GDT: 2023-24 season game 63 LA Kings vs Dallas Stars @7:30pm 3/9/24

[GoldenBearHockey]

Kaliyev was stuck on the 4th line.. they gave Kempe what 5 seasons to figure it out? Kaliyev needs to be paired with a playmaker like a Fiala or Byfield not with plugs like lewis, jad and lizotte. Why was JAD getting reps over Turcotte ever? Plenty of times AT was healthy and they left him in the A part of last season and half of this season.

Where else are you going to put a guy who either can't, or won't skate or play adequate defense? You are going to put him on the top 6 so in the defensive zone they are down a guy? No....not gonna do that, he had a shit ton of chances on the 3rd line, still either can't or won't play adequate defense.

Turcotte played 36 games last year, that's not healthy....36 games, so last year was a write off, this year, as far as this year, JAD had 30 NHL games, to Turcotte's 15....I'm guessing, and it's all is is a guess, that JAD was HEALTHY when TURCOTTE WAS INJURED.....which lead to JAD playing more NHL games....but and here is where you tend to get lost in the weeds a bit, once Turcotte was healthy, they played him....holy shit, imagine that.

 

[kinghock]

Yep, not even mad about the effort. Dallas is just a straight up better team, arguably the best in the league, and on a heater.

Could actually be some lessons learned tonight. Just lost big moments. If the PP didn’t suck,Or if they didn’t lose focus for 18s l, they actually had a fighting chance. There’s actually something to build on there, not just a sloppy soul crushing self inflicted loss.

Kings is mediocre team now, because:
They have mediocre goalies.
They have average defensemen.
They have forwards who are playing without established offence-oriented system.

P.S. I think still playing Lizotte and Lewis a lot does not help either.

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

This team has had holes since Last April. They didn’t fill them and ignored them. Holes have gotten bigger. Rob Blake is a stubborn, narcissistic, moron!

 

[Kurrilino]

Kings is mediocre team now, because:
They have mediocre goalies.
They have average defensemen.
They have forwards who are playing without established offence-oriented system.

P.S. I think still playing Lizotte and Lewis a lot does not help either.

Don't bother, i tried to explain for years that a hockey rink has 2 sides.
The only thing you will ever hear is defensive responsibilty and locker room presence and who knows what.

Not a single time will you hear about missing creativity or the playmaking ability to force opponents out of position to open space up for a sniper.

 

[GameNight]

They obviously had planned for Bjornfot to be a starting LD and decided not to do anything about it for a couple seasons as he slowly deteriorated- at least in their eyes. Toby, we're giving you 1 game. You better show your stuff.

Same with a starting goaltender. Cal Peterson, had a long term plan for him to take over. Didn't work out. Forgot how to stop the puck once the check was mailed. Didn't need plan B or C? Naw, why bother?

All they needed last April was a large forward up the middle like PLD? Really? Couldn't even make a deadline tinker move. Shot their wad all over him while ignoring the holes they just opened up in the lineup to get him. Also ignoring he needs to play with players better than he is to help the motivation along.

Who replaced the right shot lost with Vilardi? Who replaced the right shot lost with Arvidson? How's the PP doing now?

We have a plan B or C there, but we're not gonna use them that way. Calling up Fagemo just to play up there on PP doesn't send the right message to Kaliyev. Arthur, you're making us look stupid. Play the way we want you to goddammit! We're giving you 1 game on this trip. You better show your stuff.

Laferriere- you thought I forgot about him? Well I did! FWIW, a fine 3rd line RW, should only get better year after year. I mean he will, won't he? Look at Cal. Look at Toby. Look at Artur. Look at Sammy. Guess where he's gonna start next season guys? He'll still be at Toyota, but not at the times or the days you'd expect him to be. YOU don't think that could randomly happen?

We got a problem and it isn't the players. Not this many.

 

[chris kontos]

Bro I’m sick and tired of the islanders. Boring and cheap

not only is uncle lou cheap he's running a prison camp with no facial hair allowed and suit and tie to enter the building on game day. the guys nuts

 

[Schrute farms]

It's so fun and exciting having a playoff team. 3rd year in a row. We're pretty lucky as a fan base. Some of the best years of our 50+ year existence. Thanks Blake!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

HOME WINS:

Rank	Team	GP	W
27	Los Angeles Kings	31	13
28	Montréal Canadiens	32	12
29	Columbus Blue Jackets	33	12
30	Chicago Blackhawks	32	11
31	Anaheim Ducks	33	10
32	San Jose Sharks	32	10

What? Were you expecting LA to play well? At home!?

That's not really their thing.

Kings only have 13 home wins this season. Columbus has 12. Sabres have 15. Coyotes 16. Think about that for a minute.

