SB Nation - Alexander Frolov

Kings @ Oilers, 12/15/09 - The 1st Place Kings?!

Derek Zona — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:30:18 -0000

via www.sportslogos.net

SBNation's Kings vs Oilers page

Battle Of California

The Kings Triple Crown Line:

Look at how awesome those yellow unis are. I know I'm being repetitive, but those should come back. Soon.

Yes, the Kings really are in first place. Astounding.

Kiefer Sutherland owns a bizarre portrait of Lucky Luc.

Wayne Simmonds has knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Dustin Brown is ticked at Alexander Frolov if you were to read between the lines.

25 years of Kings draft picks:

The arrows indicate the picks traded to Edmonton for Wayne Gretzky. Los Angeles drafts have yielded 7 top five picks, 5 more top ten picks, 3 number elevens and Wayne Gretzky in the last 25 years. Rebuilding through the draft doesn't always work.

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Andrei Loktionov	shoulder	11/26/2009
Ryan Smyth	other-excused	11/18/2009
Brandon Segal	knee	12/02/2009

Poll

Robert Nilsson - allow him to crush 4th line opposition, or move him up and try to help Horcoff?

Ten NHL Players Who Should Shoot the Puck More Often

Rafal Ladysz — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:09:29 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

20 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Tim Connolly, right, works the puck for a goal against Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Philadelphia. Buffalo won 4-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Browse more photos »

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about Tim Connolly? Honestly, it could be a handful of things like smooth skater, crafty stick-handler, terrific play-maker or the obvious one being injuries. But a facet of his game that's often overlooked is the center's shot primarily because he hesitates to use it.

When he does decide to pull the trigger, his release and accuracy can surprise goaltenders. Connolly, who leads the Buffalo Sabres with 21 points after 23 games, is utilizing it increasingly and is on pace for a career year in all categories if he stays healthy.

This got me thinking about some of the other players like Connolly who would be wise to throw the puck at the net substantially. The last thing I suggest is that they listen to me because they are the athletes who are earning millions of dollars for their skills.

Suggestions aren't frowned upon however. At least, I hope they aren't because these athletes are competent to score. If all else fails, put the disc towards the goal.

10) Ales Hemsky (Edmonton Oilers)

Out for the remainder of the season, Edmonton's playoff aspirations are all but finished without the services of their talented winger. Hemsky was supplying a point per game and reaching new peaks offensively before he ran into shoulder issues

The patience he has can outlast goaltenders in close and his snap shot should be taken more seriously by defensemen.

9) Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)

Playing with Alexander Ovechkin, the Swede is better served as an assist provider to a world-class shooter. But that doesn't signify it as the only option. Should Ovechkin be covered, Backstrom would be smart to attempt picking a corner like he's capable of.

Although he doesn't pack the meanest power, he's got fearful accuracy which is at times more vital to finding the back of the net.

8) Alexander Frolov (Los Angeles Kings)

Frolov is a two-time 30-goal man and has all of the tools to be an elite star for years. The frightening statistic is that the Russian hasn't fired 200 or more shots in a full season making you wonder how many more he could record if he did.

My estimate is that Frolov is worthy of 40 to 45 goals once he shoots first and asks questions last. Whether it actually happens is beyond me.

7) Tomas Kaberle (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Remember who won the accuracy challenge at the 2008 NHL All Star Game Skills Competition? Yes, Kaberle was the fourth player ever to hit all four targets requiring that many attempts. A fantastic set-up defender, his passing is right on the tape of recipients making him a marquee powerplay quarterback.

With 23 of his 25 points this year coming by way of assists, Kaberle will continue to do what's worked best for him. An unexpected shot is still threatening.

6) Kristian Huselius (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Huselius' shot count has grown each year since 2006 and with ten goals in 21 games, his wrister is truly emerging. The 31-year-old scored on 23 occasions as a rookie oozing confidence from the beginning of his career and has the gift to make the linemates around him superior.

Most likely, Rick Nash will lead the Blue Jackets in scoring and Huselius will be next in line.

