SB Nation - Jack Johnson

Week in Review

RudyKelly — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:51 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

It's good to see Diamond Dallas Paige is still up and about. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Tuesday: The Kings call up Andrei Loktionov (yea!) and Brandon Segal (who?*) for their Western Canada road trip. Great expectations are had by all.

*Segal actually had a great week: he didn't score or anything, but he had a few good opportunities and threw his weight around nicely. I think he's locked up a spot for the foreseeable future.

Wednesday: Andrei Loktionov (no!) separates his shoulder and will miss 4 months. The Kings win in a lackluster effort for both them and the Oilers, 3-1. Goals are by Wayne Meat Train Simmonds (yea!), Matt Greene (wha?), and my main man Alexander Frolov.

Thursday: The Kings get handled by the Vancouver Canucks, 4-1. They have a few great opportunities but Roberto Luongo was excellent in net and holds the Kings to one lone goal, scored by Meat Train Simmonds (yea!!).

Friday: I go to the Ducks-Blackhawks game with Earl, his brother and a buddy of his. It was terrible: not only did the Ducks win, not only did Corey Perry extend his scoring streak, not only did the Blackhawks not score, but Kyle Calder (boo!) played well. Kyle Calder. Damn Earl for saying I was going, I think it was motivation. Also, it was funny that I went to the game with a bunch of Ducks fans and had to explain why they some times call off icing.

Saturday: The Kings play the Blackhawks and are fairly mediocre. They win the game on the back of Jonathan Quick, who followed up a solid week with a spectacular game against the Hawks. Quick stopped 22 of 23 against the Oilers, 30 of 33 against the Canucks, and 32 of 33 against the Blackhawks (he was also 2-for-2 in the shootout). Quick obviously read my criticism of his play and responded accordingly.

The Kings' lone goal in regulation was scored on a pretty play by Wayne Meat Train (yea!!!), who overall had 3 goals and an assist on the week. Simmonds, Dustin Brown (yea!) and Jack Johnson (eh) were the 3 stars for the week, while the traditional stars (Kopitar, Doughty, Williams) all took the week off. The Kings managed to gut through 3 pretty tough games to pick up 2 wins, but they can't score 5 goals in 3 games and expect to win 2 of them every week.

Overall, the Kings did what they needed to do: they played tough, defensive hockey and counterpunched when they needed to. This felt like a middle of the season episode, like that episode of Mad Men where they focused on Pete Campbell when he raped the au pair across the hall. Those episodes are great and are sometimes the best ones of the season, but the Kings need their stars to continue the season-long arc and get to the playoffs.

Bench-Clearing Brawl Time! Canucks vs Kings Blasts From The Past

Sean Zandberg — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:00:13 -0000

Love old school hockey. Love the bench-clearing brawls. As a precursor to the Kings-Canucks preview, here are some of the best of them between those 2 teams from the past (not in any particular order).

February 24, 1982: I gotta say, I really miss Jim Robson, no offense to Mr. Shorthouse.

I don't know what year in the 1970's this was from, but geez, those Kings didn't look so tough in those yellow pajamas did they? (Somebody shoot that damned trumpet player)

This one's not a bench-clearing brawl but it's fun to watch. The Canucks sucked under Mike Keenan, but they sure were tough: Brashear, Staios, McAllister, Ciccone, etc.

Just to add a few more moments of violence and aggression, here are some other Canucks-Kings clips you might enjoy.

-Donald Brashear vs Mark Visheau, December 1998. (Visheau is french for "just got my ass beat")

-Brashear vs Doug Zmolek, January 1998. (Zmolek is American for: "eats many lefts")

-Gino Odjick vs Marty McSorley. (Yeah, listen to that crowd at the Pacific Coliseum. Almost gives me chills)

-And just because it still makes me laugh to this day, here is Jan Bulis hip-checking Jack Johnson.

Hope you enjoyed these.

Latest Trade Adds Further Flux To 2005 NHL Entry Draft

Cory Lavalette — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:43:22 -0000

by Jeff McIntosh - AP

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, once considered a sure-fire No. 1 defenseman, is one of several 2005 first-round picks who find themselves playing for a team other than the one that drafted them. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)

View full size photo »

July 22, 2005.

I was sitting in my car, stuck in traffic on the bridge entering Carolina Beach, waiting to finally reach the surf with my family. My wife and I were eagerly anticipating our 2-year-old daughter’s first trip to the coast, to see what she'd think of the gritty sand between her toes, the crashing waves, and the pelicans, with their broad wings and oversized beaks.

But that Friday — the beginning to a long, memorable summer weekend for us, along with countless others in the Carolinas and beyond — was also a pivotal day in hockey history: the Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes.

It still is remembered that way. But for a lot of other players and teams, the 2005 NHL Entry Draft is about something else: loss and failure, untapped potential and wanton trades. The latest of which happened yesterday.

But back to that fateful day. Sitting on that bridge, I listened closely as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman read the results to the one-of-a-kind NHL Draft Lottery, an event different from any before. The names of each team were read in reverse order.

Tampa Bay at 30.

Calgary at 26.

Division foe Washington was 14th.

With each team and their corresponding selection, the stakes got higher. Vancouver at 10. Columbus — one of four teams with a high of three balls in the machine — went off the board at six. That left only Pittsburgh as a remaining favorite, with Anaheim, Minnesota, Montreal and, yes, Carolina with a shot at nabbing the top overall pick and the rights to select sure-fire star Crosby.

The Habs — a long shot with just one sphere rattling among 45 others — went next. Then the Wild. Final three. I gripped the wheel, and explained to my wife the significance of the moment. I knew that, regardless of the remaining results, the Hurricanes were in position to land a big-time prospect. But this was Sidney Crosby: The Next One.

The Canes’ run at Crosby ended there, with "Carolina Hurricanes" uttered by Bettman as this third overall selection. Pittsburgh — as we all know — beat out the Ducks for Crosby.

