GDT: 2019-20 GM#1 LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers @7:00pm 10/5/19

[kingsholygrail]

Missed everything tonight. Did we at least play like we gave a rats ass?

Yeah, they had energy.

 

[BigBrown]

Fun game, glad hockey is back.
On to the next.

 

[regulate]

I think Alex is committed to college and wont be available for a few years while he is playing for Wisconsin.
Alex Turcotte | Men's Hockey | Wisconsin Badgers

He can leave at the end of the season IF he wants to turn pro. Some of the higher end prospects lately having been playing one year in college, then turning pro. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

When you play only 5 defensemen and three of those are Hutton, Roy, and Walker, you are not going to win many games.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Um no. The Kings are not going to have

Turcotte (19)
Bjornfot (19)
Kaliyev (19)
Fagemo (20)
Thomas (20)
JAD (21)
Anderson (21)

All on the roster, and that does't even factor in the likely top 5 pick from this season (18 year old) who is likely to be a better prospect than all those guys other than possibly Turcotte.

That would be a disaster for development. They need to bring in a competent veteran or two on the blueline and a stop-gap #2C for a season or two.

I should have re-worded this. In no way, should they all be playing in the NHL. I was more in the way meaning to state: if you put in the work and excel, you can have a shot to
make this team..any one of these players certainly can make the team next year, if they put in the work and excel. Most are best served to play in the AHL for certain.
I am sure that Kupari, Anderson, JAD, Durzi, Strand, et al, will develop and get stronger with the Reign this season and a few will be rewarded with callups....Clague, included.

 

[Herby]

When you play only 5 defensemen and three of those are Hutton, Roy, and Walker, you are not going to win many games.

Was overall happy with what I saw with the coaching and system. But if they are going to do crap like this it's better to just send him back to Sweden for the season. Stuff like this really could have a negative impact on his overall development.

I wonder if this could be something that Blake and TMac may not see eye to eye on, much like with Lombardi and Murray with Moller back in the day.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Its always funny to see how easily some people switch from one area of weakness (scoring) to another (defense) after a loss.

I am not saying its a good thing to get 6 goals against, but I thought we all agreed this team was a bottom feeder this season.

Apparently a few thought otherwise after all.

After just one game the usual suspects are whining again (everything sucks)

IMO thats more tiresome than this team.

 

[ru4reals]

No way we choose a goalie. Lafreniere or Byfield would be killer, but a guy like Drysdale would be huge too. I’m just excited we’re developing players.

I hope to see Amadio as a future elite 3C. Wagner - Amadio - Grundstrom, please and thanks.

If Askarov is there when we pick not 1st overall I'd for sure take him. He's a franchise goalie and best since Carey Price. But then again Goalies in the First are always a gamble so yeah Laf and Byfield for sure.

 

[KopitarFAN]

The game was more fun to watch than all of last season, but we knew this blue line was a mess, they will certainly struggle against teams that can even defend a little bit, but the energy was good to see.

 

[Statto]

Doom say the doomsayers...

Jeez guys, we all knew it was going to be a tough year and everyone is getting over excited, competing over who can complain the most. Some of you have made the same posts, just reworded over and over. Chill.

It’s game 1, any big improvements that we will see were never going to be realised at this stage. There were some positives though, Kopi, Doughty and a Brown looked like they turned up properly (not that we should expect any less).

Amadio looked good. Björnfot did ok, I expected him to be eased in and have his ice time reduced late on, so to plan so far. He was never going to skate 25 mins on game 1. The forecheck was great at times. We knew the pk needed work before the game, TM was clear about it, so not worried about it system wise.

We can’t complain about the ice time the Carter, Kovalchuk, Kempe line gets if you want 2 of the guys moved. They need to play and it will also take a few games before we know how these guys are going to do this year. This wasn’t the end game by any measure. The hyperbole statements, where the whole season has been decided already, whilst predictable are not ever so insightful.

