last 5 years and, in my mind, severely impact the future of the franchise in Los Angeles. It will be entirely up to the players to play to their abilities, earn a strong seed in the playoffs, and make it out of the first round.
I can't say I'm angry. I'm disappointed, to be sure. Next season, failing to score on a 5 minute major through the last 3 minutes of regulation and the first 2 minutes of overtime will engender a very different response.
- Fail to win at home
- Fail to win in overtime while losing in overtime regularly
- Fail to score on the power play
In reality, the season was something of a success. They lost their best player and still finished with the same number of playoff wins as they did last year. Regardless of what happens in the offseason, though, failing to make it out of the first round next season must (and likely will) have dire consequences for the team and front office. The Kings were ahead of schedule in making the playoffs last year. They will be behind schedule losing in the first round next year.
Es el tiempo, amigos. This was the last playoff series the Kings are allowed to lose while still blaming youth, inexperience, and a developing system. This was the last year of my standing up for Dean Lombardi and Terry Murray when results don't reflect effort. This was the last season of writing off Doughty's defensive lapses, Kopitar's missed nets, and Quick's soft goals.
There is no more room for error. And there wouldn't be next season regardless of the ultimate results of this season. Kings fans put up with some very, very lean years with the promise that, given 5 years, the team would be able to regularly contend for the Stanley Cup. This was the fifth year.
2011-12 will be the most important Kings season since their acquisition of Wayne Gretzky. Failure will once again implode a promising core of young players in an effort to improve the product on the ice, a process which rarely succeeds in professional sports. It will derail all of the progress made over the last 5 years and, in my mind, severely impact the future of the franchise in Los Angeles. It will be entirely up to the players to play to their abilities, earn a strong seed in the playoffs, and make it out of the first round.
I can't say I'm angry. I'm disappointed, to be sure. Next season, failing to score on a 5 minute major through the last 3 minutes of regulation and the first 2 minutes of overtime will engender a very different response.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Joe Vitale vs. Jon Quick
Joe Vitale of Pittsburgh makes his NHL debut tonight vs. the Kings.
Since both teams have former Hockey East players, I did a quick check of statistics for games in which Vitale (Northeastern) and Quick (UMass) both played.
In three career games against each other:
Vitale: 0G, 1A, (team record 1-2)
Quick: 3GA, 70SV, SV% .959 (team record 2-1)
The lone Northeastern victory over a Quick-led UMass team during Vitale's tenure was, interestingly, during my freshman year, when the team won only 3 games while losing 24 and tying 7. They managed a 2-0 victory with Adam Geragosian (!) making 26 saves for the shutout.
Ideally, Vitale nets a hat trick while the Kings win 4-3. The game is on the NHL network starting at 4:00 Pacific.
Since both teams have former Hockey East players, I did a quick check of statistics for games in which Vitale (Northeastern) and Quick (UMass) both played.
In three career games against each other:
Vitale: 0G, 1A, (team record 1-2)
Quick: 3GA, 70SV, SV% .959 (team record 2-1)
The lone Northeastern victory over a Quick-led UMass team during Vitale's tenure was, interestingly, during my freshman year, when the team won only 3 games while losing 24 and tying 7. They managed a 2-0 victory with Adam Geragosian (!) making 26 saves for the shutout.
Ideally, Vitale nets a hat trick while the Kings win 4-3. The game is on the NHL network starting at 4:00 Pacific.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Murray, what the hell are you doing?
If you have a guy who you play less than 5 minutes a game, maybe you should bench him for someone who, you know, might SCORE A FUCKING GOAL.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Why the Kings are losing
Wanna know why the Kings are losing?
Because they're playing like shit. I have never seen a team put so many shots from the point into the legs of defenders. Never have I seen so many passes bounce off the boards or slide to the backhand. Never have I seen a goalie flop around on his back behind the net every game for two weeks. And, for the love of god, Quick needs to start stopping at least 90% of the shots he sees.
I'm not sure what they need to do to start winning, but they definitely need to stop doing what they're doing right now.
Maddening.
Because they're playing like shit. I have never seen a team put so many shots from the point into the legs of defenders. Never have I seen so many passes bounce off the boards or slide to the backhand. Never have I seen a goalie flop around on his back behind the net every game for two weeks. And, for the love of god, Quick needs to start stopping at least 90% of the shots he sees.
I'm not sure what they need to do to start winning, but they definitely need to stop doing what they're doing right now.
Maddening.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Blaming the goalie
L, 3-6
L, 4-7
L, 0-1
L, 3-4
L, 2-5
GAA: 2.09
GAA: 3.09
Hockey is similar to baseball in one key way. The season strings together wins and losses in bunches, with a team rarely containing the talent it displays during a long win streak and rarely missing the talent it seems to lack during a losing streak. Perception is a funny thing. If the Kings were winning 2 games and losing 1, losing 2 and winning 1, you wouldn't see the kind of wholesale panic out of the fan base. But the maddening inconsistency, the stops and starts, wear on fans and players much like LA traffic.
Unfortunately, I now have to do something I generally dislike doing. I have to blame the goalie.
The scores you see at the top of the post are not particularly outrageous. Despite being perceived as an inherently low scoring game, hockey usually produces between 3 and 4 goals for the winning team. When compared with the goals against averages below, however, an immediate problem crops up. Goalies with near league-leading GAA's and save percentages should not allow 12 goals in 4.5 games. Backup goalies with crappy GAA's and save percentages shouldn't allow 11 goals in 2 games. Both of the Kings' Jonathans need to step back and reevaluate what has made each of them successful in the past and move back towards those mechanics and mindsets.
Goalies don't usually lose games. They can frequently singlehandedly win games, but it takes a rare combination of poor goalie play combined with good defense to start pinning losses on a netminder. And sadly, this is where Quick and Bernier have found themselves over the last few games. Quick is often faulted for making spectacular saves while struggling with simpler shots. His soft goals allowed are excused when he routinely makes one or two impossible saves a game.
But he hasn't. He's been out of position, slow to react, and blind to soft wrist shots. Bernier has been in position but even slower, susceptible to weak shots five-hole and top shelf. Watching Bernier move side to side tonight was painful, reminiscent of my own pathetic lateral movement, and Nashville exploited it for two of their five goals, and perhaps a third if you count a lazy leg extension.