Low seed is a blessing

Can you imagine spending money on a playoff home game this year

Stanley Cup prices for some of the worst Kings hockey in history

 

[Omni Owl]

Expected result, Dallas is a legit contender this year. Their C, D, and G depth is crazy, especially when Seguin is healthy. I wish Pavelski would've somehow landed here, how great of a signing that'd have been. I feel like you go with Clarke over Spence right now, just for the needed offensive boost. Spence doesn't have a single goal this year, which isn't gonna cut it if he's QB'ing the 2nd PP unit.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Few takeaways for me from the game

-Dallas was just the better team. Hustled all through 60 min
-Kings lost steam by the 2nd, and 3rd they were being outmuscled
-They REALLY have to be more lethal on the PP. All that pretty passing that ultimately ends up on a shin or a goalie pad ain’t it.
-Our whipping boy PLD played a decent game I thought. Guy was skating and hustling and throwing some hard checks.
-Lastly, the ice was fkn terrible. Puck was flipping all over the place. Felt like anytime someone slips on a play, the ice crew was out there instantly.

 

[Sausages]

Stars looked like a well drilled team with advanced knowledge of King's game plan. Kings were tactically outsmarted, looked like a pick up team playing a disciplined league outfit for a lot of the game.

 

[tigermask48]

Same with a starting goaltender. Cal Peterson, had a long term plan for him to take over. Didn't work out. Forgot how to stop the puck once the check was mailed. Didn't need plan B or C? Naw, why bother?

I wanted to expand on this because I noticed something going back through old Manchester/Ontario rosters after seeing Ingham had finally been signed.

Under DL, the Kings always had multiple younger guys fighting for time in net at the AHL level. Even when Quick, Bernier, and Jones were coming up, there was always a Danny Taylor, Jeff Zatkoff, or JF Berube there to push them. Heck Zatkoff and Berube even ended up playing a handful of NHL games. Produced 3 NHL starting goalies and multiple other shorter NHL careers.

But now? It isn't a competition, it's a support system for one guy. Been hoping all year that the Reign would just let Ingham and Portillo battle over time and let the best one win. We saw Petersen have 35 year old Budaj, 25 year old Campbell. Villalta then had Sparks, Grosenick, Lethemon, a 29 year old Berube and then Copley. Now Portillo has Rittich and now Dell. Thus far has produced nothing but AHL backups outside of Petersen.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Aside from Portillo and Ingham, do we even have any more G prospects? That’s actually a good observation.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Blake has made so many awful moves, I completely forgot about the Cal Peterson debacle.

 

[LAKings88]

Starting to feel a bit like the January team.

Team has no consistent scorers.

Still suck in the second period.

 

[tigermask48]

Aside from Portillo and Ingham, do we even have any more G prospects? That’s actually a good observation.

Hampton Slukynsky (4th round 2023) looks really good, but he's playing in the USHL this year and committed to Northern Michigan, so he's likely years away from being in the NHL.

 

[johnjm22]

Good teams have consistent lines.

I'm not a fan of Hiller's constant tinkering. He's had enough time now where he should've figured out the optimal combinations.

If this team is going to win, it will be by having balance in the lineup, rolling the lines, and playing systemic team hockey. (which is how they found success earlier in the season). Line juggling every game isn't conducive to that.

 

[kingsfan28]

Where else are you going to put a guy who either can't, or won't skate or play adequate defense? You are going to put him on the top 6 so in the defensive zone they are down a guy? No....not gonna do that, he had a shit ton of chances on the 3rd line, still either can't or won't play adequate defense.

Last night was a perfect example why he keeps getting scratched. Losing board battles, his lazy back check where he cruised from the centerline into the zone , all while his man got the puck and scored. His wide open chance in front after a great setup by Doughty, only to shoot it over the net and 8 feet into the glass.You have to score there when it's 3-1 and your team has had very few Grade A chances the entire game. Once again his chance was there and he did nothing with it.

 

[King'sPawn]

Aside from Portillo and Ingham, do we even have any more G prospects? That’s actually a good observation.

Hampton Slukynsky (4th round 2023) looks really good, but he's playing in the USHL this year and committed to Northern Michigan, so he's likely years away from being in the NHL.

They also have Juho Markkanen, though forgetting about him is understandable. He's only played 11 games total in Finland's major and minor league this season.

 

[Telos]

It's gonna be tough, the roster is just flat-out limited in what it can do because of deficiencies on the blue line and in goal coupled with this group of forwards that has shown that they cannot regularly produce. The only thing they can do, really, is the opposite of what they've been trying to do.

They are currently trying to defend their problems and overprotect the goaltender and use their forwards and their speed to try to counter and score 5 on 5, but the system is too weak offensively and they are just trying to turtle games they are not good enough to protect.

Honestly, I think what they need to do is just open up the offense and they need to re-evaluate the lines. They either need to get PLD going or bury him. He needs wingers who will hustle for him, be where he needs them when he needs them, and do all the work to get the puck to him when he is gliding off in the corner, lol. There is a reason why he and Laffy are minus forever. I love Laffy but he shouldn't be a middle 6 winger right now, especially attached to PLD. I think they need to tie PLD to players like Fiala, Byfield, Turcotte, Moore, etc. Wingers that are going to go to work, get him the puck, and be there for his passes. He is always outpassing Laffy or whatever spare part he is put with, then he sulks and you can blatantly see his inner monologue in his body language like "well f***, he missed an easy pass, or whatever f*** me I thought he would be there but he is off doing god knows what, it's not my problem - I'm just gonna glide back to the bench because I did my part"... They might even benefit from just moving forward in time and going with Byfield, Kopitar, and Danault as the centers down the middle and moving PLD to the wing for the rest of the year.