By landing the third pick, the Canes fell shy of getting Crosby, and even prized Michigan defenseman Jack Johnson seemed out of reach. That left Benoit Pouliot as the top-rated player likely to be on the board, along with the likes of Bobby Ryan, Gilbert Brule and Anze Kopitar. Personally, I was leaning toward Pouliot; a big, skilled forward out of Sudbury in the OHL.

Nine days after the lottery, the teams gathered for the draft. The Pens, of course, took Crosby. I waited for Anaheim to take Johnson so I could finally see who Carolina GM Jim Rutherford would select at No. 3. But Brian Burke, then the Ducks GM, threw the league a curveball and chose Ryan second overall. Rutherford — who has been reluctant to use his first-round picks on defensemen — had no choice but to choose Johnson, whose physical play coupled with offensive instincts had many penciling him in as a No. 1 blueliner for years to come.

Just 14 months and one day later, the Carolina Hurricanes — having stunningly won the Stanley Cup in 2006 — dealt Johnson, along with salary burden Oleg Tverdovsky, to Los Angeles for defenseman Tim Gleason and center Eric Belanger.

Yesterday, the Wild gave up on the fourth overall pick, Pouliot, sending him to Montreal for a second-rounder from the same year, Guillame Latendresse. Johnson was the second of the 30 first-round picks traded from that year's draft — Tuukka Rask was traded by Toronto to Boston on draft day 2006 for fellow goalie Andrew Raycroft — and Pouliot is the latest to find himself moving on to a new city.

Looking down the list of the first round picks from 2005, the Johnson trade still stands out as the blockbuster — and one that, despite early expert analysis suggesting Carolina was ripped off, leans toward Carolina's favor given Johnson’s struggles and Gleason’s growth.

Crosby and Ryan — the top two picks — have emerged as a superstar and emerging star respectively. Johnson, at No. 3, is with the Kings and, despite playing on a very good, young team, is a team-worst minus-11 with just two goals and four assists in 24 games (Gleason, on the other hand, is 4-2-6 and minus-1 in 18 games on the last place team in the league, plus a team leader). The teams who picked first, second and third are probably happy with how things panned out for them (though surely Johnson’s antics in not turning pro infuriated Rutherford at the time).

The rest of the league? Well, most probably aren't all that happy.

Here are the other players who are either no longer with the team that chose them in the first round in 2005:

No. 4 — Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota: Traded yesterday (Nov. 23, 2009) to Montreal for Guillame Latendresse. Career stats: 65 GP, 9-9-18
No. 6 — Gilbert Brule, Columbus: Traded July 1, 2008, to Edmonton for Raffi Torres. Career stats: 178 GP, 20-28-48
No. 10 — Luc Bourdon, Vancouver: Killed in a motorcycle accident May 29, 2008. Career stats: 36 GP, 2-0-2
No. 13 — Marek Zagrapan, Buffalo: Signed with Severstal of the KHL May 9, 2009. No NHL games played.
No. 14 — Sasha Pokulok, Washington: Was not tendered a qualifying offer June 29, 2009. Currently in the ECHL. No NHL games played.
No. 15 — Ryan O’Marra, Islanders: Traded Feb. 27, 2007, to Edmonton along with Robert Nilsson and a first-round pick for Ryan Smyth. Career stats: 1 GP, 0-0-0
No. 16 — Alex Bourret, Atlanta: Traded Feb. 7, 2007, to Rangers for Pascal Dupuis and a third-round pick. Then traded June 21, 2008, to Phoenix for a third-round pick. Was not tendered a qualifying offer June 30, 2009. Currently playing for Brno in the Czech league.
No. 18 — Ryan Parent, Nashville: Traded Feb. 15, 2007, to Philadelphia along with Scottie Upshall, a first-round pick and third-round pick for Peter Forsberg. Career stats: 67 GP, 0-6-0
No. 21 — Tuukka Rask, Toronto: Traded June 24, 2006, to Boston for Andrew Raycroft. Career stats: 14 GP, 9-3-2-2 record, .919 S%, 2.33 GAA
No. 22 — Matt Lashoff, Boston: Traded March 4, 2009, to Tampa Bay along with Martins Karsums for Mark Recchi and a second-round pick. Career stats: 58 GP, 1-14-15
No. 30 — Steve Downie, Philadelphia: Traded Nov. 7, 2008, to Tampa Bay along with Steve Eminger and a fourth-round pick for Matt Carle and a third-round pick. Career stats: 82 GP, 11-14-25

(Note: Andrew Cogliano, the No. 25 pick by Edmonton, was part of a package that would've sent Ottawa’s Dany Heatley to the Oilers. Heatley nixed the deal by refusing to waive his no-trade clause. He was later dealt to San Jose, while Cogliano — still mentioned in trade rumors frequently — remains in Edmonton.)

That's 12 of 30 players drafted just four years ago who are no longer with the team who originally held their rights. Only two players from the 2006 draft (Phil Kessel and Ty Wishart) have been moved. The 2004 draft was also volatile (13 players traded or not with their original team for another reason), but 2003 has just nine even though we're six years removed from that draft.

The Rask and Johnson deals were the first of many involving this group. The Hurricanes and their fans have embraced Gleason, a throwback blueliner whose toughness, blunt honesty, defensive acumen and emerging offensive skill make him one of the franchise cornerstones. Johnson — who was, once upon a time, supposed to be that player — is overshadowed by 2008 second overall pick Drew Doughty, arguably the best young defenseman in the game.

Sure, the 2005 draft will always be remembered as the year Crosby — the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup — went No. 1 overall. But for several other first-round picks that year, the path to NHL stardom has been more like my car stuck on that bridge: the headlights pointed at the distant sea, the inhabitants of the vehicle wishing, hoping to make memories that will last a lifetime.

For some, the bridge will eventually be crossed. For others ...

A Statistical Look at the Flyers, through 16 Games

Geoff Detweiler — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:45:09 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Browse more photos »

Once again, I was able to get Tom Awad of Puck Prospectus to give me his most recently compiled data on GVT.