The frustrating part of all of this is that the Kings really are a fundamentally good team. But they're last in the Pacific division and falling out of the playoff picture once again.
This is not a good time for the Kings to turn back in to the Kings.
L, 4-7
L, 0-1
L, 3-4
L, 2-5
GAA: 2.09
GAA: 3.09
Hockey is similar to baseball in one key way. The season strings together wins and losses in bunches, with a team rarely containing the talent it displays during a long win streak and rarely missing the talent it seems to lack during a losing streak. Perception is a funny thing. If the Kings were winning 2 games and losing 1, losing 2 and winning 1, you wouldn't see the kind of wholesale panic out of the fan base. But the maddening inconsistency, the stops and starts, wear on fans and players much like LA traffic.
Unfortunately, I now have to do something I generally dislike doing. I have to blame the goalie.
The scores you see at the top of the post are not particularly outrageous. Despite being perceived as an inherently low scoring game, hockey usually produces between 3 and 4 goals for the winning team. When compared with the goals against averages below, however, an immediate problem crops up. Goalies with near league-leading GAA's and save percentages should not allow 12 goals in 4.5 games. Backup goalies with crappy GAA's and save percentages shouldn't allow 11 goals in 2 games. Both of the Kings' Jonathans need to step back and reevaluate what has made each of them successful in the past and move back towards those mechanics and mindsets.
Goalies don't usually lose games. They can frequently singlehandedly win games, but it takes a rare combination of poor goalie play combined with good defense to start pinning losses on a netminder. And sadly, this is where Quick and Bernier have found themselves over the last few games. Quick is often faulted for making spectacular saves while struggling with simpler shots. His soft goals allowed are excused when he routinely makes one or two impossible saves a game.
But he hasn't. He's been out of position, slow to react, and blind to soft wrist shots. Bernier has been in position but even slower, susceptible to weak shots five-hole and top shelf. Watching Bernier move side to side tonight was painful, reminiscent of my own pathetic lateral movement, and Nashville exploited it for two of their five goals, and perhaps a third if you count a lazy leg extension.
The frustrating part of all of this is that the Kings really are a fundamentally good team. But they're last in the Pacific division and falling out of the playoff picture once again.
This is not a good time for the Kings to turn back in to the Kings.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
How not to play goalie: lesson 15
Jon Quick is usually pretty reliable, but his greatest weakness has always been a propensity to be out of position as a result of committing too early. Dallas' second goal tonight came on a very wide, very delayed play from a sharp angle. Brandon Segal skated around the net, held the puck, and then shot it off Quick and into the top of the net from just past the goal line. How?
Red circle is puck, green is open net as a result of bad positioning.
Quick went for a poke check. The problem with a poke check is that goalie sticks are heavy. It's easy to pull your hand to the back of the stick and push it forward, but not as easy to pull it back and into position. Quick got caught when Segal didn't shoot right away and moved out of poke check range. He had already committed to a poke check and decided to stay down, when what he needed to do was pop out of the butterfly and take away the left side of the net.
Ultimately, it didn't matter, as the Kings won 5-2. But I'm just sayin'.
World Series
The Rangers are proof that the division and championship series' are too short. Just a fundamentally bad team out of an awful division with a terrible bullpen.
Red circle is puck, green is open net as a result of bad positioning.Quick went for a poke check. The problem with a poke check is that goalie sticks are heavy. It's easy to pull your hand to the back of the stick and push it forward, but not as easy to pull it back and into position. Quick got caught when Segal didn't shoot right away and moved out of poke check range. He had already committed to a poke check and decided to stay down, when what he needed to do was pop out of the butterfly and take away the left side of the net.
Ultimately, it didn't matter, as the Kings won 5-2. But I'm just sayin'.
World Series
The Rangers are proof that the division and championship series' are too short. Just a fundamentally bad team out of an awful division with a terrible bullpen.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Stream of Consciousness Hockey
I realize that nobody who reads this blog ever bothers to read my hockey posts. Unfortunately, they're also the most fun to write. Just another Blogger's Dilemma, I suppose.
The Kings opened their season in Vancouver while I was in Florida. Being on the east coast meant the game didn't start until 10 PM, I would have to watch the game over a Slingbox through a terrible free WiFi connection on a 12" laptop, and I'd have to leave the sound off to avoid disturbing a sleeping girlfriend.
Please don't sue me for fair use of your photo.The game was mediocre, but the Kings looked resplendent. Jon Quick was wearing faux-vintage brown pads and a Rogie Vahon tribute mask, the team was wearing purple and gold as they had in the pre-Gretzky years, and Bob Miller was undoubtedly calming a hyperactive Jim Fox on commentary. Anze Kopitar took an inadvertent stick to the mouth and needed 15 stitches halfway through the first, then returned to play the entire second, third, and overtime periods before scoring a goal in the shootout. There's no sport quite like hockey.
With the end of my unemployment rapidly approaching but the promise of a paycheck beckoning me to the ice, I set out in search of new pads to replace that which I had left at Northeastern. Faith in your equipment is one of the pillars of goaltending, so I set out to find reaonably priced upgrades to my old pads.
Craigslist yielded a brand new Reebok Premier Series 2 glove and a freakishly light stick for hundreds below retail, while a visit to the local hockey shop netted some Bauer Reflex RX6 pads and CCM skates. The pads are fairly entry level in the grand scheme of hockey, but 20 years more advanced than the ol' Reactors, offering things like knee padding and five-hole closure.
One of the most inexplicable and frustrating things about living in the city of Boston was a complete lack of in-city hockey shops and rinks. This limited my ice time to my intramural games and my purchases to secondhand vendors. Oddly enough, the greater Los Angeles area offers substantially more value to a hockey player than the metropolitan Boston area, with all three major online hockey retailers calling Southern California their home and two rinks within 7 miles of Venice. This, of course, allowed me to break in my new pads within a day of their purchase at the Toyota Sports Center.
Stepping onto the ice for the first time in months was less difficult than expected. Unfortunately, goaltending after avoiding the gym for months is an intensely painful activity, making conditioning my greatest obstacle. Regardless, I stopped some pucks and made it out to two days of stick time, seeing lots of pucks and doing incalculable damage to my knees and groin.
Making a predictable rookie mistake, I removed the thigh boards from the new pads thinking that they'd be more trouble than they were worth.