5) Kimmo Timonen (Philadelphia Flyers)

Some players, no matter what they do, seem to be under the radar constantly. Kimmo Timonen is an example of that and with the arrival of Chris Pronger, that won't change. Like Kaberle, this veteran can run the man-advantage with ease and provides plenty from the back-end.

And also similar is his shot which isn't the strongest but precise. If only Timonen would utilize it.

4) Eric Fehr (Washington Capitals)

I've seen this kid's potential and his scoring touch is abundantly clear. While going to the net and digging for rebounds is what Bruce Boudreau wants from his young winger, Fehr is capable of letting it go from beyond past a netminder.

It's easy to forget about him with the plethora of stars Washington has but he wasn't a first round selection for nothing.

3) Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators)

Both Suter and Shea Weber can create injuries for opposing players attempting to block their shots. The difference is the latter won't mind launching one-timer after one-timer until something good happens. For some reason, Suter isn't as quick to unload his heavy shot which he does own.

Whatever it is, 24 shots in 25 games leads you to believe that he's a little trigger shy.

2) Andrei Kostitsyn (Montreal Canadiens)

A ~~huge~~ bit of an enigma, Kostitsyn`s best assets are his his explosive wrist shot and his aptitude at dangling by defensemen. After scoring 49 goals in two campaigns, the Belarussian has lit the lamp twice in 24 games adding to the laundry list of problems Montreal carries.

Kostitsyn was beginning to gain confidence before a leg injury sidelined him a few days ago.

1) Lubomir Visnovsky (Edmonton Oilers)

Visnovsky wasn`t shy about shooting in Los Angeles yet seems uncertain at times these days. One thing is for certain: the one-timer he carries with him can bank 20 goals easily. In order for that to happen, he`s got to deliver more pucks on net.

If not for himself, then for the sake of Edmonton`s postseason chances.

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)

Browse more photos »

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.

Kings Roofie Hurricanes, 5-2

RudyKelly — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:00 -0000

More photos » by Karl B DeBlaker - AP

There are 4 faces in this picture and they are all hilarious. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Browse more photos »

-The Kings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes last night, 5-2, on the backs of Alexander Frolov and Randy "The Date Rapist" Jones*. The game was close until the middle of the third but the outcome was never really in doubt; the Kings were pushing the action almost the entire game and simply had more skill than the depleted Hurricanes line-up.

*What the hell kind of sleaze bag is this guy? He has some sort of weird crusty mustache thing going on. He just looks like the type of guy that enjoys taking girls' virginity. I get the feeling he and Justin Williams would not look out of place at the party Jennifer Connelly provided the entertainment for at the end of Requiem for a Dream.

Alexander Frolov had 2 assists on the night, a pretty fake slap shot and pass to Justin Williams that led to Randy "High School Gym Teacher" Jones' goal, and another beautiful assist on Wayne Simmonds' goal to ice the game. Frolov collected the puck behind the Hurricanes net and faked like he was going to take it out wide; when the defenders came to him, he slipped it between them to a wide open Meat Train in front of the net. It was a solid night all around for Frolov and he was congratulated on his play by Terry Murray after the game... wait, no he wasn't. What a surprise.

Randy "Your Girlfriend's Co-Worker who Always Touches Her Back" Jones, meawhile, ended up with 2 points on the night in his Kings debut. Jones filled in for Sean O'Donnell, which makes sense since Sean O'Donnell is old and could probably use a break every now and then. The Kings will still use O'Donnell most of the time because he's their rock on the penalty kill and provides security for the rest of the Kings' defenders, but it's nice to know the Kings have someone like Randy "Guy Who Volunteers to Ref AYSO Games Even Though He Has No Kids" Jones to help out on defense if someone gets hurt.

Erik Ersberg played last night in Jonathan Quick's stead and was... okay, I guess. He allowed 2 goals on 24 shots, but the first goal was pretty bad to let in. I'll let him slide on the 2nd, since it was more of a screw up by the defense than Ersberg that led to the goal. He didn't play well enough to justify playing him over Jonathan Quick, but he played well enough to at least let Quick know that he needs to step it up.