(Here's the link to my earlier story breaking down the VUKOTA projection based on GVT).

The data's most recent update was from Sunday, November 15th, so last week's games against the Devils, Kings, Sharks, and Coyotes are not included. Obviously, last night's game against the Avalanche is also not included.

Needless to say, there are some positives and some negatives through 20% of the schedule. Most interesting is just how good James van Riemsdyk has been, how well Ray Emery has played, and another look at The Pronger effect.

Follow after the jump for the findings.

Here is the table of Tom's results for the Flyers:

	Name	Team(s)	P	GP	G/GAA	A/GA	Pts/SA	+-/Sv	OGIT	DIT	RPM	Val OG	Val D	Val S	Total

1	Ray Emery	Philadelphia Flyers	G	15.2	2.24	34	431	0.921	8.8	1.3	0	6	0.1	0.6	6.7
2	Chris Pronger	Philadelphia Flyers	D	16	4	13	17	13	8.6	7.9	11.2	3.8	2.5	0	6.3
3	Matt Carle	Philadelphia Flyers	D	16	2	10	12	17	8.2	6.8	14.7	2.1	2.6	0	4.7
4	James van Riemsdyk*	Philadelphia Flyers	F	13	4	11	15	7	4.7	3.9	5.1	3.1	0.7	0	3.8
5	Jeff Carter	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	7	12	19	2	7.5	6	-1.1	3.5	0.3	-0.2	3.6
6	Mike Richards	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	8	8	16	2	6.9	7.5	0	3.1	1	-0.7	3.4
7	Claude Giroux	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	1	7	8	5	4.4	3.8	4.4	0.7	0.8	1.1	2.5
8	Kimmo Timonen	Philadelphia Flyers	D	16	1	11	12	-2	8.5	9.1	-5.4	1.8	0.5	0	2.3
9	Scott Hartnell	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	5	7	12	0	5.6	4.3	-1.7	2	0.1	0	2.1
10	Braydon Coburn	Philadelphia Flyers	D	16	3	4	7	-3	7	8.9	-6.5	1	0.4	0	1.3
11	Danny Briere*	Philadelphia Flyers	F	12	7	3	10	-2	5.6	4.4	-4	1.6	-0.1	-0.5	1.1
12	David Laliberte*	Philadelphia Flyers	F	4	2	1	3	4	1.1	1	3.5	0.7	0.4	0	1.1
13	Blair Betts	Philadelphia Flyers	F	9	1	1	2	3	1.8	2.9	2.4	0	0.7	0	0.7
14	Simon Gagne	Philadelphia Flyers	F	9	1	4	5	2	2.9	2.8	1.4	0.4	0.4	-0.2	0.6
15	Daniel Carcillo	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	2	1	3	4	2.7	2.5	2.9	0	0.5	0	0.5
16	Arron Asham	Philadelphia Flyers	F	13	3	1	4	-1	2.9	2.8	-2.7	0.4	0	0	0.4
17	Darroll Powe	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	5	0	5	-2	4.4	4.6	-4.8	0.4	0.1	0	0.4
18	Ryan Parent	Philadelphia Flyers	D	8	0	2	2	-1	1.6	2.4	-1.8	0.3	0.1	0	0.4
19	Ian Laperriere	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	1	3	4	-1	4	5.2	-3.3	-0.3	0.4	0	0.1
20	O. Tollefsen	Philadelphia Flyers	D	9	0	2	2	-1	2.2	2.5	-2.4	0.1	-0.1	0	0.1
21	Mika Pyorala*	Philadelphia Flyers	F	16	0	1	1	3	3.4	4.1	1.4	-1.1	0.7	0.5	0.1
22	Riley Cote	Philadelphia Flyers	F	4	0	0	0	0	0.3	0.3	0	-0.1	0	0	-0.1
23	Oskars Bartulis*	Philadelphia Flyers	D	2	0	0	0	0	0.5	0.6	-0.3	-0.1	0	0	-0.1
24	Danny Syvret	Philadelphia Flyers	D	13	0	2	2	-3	2.9	3.6	-4.7	0	-0.2	0	-0.2
25	Brian Boucher	Philadelphia Flyers	G	1	4	4	28	0.857	0.6	0.1	0	-1	0	0	-0.9

First, you can figure out most of the stat categories, but OGIT is offensive/goalie ice time, while DIT is defensive ice time. RPM is Puck Prospectus' adjusted plus/minus, an explanation of which can be found here. Val OG is offensive/goalie GVT score, while Val D and Val S are GVT defensive score and shootout score, respectively.

Second, who gets the credit for three of the Flyers four best players being off-season acquisitions? Having Ray Emery, Chris Pronger, and James van Riemsdyk at the top of this table might be a surprise, but not to anyone who has been watching the Flyers this season.

As the table shows (and you could see for yourself), James van Riemsdyk has been one of the team's best players so far. Using GVT, he's the fourth best Flyer so far this season, and the best forward. At a total GVT of 3.8, van Riemsdyk finds himself tied for 56th place in the entire NHL. For a guy who wasn't even a lock to make the team, that's quite an accomplishment. As far as rookies go, he is listed as the third best behind Washington goaltender Semyon Varlamov and Colorado forward Ryan O'Reilly.

Another pleasant surprise this season has been the play of Ray Emery. Many are still not convinced (and that's understandable) but his performance through the Flyers first 16 games was not easily topped. He was ranked the 10th best player in the NHL - tied with Marian Gaborik - with a 6.7 total GVT. Among goalies, he came in 7th. He also came in 7th for save percentage and was tied for third in goals against average. It may be a small sample size, but these rankings are relative to every other goalie, and he tied for the 10th most ice time in the league. You may have noticed that he gained points for his performance in the shootout - stopping 7 of 9 shots against - in which he is tied for 26th among all NHL players, and tied for 10th among goalies. Now, the skeptical amongst you can point to Antero Niittymaki's stats (8.8 total GVT) which are as good, if not better than Sugar Ray's. They would be right. However, Martin Biron is only at 1.7 total GVT, so... call it even?