This is how it looked yesterday. It now looks like one of those blue potato chips they give you on JetBlue.Wrong. It's incredible how a puck seeks the least protected areas of your body and finds them within five minutes of stepping into the net. Thighs, collar bones, arms, and necks all make saves you'd rather make with your forehead. Ken Dryden wrote in "The Game" that despite all the protection, goalie was still a fundamentally painful position, and despite decades of equipment improvements, I still manage to block a shot with nothing but bone at least once every game. I find it silly that shooters always apologize for hitting me in the mask. Shots to the mask don't hurt. Shots to the thigh do.
Somehow, after barely managing to drive my heavy-clutched car home, staring at bruises and cuts, and struggling to stand up, something drives me, and presumably all real athletes, to get up and do the same thing the next day. Maybe that's why Northeastern hockey has season ticket holders from the '50s. The team is rarely good, but the game is more important than the results.
On the topic of Northeastern hockey, I am confused by optimism. A team which drastically underperformed last year and has neither gained nor lost anyone truly critical is likely to drastically underperform this year. A loss in an exhibition match to a miserable Canadian team, a loss to miserable Providence, a loss to excellent Boston College, a tie with bad RPI, and a tie with a mediocre UNH squad spells "BAD TEAM" in bold letters. Perhaps not as bad as the 3-24-7 team of my freshman year, but likely worse than last year's 16-16-2. Let's remember that this team has yet to win a game despite having played an exhibition, an out of conference game, a game against Providence, and two home games against Hockey East Opponents. The team that made the NCAA tournament started 5-0-1 against better competition.
Thank goodness for the Kings, because the Huskies are beginning what will amount to one very long season. I do miss them, though. Every day.
Somehow, after barely managing to drive my heavy-clutched car home, staring at bruises and cuts, and struggling to stand up, something drives me, and presumably all real athletes, to get up and do the same thing the next day. Maybe that's why Northeastern hockey has season ticket holders from the '50s. The team is rarely good, but the game is more important than the results.
On the topic of Northeastern hockey, I am confused by optimism. A team which drastically underperformed last year and has neither gained nor lost anyone truly critical is likely to drastically underperform this year. A loss in an exhibition match to a miserable Canadian team, a loss to miserable Providence, a loss to excellent Boston College, a tie with bad RPI, and a tie with a mediocre UNH squad spells "BAD TEAM" in bold letters. Perhaps not as bad as the 3-24-7 team of my freshman year, but likely worse than last year's 16-16-2. Let's remember that this team has yet to win a game despite having played an exhibition, an out of conference game, a game against Providence, and two home games against Hockey East Opponents. The team that made the NCAA tournament started 5-0-1 against better competition.
Thank goodness for the Kings, because the Huskies are beginning what will amount to one very long season. I do miss them, though. Every day.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Season Post-Mortem: Your Los Angeles Kings
Viewed in a long-term lens, defining this season as anything but a success is a wild miscalculation. For the first time since 2002, the Kings made the playoffs. They earned a 2-1 series lead, and were, arguably, one second and one period away from sweeping a superior opponent*. Their best players were also their youngest, and Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds, and Anze Kopitar all had a relatively good playoff series, Doughty and Simmonds in particular. Jonathan Bernier had a taste of the NHL and exceeded expectations, while Quick was able to carry the team for stretches while proving to be an exceptional shootout asset.
Viewed from a short-term perspective, this season was a disappointment. The team was in first place in the Western Conference for some time but nearly missed the playoffs with an extended cold streak. They were unable to follow a double-digit unbeaten streak with post-Olympics consistency. Jon Quick was unable to match his effort from the previous year, particularly as the season drew to an end.Veterans such as Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams failed to produce in the second half after a stellar start.
Quick has drawn crticism for his postseason play, but it's somewhat undeserved. He deserved to win game 1, losing because Luongo had a fortuitous glove-swipe in overtime, and undoubtedly was the reason the game went to overtime. He earned the game 2 win as well, and played well enough in game 3 to win the game. However, I noticed his mechanical faults as early as game 2, and they became a liability in game 4. He stopped looking for the puck and spent too much time dropping into a blocking butterfly without actively seeking the shooter. He would drop into the butterfly and crouch far too low, inviting high shots and minimizing his ability to move. He insisted on using godforsaken paddle-down as a constant crutch for his poor positioning and vision.
Despite all those things, the Kings were very close to winning this series. Quick is being labelled as the goat, but Ryan Smyth was invisible, Matt Greene and Sean O'Donnell were routinely victimized by Vancouver forwards, and an effective penalty kill faltered in the final three games.
The season, as a whole, occurred during a sort of hockey renaissance for me. I played two semesters of ice hockey goalie, two semesters of broomball goalie, a semester of floor hockey goalie, and countless pickup roller hockey games, all while watching more NHL and college hockey than I have at any point in my life. What was once a mere distraction until baseball season began has become the central focus of my sports passion. Hockey, a game, both beautiful and misunderstood, which combines grace and physicality, speed and precision, and minimal interference from officials, has become my favorite sport to watch, to play, and to write. The Huskies winning, well, anything, or the Kings winning the Stanley Cup, would be as close to a religious experience as I am likely to have. An Angels World Series is a close second, but baseball and its interminable 162 game season and awful postseason format, can't compete with the elegance of the NHL.
With all that said, the Kings were a wonderful team to watch this season. My first experience with the Kings was Game 2 of the '93 Cup Finals, and my first extended taste came not until last season, so I have avoided much of the associated Kings misery that so many fans equate with the franchise. But the future of this team is so bright, so incredibly promising, that I am already delighted at the prospect of the season resuming this fall.
Thank you, Kings. Thank you Lombardi, Murray, Brown, Kopitar, Doughty, Simmonds, Scuderi, and Quick. Thank you Bernier, Greene, Handzus, Richardson, Johnson, and Stoll. Thank you Miller, Fox, and, of course, Bailey. It's been wonderful, and it's only getting better.
For those of you who come here for Angels coverage, here it comes. Baseball season is fully upon us, and the Angels are playing more like the Angels and less like the Bizarro AngelOrioles, hockey's over, and I'm finally able to watch games on a daily basis. Maybe you might even find occasional Lakers coverage, if they avoid losing to Seattle.
*Luongo's save on the goal line in game 1, the third period in game 4.