They also need to open up the system. They aren't going to hold Edmonton and outscore them on special teams or the counter-rush. They have run and gun forwards and defensemen. They just need to go for the 5-4 win as the team lacks toughness and they just need to embrace it at this point. They need to be quick, use their speed, develop chemistry and maintain glued lines, and become a better passing team.

In all likelihood, they are gonna get bounced in the first round and everyone knows it. What they should do is just absolutely swing for the fences and go for the miracle play rather than sit back and let it play out as expected.

They need to use Lewis like they are using Kaliyev, stack those top 3 lines, and push for as much offense as they can.

 

[GameNight]

I wanted to expand on this because I noticed something going back through old Manchester/Ontario rosters after seeing Ingham had finally been signed.

Under DL, the Kings always had multiple younger guys fighting for time in net at the AHL level. Even when Quick, Bernier, and Jones were coming up, there was always a Danny Taylor, Jeff Zatkoff, or JF Berube there to push them. Heck Zatkoff and Berube even ended up playing a handful of NHL games. Produced 3 NHL starting goalies and multiple other shorter NHL careers.

But now? It isn't a competition, it's a support system for one guy. Been hoping all year that the Reign would just let Ingham and Portillo battle over time and let the best one win. We saw Petersen have 35 year old Budaj, 25 year old Campbell. Villalta then had Sparks, Grosenick, Lethemon, a 29 year old Berube and then Copley. Now Portillo has Rittich and now Dell. Thus far has produced nothing but AHL backups outside of Petersen.

Exactly. They drafted a goalie every year or traded for one. And now what is it? Finding journeyman third stringers to play for 775K.

Hard to believe that Billy Ranford thinks this is the way to do it and that this is his vision. Really hard to believe. It's more like: Billy here's a new corner office, a new job title and a raise. You earned it! Enjoy. Merci beaucoup and... We'll handle this.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Last night was a perfect example why he keeps getting scratched. Losing board battles, his lazy back check where he cruised from the centerline into the zone , all while his man got the puck and scored. His wide open chance in front after a great setup by Doughty, only to shoot it over the net and 8 feet into the glass.You have to score there when it's 3-1 and your team has had very few Grade A chances the entire game. Once again his chance was there and he did nothing with it.

If I didn't know you were talking about Kaliyev from the first sentence, I could think you're talking about half of the roster, yet only one of them is the lightning rod for all of it.

High offense guys need puck touches. Impossible to get into the game when you're getting 3 minutes night after night. Ever walked into a shootout cold? Good luck.

It's fine, we'll watch him score 25-30 goals on another team next year, we'll get the usual "well he wasn't doing that here" "What was blake supposed to do" "glad we got a 4th round pick for him" platitudes, rinse, and repeat next year with some other kid getting buried in the roster in favor of some dwindling overpaid vets.

I don't know how many former players we have to watch playing significant roles on other teams, many better than the Kings, before we can admit something is amiss rather than Blake is right and we're just all dumb. Bookmark this shit for Kaliyev, too.

 

[bland]

Good teams have consistent lines.

I'm not a fan of Hiller's constant tinkering. He's had enough time now where he should've figured out the optimal combinations.

If this team is going to win, it will be by having balance in the lineup, rolling the lines, and playing systemic team hockey. (which is how they found success earlier in the season). Line juggling every game isn't conducive to that.

I don't see it as tinkering, I see it as prioritizing system and individual responsibility. This team fell into a deep funk with predictable play and certain individuals putting their desires over team results.

By constantly shifting combinations you are asking your players to concentrate on their individual responsibility towards the team goals. You need to play your game regardless of your linemates. It has definitely produced better results and improved the visible spirit of the team.

Seems like a short-term philosophy, and the players themselves are rather limited. Its just a terribly constructed roster where the individual strengths seem more mitigated by their individual weaknesses than most playoff-bound teams.

 

[tny760]

Last night was a perfect example why he keeps getting scratched. Losing board battles, his lazy back check where he cruised from the centerline into the zone , all while his man got the puck and scored. His wide open chance in front after a great setup by Doughty, only to shoot it over the net and 8 feet into the glass.You have to score there when it's 3-1 and your team has had very few Grade A chances the entire game. Once again his chance was there and he did nothing with it.

you (intentionally probably) forgot about how he pulled a puck out of a battle on the half boards and rolled straight to the net for a backhand grade A

how many times do laferriere et al get to slam a wrister straight into the goalie's crest before they get paragraphs written about them?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

you (intentionally probably) forgot about how he pulled a puck out of a battle on the half boards and rolled straight to the net for a backhand grade A

how many times do laferriere et al get to slam a wrister straight into the goalie's crest before they get paragraphs written about them?

"why didn't he score on that backhand he solo created after being on the bench for 15 minutes, time to go back to Lewis"