Another hard to miss development in the table is Chris Pronger and Matt Carle sitting second and third. Obviously, this is where The Pronger effect shows the extent of its reach. Before the season, most people predicted that Chris Pronger would elevate the play of his partner. But to hear "Matt Carle" and "Olympic team" (let alone "Norris Trophy") in the same sentence is still unusual. Personally, I've always been a fan of Carle's, but not many people would argue that he is in fact, this good. For this one, I'm just going to use bullet points.

Overall, Pronger is ranked as the 16th best overall player in the NHL with Carle tied for 33rd. This equals 1st and 6th, respectively, among defensemen.
Pronger's offensive contributions rank him tied for 20th in the NHL with Joe Thornton, and just above Jeff Carter. No, that's not a typo. Pronger is contributing offensively at the same rate as Joe Thornton.
On the defensive side, Pronger is 5th in the NHL while Carle is tied for 2nd.
GVT ranks Pronger as the second best two-way player in the NHL, while Carle is tied for 12th. Perspective: Anze Kopitar is in 1st, Pavel Datsyuk is tied with Carle, and Sidney Crosby is tied for 18th.
They were first and second in all of the NHL in plus/minus, with Pronger falling from second to third in Relative Plus Minus. Carle maintained his lead in that category.
Carle was tied for 11th in scoring among defensemen.

I think it's safe to say Chris Pronger has a lot to do with how well Matt Carle is playing. Aware that this is probably getting a little long, I'll finish it up with a few assorted thoughts. (More bullet points!)

Claude Giroux is known as a good defensive player, and it shows in his defensive GVT - second best among Flyer forwards at 0.8. And while you may have guessed Blair Betts (0.7) was third, he is tied with two others: James van Riemsdyk and Mika Pyorala. I can hear your surprise.
Darroll Powe's offensive value through 16 games was equal to Simon Gagne's through 9. That speaks more to Gagne's injury than Powe's ability, but it's still interesting.
David Laliberte's offensive value through 4 games was equal to Claude Giroux's through 16. That will happen when you score twice as many goals in a quarter as many games.
We can mostly agree that Danny Syvret played his way out of the Flyers lineup. But Steve Eminger, Luke Schenn, Hal Gill, and Nick Schultz were tied with him in total GVT and Brett Lebda, Ruslan Salei, Andrej Sekera, Jeff Woywitka, Luca Sbisa, Brendan Mikkelson, Andrew Ference, Aaron Ward, and Jack Johnson were all worse.
For those wondering, Randy Jones through three games has a GVT of 0.5, but only a 0.1 defensive rating; the same defensive value as both Darroll Powe and Ryan Parent.
Lastly, remember that clamoring for Mike Komisarek in the off-season? He's tied for the third worst skater in the league with a total GVT of -1.3. Also, Jay Bouwmeester is tied for 190th with a 1.8.

Much thanks to Tom Awad for giving me this data again. Hopefully, this will become available more frequently and with less hassle. Any questions, just ask. I have his entire spreadsheet if there's anything you want to look at.

Quick, Kings drop Panthers 4-3 in SO

Whale4ever — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:33:05 -0000

More photos » by J Pat Carter - AP

about 1 month ago: Hockey fans urge Florida Panthers' Kenndal McArdle (71) and Los Angeles Kings' Wayne Simmonds (17) during NHL second period hockey action in Sunrise, Fla. Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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A spirited night (announced attendance: 12,500) at the BankAtlantic Center saw the Florida Panthers - under the eyes of new managing partners Stuart Siegel and Cliff Viner - fall to 4-2 in shootouts as opportunistic Los Angeles made good use of their growing wealth of talent.

The Cats, who led 2-0 at the midway point on markers by Nathan Horton and Cory Stillman, couldn't hold the advantage, allowing the Kings to bang home three goals (2 on the PP) to turn the tables. Florida rookie Victor Oreskovich - playing in his seventh NHL contest - scored his first career goal in the Bigs to pull the Cats into a three-all tie, setting the stage for yet another overtime.

One shot was all either club could muster in the extra frame, so on to the now-familiar shootout, where the Panthers have been surprisingly successful in recent weeks. SOG heading into the skills-competition: 34-29, L.A.

Bottom line on the final result: Jack Johnson, who scored an earlier PP goal to get the Kings rolling in the second period, was the only shooter to find the net, scoring on Tomas Vokoun after a strangely quiet Anze Kopitar (1 assist while leading the NHL in goals) was unable to convert.

Rostislav Olesz (4 shots), Steven Reinprecht (1 assist), and Stillman (1 goal, 1 assist) were all turned away by Jonathan Quick.

Hey...though disappointing, it's one more point.

Next up: Cats travel to Buffalo for a Wednesday meeting with the Sabres. Open Thread goes live at 6pm.

Scenes from the Father-Son Dinner

RudyKelly — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:22:48 -0000

The Kings took their fathers on their road trip to Phoenix this past week, capping off the festivities with a grand dinner for the 16 fathers that were on the trip. I managed to swipe a waiter's outfit and was able to catch a few snippets of conversation. Here are a few things I saw and heard. Oh, and before you read, it'd probably help to read this article, or at least look at the picture.

Tim Stoll (Jarret's Dad): So, Raitis, I'm sorry to hear your dad couldn't end up making it, but I thought he was going to.

Raitis Ivanans: Well, I guess he ran into a little problem at Customs and couldn't get into the country.

Tim Stoll: Really? What happened? Does he have a record or something?

Raitis Ivanans: My dad is actually a bear, so...

Tim Stoll: Oh.

***

Bob Scuderi (Rob's Dad): Hey, Matjaz, your son's really having a great start this year!

Matjaz Kopitar (Figure it Out): Yes, yes, my young apprentice has truly seen the power of the Dark Side.

Bob Scuderi: Yeah he rea- I'm sorry, did you say Dark Side?

Matjaz Kopitar: Yes, he thought I was mistaken but it turned out he was mistaken, about a great many things!