Viewed from a short-term perspective, this season was a disappointment. The team was in first place in the Western Conference for some time but nearly missed the playoffs with an extended cold streak. They were unable to follow a double-digit unbeaten streak with post-Olympics consistency. Jon Quick was unable to match his effort from the previous year, particularly as the season drew to an end.Veterans such as Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams failed to produce in the second half after a stellar start.
Quick has drawn crticism for his postseason play, but it's somewhat undeserved. He deserved to win game 1, losing because Luongo had a fortuitous glove-swipe in overtime, and undoubtedly was the reason the game went to overtime. He earned the game 2 win as well, and played well enough in game 3 to win the game. However, I noticed his mechanical faults as early as game 2, and they became a liability in game 4. He stopped looking for the puck and spent too much time dropping into a blocking butterfly without actively seeking the shooter. He would drop into the butterfly and crouch far too low, inviting high shots and minimizing his ability to move. He insisted on using godforsaken paddle-down as a constant crutch for his poor positioning and vision.
Despite all those things, the Kings were very close to winning this series. Quick is being labelled as the goat, but Ryan Smyth was invisible, Matt Greene and Sean O'Donnell were routinely victimized by Vancouver forwards, and an effective penalty kill faltered in the final three games.
The season, as a whole, occurred during a sort of hockey renaissance for me. I played two semesters of ice hockey goalie, two semesters of broomball goalie, a semester of floor hockey goalie, and countless pickup roller hockey games, all while watching more NHL and college hockey than I have at any point in my life. What was once a mere distraction until baseball season began has become the central focus of my sports passion. Hockey, a game, both beautiful and misunderstood, which combines grace and physicality, speed and precision, and minimal interference from officials, has become my favorite sport to watch, to play, and to write. The Huskies winning, well, anything, or the Kings winning the Stanley Cup, would be as close to a religious experience as I am likely to have. An Angels World Series is a close second, but baseball and its interminable 162 game season and awful postseason format, can't compete with the elegance of the NHL.
With all that said, the Kings were a wonderful team to watch this season. My first experience with the Kings was Game 2 of the '93 Cup Finals, and my first extended taste came not until last season, so I have avoided much of the associated Kings misery that so many fans equate with the franchise. But the future of this team is so bright, so incredibly promising, that I am already delighted at the prospect of the season resuming this fall.
Thank you, Kings. Thank you Lombardi, Murray, Brown, Kopitar, Doughty, Simmonds, Scuderi, and Quick. Thank you Bernier, Greene, Handzus, Richardson, Johnson, and Stoll. Thank you Miller, Fox, and, of course, Bailey. It's been wonderful, and it's only getting better.
For those of you who come here for Angels coverage, here it comes. Baseball season is fully upon us, and the Angels are playing more like the Angels and less like the Bizarro AngelOrioles, hockey's over, and I'm finally able to watch games on a daily basis. Maybe you might even find occasional Lakers coverage, if they avoid losing to Seattle.
*Luongo's save on the goal line in game 1, the third period in game 4.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Why blaming a league conspiracy makes you look like a jackass
The Kings beat the Canucks last night to take a 2-1 lead in the series. It was the first home playoff game for the Kings since 2002, and I was fully expecting them to come out flat and go down early. They did.
Once they were down 1-0, everything changed. The Kings started to match Vancouver's physicality, they started generating some offense, and they earned a power play. They scored, tying the game before the first intermission.
During the second period, they scored on another two power plays. They also scored an ugly, ugly goal that went five hole on Luongo while he was, presumably, checking out Bailey dumping popcorn on Canucks fans. That marked the end of Luongo's night and a 4-1 lead for the Kings.
The lead would get shaved a goal on some complacent defense, leaving the score 4-2 Kings at the second break. Already, Vancouver fans were saying things like "the fix is in!" and "Bettman has ruled: no Canadian teams to the second round."
These morons were further convinced of a massive NHL conspiracy against their team when an apparent goal was called back after the officials in Toronto determined that it had been kicked in. It was a bad call, but not a terrible one, and the Canucks would go on to score seconds later anyway. Regardless, the score was 4-3, and even if it had been 4-4, it would've been irrelevant to the final outcome, as Smyth scored on a knucklepuck to give the Kings their fifth goal.
So now, the bellyaching continues.
Direct quotes from Vancouver fan message boards:
With that in mind, here are the statistics that matter:
Kings: 3/3 power play, 4/4 penalty kill
Canucks: 0/4 power play, 0/3 penalty kill
Jon Quick: 25 saves, 28 shots, 3 GA (3 even strength)
Luongo/Raycroft: 18 saves, 23 shots, 5 GA (3 PP, 2 even strength)
If a team cannot score with an extra skater despite getting more power plays, cannot prevent the other team from scoring on the power play, cannot muster an .800 save percentage, goes several power plays without a shot, misses empty nets, allows several odd-man rushes, can't clear the zone, and turns the puck directly over to opposing forwards tens of times in a game, the problem lies with the team, not the league.
Vancouver drew more penalties than Los Angeles, had a disallowed goal replaced with a counted goal, had a substantial amount of 6 on 4 time at the end of the game, and still couldn't win.
The Canucks lost this game because they played like crap. I find it important to emphasize that the only reason the Canucks won a game this series is because they got an incredibly lucky save on the goal line in overtime in game 1. The puck bounces both ways, and ignoring fortune and focusing exclusively on unluckiness is a trademark of baseball, not hockey. I heartily encourage Vancouver fans to look at their team's road record, their depleted defense, and shoddy goalie before blaming the NHL for their playoff woes.
Once they were down 1-0, everything changed. The Kings started to match Vancouver's physicality, they started generating some offense, and they earned a power play. They scored, tying the game before the first intermission.
During the second period, they scored on another two power plays. They also scored an ugly, ugly goal that went five hole on Luongo while he was, presumably, checking out Bailey dumping popcorn on Canucks fans. That marked the end of Luongo's night and a 4-1 lead for the Kings.
The lead would get shaved a goal on some complacent defense, leaving the score 4-2 Kings at the second break. Already, Vancouver fans were saying things like "the fix is in!" and "Bettman has ruled: no Canadian teams to the second round."