TM will mess about with lines and adjust things over the next 10 games or so, at which point it hopefully settles as roles get defined. There’s enough talent up front to mean we should be at least providing some entertainment.

The defence on the other hand was not good, not at all. I didn’t watch the whole game as I fell asleep a few times (it started 3am for me) and also watched the condensed game. I thought Hutton did as advertised and he looks a reasonable bottom pair guy. Martinez is far better when he has a physically strong partner so he will struggle playing with Roy/Walker... and did. Both Roy and Walker looked like they will be under pressure for their NHL jobs all year... but it is only game 1, so of course they will get more games. However they were worryingly passive on at least a couple of goals.

McDermid has to be thinking he might get a stretch of games to claim a spot though. In addition Anderson must be thinking it won’t be long before he gets a look.

Quick had moments both good and bad, but will play better this year. It’s hard to fairly evaluate him though as some of the play in front of him really didn’t help him at all.

 

[Sol]

When you play only 5 defensemen and three of those are Hutton, Roy, and Walker, you are not going to win many games.

Ah yes, the classic bust the rookie balls just to say that you did. Logically it doesn't check out, but I'm sure the boys down at the pub appreciate the 4D chess and mind games.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not at all sure what anyone's upset about. I mean, that played pretty much as expected--a team that's learning a new system and with a defense that we all knew was trash is going to have to outscore it's problems. mayyybe I expected a 4-3 loss rather than 6-5, but 8 days off, and playing against the best player in the league in his home opener after they've got a game under their belt while our squad hasn't even practiced their new PP?

That was entertaining. That's all I ask this season. Plenty of good signs to take from this game. At worst, it won't be like last season on the ice. There's pace.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Bernstein calling McLellan “Toddfather” makes me want to wish he slips on black ice. What a douche.

 

[BigBrown]

Björnfot played 15 minutes including 2½ on the PK. Seems appropriate for an 18 year old making his debut. Better to ease him into it.

 

[bouncesonly]

Lol Mike Smith trolling the Kings pretty hard with two free goals. Poor Quick. Hung out to dry a few times. At least the Kings can score on empty nets.

 

[KingsFan7824]

5 goals is 5 goals, and they're not as bad as the Sharks yet. Although I guess that part isn't good.

Martinez is a top four but we need to sell him this season, because he's not getting any younger

He is a top 4D for the 14-15 through 19-20 Kings, and there's 1 playoff win. It's not his fault, he was forced into it, but he isn't that good. If he's in your top 4, your top 3 have to be very good, and the Kings haven't had that since Voynov.

Having more fun watching the Blues/Bruins, those teams still hit people with purpose. I just can't stand how soft the Kings are after watching the 2012-2014 teams Buzzsaw people. I don't like pond hockey or stick waving defense, it's so infuriating.

One thing those Kings teams were able to do was interfere. Muzzin, Doughty, and Greene especially, like all the time. Blatantly. There should've been so many more penalties. Able to slow things down. That's all but been taken out of the game, but the Kings also don't have good players, or at least the bruiser types. If MacD gets in, the complaint is then that he can't skate. He would've been perfect on the 12-14 Kings. But yeah, physical play when you're a bad team is cathartic, and good teams tend to be physically engaged.

When you play only 5 defensemen and three of those are Hutton, Roy, and Walker, you are not going to win many games.

If you play 6 defensemen, and 3 of them are those 3, you're not going to win many games. If you play 7 defensemen...

Was overall happy with what I saw with the coaching and system. But if they are going to do crap like this it's better to just send him back to Sweden for the season. Stuff like this really could have a negative impact on his overall development.

I wonder if this could be something that Blake and TMac may not see eye to eye on, much like with Lombardi and Murray with Moller back in the day.