Overall, the Kings won a game they should win. Hooray! Now on to a game I am really stoked for: the Thrashers, tomorrow night. Just think of it: Kopitar v. Kovalchuk (if he plays); Doughty v. Bogosian; Fro v. Maxim; Randy Jones v. her unwillingness to drink anything offered to her. Should be an awesome game.

League Leaders: Takeaways, Penalties Drawn and Rebounds

Hawerchuk — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:31 -0000

by John Lazar - AP

View full size photo »

Yesterday, I listed the league leaders in deflections since the lockout. Three other statistics that may convey offensive ability around the net are offensive zone takeaways, offensive zone penalties drawn and rebounds. Let's go through the league leaders in order.

There aren't a tremendous number of takeaways recorded in general, and we have to look at only road takeaways to eliminate home rink bias. If we further restrict takeaways to the area below the faceoff dots, we end up with rather small numbers:

	Takeaways
Pavel Datsyuk	28
Alexander Frolov	27
Scott Gomez	25
Sidney Crosby	24
Matt Stajan	21
Vaclav Prospal	20
Shane Doan	20
Daniel Alfredsson	19
Alexander Ovechkin	18
Ryan Getzlaf	18
Rick Nash	18
Ryan Smyth	18
Ian Laperriere	18

This is a slightly different list than our deflection leaders - there are some guys here who spend a lot of time in front of the net like Ryan Smyth, but there are also players like Alexander Frolov who have a reputation for not going into the corners and not checking people. Yet he comes away with a lot of pucks.

What about penalties drawn in the offensive zone below the face-off dots? This list includes only non-coincidental penalties:

	Pens
Dustin Brown	74
Sidney Crosby	57
Ryan Smyth	54
Rick Nash	48
Erik Cole	44
Scott Hartnell	42
Sean Avery	42
Ryan Malone	42
Eric Staal	42
Daniel Briere	41
Evgeni Malkin	41

There are a lot of familiar names here - guys who draw penalties in general, like Crosby and Brown. And, of course, there's Ryan Smyth again. I'm reminded that Dustin Brown is a big hitter - so is this the same group of players who hit a lot in the offensive zone below the face-off dots?

	Hits
Alexander Ovechkin	116
Matt Cooke	90
Chris Kunitz	89
Ryan Callahan	88
Milan Lucic	87
Dustin Brown	85
Erik Cole	81
Tuomo Ruutu	78
Travis Moen	77
Mike Fisher	72
Cody McLeod	72

There isn't much overlap at all - Cole and Brown. The big hitters aren't necessarily the kinds of guys who have the speed and offensive skill to force defensemen to take penalties.

And finally, what about rebounds? Here we see a much more traditional group of scorers, with Ryan Smyth dropping to 31st overall. Next time - wraparounds...

	Rebounds
Alexander Ovechkin	168
Eric Staal	164
Dany Heatley	149
Olli Jokinen	147
Jonathan Cheechoo	136
Vaclav Prospal	131
Zach Parise	131
Vincent Lecavalier	130
Jason Blake	126
Martin St. Louis	125

Game Day Preview: Nashville Predators @ Los Angeles Kings

Dirk Hoag — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:12:55 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar, right, of Slovenia, celebrates a power play goal with teammate Ryan Smyth, left. They've led their team to a strong start in the Pacific Division.

Browse more photos »

A rag-tag group of Nashville Predators (6-7-1) heads into the Staples Center this afternoon for their first matchup of the season with the surprising Los Angeles Kings (10-4-2), who boast the league's leading scorer in Anze Kopitar, and are cruising along near the top of the Pacific Division just behind San Jose.

Unfortunately, today's game (3:00 p.m. Central start) will not be televised by either team, so for all we really know the radio guys will just make up a good story and tell it on the air.

After the jump, let's break down the matchup...

Meet the Enemy

So what makes the Kings' hot start any more sustainable than the other surprising team in the West, the Colorado Avalanche? The Avs are getting propped up by phenomenal goaltending, while the team is getting outshot by 7 shots a night; over the long term, those results are sure to collapse, no matter how good a goalie Craig Anderson is.