These morons were further convinced of a massive NHL conspiracy against their team when an apparent goal was called back after the officials in Toronto determined that it had been kicked in. It was a bad call, but not a terrible one, and the Canucks would go on to score seconds later anyway. Regardless, the score was 4-3, and even if it had been 4-4, it would've been irrelevant to the final outcome, as Smyth scored on a knucklepuck to give the Kings their fifth goal.
So now, the bellyaching continues.
Direct quotes from Vancouver fan message boards:
- This entire series is bull.
- The Kings have gotten almost every call and bounce. The Canucks have been bad too, but they're not even being given a ****ing chance here!
- Who cares about integrity, its profit thats important. **** this corrupt league.
- This is bull****! Why do I keep on watching this joke of a league? I honestly am starting to believe the conspiracy theories.
- Bettman paid off the refs to generate first round upsets.
- I am livid right now. WHY do we need to go into every single playoffs KNOWING the refs will screw us for Bettman's darling teams. There is NO way its just coincidence or bad luck at this point. It happens every single year.
With that in mind, here are the statistics that matter:
Kings: 3/3 power play, 4/4 penalty kill
Canucks: 0/4 power play, 0/3 penalty kill
Jon Quick: 25 saves, 28 shots, 3 GA (3 even strength)
Luongo/Raycroft: 18 saves, 23 shots, 5 GA (3 PP, 2 even strength)
If a team cannot score with an extra skater despite getting more power plays, cannot prevent the other team from scoring on the power play, cannot muster an .800 save percentage, goes several power plays without a shot, misses empty nets, allows several odd-man rushes, can't clear the zone, and turns the puck directly over to opposing forwards tens of times in a game, the problem lies with the team, not the league.
Vancouver drew more penalties than Los Angeles, had a disallowed goal replaced with a counted goal, had a substantial amount of 6 on 4 time at the end of the game, and still couldn't win.
The Canucks lost this game because they played like crap. I find it important to emphasize that the only reason the Canucks won a game this series is because they got an incredibly lucky save on the goal line in overtime in game 1. The puck bounces both ways, and ignoring fortune and focusing exclusively on unluckiness is a trademark of baseball, not hockey. I heartily encourage Vancouver fans to look at their team's road record, their depleted defense, and shoddy goalie before blaming the NHL for their playoff woes.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Raccoon scores in OT, Kings tie series
Let's get real, here. Anze looks like a raccoon. Not a little bit, but a lot. While this has inspired nicknames over at BoC and Jewels from the Crown, nicknames like "Raccoon Jesus," but I don't imagine Jesus was a particularly proficient hockey player, so maybe the name is a bit of a misnomer.
Kira was sleeping while I was watching the game last night, so I found myself having to silently cheer. Not for the first period, mind you, as she was awake, and the Kings weren't. But she was out before the second, and I don't think I've ever come closer to punching a hole through my ceiling when I jumped out of my chair, silently, with my hands raised, when Simmonds converted the 3-on-1 to tie the game.
Roberto Luongo, who earned some playoff mystique with an unbelievable (but extremely lucky) save in overtime in game 1, countered his good fortune with a bad bounce in game 2. After Rob Scuderi forced a too-many-men penalty on the Canucks in overtime by astutely playing the puck towards their bench, Kopitar was able to shoot, get his own rebound, and shoot again. The puck hit Luongo, got beside him, and then got knocked in by the oversized knob on his stick. I play with a relatively small tape ball on the end, but Luongo seems to prefer the larger variety, and that likely cost him the game last night. Well, that, and having 7 men on the ice in an overtime period during the second game of a playoff series.
If the NHL wanted parity after the '04-'05 lockout, that's what they've found. Every playoff series with two games played was tied at 1-1. Of the teams that found themselves ahead 1-0 in the series, all built a lead of at least 1-0 in the second game, and all subsequently lost the game. The Bruins, Kings, and Capitals were all down 2-0 in the first period before winning game 2 to tie their respective series'.
I love playoff hockey.
Kira was sleeping while I was watching the game last night, so I found myself having to silently cheer. Not for the first period, mind you, as she was awake, and the Kings weren't. But she was out before the second, and I don't think I've ever come closer to punching a hole through my ceiling when I jumped out of my chair, silently, with my hands raised, when Simmonds converted the 3-on-1 to tie the game.
Roberto Luongo, who earned some playoff mystique with an unbelievable (but extremely lucky) save in overtime in game 1, countered his good fortune with a bad bounce in game 2. After Rob Scuderi forced a too-many-men penalty on the Canucks in overtime by astutely playing the puck towards their bench, Kopitar was able to shoot, get his own rebound, and shoot again. The puck hit Luongo, got beside him, and then got knocked in by the oversized knob on his stick. I play with a relatively small tape ball on the end, but Luongo seems to prefer the larger variety, and that likely cost him the game last night. Well, that, and having 7 men on the ice in an overtime period during the second game of a playoff series.
If the NHL wanted parity after the '04-'05 lockout, that's what they've found. Every playoff series with two games played was tied at 1-1. Of the teams that found themselves ahead 1-0 in the series, all built a lead of at least 1-0 in the second game, and all subsequently lost the game. The Bruins, Kings, and Capitals were all down 2-0 in the first period before winning game 2 to tie their respective series'.
I love playoff hockey.
Monday, April 12, 2010
2-5, Kings Playoff Preview
I don't really know the historical significance of giving up 47 runs in 7 games, but I'm sure it approaches, if not sets, an ignominious record. On this pace, the Angels will allow 1087 runs this season, sure to be another near-record.
It's unlikely, of course, but I'm more frustrated with the inability of the offense to produce runs. 24 runs over 7 games is poor, but it's the way that the Angels find themselves unable to score runs through their trademark small ball that's particularly disconcerting. I'm glad to see them on the road, something I think will help Brandon Wood, but wish it weren't against the Yankees.
#6 Los Angeles Kings vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks
I didn't really want to see the Kings play Vancouver, but it's important to remember that Phoenix has Vezina-candidate Ilya Bryzgalov and perennial King-killer Shane Doan, so perhaps the Vancouver matchup is a better option. I think I would have preferred San Jose to any other team in the top half of the standings, but it's better that the Kings didn't make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 as an 8 seed.
This series has a lot of potential. Both teams are relying on shaky Olympic goalies, which promises to generate a good deal of groaning from the west coast of North America. Obviously, the goaltending edge belongs to the Canucks with Roberto Luongo, but he's begun to show some inconsistency in his game. He allowed 8 goals to the Kings in the teams' most recent meeting, including a couple which I believe I would have stopped. He's been remarkably average this month.
