Game 24: Flames 5, Kings 2

(Ed. note: I thought I had made this post live on Sunday, before I headed out with a day with The Fam. But as it turns out, it wasn't. My bad. I freshened it up a bit. Sorry.)

The Kings have problems. Big problems.

The loss of Ryan Smyth has left the Kings offensive game rudderless for a second straight game. And the excuses started flying around. 'Well, the Kings have played a lot of games this season, and have had two extended Eastern road trips. Give them a break...' Um, no, and here's why...

Fatigue is a part of the game, and if you can't work through it, your team sucks. If your team can only muster three shots on three power plays, your team sucks. If your team turns the puck over in the middle of the ice, allowing multiple rushes up the ice, your team sucks.

Now, I may be getting a little paranoid. The Flyers and the Flames are playing really well right now. The Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 and have scored the third highest amount of goals in the Eastern Conference. The Flames, and specifically Jarome Iginla, were extra motivated coming off an ass-whopping by Chicago two days earlier.

I sound so negative, but the early success the Kings have had has made me greedy. (Read that sentence again aloud. It makes sense.) But the one thing that could cripple this franchise has happened: injuries. first Williams, then Scuderi, then Smyth. Now, it appears, Jarret Stoll will be spending some time in the press box.

How's this for sucky. The Kings have a two-game roadie, starting on Wednesday. That's right, the Kings will be playing on Thanksgiving. But before you get all excited and start making some Chex mix to enjoy while you watch the games... they won't be on TV. Bah!

And what's on that is preempting Kings hockey on Wednesday? UCLA basketball, perhaps? Uh no... Coach Speak with Brian Billick, the former coach of the Ravens. Followed by the World Poker Tour: Season 7. The Ducks will be on at 7, when they play Carolina... WTF?!? What about Thanksgiving? The Kings get the night off, thanks to high school football playoffs and Andre Agassi playing tennis against Todd Martin in a match that was playing two weeks ago. The same Andre Agassi who retired in 2006. The same Andre Agassi who admitted his trademark mullet was "enhanced". That's right, Agassi wore a toupee. Apparently, televising a stale tennis match with a former druggie and wig wearer brings in more advertising that Kings hockey. Sigh.

The Kings have problems. And not all of them are on the ice.

• AP: Iginla’s hat trick lifts Flames over Kings 5-2

    “We had a 2-1 lead and they came back and tied it, we had 25 shots maybe, but not too many good scoring chances,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said. “That is the result of players not playing hard, and not playing together.”
    

• LATimes.com: Excuses are the last thing the Kings need right now

    The Kings have a choice. They can wallow in excuses and permit opponents to dictate their fate, as the Calgary Flames did in scoring three times in the third period of a 5-2 victory Saturday at Staples Center. Or they can take the last, toughest step toward maturity by learning to ignore distractions and disadvantages and consistently play hard and tough and with emotion.

• NHL.com: Iginla's hat trick leads Flames to 5-2 win in L.A.

    "We've played a lot, traveled a lot, been to the East Coast a couple times, so it's going to take a toll," Murray said. "I say that, but that's the way it is. That's the way it is. You've got to deal with that part of the game, play intelligently and manage the puck properly. The travel, and the number of games you play, really has nothing to do with turning the puck over in the middle of the ice.''

• LAKings.com: Kings burned by Flames

    Have the Kings hit a wall? The sharp, inspired play that that carried the Kings to a 10-4-2 start has often given way to mental errors, the type that gave the Flames several chances to take control Saturday as the Kings fell to 3-5 in their last eight games.

• LATimes.com: Alexander Frolov knows Kings need him to shoot more

    Wayne Gretzky once said, "One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in," and in a game that featured 39 shots by the Kings on Wednesday, Alexander Frolov nearly gave himself a 100% chance of not scoring.

They said it

    “Everybody has got to take some responsibility on that. I’ve got to do what I’m supposed to do. Everybody else has got to do that. It is a five-man unit. The penalty kill has come such a long way in the NHL these days that you’ve almost got to work harder 5-on-4 than you have to do 5-on-5. They’re pressing all the time, but it’s about execution and taking pride in that, and knowing that it’s not just going to come because we have the power play.” - Anze Kopitar, on the lack of power play success.

    "There needs to be more of the type of game that we were showing in the first part of the year, lots of team energy, jump, good plays, top guys were doing the right stuff out there. We’re getting away from making right decisions with pucks right now. That’s a concern for me.” - Terry Murray, on the energy level

Around the Kingdom

• The Royal Half: Flaming Hot

    I don't want to talk about this game. The Kings played horribly and fell apart in the 3rd period. So luckily, The Los Angeles Kings' broadcast on Fox Sports West provided me with the only thing I like more than watching ice hockey in HD.... hot chicks in bikinis!

• A Queen Among Kings: Kings Fizzle At Home

    Overall there's not too much to say about this game since there wasn't any improvement in any aspect really. Frolov was put back on the first line and absolutely nothing changed. Surprised? I think not. Ryan Smyth is probably gnashing out his teeth with every game he's sitting out. With Justin Williams still playing solidly and Anze Kopitar's play at a standstill, no one here is questioning the x-factor. C'mon Captain Canada!

• HB's Matthew Barry: Iginla Hat Trick Sparks Flames Over Kings 5-2

     Wednesday, the Kings admitted they didn’t play their best, they were sluggish and tired from a long road trip.  This afternoon, the Kings didn’t play their best, they were sluggish and they had two days off since the long road trip. Apparently nobody woke them up.

• LAKingsNews.com: Lackadaisical special teams cost the Kings

    Special teams have haunted the Kings ever since their home opener against Phoenix. Despite stretches of power play aptitude, mainly with Ryan Smyth circling the crease like a hungry great white, the Kings’ continue to struggle with the man advantage. Much more so could be said about the Kings’ abhorrent penalty kill, which still sits at the bottom of the league.

From across the aisle, the Calgary viewpoint

• Calgary Sun: Captain authors L.A. story

    While the coach's "casual" comment was applicable to the team as a whole, the issue starts with the Iginla. As their captain goes, so go the Flames on most days.   He had his game face on even when parked on the bench.

• Matchsticks and Gasoline: Sky Rockets In Flight! G21, Flames @ Kings Post-Game

    The Kings PP is good - they keep the defenders rotating and move the puck into dangerous areas. The Flames first PK was atrocious, they didn't get into the passing lanes at all. But from there it was fine, they took away the options from the points, battled hard when the puck went to safe zones, cleared the puck and forechecked like demons. The SHG was icing, and a bit lucky, to be honest.

• FlamesNations.ca: Iginla's L.A. star search

    The second thing we learned is that those who believe the Los Angeles Kings are the next Chicago Blackhawks could very well be right, but the arrival of this up-and-coming franchise may not come until next season. After a 10-4-2 start, the injury-depleted Kings have just one regulation victory in their past eight games and they've now allowed more goals than they've scored.

Peeping the dailies