Bob Scuderi: Uh-huh. ...Boy, that's a pretty cool cell phone ya got there, is that one of those Droid things? I thought they weren't supposed to come out for a while?

Matjaz Kopitar: Oh, I'm afraid this cellular phone is quite operational. Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL phone!

Bob Scuderi: Hey, that's pretty cool!

Matjaz Kopitar: I know, I can even update my Twitter! But now I'm sorry, my pathetic Rebel friend, that the time has come; now you will DIE! Hissssss!!!!

Bob Scuderi: ...Please don't point your fingers at me, Matjaz.

Matjaz Kopitar: Hissssssssss!!!!!!!

Terry Murray: So Alexander, where's your dad, I was kinda hoping to meet him.

Alexander Frolov: *Bursts into tears

Terry Murray: *Slowly backs away

***

Jim Greene (Matt's Dad): So, Cyril, right? What is it you do?

Cyril Simmonds (Wayne's Dad): Well actually, I was a bit of a hockey player myself.

Jim Greene: Really, you're both hockey players?

Wayne Simmonds: That's right, we're black and we're hockey players. Let's not make an issue of it.

Cyril Simmonds: No one's making an issue of it, son, you're making an issue of it.

***

Paul Doughty (Drew's Dad): So son, that redesign of SBNation sure does suck, huh?

Drew Doughty: You said it, Pop.

***

Jack Johnson, Sr.: Finish the rest of that steak, son.

Jack Johnson, Jr.: I don't wanna, Dad, I'm kinda full.

Jack Johnson, Sr.: Whaddaya mean, you're full? No son of mine is going to leave a plate with food on it! C'mon you limp-wristed pussy, eat that steak!

Jack Johnson, Jr.: But Dad, I'm fu-

Jack Johnson, Sr.: *smacks him I said eat it!

Jack Johnson, Jr.: *crying Alright, fine, I'll eat it!

Jack Johnson, Sr.: Atta boy. I don't know what they're teaching you down here, but men from Michigan always finish their plates.

Jack Johnson, Jr.: I hate you, Dad! I hate you! *runs away

***

Bryan Brown: So... how are things?

Dustin Brown: ...Good. Mom?

Bryan Brown: She's fine. Kids?

Dustin Brown: Cool.

Bryan Brown: ...Yep.

Dustin Brown: ...Yep.

*Both drink at the same time

A Change Is Gonna Come: Uncovering Early Season Frauds

Cory Lavalette — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:23 -0000

by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik, right, of Slovakia, celebrates with his teammate Michael Del Zotto, after scoring the go-ahead goal against the Washington Capitals during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, in Washington. Rangers won 4-3. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

View full size photo »

We've reached right around the 1/10th pole of the NHL season, and as always there are several surprises around the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche, expected to be one of the worst — if not the worst — teams in the league, are off to a 6-1-1 start. Rangers rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto has helped power the Blueshirts to the top of standings. And people are talking about Phoenix for reasons other than their "situation."

While many of these revelations may turn out to be the real thing, there are several that have big, flashing lights all around them. So without further ado, let's a take a team-by-team look around the league and say farewell to the players and trends that are sure to fizzle out in the coming weeks. (All statistics are through Tuesday's games)

Anaheim: Here's some good news for the Ducks: Bobby Ryan will shake out of his sophomore slump that has him with just one goal and one assist through the season's first seven games.

Atlanta: The fallacy in Blueland? Winning. The Thrashers are off to a 4-1-1 start, but only Ilya Kovalchuk (seven) and Rich Peverley (four) have scored more than once. Plus, the longer it takes for Kovalchuk to sign an extension, the worse the tension.

Boston: The injuries are mounting, but I certainly don't expect the B's — and defending Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas — to continue giving up 3.29 goals per game. Thomas' numbers — 2-3, 3.20 goal-against average, .896 save percentage — will improve, and so will the Bruins' win total.

Buffalo: Rookie Tyler Myers looks like the real deal on the Sabres blueline, but don't expect the lanky d-man to continue his point parade (1-3-4 in six games), especially since he has no points on the power play despite getting more than three minutes of ice time a night with the man advantage.

Calgary: Rene Bourque (4-7-11 in nine games) will stop will stop putting points up like Ray Bourque. The Flames winger is averaging 1.22 points per game — compared to just a hair more than half a point per game over his career.

Carolina: This has been hashed over again and again here at Canes Country, but Eric Staal will get things turned around. Want proof? His shooting percentage (7.7 percent this year vs. 11.5 for his career) is way down, as are his shots per game (3.71 this year vs. 4.54 last year). He's due.

Chicago: Say goodbye to Cristobal Huet's reign as an NHL No. 1. Last year he lost the top job to Nikolai Khabibulin, and this time around it looks like Antti Niemi is poised to snatch it away. The early season numbers for Huet are not good — 2-2-1, 3.25 goals-against average, .844 save percentage — while Niemi (3-0, 1.73, .912) has looked spectacular.

Colorado: I could find a million things that will go downhill eventually for the Avs, but I can guarantee they won't continue to convert on the power play at a league-high 30.3 percent, especially when they were tied for 25th last year (15.7) with Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic in the lineup at least part of the time.

Columbus: Like Colorado, you can't expect to continue having extreme special team success (an absurd 96.6 percent penalty kill) for the whole season. But more importantly, I expect the wins to stop flowing with underrated Jan Hejda out of action for more than a month. In the team's first five games, he was a plus-8 and a workhorse for Ken Hitchcock.

Dallas: I fully expect the Stars to be firmly in the playoffs by Christmas. There's just too much to like in Big D not to think this team will be a contender: from a healthy Brendan Morrow; to young emerging stars James Neal and Jamie Benn; to a young defense that doesn't seem to be missing Sergei Zubov.

Detroit: An easy one: Pavel Datsyuk won't be goalless forever, injury or no injury.

Edmonton: New coach Pat Quinn has the Oilers buying in to his system, but you can't expect the Copper & Blue to continue to score 3.62 goals a game when they're averaging just 24 shots on goal.