Which of the two would you say made the choice to keep him on the team? It wouldn't be TM, I don't think, since he's already benched him for the 3rd period in his first game. He's a normal coach, doing what normal coaches do. In a close game, the young guy sits. What pressure would Blake be under to force an 18 year old onto a bad team? He wasn't even their first 1st round pick. All the experts are sort of agreeing that the Kings pipeline is pretty good. No point in forcing an 18 year old onto the team to prove it. Is Bjornfot here because he makes Doughy smile and feel good? Is #8 running the show? Give him the 9 games, so that Doughty shuts up for the year?

 

[KingsHockey24]

On the bright side Kopitar is on pace for 246 points, Clifford is on pace for 164 points, and Kovalchuk will be a point a game player as well.

 

[DoktorJeep]

I was hoping they’d stretch it to OT, but it wasn’t in the cards. Kings came close at the end to tying it and it was a back and forth game.

Last year it would have been over at 0-1, but I like seeing that our most expensive players haven’t forgot how to play hockey and can push this squad to be competitive.

Despite the inflated scores, this can be a good thing. Kopi, Brown and Drew all know how to play shut down hockey. They had to suppress their individual scoring for team success, but seemed to forget that they were expected to be point producers still.

It’s obvious that Carter and Kovalchuk are done as top six NHL players. Neither can skate with the puck and both are lost on the forecheck. Put Toffoli into the group useless on the forecheck.

Coach Todd needs to put those three anchors on a line to prevent them from infecting the rest of the forwards.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Man Kempe looked lost on that back check on the 5th goal or whatever. We gave up 4 ES goals and his line owns 3 of them. Oof. Loved what I saw from Amadio.

Bounce back watch: Kopitar and Doughty looked great. Carter and Kovy did not. Quick gets a mulligan because that was some of the worst defending I’ve seen in years.

Fun game though. Good pace.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I'd like to see coach Todd try a Grundstrom-Carter-Kovalchuk line

Kempe at 2C just doesn't work.

 

[DoktorJeep]

It’s crap the way Kempe is deployed. Put him with Lizotte and Wagner and the results would be better.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I was hoping they’d stretch it to OT, but it wasn’t in the cards. Kings came close at the end to tying it and it was a back and forth game.

Last year it would have been over at 0-1, but I like seeing that our most expensive players haven’t forgot how to play hockey and can push this squad to be competitive.

Despite the inflated scores, this can be a good thing. Kopi, Brown and Drew all know how to play shut down hockey. They had to suppress their individual scoring for team success, but seemed to forget that they were expected to be point producers still.

It’s obvious that Carter and Kovalchuk are done as top six NHL players. Neither can skate with the puck and both are lost on the forecheck. Put Toffoli into the group useless on the forecheck.

Coach Todd needs to put those three anchors on a line to prevent them from infecting the rest of the forwards.

I’ve no problem with Toffoli, he’s a useful winger. I think TM has already, whether on purpose or by accident, identified our 3 biggest problems at forward and crammed them on the 2nd line together.

 

[Keith Sweaty]

Fun game to watch, especially when I have zero expectations for this team... I really don't understand what the team sees in Roy but whatever.

 

[Bandit]

* IF* Vilardi can heal his back, how nice would it be to have options in Vilardi and Turcotte down the middle...?

With Amadio's newly found confidence, I'd like to see him with some creative or finishing scorers centering a 2nd or 3rd line, whatever you want to call it.

This could also push Kempe to a wing hopefully.

I had almost completely forgotten about Villardi. Thanks jerk.

 

[yankeeking]

It appears we will be able to see what kind of year the front office expects if we let the same defense play for the first half , if they stick to the let the kids develop in Ontario and stick with Roy,Walker, and Hutton then it’s throw away year much like 07/08 where we played players like EE in attempt to not appear to tank but Lombardi wanted Doughty so bad we went change for change sake, even though some ended up playing better than expected. Having a apparently deep draft it would be good time to let the kids develop and occasionally give each a cup of coffee, the defense Should be addressed slowly let the usual suspects play to show if they can play in the nhl or have 7 th man careers or the A. We look pretty deep now but picking up one of the top forwards or those two top dmen would go far into turning us into a long term contenders starting in a few years