But in L.A., the Kings are getting just mediocre goaltending, while the overall team is outshooting opponents consistently, a trend which they built upon from last year's performance when they actually had the 4th-best Shots Against per Game. Coach Terry Murray's has emphasized getting his young offensive forwards to learn how to take care of their defensive chores before bolting up-ice to show off their talents.

Those talents are many and varied; Anze Kopitar leads the NHL in scoring, with 13 goals and 13 assists. By comparison, the entire Nashville lineup likely to take the ice today has a combined total of just 17 goals.

Anze Kopitar

#11 / Center / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-3

Weight: 222

Born: Aug 24, 1987

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Anze Kopitar	16	13	13	26	9	4	4	0	0	0	50	26.0

Summer acquisition Ryan Smyth stands 7th in league scoring with 8 goals and 12 assists through 16 games. As team, the Kings have 8 players who all have more goals so far than anyone skating today for Nashville (led by three players with 3 goals apiece).

One of those players is Alexander Frolov, a talented winger who is often discussed in trade rumors as an asset that L.A. would like to move. While his talent would surely help the Preds on the wing, he really isn't a viable option to help Nashville. He makes $4 million in this, the final year of his contract, and will surely command a hefty ransom next summer. That's not someone you'd trade away an asset for at this point of the season if you're David Poile. Frolov might end up as a trade-deadline acquisition for a Stanley Cup contender, and until then he can pad his stats in L.A.

Another factor the Kings have working in their favor is special teams. For two years running, L.A.'s captain Dustin Brown has led the league in Penalty Plus/Minus, the ability to draw penalties and generate power plays for his team. Last season, Brown generated, after subtracting the penalties he took himself, 60 power plays for his team, almost double the 2nd-place finisher Jarome Iginla (+35). The Preds will need to maintain discipline if they want to hang around in this one.

Meet the Good Guys

After putting lots of pucks on net Thursday night in Anaheim, the Preds bring the walking wounded into another road game, as J.P. Dumont, Shea Weber, and Colin Wilson are definitely out. They're replaced in the lineup by Andreas Thuresson, Alexander Sulzer, and Mike Santorelli.

John Glennon noted this morning how severe the injury bug is hitting all over the NHL, but it's usually hard to quantify that impact. There is one blogger who is trying to track man-games lost relative to their cap hit, which is an interesting way of tracking the severity of injuries to a team; as of a few days ago he had Nashville in the middle of the pack, but with Dumont, Weber and Erat out I'm sure that figure will go up. Supposedly Erat might play today, but a line of Erat-Santorelli-Thuresson doesn't exactly put fear into the hearts of opponents, does it?

Assuming that Martin Erat is still out, the lines are likely to look similar to most of last game:

Forwards

Sullivan - Arnott - Hornqvist

Scatchard - Santorelli - Thuresson

Smithson- Legwand - Ward

Tootoo - Goc - Belak

Defense

Suter - Hamhuis

Bouillon - Klein

Sulzer - Franson

Even Strength Play

In the absence of detailed stats from Behind the Net this morning (website issues), we can look at the NHL's overall 5-on-5 Goals For/Against ratio, which paints a pretty daunting picture. At 1.36, the Kings are roughly scoring 4 goals for every 3 they give up, the 3rd-best ratio in the NHL, while the Preds at 0.68 are on the opposite end of the scale (26th).

Ouch.

Los Angeles PP vs. Nashville PK

The Kings boast a Top-10 power play, and as noted above, they have ability to draw penalties and get lots of time on the PP. The Predators' penalty kill has gotten better over the last two weeks, and currently sits 23rd with a 76.9% kill rate.

Nashville PP vs. Los Angeles PK

While the Preds' power play languishes in the NHL cellar, the L.A. penalty kill has turned around after an awful start. Without Shea Weber at the point, it looks like Jason Arnott will get some work there, as well as Steve Sullivan. Both have good shots to work with, and Sully's shiftiness might provide a new weapon to work with up high.

Goaltending

Jonathan Quick has assumed the bulk of the goaltending duty in L.A., which is a position they've struggled to fill for a long, long time. Frankly, it's probably the weakest spot on this team, and if they could shore it up, they might have a real contender on their hands.

