Kings left feeling oily in shootout loss.
Game 60: Oilers 3, Kings 2 (shootout)
It was more of the same for the Kings on Thursday. At least this time, they got to the shootout.
The game was oddly similar to their loss to the Ducks: they came out flat in the first two periods then try to cram a game's worth of effort into the third.
The difference was in goal. On Monday, they couldn't crack a well-rested Jonas Hiller; On Thursday, they they were able to overwhelm Jeff Deslauriers in regulation, who had lost four of his last five games on the Oilers road trip.
The frustration is in the fact that the Kings were lacking that killer instinct throughout the game. It's a dangerous thing to rely on seeing just how far you can let your opponent get ahead of you before catching up.
When they got to overtime, you knew the Kings were in familiar territory. They even got a power play opportunity, and played four-on-three. But the Kings power play woes continue, only scoring twice in the last 15 opportunities. (Those two PP goals came in the Anaheim game on Feb. 4.)
The Kings did have their longest shootout exhibition in franchise history. And when Wayne Simmonds scored, it looked to be karma, since it was also Wayne Simmonds bobblehead night. I had visions of the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez's grand slam on his bobblehead night this past season. I half expected Simmonds to come to the bench and have Matt Greene push his head and bobble his head. But alas, Erik Ersberg, filling in for a sick Quick, couldn't stop Dustin Penner and Lubomir Visnovsky. But hey, a point is a point.
For those of you who are scratching your heads wondering why coachTerry Murray is jumbling the lines again, don't worry about it.Obviously the Kings have had success with theKopitar/Richardson/Simmonds and Brown, Smyth and Stoll lines.
ButMurray has time to try and figure out which other combinations couldclick. I'm pretty sure by the time the playoffs roll around, we'll beseeing those lines return, because they are proven deadly. But why notcontinue to see what else works?
Oh, and for those fans who booed last night in the second period...really? This young team has had moderate success this season, somemight say they are overachieving. But as soon as they hit a roughpatch, the Boo Birds come out? Really? Don't be that kind of fan,people. You sound like Duck fans, completely oblivious.
This team is still finding it's identity, and is going to make the playoffs. Look at the bigger picture. Hopefully, their current 2-game slide can be blamed on looking forwardto their second extended winter break this season, and not somethingmore drastic.
In December, The Kings were winning at a 8-3 clip before their long Christmas break. But they had lost two of their last three games before they left for the holidays, and came back with a three-game losing streak.
Fast forward to February, and the Kings just had their 9-game winning streak snapped. If history repeats itself, the Kings should win on Saturday, then come back from the Olympic break with three losses. And that's not a bad thing.
Think about it, success in the postseason is all about streaks. With 22 games left, the Kings can start the cycle all over again and catch their third wind just about the time the first round of the playoffs come. Then it's anyone's game.
• AP: Oilers snap 11-game road skid with shootout win
Around the Kingdom
• The Royal Half: Bad timing
• Edmonton Journal: Oilers beat Kings in shootout
It was more of the same for the Kings on Thursday. At least this time, they got to the shootout.
The game was oddly similar to their loss to the Ducks: they came out flat in the first two periods then try to cram a game's worth of effort into the third.
The difference was in goal. On Monday, they couldn't crack a well-rested Jonas Hiller; On Thursday, they they were able to overwhelm Jeff Deslauriers in regulation, who had lost four of his last five games on the Oilers road trip.
The frustration is in the fact that the Kings were lacking that killer instinct throughout the game. It's a dangerous thing to rely on seeing just how far you can let your opponent get ahead of you before catching up.
When they got to overtime, you knew the Kings were in familiar territory. They even got a power play opportunity, and played four-on-three. But the Kings power play woes continue, only scoring twice in the last 15 opportunities. (Those two PP goals came in the Anaheim game on Feb. 4.)
The Kings did have their longest shootout exhibition in franchise history. And when Wayne Simmonds scored, it looked to be karma, since it was also Wayne Simmonds bobblehead night. I had visions of the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez's grand slam on his bobblehead night this past season. I half expected Simmonds to come to the bench and have Matt Greene push his head and bobble his head. But alas, Erik Ersberg, filling in for a sick Quick, couldn't stop Dustin Penner and Lubomir Visnovsky. But hey, a point is a point.
For those of you who are scratching your heads wondering why coachTerry Murray is jumbling the lines again, don't worry about it.Obviously the Kings have had success with theKopitar/Richardson/Simmonds and Brown, Smyth and Stoll lines.
ButMurray has time to try and figure out which other combinations couldclick. I'm pretty sure by the time the playoffs roll around, we'll beseeing those lines return, because they are proven deadly. But why notcontinue to see what else works?
Oh, and for those fans who booed last night in the second period...really? This young team has had moderate success this season, somemight say they are overachieving. But as soon as they hit a roughpatch, the Boo Birds come out? Really? Don't be that kind of fan,people. You sound like Duck fans, completely oblivious.
This team is still finding it's identity, and is going to make the playoffs. Look at the bigger picture. Hopefully, their current 2-game slide can be blamed on looking forwardto their second extended winter break this season, and not somethingmore drastic.