Florida: It's not looking good in Florida, but expect David Booth (1-0-1, minus-5) and Cory Stillman (0-1-1) to get rolling.

Los Angeles: I'm officially putting an end to the "Jack Johnson, NHL superstar" parade. Johnson is severely outclassed by teammate Drew Doughty, but he's also — simply — not playing well. He's managed a goal, two assists and a team-worst minus-5 for an improved Kings team, is logging 2:24 of penalty kill time for a horrendous PK unit (68.4 percent so far), and has been on the ice for just seven goals for vs. 14 goals against.

Minnesota: Chuck Kobasew is already en route, but the biggest change coming to the Wild is more roster overhaul. Minnesota is getting just .33 goals per one goal scored by opponents during five-on-five play, and Brent Burns, James Sheppard, Owen Nolan and P-M Bouchard are all either underachieving or hurt.

Montreal: Carey "Jesus" Price is more likely to be dragged through the streets of Montreal than be anointed the Habs' savior at this point. His numbers are terrible (2-4, 3.36 goals-against average, .886 save percentage) and Jaroslav Halak is emerging as the real deal (2-1-1, 2.27, .907). Try "Scary" Price instead.

Nashville: The Predators may not ever be good this year, but I know they won't continue to have their special teams operate at an abysmal 70.9 percent combined (66.7 percent PK, 4.2 percent PP).

New Jersey: You can have Milan Lucic — I'll take David Clarkson any day of the week. Right here we're putting an end to the idea of Clarkson as a fighter. No one does more with 14 minutes a night than this Devil.

New York Islanders: Easy pickings here. Forward Matt Moulson has benefitted from playing with phenom John Tavares. Don't expect him to continue his point-per-game (4-3-7 in six games) pace.

New York Rangers: Marian Gaborik has played in every game. You know that won't continue.

Ottawa: In shipping out Dany Heatley, the Sens may have restored their team chemistry. But I can promise you Jarkko Ruutu (2-3-5) will not have outscored younger brother Tuomo (1-3-4) by season's end.

Philadelphia: Matt Carle is perhaps the least revered member of the Broad Street Bullies blueline, and you can bet he won't continue to pile up stats (1-7-8, plus-5) like he has through six games.

Phoenix: Dave Tippett's defense-first style will help the Desert Dogs when games this year, but even Patrick Roy can't put up numbers like Ilya Bryzgalov (5-1, 1.14 goals-against average, .953 save percentage) has for an extended period of time.

Pittsburgh: The Pens will finally feel the Cup hangover thanks to the injury to Sergei Gonchar. Pittsburgh was 18-4-4 in the regular season with Gonchar in the lineup last year — and just 27-24-5 without him.

San Jose: Who is Jason Demers? Who knows? But we do know he's won't keep putting up seven assists every nine games.

St. Louis: The Blues look like an average team right now, and that might not change. What will change is David Perron's seven-game pointless streak to start the season.

Tampa Bay: My lock of the article: Todd Fedoruk (one) will not score more goals than Vincent Lecavalier (zilcho) this season.

Toronto: The MakeBelieves will continue to be bad, but a mid-level NCAA team could do better than the 1-to-3 ratio in even-strength goals scored vs. goals against Toronto has so far.

Vancouver: Roberto Luongo is a notoriously slow starter. So his poor play out of the gate (3-5, 3.22 goals-against average, .879 save percentage) should be followed by his usual spectacular rest of the way.

Washington: I'm going to be bold on this final one: Say goodbye to Chris Clark's captaincy. Before the year is out, AO will be wearing the C.

Texas Stars...Err...Dallas Stars Lose 4-1 to Kings

Brandon Bibb — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:11:55 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene (2) center Anze Kopitar (11) of Slovenia and defenseman Davis Drewiske (44) congratulate each other following right wing Justin Williams, center front, second period goal during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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And in an unconfirmed ~~fake~~ rumor, Jeff Woywitka and Matt Niskanen could be headed to Siberia. The furthest one, that is. We hear some Stars fans might rejoice at that news.

In all seriousness, I was about to give credit to this bunch for seemingly getting a handle on their 2nd period bugaboos that had infected their game early last season, where the Stars had surrendered 11 goals and scored only 7 for a goal differential of -4 through seven games. This season, they had been even up at 9-9 through seven.

And then they threw out that forgettable second period tonight after Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn combined for an absolutely beautiful goal to give them a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

No doubt this game turned on Stephane Robidas' attempted clear of a puck on edge with the Stars already down a man thanks to Nik Grossman's tripping penalty. Instead of flinging the puck down the ice, Robi knuckled the puck into the stands and Los Angeles got to enjoy a 5-on-3 advantage that lasted 1:37.

Dallas was able to kill off the two man portion of the LA penalty. Then they killed off the next 16 seconds of the 5-on-4 after Grossman came back on. But another little mistake on the penalty kill proved costly as Jeff Woywitka, after battling along the boards with Ryan Smyth, went back in front of the net after Smyth had passed the puck to the half boards over to Dustin Brown.

For a split second, Woywitka seemed to lose track of Smyth, Brown saw this and threw the puck in on goal and the long time Stars nemesis redirected the puck under Marty Turco's glove to tie the game.

From that point on, it was all Kings in the middle frame. Eight minutes later, the Smyth-Williams-Kopitar line put the Kings on top for good as Matt Greene spotted Justin Williams to Turco's left, and fired a low shot that Williams redirected past Turco's left pad at the 13:26 mark.

About a minute and a half later, the Kings entered the Stars zone at the 15:05 mark of the period and controlled play there for the next 54 seconds by doing their best Detroit Red Wings impersonation. Anze Kopitar capped it off by taking advantage of a gassed third line and buried a chance that was setup from behind the net by Williams.

And all of a sudden, that respectable even goal differential in the middle frame through seven games turns into a -3 after eight. It also meant almost certain defeat when you consider Mike Modano, Brad Richards, Jere Lehtinen, and Steve Ott missed this contest with various injuries and that this was Dallas' third game in four nights.