	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Jonathan Quick	15	908	10	3			39	2.58	396	357	.902	0

For the Predators, Dan Ellis is likely to get the start today; Pekka Rinne wasn't really at fault for that 4-0 loss in Anaheim on Thursday, but it's a good opportunity to get Dan some work for the first time in over a week.

	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Dan Ellis	8	376	2	3			19	3.03	184	165	.897	0

Summary

Frankly, there's no good reason to believe the Nashville Predators have much of a chance in today's game - the Kings are a talented, balanced team that is dominating on home ice (5-1-1) and is well rested after having beaten the defending Stanley Cup champions Thursday night.

That said, the Predators often do their best when conventional wisdom says to write them off. The one thing we can certainly count on is that they will work hard and make life difficult for the Kings all over the ice. Will that be enough to pull out a surprise win? You'll have to tune in your radio today to find out...

King Anze and Los Angeles take down Pittsburgh 5-2

Hooks Orpik — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:47:01 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

about 1 month ago: Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11), of Slovenia, and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) keep Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bill Guerin (13) from scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

Browse more photos »

Penguins vs Kings coverage - Penguins vs Kings boxscore

Coming into the game, the Los Angeles Kings were a buzzsaw. 5-0-2 in their last seven; and after tonight they've scored 5+ goals in five of the last seven games. They showed why, with superior zone time, cycling, shots on goal. Usually all the aspects the Penguins outmatch others, that's what LA did to them tonight, and they pulled away late in the third period to get a deserving result, a 5-2 victory.

Right off the bat in the first period, the Kings collected a puck in their zone and rushed it up the ice, Justin Williams crissed, Anze Kopitar crossed and Kris Letang was somewhere in the middle. That's not a good equation. Kopitar showed the skill that's why he's currently the league's leading scorer when he stepped up, smoothly went to the backhand and beat Marc-Andre Fleury cleanly for a goal.

The next shift the Penguins put Jordan Staal out with Chris Conner and Matt Cooke. On a breakout Jay McKee (of all people) ended up driving towards the net. Conner dropped the puck to Staal who slapped it to the net. It found paydirt 1-1.

The very fact a defensive defenseman like McKee finds himself in the position to be a little ahead of the play and ends up driving to the net just shows how much the entire team has bought into the system that Dan Bylsma wants them to play. When Jay McKee is your lead force center driving the net and a guy like Jordan Staal knows to pull up, everyone's clicking, everyone's on the same page. In a nutshell that's why Pittsburgh's had so much success since Bylsma took over.

In the second period Brooks Orpik took a shot that Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby waived their sticks at. Kunitz got a piece and it was enough to beat Jonathan Quick. IT was 2-1 Pens after two, despite being out-shot and generally out-played they took a lead into the second intermission. It wouldn't last though.

In the third Kopitar would tie it. He beat Crosby on a faceoff and found Williams for a shot. The shot found Kopitar behind the net (as the puck always seems to find the good ones) and he popped out for the easy stuff in to tie the game at 2.

Following a real sloppy power-play by the Pens (what else is new recently), Dustin Brown made a great pass to Jarret Stoll and he buried it. 3-2 Kings. The very next shift the Kings kept the pressure up, Craig Adams was no match for Alexander Frolov and he fired a pass out that bounced around and Michal Handzus got the goal, with Wayne Simmonds right there to get it too. 4-2 Kings just like that.

And in the "piling it on" folder, the Kings got zone time, they cycled well and drew a penalty. With the extra man they got some great passes, caught the Pens running around and Stoll made a great pass to Dustin Brown for an easy slam dunker. 5-2 Kings.