Jon Quick, on the other hand, has been suffering from a mixture of poor play and bad luck. In every game he's played well over the last month, he's been victimized by defensive breakdowns or an unfortunate deflection of the puck off a defenseman's skates. In the game's he's played poorly, the Kings haven't scored. It's a tough spot, but nothing he's doing has changed since the early season, when he was much more successful. Quick is not, nor has he ever been, a positionally sound goalie. He relies on reaction and athleticism, which leads to amazing saves and soft goals. I don't believe either strategy to be better, but most fans view a positionally sound goalie as more consistent, when in reality, both types of goaltender output similar results. If Quick sees the puck, he makes the stop. He gets into trouble on longer shots where the puck has enough time to dip or rise, and in goalmouth scrums where he has to move laterally while already on his chest.
The series, though, will be decided by scoring. If Raitis Ivanans plays, if Simmonds doesn't score, and if Doughty can't hit the net on his point shots, the Kings will lose. I believe that Kopitar can, at least, shut down Vancouver's top scorers, while perhaps being shut down himself. That puts the responsibility for goals on Stoll, on Simmonds, and on Handzus, and their production is the difference between Kings in 6 and Vancouver in 5.
It's unlikely, of course, but I'm more frustrated with the inability of the offense to produce runs. 24 runs over 7 games is poor, but it's the way that the Angels find themselves unable to score runs through their trademark small ball that's particularly disconcerting. I'm glad to see them on the road, something I think will help Brandon Wood, but wish it weren't against the Yankees.
#6 Los Angeles Kings vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks
I didn't really want to see the Kings play Vancouver, but it's important to remember that Phoenix has Vezina-candidate Ilya Bryzgalov and perennial King-killer Shane Doan, so perhaps the Vancouver matchup is a better option. I think I would have preferred San Jose to any other team in the top half of the standings, but it's better that the Kings didn't make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 as an 8 seed.
This series has a lot of potential. Both teams are relying on shaky Olympic goalies, which promises to generate a good deal of groaning from the west coast of North America. Obviously, the goaltending edge belongs to the Canucks with Roberto Luongo, but he's begun to show some inconsistency in his game. He allowed 8 goals to the Kings in the teams' most recent meeting, including a couple which I believe I would have stopped. He's been remarkably average this month.
Jon Quick, on the other hand, has been suffering from a mixture of poor play and bad luck. In every game he's played well over the last month, he's been victimized by defensive breakdowns or an unfortunate deflection of the puck off a defenseman's skates. In the game's he's played poorly, the Kings haven't scored. It's a tough spot, but nothing he's doing has changed since the early season, when he was much more successful. Quick is not, nor has he ever been, a positionally sound goalie. He relies on reaction and athleticism, which leads to amazing saves and soft goals. I don't believe either strategy to be better, but most fans view a positionally sound goalie as more consistent, when in reality, both types of goaltender output similar results. If Quick sees the puck, he makes the stop. He gets into trouble on longer shots where the puck has enough time to dip or rise, and in goalmouth scrums where he has to move laterally while already on his chest.
The series, though, will be decided by scoring. If Raitis Ivanans plays, if Simmonds doesn't score, and if Doughty can't hit the net on his point shots, the Kings will lose. I believe that Kopitar can, at least, shut down Vancouver's top scorers, while perhaps being shut down himself. That puts the responsibility for goals on Stoll, on Simmonds, and on Handzus, and their production is the difference between Kings in 6 and Vancouver in 5.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
162-0
With last night's win, the Angels move one game closer to the 162-0 game perfect season. Of course, a loss tonight drops them to 81-81, likely good enough for third in the AL West. No pressure, guys!
It's interesting how some small sample sizes seem traumatically ridiculous, but a single night of Brandon Wood at-bats is enough to convince his detractors that he isn't ready to be in the big leagues. He went 0-4 with 3 swinging strikeouts and a popup to third, not really an ideal show of force for the new starting third baseman. Regardless, if Scioscia panics and takes him out of the lineup, he won't ever start hitting the ball, and then the Angels will find themselves suddenly very thin in the infield. The sight of Tony Reagins in a luxury box on a Thinkpad was oddly reassuring.
Jered Weaver was pretty average. His success this year will be determined by home runs. Prevent them, and he's staring a great season in the face. Allow too many, and he'll become weirdly reminiscent of his brother, and the Halosphere will start the march for Reagins' head. Weaver did manage 6 strikeouts in 6 innings while moving the ball around pretty well, but the two-run homer to Young was a bad pitch in a situation where any number of better choices were available.
The bullpen looked pretty poor, with Jepsen loading the bases and escaping by the web of Kendry's glove, the sharp line drive saved from right field in the hands of our Cuban hero. Rodney managed to throw more than twice as many balls and strikes while getting three outs. I would have liked to have seen Shields for the first time in a year, but I suppose I can wait. Fuentes was uncharacteristically solid.
The offense has been discussed elsewhere, but I'd like to make two points:
1.) Erick Aybar looked like a brilliant facsimile of Chone Figgins last night, seeing 24 pitches overall, including 10 in his first at bat before walking to first. He went 2 for 3 otherwise.
2.) Bobby Abreu, despite having a terrible night in the batter's box, made two nice running catches in the outfield to end the game. Mark your schedules with a little happy face - it's not often Abreu will get accolades for his defense.
Kings
Baseball makes me appreciate hockey much the way hockey makes me appreciate baseball. It's a pleasant combination of sports, but their intermingling period is much too short. My personal choice for extending said intermingling? A Kings Stanley Cup.
Los Angeles plays the Ducks tonight at 7 Pacific. There are three games remaining after this, plus a minimum of four playoff games.
It's interesting how some small sample sizes seem traumatically ridiculous, but a single night of Brandon Wood at-bats is enough to convince his detractors that he isn't ready to be in the big leagues. He went 0-4 with 3 swinging strikeouts and a popup to third, not really an ideal show of force for the new starting third baseman. Regardless, if Scioscia panics and takes him out of the lineup, he won't ever start hitting the ball, and then the Angels will find themselves suddenly very thin in the infield. The sight of Tony Reagins in a luxury box on a Thinkpad was oddly reassuring.