In December, The Kings were winning at a 8-3 clip before their long Christmas break. But they had lost two of their last three games before they left for the holidays, and came back with a three-game losing streak.
Fast forward to February, and the Kings just had their 9-game winning streak snapped. If history repeats itself, the Kings should win on Saturday, then come back from the Olympic break with three losses. And that's not a bad thing.
Think about it, success in the postseason is all about streaks. With 22 games left, the Kings can start the cycle all over again and catch their third wind just about the time the first round of the playoffs come. Then it's anyone's game.
• AP: Oilers snap 11-game road skid with shootout win
“Obviously it is tough when you have not played in a while,” Erik Ersberg said after his first start since Jan. 11. “But my job is to stop the puck, and that is what I am trying to do. I tried and keep it simple.”• LA Times: Kings rally from 2-0 deficit, then fall in marathon shootout
The key now for Murray and the front office is determining whether the Kings have simply hit a patch of thin ice heading into the 16-day Olympic break or begun a troubling free fall.• LAKings.com: Kings thwarted in shootout
Another slow start. Another frantic comeback. Except that this time, unlike so many other times this season, the Kings couldn’t quite complete the comeback.• NHL.com: Oilers break road drought with 3-2 win at L.A.
"They have great skill guys," Edmonton goalie Jeff Deslauriers said. "But every time they put the puck in, our guys stepped up and kept me in the game."They said it
"We had many opportunities on the power play. In the latter part of the game, that was the issue. In the early part, on the power plays though, we were not shooting the puck. We were trying to pass the puck into the net. There were a lot of seam, cross-ice passes that were not necessary. We had shooting lanes, and we were passing it up. That’s a lesson learned, I hoped." –Terry Murray, on the power play struggles.
"Obviously we’re not at the level we should be, right when the puck drops. When you fall behind, it’s tough to chase. We’ve pulled it off numerous times, but you can’t win hockey games like that.” – Anze Kopitar, on another bad start
Around the Kingdom• The Royal Half: Bad timing
Sure the Kings were able to rally with 5 minutes left and at least salvage a point, but wow, was this a stinker of a game. The Kings just didn't look interested until halfway through the 3rd period. And you know what? Don't give me this crap about facing a 6'4", left-handed goaltender and how hard it is to score against him. Jeff Deslauriers had only won 4 of his last 15 games... so some NHL teams have been able to figure out how to score against him!• HockeyBuzz's Matthew Barry: Fans Should Demand Refund After Oilers Win Marathon 3-2 Shootout
The Kings bored their sellout crowd for 50 minutes. When the snooze button finally did go off, the Kings found themselves down 2-0.• HockeywoodLA: Anthony's Arena Analysis: Oily Ending' Kings Vs Oilers
Shoot out had the potential to have a storybook ending with Wayne Simmonds getting the game winning shoot-out goal on freakin black history night. The crowd ROARED as he took the ice and we could all see the smirk on his face as the ref gave him the go ahead to take the shot. As he scored the place went wild but was soon silenced as Ersberg let the following goal slip in and not to shortly after that we Loss. Lame ending huh?• Crushed Purple Velvet: Lubo Wins Over Everyone
And how annoying was that shootout? First Kopitar sch-oooooled Deslauriers and then every King who followed fell victim to the pokecheck, until, Wayne "check out my awesome bobblehead" Simmonds sneaked one by the goalie. It looked like Simmonds was going to be the hero for the night until Pennersquee crashed the party. Damn you Penner and your big backside.• ESPN.com: Johnson first U.S. NHLer to fulfill dream
The NHL Players' Association cannot confirm Johnson is the first hockey player to take part in the opening ceremonies, but USA Hockey officials said Johnson will be the first American NHLer to take part in the event. "The stars kind of aligned for me," Johnson said.• NHL.com: Jack Johnson's trip to Vancouver a family affair
Johnson is expected to be the only member of Team USA to march in the Opening Ceremonies, and USA Hockey says he'll be the first U.S.-born player on an NHL roster at the time of the Games to do so.Across the aisle, the Edmonton viewpoint
• Edmonton Journal: Oilers beat Kings in shootout
"Everybody has a smile on their faces," said Visnovsky, who took three shootout tries as a King, scoring once, before ending the game with a goal-scorer's shot on Ersberg. "The guys on the bench were saying 'Let's take Lubo.' This is a very good feeling, especially to do it here."• Jeaned Shorts and Bagged Milk: Bonsignore Citizens Brigade: Oilers @ Kings
We Oiler fans have it pretty bad, especially now, but at least we've had a few playoff series to watch over the last couple years. The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2002. And even then it was a first round exit. There hasn't been a whole lot to cheer about down there.• The Copper and Blue: Revenge, served ice-cold
So turnaround is fair play. Tonight it was the Oilers with the chance to send L.A. fans home grumbling into the night, and they mostly succeeded with a 3-2 shootout victory that surely left the playoff-bound Kings counting their Bettman points if not their blessings.Peeping the dailies
Posted by Matt at February 11, 2010 8:56 PM 
Categories: Game Recaps, Musings of Mateo
Tags: Wayne Simmonds Erik Ersberg
Categories: Game Recaps, Musings of Mateo
Tags: Wayne Simmonds Erik Ersberg
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