The goalies really settled down after two goalies in the first 1:10 of gameplay, for a while at least. Fleury stopped the next 24 shots, and the only way the Pens beat Quick was a deflection out front. MAF got victimized in a flurry in the 3rd, but let's absolve him because the Kings applied a lot of pressure and outworked a lot of Pittsburgh players to get their goals.
It's not even that Kopitar scored his two goals: the way he did it was almost effortless and very skillful. If he played in the eastern time zone he'd be one of the most hyped players in the game. He's definitely one of those guys like a Rick Nash or Ilya Kovalchuk that is worth watching any chance you get. A supremely talented player and Kopitar put on one of the best performances tonight that I've seen all season.
It should be noted that Kris Letang played 24:49, and though Kopitar made him look foolish twice, he escaped with an even plus/minus rating. Fellow youngster Alex Goligoski logged 21:32 of ice-time and was a +1.
Not to say the usually solid four more defensive defenseman (Jay McKee, Brooks Orpik, Martin Skoula and Mark Eaton) deserve all the blame; but that foursome combined to have a plus/minus rating of -7 (all were negatives except McKee). Pittsburgh's not going to win many games under those circumstances, especially with the power-play not clicking.
Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin combined for 10 of the Pens total of 23 shots on goal. Guerin got a couple wonderful feeds but couldn't convert (including one that hit Quick's pad and then the post). Can't knock those two for a lack of effort, but the results generally just haven't paid dividends.
Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis and Ruslan Fedotenko -- three veteran wingers all relied on for contributions didn't fare as well. That trio combined for almost 47 minutes of ice-time but only got one shot on goal (Fedotenko's) and weren't dangerous. They were flat out overmatched by their counter-parts in guys like Stoll, Brown and Frolov.
Tough night for Craig Adams too. While he registered a game high 8 hits (including one on Matt Greene that dislodged the glass), Adams was a -3 and lost 9 of 12 faceoffs.
As far as diminutive forwards with the first name of Chris go: Conner > Bourque. Maybe it's because Conner's two years older, maybe it's because he's got 54 more NHL games, but whatever the reason, Conner seems more poised, a better skater and makes better decisions with the puck.

Overall, no excuses, the Kings worked very hard, played a superior game, got some solid goaltending and deserved the win. They displayed all the usual tenets of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, but did so with better skill and execution from top to bottom. One can't help but wonder what the outcome would have been if Pittsburgh was fortunate enough to have their four key injured players (Malkin, Gonchar, Kennedy, Talbot) but let that take nothing away from the display LA put on. Sure would be nice to see a seven game series between these two teams, but that is a long ways away.

Pittsburgh's franchise best of seven straight road wins to open a season is now history, but they still have a big chance to have a winning west coast road trip if they get the result in San Jose on Saturday. The Sharks are no easy task, so time to put this one behind us and move north in California to see what can happen.

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

Game 10 Recap- Kings beat up on Jackets

Mike MacLean — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:47:24 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

about 1 month ago: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Jason Chimera (25) is upended by Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi during the first period of their NHL hockey game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Browse more photos »

Clint is very busy this week, so I'm taking over for the game recap. The Jackets faced the Kings last night, and ended up getting their poop pushed in by the boys from LA. The final score was 6-2 for the bad guys.

Right from the get-go, the Jackets looked like crap. The Kings scored on their first two shots of the game, making one wonder what's going through Mase's mind right now. Across the board, many experts and fans alike thought that Mase was impervious to the dreaded sophomore slump, but let's be honest, he hasn't looked good this season at all. He has shown flashes of his 08/09 form, like on Saturday against the Ducks when he robbed Teemu Selanne in tight with a brilliant glove save. It wouldn't shock me to see Mathieu Garon get the next start. That said, I am a fan of coaches letting a goalie work his own way out of a slump-he can't do anything to fix his game sitting on the bench opening the gate.

It was 2-0 after the first, but the big story was "the hit". I'm not a ref-basher, but I am going to stray from that for a moment. The decisions made by the officials in regards to the hit were complete idiocy. Take a look at it for yourself:

First of all, the hit was what my teammates and I used to call "torpedoing a guy". You go in for a hipcheck, but you are so close to the ice that you end up just nailing a guy in his knees, obivously sending him ass over tea kettle. That said, here's my issue:- the guy who made the hit- Rob Scuderi- wasn't penalized. Guess who was? That's right- Chimmer. The guy who's face was a mess with blood. He got a 10 minute misconduct for being pissed off. Derek Dorsett was also penalized for going after Scuderi. Apparently he was a little too anxious getting on the ice. He was given a game misconduct and the Jackets were given a too many men penalty. I am ok with that, because you can't leave the bunch to fight. Fair enough, but the fact that Chimmer was penalized and Scuderi not is the issue at hand.