Jered Weaver was pretty average. His success this year will be determined by home runs. Prevent them, and he's staring a great season in the face. Allow too many, and he'll become weirdly reminiscent of his brother, and the Halosphere will start the march for Reagins' head. Weaver did manage 6 strikeouts in 6 innings while moving the ball around pretty well, but the two-run homer to Young was a bad pitch in a situation where any number of better choices were available.
The bullpen looked pretty poor, with Jepsen loading the bases and escaping by the web of Kendry's glove, the sharp line drive saved from right field in the hands of our Cuban hero. Rodney managed to throw more than twice as many balls and strikes while getting three outs. I would have liked to have seen Shields for the first time in a year, but I suppose I can wait. Fuentes was uncharacteristically solid.
The offense has been discussed elsewhere, but I'd like to make two points:
1.) Erick Aybar looked like a brilliant facsimile of Chone Figgins last night, seeing 24 pitches overall, including 10 in his first at bat before walking to first. He went 2 for 3 otherwise.
2.) Bobby Abreu, despite having a terrible night in the batter's box, made two nice running catches in the outfield to end the game. Mark your schedules with a little happy face - it's not often Abreu will get accolades for his defense.
Kings
Baseball makes me appreciate hockey much the way hockey makes me appreciate baseball. It's a pleasant combination of sports, but their intermingling period is much too short. My personal choice for extending said intermingling? A Kings Stanley Cup.
Los Angeles plays the Ducks tonight at 7 Pacific. There are three games remaining after this, plus a minimum of four playoff games.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Opening Day
F-15 flyovers, fireworks, Dustin Pedroia striking out swinging...life's simple pleasures.
The baseball season has begun, and begins in earnest tomorrow night with 26 teams more interesting than the Yankees and Red Sox. When sports rivalries are discussed, Boston/New York is always high on the list, but with the preponderance of divisional play in modern Major League Baseball, the rivalry grows stale. I've started leaning toward a ~120 game regular season, with all 7 game playoff series', as a superior format for baseball. I mean, the Twins have an outdoor stadium now, how can a November World Series possibly be justified?
The Angels play the Twins tomorrow in Anaheim, pushing Minnesota's home opener to April 14th against the Red Sox. LA will start Jered Weaver, while Minnesota counters with Scott Baker, a mediocre pitcher of the type that seems to frequently befuddle the Angels lineup. Scott Kazmir makes the first trip regular season to the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
I'll probably manage to get most of the game in tomorrow night, at which point I'll make blanket, knee-jerk statements about the overall quality of the Angels based on a sample size of one game.
Kings advance to playoffs for first time since, like, forever ago
In 2002, I was 15. I was anticipating my first driving lessons while attending North Hollywood High and struggling through freshman French and Art History. The Subaru Impreza WRX was barely a year old. I had not watched a baseball game which carried any real significance to me for nearly a decade. My only recollection of hockey was the McSorley game from 1993, and that memory was fuzzy, at best. I had never heard of Northeastern, Nickelback was on top of the charts, and people were still talking about hanging chads. The Red Sox were 84 years removed from a World Series, 2 years away.
The starting goalie for the Kings was Felix Potvin.
This was the last time the Kings made the playoffs.
Since then, they have started 17(!) other goalies, including three who have seen time this season. Goaltending for the Kings has always been a problem, sometimes the problem, but never the only problem.
They'll be playing San Jose, Chicago, or Vancouver. San Jose is ideal, Chicago is mediocre, Vancouver is Luongo, so probably bad for the Kings.
The baseball season has begun, and begins in earnest tomorrow night with 26 teams more interesting than the Yankees and Red Sox. When sports rivalries are discussed, Boston/New York is always high on the list, but with the preponderance of divisional play in modern Major League Baseball, the rivalry grows stale. I've started leaning toward a ~120 game regular season, with all 7 game playoff series', as a superior format for baseball. I mean, the Twins have an outdoor stadium now, how can a November World Series possibly be justified?
The Angels play the Twins tomorrow in Anaheim, pushing Minnesota's home opener to April 14th against the Red Sox. LA will start Jered Weaver, while Minnesota counters with Scott Baker, a mediocre pitcher of the type that seems to frequently befuddle the Angels lineup. Scott Kazmir makes the first trip regular season to the disabled list with a strained hamstring.
I'll probably manage to get most of the game in tomorrow night, at which point I'll make blanket, knee-jerk statements about the overall quality of the Angels based on a sample size of one game.
Kings advance to playoffs for first time since, like, forever ago
In 2002, I was 15. I was anticipating my first driving lessons while attending North Hollywood High and struggling through freshman French and Art History. The Subaru Impreza WRX was barely a year old. I had not watched a baseball game which carried any real significance to me for nearly a decade. My only recollection of hockey was the McSorley game from 1993, and that memory was fuzzy, at best. I had never heard of Northeastern, Nickelback was on top of the charts, and people were still talking about hanging chads. The Red Sox were 84 years removed from a World Series, 2 years away.
The starting goalie for the Kings was Felix Potvin.
This was the last time the Kings made the playoffs.
Since then, they have started 17(!) other goalies, including three who have seen time this season. Goaltending for the Kings has always been a problem, sometimes the problem, but never the only problem.
They'll be playing San Jose, Chicago, or Vancouver. San Jose is ideal, Chicago is mediocre, Vancouver is Luongo, so probably bad for the Kings.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A 5-on-3 proposal
The Kings managed to lose 3-2 last night to, of all teams, Minnesota. They earned a 5 on 3 power play on consecutive penalties during a single play, allowing them 2 minutes of time with a sizable advantage to score the go-ahead goal. Instead, the penalty was successfully killed and the Wild would go on to score and win the game.
The problem with the Kings power play is, in my mind, their inability to generate quality shots from the points. Doughty is the only player with a reliable shot from the point, but he tends not to get the opportunities his teammates get because his skills are widely recognized. This leaves guys like Stoll and Johnson, both of whom have displayed good shots in the past, but who have been struggling for quite some time this season.
With that in mind, I wanted to create a cycle that plays to the Kings' strength...that is, good puck control (Frolov) and an accurate shot (Kopitar).