Getting back to the Kings for a second, we all know they've been somewhat of an enigma anytime they play the Stars post-lockout. The Stars went 2-6 against the Kings in the 2005-06 season, then proceeded to sweep the season series the next year. And we all know about how a game between Dallas and LA is never over at the Staples Center until the final horn blows.

Despite all the success the Kings have had against Dallas since the lockout (and they've gone 8-8-6 against the Stars in 2005-06, 2007-08, and 2008-09), they haven't made the playoffs since the 2001-02 season. I have a feeling they'll seriously contend for a playoff spot this year. As bad as they've been this decade, that also means they've been the beneficiaries of some high draft picks like Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and even Jack Johnson

Sooner or later, that's got to pay off for them. And to that end, I think they supplemented that young talent very well by acquiring Justin Williams from the Carolina Hurricanes last year and Ryan Smyth this year. Andy Murray instituted a strong defensive game in this unit and those aforementioned trades should make them a stronger offensive team.

As for the Stars, I think with their second loss in three games, we can officially say they've hit their first rough patch of the season. Jamie Benn's first period goal is the only goal they've scored in their last two home games and their power play is 0 for their last 14. And the injuries are starting to mount up a little bit.

The good news as they embark on a three game West coast road trip is they'll start it at a place they've been very good at in recent years. Not to mention, the Ducks have had problems finding their footing this year after taking the Red Wings to the limit in the second round last year. Jonas Hiller hasn't been near the wunderkind he was during Anaheim's playoff run last year and the Ducks are smarting from a 5-0 shutout at home at the hands of the Blues Saturday night.

Around the Pacific Division - L.A. Kings Claim the Throne

Brandon Worley — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

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Thought we'd start something new this week on Defending Big D and continue it throughout the season. While we are focused on providing as extensive of coverage of the Dallas Stars as we possibly can, I think we can get a bit of tunnel vision and forget about the other teams we're racing with in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference.

This won't be anything extensive or super-analytical, just a roundup of what's going on in the world of each division team as well as a look at their standing relative to the Stars.

For something new and different, follow the jump.

Pacific Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Los Angeles	5	4	1	0	8
San Jose	6	3	2	1	7
Phoenix	5	3	2	0	6
Dallas	4	1	0	3	5
Anaheim	5	2	2	1	5

(updated 10.13.2009 at 8:39 AM EDT)

Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here? The Los Angeles Kings, after getting pounded in their opening night game, have roared out to four straight wins and sit atop the Pacific Division two weeks into the season. While we've thought the Kings were definitely a young team on the rise, it will be interesting to see how long they can sustain this momentum.

Los Angeles Kings; 1st in Pacific Division, 2nd in the West - Battle of California

The Kings have won with some timely goalscoring and some excellent goaltending. In some bizarre scheduling, the Kings dropped the Islanders in a matinee game that started at 8am here on the East Coast. Per Rudy Kelly the Kings just can't get any respect, along with their cross-town compatriots the Dodgers.

In both games, I think the Los Angeles team has been underrated. The Cardinals got all the pub because they had Carpenter and Wainwright and Pujols and Holliday, while to the rest of the world the Dodgers had only Manny and some other guys. While the Cardinals were rated highly because of their superstars, the Blues are rated highly because of their depth. And again, the Kings are pretty much dismissed as a being only a superstar (Kopitar) and some other guys. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I think for every Brad Boyes there's a Alex Frolov and for every David Backes there's a Dustin Brown. We even have our own douche bag injury-prone veteran (Ryan Smyth) to match theirs (Paul Kariya). They have Erik Johnson, we have Jack Johnson; they have Alex Pietrangelo, we have Drew Doughty. The only real difference between the two teams are the goaltenders (where I think St. Louis has a slight advantage) and in superstars, as the Blues don't have anyone like Kopitar. I think he'll be the difference tonight.

Kings Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ New York Rangers	Wed 10/14	6:05 PM CDT
@ Detroit	Thu 10/15	6:30 PM CDT
@ Columbus	Sat 10/17	6:00 PM CDT
@ Dallas	Mon 10/19	7:30 PM CDT
Dallas	Thu 10/22	9:30 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ New York Islanders	Mon 10/12	W 2 - 1
@ St. Louis	Sat 10/10	W 2 - 1
Minnesota	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 3
San Jose	Tue 10/06	W 6 - 4
Phoenix	Sat 10/03	L 3 - 6

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

No Injuries.

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Anze Kopitar	5	4	6	10	2	0	2	0	0	0	11	36.4

San Jose Sharks: 2nd in Pacific Division, 6th in the West - Fear The Fin

Things have been up and down for the Sharks so far this season, and some are questioning why Nabokov has started all six games so far this season when he's been struggling (sort of like Turco).

Mr. Plank of Fear The Fin talks about the banner raising this past weekend as the Sharks celebrated another division championship without any postseason success. Again.

The Sharks regular season success and subsequent playoff disappointments have been well-documented, and this has inevitably led to a lack of trust amongst the fanbase concerning how the organization presents itself publicly. Some want the team to continue to acknowledge these failures ad nauseam, in the hope that it will eventually motivate the players into breaking through during the postseason- call them the "History is our greatest teaching tool" group. Others point to the uncertainty of the NHL playoffs, and chalk it up to a combination of bad luck and injury issues- call them the "It's a new year" conglomerate.

Sharks Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Washington	Thu 10/15	6:00 PM CDT
@ New York Islanders	Sat 10/17	6:00 PM CDT
@ New York Rangers	Mon 10/19	6:00 PM CDT
@ Tampa Bay	Thu 10/22	6:30 PM CDT
@ Atlanta	Sat 10/24	6:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

Phoenix	Mon 10/12	SO - L 0 - 1
Minnesota	Sat 10/10	W 4 - 2
Columbus	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 3
@ Los Angeles	Tue 10/06	L 4 - 6
@ Anaheim	Sat 10/03	W 4 - 1

San Jose Sharks Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Torrey Mitchell	knee	09/30/2009

Leading scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dany Heatley	6	5	5	10	3	10	2	0	2	0	17	29.4

Phoenix Coyotes; 3rd in Pacific Division, 8th in the West - Five For Howling

Behind Dave Tippett, the Coyotes exploded to a 3-0-0 record right off the bat and Stars fans everywhere committed a simultaneous facepalm. Yet two straight losses brought the team back down to earth a bit, before a nice 1-0 shootout win over San Jose on Monday night.