At any right, the rest of the game was pathetic from a Jackets perspective. The only bright light was Antoine Vermette, who continued his hot play with another goal. Assists were from Commodore and Chimmer. It was a beauty re-direct past Jonathan Quick. That made the score 3-1, but before the second period ended Anze Kopitar potted a powerplay marker. I am again going to break character here and play the coulda-woulda-shoulda game. We could have drafted this guy, but instead we took Gilbert Brule. Just sayin.

About mid-way through the third Kristian Huselius scored for the Jackets, this time helped by RJ Umberger and Rick Nash. That made the score 4-2, but the Kings got two more goals from Alexander Frolov to make the final 6-2. The 6 goals against is no shocker. All four losses that the Jackets have suffered this season have seen the opposition score exactly 6 goals. Very troubling indeed.

To follow Clint's format for game recaps, my whopping boy(s) for the night are Steve Mason and Sammy Pahlsson. I think it's obvious why I am baggin' on Mase, It pains me to do it to Sammy though. He has been rock-solid so far this season, coming as advertised and being a perfect third-line centre. Last night however, he wasn't very sharp. I'll chock it up to this game being the second of a back-to-back.

Mancrush of the night- The combo of Vermette and Jakub Voracek. The Killer Vees had another solid night, creating plays and controllling the puck for a majority of their shifts. I think it would be fantastic to pair them up with Nasher, give it a go in practice and see what happens. At this point, it would be like putting all of the Jackets' offensive eggs in one basker, but it could lead to some serious offense.

The Jackets have a few days off before they face the Coyotes at home on Wednesday- here's hoping that the bleeding stopped after the game last night, and the boys can right the ship.

Scuderi's Hit on Chimera

RudyKelly — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:57:33 -0000

Yikes.

The hit took place in the 1st period of LA's dismantling of the Columbus Blue Jackets, as Jason Chimera chipped the puck into the Kings' zone. Rob Scuderi went to hip check Chimera into the boards and it looks to me like Scuderi started to lose his balance as he bent over for the hit so he ended up going lower than he meant to. Still, dangerous hit and Chimera's lucky he didn't break his neck. I imagine Scuderi will at least get fined, much like Alexander Ovechkin was earlier this week for his slew foot.*

*I'll always remember a Kings game a while ago where Marty McSorley got a penalty for slew footing. They zoomed in on him as he went to the penalty box and I read his lips as he said, "What the fuck is slew footing?" I ask myself that sometimes.

The whole game was Youtube-worthy, what with Alexander Frolov's highlight reel goal to ice the game in the third, Dustin Brown checking himself into his own bench, Steve Mason playing like Perry Mason (that doesn't make sense), Scott Parse laying out a nice hit, Anze Kopitar extending his NHL scoring lead, and some ponce from Columbus getting thrown out of the game for I guess coming off the bench to try to fight Scuderi. Entertaining game and a nice win for the Kings. I have a feeling Blue Jackets fans are probably feeling pretty suicidal right now but I wouldn't worry much if I were them. The Kings lost a bad game near the end of a road trip against Columbus a week ago; it was only fair they get to return the favor.

The real player of the game for the Kings was Bailey, who made me laugh like 4 times tonight. First he was sitting in a premier seat behind the net when the Kings scored their first goal for some reason and it was surreal enough to make me giggle. Then he made me feel bad for Jason Chimera. Chimera, obviously frustrated because he had almost died earlier in the game and because the Blue Jackets were getting their asses handed to them, took a swipe at the back of Alexander Frolov's head to try to goad the Kings into a fight late in the third period. He was largely ignored by the Kings, though, and only Bailey was willing to put up his dukes; unfortunately, they were separated by the glass. Oh Bailey, you card.

Poll

Should Rob Scuderi be suspended for his check on Jason Chimera?

Yeppers

73 votes

Nope

108 votes

What did I tell you about yeppers?

23 votes

Yeeeesshhh

25 votes

229 votes | Poll has closed