The first image in the sequence is a typical umbrella formation for a 5 on 3 power play. The second shows how the defense adjusts when a player on the overloaded side has the puck. Defenders try to guard the player with the puck and either post. With my play, the goal is to lure a defender off a post and allow Frolov to make a wraparound attempt or get an easy pass to Kopitar, open in the slot.
Click for a version you can actually see.
Essentially, once the right pointman gets the puck, he can fling it down the boards or make a good pass to the player at the near post. This forces the slot defender to slide across to guard against a pass while the defender already over there is tasked with getting the puck. Meanwhile, the defender at the back post must now move up into the slot to guard the player already there. Once the player has the puck down low, he should have three options: pass back to the left point, pass to a covered player in the slot, or attempt an open wraparound. The key, as with all power plays, is repetition. The defenders forced to move across post to post also have to drop to a knee to prevent the pass. This gets tiring quickly, and the defender responsible for covering the man in the slot is liable to make a mistake, leaving Frolov with the option of the wraparound or passing to an open Kopitar.
The problem with the Kings power play is, in my mind, their inability to generate quality shots from the points. Doughty is the only player with a reliable shot from the point, but he tends not to get the opportunities his teammates get because his skills are widely recognized. This leaves guys like Stoll and Johnson, both of whom have displayed good shots in the past, but who have been struggling for quite some time this season.
With that in mind, I wanted to create a cycle that plays to the Kings' strength...that is, good puck control (Frolov) and an accurate shot (Kopitar).
The first image in the sequence is a typical umbrella formation for a 5 on 3 power play. The second shows how the defense adjusts when a player on the overloaded side has the puck. Defenders try to guard the player with the puck and either post. With my play, the goal is to lure a defender off a post and allow Frolov to make a wraparound attempt or get an easy pass to Kopitar, open in the slot.
Click for a version you can actually see.Monday, March 29, 2010
Mid afternoon mind dump
Miscellany:
- My team won its most recent floor hockey game 8-3. Considering that I only stopped 3 shots, you should be able to determine my team's talent level pretty easily. From my perspective, this game was a disappointing step backward in my development. I say very few shots, and seemed to be out of position with alarming frequency. I had one good scramble that included a Hasek roll, but I wasn't square to the puck (ball), and I allowed two terrible goals, one five hole, and one under my left arm. It's frustrating, particularly since I know the problem is that I don't really see the puck, so my reaction is always based on fiction and physics, not reality. The next step, aside from more playing time, is learning to stare at the puck as it's being shot. Easier said than done.
- The Kings are struggling, but missing the playoffs is still a difficult task. I'll feel better if they win tonight, and much better once they clinch a spot. It will be the first time since high school that the Kings will be playing meaningful hockey come my birthday. Jon Quick is, lamentably, poor. He needs a rest, and Bernier is the answer. Unfortunately, the Kings are all too willing to sacrifice this season for the next, something I don't think is particularly reasonable.
- I just finished Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch," after seeing Ben read it in Italy, and found it depressingly accurate. It is surprisingly difficult to explain the feelings associated with being a devoted fan of any team, particularly when said team is bad, or worse, merely underachieving. Go Huskies.
- I'd be more confident about the upcoming Angels season if not for their terrible spring training. Yeah yeah, spring training stats don't mean anything, but the Angels were great last year, and had a great spring training. I love small sample sizes, even though they're wrong, because they're comforting and scary.
- If it ever stops raining in Boston, tennis season is just around the corner.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Some more Capstone, goalie analysis
This interview was filmed, like, weeks ago. Boston local news...
Goalie analysis by a terrible goalie:
It's no secret than Jon Quick is the best goalie the Kings have had in years. It's also no secret that he's not a very good goalie. He is, certainly, capable of playing in the NHL, and he is, certainly, capable of singlehandedly winning games.
But Quick's biggest strength, his athleticism, is often his biggest weakness. His style is unorthodox, he doesn't favor positioning over movement, and he spends a lot of time in the splits. Like, way too much time. I tried the splits during a game once and could barely walk home.
With that said, Quick could improve his overall play with a simple adjustment: stop with the damn paddle down. Paddle down is when a goalie gets the paddle of his stick down on the ice as a way to block the lower area of the net. Generally, goalies will do this when play is behind the net or at a very sharp angle, essentially completely filling the available angle and guaranteeing a save. This is all well and good, but Quick likes to use paddle down when play is in front of the net. He uses it in a way that takes him out of position because paddle down requires that you be in the butterfly, and Quick's movement is not as good when he's down. This leads to lots of rebound opportunities, as the paddle of the stick reflects pucks with gusto, and since he's already down, he can't move quickly enough to make the save. He also gets beat five-hole when he's trying to snatch the puck with his glove because his blocker is already on the ice. This forces him to dive forward, and opens the five-hole long enough to allow for some ugly goals off skates.
Interestingly, this strategy works really well in shootouts. Quick has superb reactions, and when he doesn't have to worry about rebounds, he's capable of impressive first-shot saves that then take him well out of position. Great during a shootout, poor during a game.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Miscellany
Thiess, you looked better in red and black, but congrats on hoisting your team back in to the playoff hunt. (see final bullet)Miscellany:
- Jake Newton signs with, sigh, the Ducks. What really disappoints me is the attached picture, because that's a shot ringing off the post against BU in the Beanpot.
- The Kings lost 3-0 to the Blackhawks last night, doing nothing to ease my fears of yet another late season collapse. I think they only need to go 5-8 or so to make the playoffs, but when they can't get up for a home game against Chicago (outshot 37-17), something dangerous is lurking in the locker room. Of course, when you don't get to go on a single power play, something's wrong.
- Brendan pointed out that I made it onto Uniwatch, one of my all-time favorite blogs. Check the second item on the news ticker.
- The Angels are 3-9 this spring training. Ruh-roh.
- Brad Thiessen, despite the awful St. Paddy's day jersey, is besting John Curry's numbers with the baby Pens, posting a 2.66 GAA and a .907 save percentage while improving his record to 8-11-1. But seriously though, that jersey is awful. Meanwhile, Joe Vitale is racking up the assists (and the PIM totals), and is supposedly close to a first taste of the NHL.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
An alternate universe
An alternate universe where the Kings are...good?
Getting weirder every day, my friends.
The problem for Dallas: Their schedule the rest of the way is murderous, with seven games against the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. That includes a four-game road swing from Nashville through California near the end of the month.
Getting weirder every day, my friends.
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