What's great about this is that the Coyotes HAVE to be competitive to have any chance at all at succeeding in Phoenix. Tippett has done wonders with this team in a very short amount of time, and hopefully he can keep them going as the season progresses.

Unfortunately, the 'Yotes lost their home opener. It was in front of a capacity crowd however, which Odin Merver chronicles pre-game:

Tonight is the night. Home opener. Fans clad in all white. This is going to be awesome. The game officially sold out on Thursday, but some standing room only seats were on sale yesterday. Haven't heard if those too have now been sold out, but whatever. For all intensive purposes this game is sold out. Sure, it's at reduced prices, but so what? The Coyotes needed to get the building filled up. Get some new people interested. Get fans that had been pulled away by a bad on ice product with a new system that had us beating down the Penguins on Wednesday.I'm all kinds of excited for this game even if it is against the Blue Jackets who we have no rivalry with. That just means we won't be seeing may Jackets sweaters in the crowd and will be more partisan than usual.

Coyotes Schedule

Next 5 Games

St. Louis	Thu 10/15	9:00 PM CDT
Boston	Sat 10/17	8:00 PM CDT
Detroit	Thu 10/22	9:00 PM CDT
Los Angeles	Sat 10/24	8:00 PM CDT
@ New York Rangers	Mon 10/26	6:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ San Jose	Mon 10/12	SO - W 1 - 0
Columbus	Sat 10/10	L 0 - 2
@ Buffalo	Thu 10/08	L 1 - 2
@ Pittsburgh	Wed 10/07	W 3 - 0
@ Los Angeles	Sat 10/03	W 6 - 3

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Kurt Sauer	other-excused	10/13/2009

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Radim Vrbata	5	3	1	4	2	4	1	0	1	0	26	11.5

Anaheim Ducks; 5th in Pacific Division, 10th in the West - Anaheim Calling

I won't lie, it really felt good to see Anaheim get schelacked by the Rangers the other night.

Per Arthur of Anaheim Calling:

The Ducks were out of gas at the end of their road trip, dropping this afternoon's game in Madison Square Garden 3-0. Giguere pitched a gem through two, but was ultimately undermined by two third period penalties, one a roughing call to Whitney for putting Sean Avery in a headlock, the other a token Artyukhin call.

The freshest legs on the ice (other than Giguere's) belonged to Sheldon Brookbank, who dressed in place of a scratched Nick Boynton, and Brendan Mikkelson, who was called up from Toronto. Together, the two players were asked to eat the minutes of recent ice-time gormandizer James Wisniewski, whose shoulder was injured in last night's game against Philadelphia.

Ducks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Minnesota	Wed 10/14	9:00 PM CDT
St. Louis	Sat 10/17	9:00 PM CDT
Dallas	Wed 10/21	9:00 PM CDT
Columbus	Sat 10/24	9:00 PM CDT
Toronto	Mon 10/26	9:00 PM CDT

Last 5 Games

@ New York Rangers	Sun 10/11	L 0 - 3
@ Philadelphia	Sat 10/10	SO - W 3 - 2
@ Boston	Thu 10/08	W 6 - 1
@ Minnesota	Tue 10/06	OT - L 3 - 4
San Jose	Sat 10/03	L 1 - 4

Anaheim Ducks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Todd Marchant	undisclosed	10/12/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
James Wisniewski	shoulder	10/11/2009

Leading Scorer:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Corey Perry	5	2	3	5	1	6	0	1	0	0	16	12.5

Kings-Dodgers Gameday: R-E-S-P-S... I mean, E-C-T

RudyKelly — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:23:01 -0000

More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Dodgers' Mark Loretta singles to score the winning run in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the National League division baseball series Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won 3-2. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

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Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals, 3:07 PST, TBS

Kings @ St. Louis Blues, 5:00 PST, Fox Sports West

Well played, schedulers: I didn't think they could top Thursday's Anaheim-Boston doubleheader, but they managed to do so by putting Los Angeles vs. St. Louis in one city and at nearly the same time. While Vicente Padilla is battling Albert Pujols in one spot, Jonathan Quick will be holding off David Backes in another. Should make for pretty exciting television and a heart attack for me.

In both games, I think the Los Angeles team has been underrated. The Cardinals got all the pub because they had Carpenter and Wainwright and Pujols and Holliday, while to the rest of the world the Dodgers had only Manny and some other guys. While the Cardinals were rated highly because of their superstars, the Blues are rated highly because of their depth. And again, the Kings are pretty much dismissed as a being only a superstar (Kopitar) and some other guys. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I think for every Brad Boyes there's a Alex Frolov and for every David Backes there's a Dustin Brown. We even have our own douche bag injury-prone veteran (Ryan Smyth) to match theirs (Paul Kariya). They have Erik Johnson, we have Jack Johnson; they have Alex Pietrangelo, we have Drew Doughty. The only real difference between the two teams are the goaltenders (where I think St. Louis has a slight advantage) and in superstars, as the Blues don't have anyone like Kopitar. I think he'll be the difference tonight.

Also, St. Louis sucks, if you've never been there. I was there in April a couple years ago and I swear to God it was 25 degrees outside. They're the Gateway to the West, but I'm pretty sure that's because people got to St. Louis, looked around, and said, "Fuck this, I'm taking my chances with the buffalo."

Prediction: Dodgers lose, 6-3, leaving Chad Billingsley to be the hero tomorrow. Kings win, 4-1, with goals by Wayne Simmonds (x2), Johnson and Matt Kemp.