SB Nation - Ryan Smyth

Some Perspective on Penner's Start

Derek Zona — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:20:43 -0000

Left winger Petr Klima of the Edmonton Oilers (right) and defenseman Steve Duchesne of the Los Angeles Kings tangle up during a game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. Klima immediately apologized. via cdn.picapp.com

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Dustin Penner's blistering start has slowed a bit, but Big Pun continues to carry the team on a nightly basis. He's on pace for 40 goals, something that hasn't been accomplished in Edmonton since Petr Klima in 1990 He's on pace for 88 points, the most for any Oiler since Doug Weight's 90 in 2000. Let's check the twenty-one years A.G.

Year	Player	Goals	Player	Assists	Player	Points	Player	+/-
1988	Carson	49	Messier	61	Kurri	102	Muni	43
1989	Messier	45	Messier	84	Messier	129	Gregg	24
1990	Klima	40	Messier	52	Tikkanen	69	Klima	24
1991	Damphousse	38	Damphousse	51	Damphousse	89	Maciver	20
1992	Klima	32	Nicholls	32	Klima	48	Gelinas	3
1993	Arnott	33	Weight	50	Weight	74	Arnott	1
1994	Oliver	16	Weight	33	Weight	40	Kennedy	2
1995	Ciger	31	Weight	79	Weight	104	Satan	0
1996	Smyth	39	Weight	61	Weight	82	Marchment	13
1997	Weight	26	Weight	44	Weight	70	Tie	9
1998	Guerin	30	Guerin	34	Guerin	64	Poti	10
1999	Smyth	28	Weight	51	Weight	72	Smith	16
2000	Smyth	31	Weight	65	Weight	90	Tie	15
2001	Comrie	33	Niinimaa	39	Tie	60	Comrie	16
2002	Smyth	27	Marchant	40	Smyth	61	Reasoner	19
2003	Smyth	23	Smyth	36	Smyth	59	Ulanov	18
2004
2005	Smyth	36	Hemsky	58	Hemsky	77	Staios	10
2006	Smyth	31	Hemsky	40	Tie	53	Thoresen	-1
2007	Penner	23	Hemsky	51	Hemsky	71	Nilsson	8
2008	Tie	23	Hemsky	43	Hemsky	66	Grebeshkov	12
2009	Penner	44	Penner	44	Penner	88	Penner	32

Penner's projected goal total is good for 3rd over this time period. His pace would tie him for 13th in assists and 6th in points. He would join Mark Messier, Vincent Damphousse, Doug Weight and Ryan Smyth as Oilers who have led the team in Goals, Assists and Points.

He's also on pace to accomplish a feat that only one other player in the history of the Oilers has been able to pull off -- lead the team in Goals, Assists, Points, and +/-.

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?

Around The Pacific: Sharks Threatened by Surprising Kings

Brandon Worley — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:09:33 -0000

More photos » by Karl B DeBlaker - AP

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When this season started, what would you have bet if I told you that the Los Angeles Kings would not only start off the season on fire but continue to play at a level and threaten for the Western Conference lead nearly halfway through the season?

Yeah, I wouldn't have taken that bet either.

Like Brad G wrote about earlier this week, the Dallas Stars are frustrating for sure, but they've been able to at least hold their ground in the West. Not playing for three days could hurt a bit as they've been passed up by Detroit and Phoenix since Saturday night, but the good news is that at least the Stars have some games in hand on those above them in the standings.

After the jump, we'll take a look at the teams around the Pacific...

Pacific Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
San Jose	34	19	8	7	45
Los Angeles	35	21	11	3	45
Phoenix	33	19	12	2	40
Dallas	32	14	8	10	38
Anaheim	32	12	13	7	31

(updated 12.15.2009 at 8:50 AM EST)

I'm just going to say this; the Dallas Stars have been frustrating as hell to watch all season long, and we've been mired in the depressed 'how good are they really' attitude for a couple of weeks now...but they are still just seven points out of 1st in the West, with at least two games in hand. A good winning streak, some luck and for goodness sakes some head-to-head wins against the Kings and Sharks and our tune could drastically change fairly soon.

The San Jose Sharks; 1st in the Pacific, 1st in the West:

The Sharks are just 4-3-3 in their past ten games, but have five straight losses including three in overtime or the shootout. From Fear The Fin:

In general I think it's good practice to avoid falling back on the venerable criticism of "lacking effort" when examining a losing streak as it may not always apply, but if it's good enough for the Captain then I guess it's good enough for me. Whether or not we're dealing with the kickback of a heavy road schedule to start the year or a case of subconsciously resting on the laurels of that early season success, it's hard to assert and defend the notion that San Jose has come out to play for sixty minutes a night. There's been waves of good, and waves of opposing teams imposing themselves on the Sharks for extended chunks of time-- if we consider this team one of the theoretical top-dogs in the Western Conference (which we obviously do), that's not a bright spot.

Joe Thornton is a world-class player, but his decision making with a minute remaining against Phoenix stuck out as a microcosm of the Sharks current ailments. Carrying the puck into the offensive zone he pulls up at the blueline, only to have the Phoenix defenseman do what any player worth a grain of salt would do-- pressure the puck carrier. Vulcanized rubber gets coughed up, cleared, and the Sharks don't have another chance the rest of the game. As much as the desire to hedge bets and state it's the product of a "puck-possesion" style, the fact of the matter is Thornton has to get that puck deep so the Sharks can use the extra man (Greiss was pulled around the 1:15 mark) to load up on bodies down low and win a puck battle. San Jose will never be able to emulate Detroit, at least with their current makeup of North American players. There's not nearly enough individual creativity on the roster to pull that style of play off. When the wins aren't coming you have to go back to the basics of a North-South game by chipping it in and engaging physically.

Sharks Schedule

Next 5 Games

Anaheim	Thu 12/17	9:30 PM CST
@ Dallas	Mon 12/21	7:30 PM CST
@ Chicago	Tue 12/22	7:00 PM CST
Anaheim	Sat 12/26	9:30 PM CST
Phoenix	Mon 12/28	9:30 PM CST

Last 5 Games

@ Phoenix	Sat 12/12	L 1 - 2
Dallas	Fri 12/11	SO - L 2 - 3
Los Angeles	Wed 12/09	OT - L 4 - 5
Calgary	Sat 12/05	L 1 - 2
St. Louis	Thu 12/03	SO - L 2 - 3

San Jose Sharks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Dan Boyle	other-excused	12/13/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jody Shelley	other-excused	11/10/2009
Brad Staubitz	other-excused	11/16/2009

The Los Angeles Kings; 2nd in the Pacific, 4th in the West:

The Kings briefly held the lead in the West over the weekend before falling last night to Vancouver. Connie at A Queen Among Kings had this to say:

The Kings are currently sitting at the top of the Pacific Division and, more importantly, top of the Western Conference. This is a rare feeling for me that hasn't really set in. I can't remember the last time I felt this feeling of bliss. That being said, I will definitely loathe the day when the Kings are no longer at the top, but for now I am happy as a clam about how the Kings are performing game in, game out.

They play tonight against the Vancouver Canucks, tomorrow veresus the Edmonton Oilers, and the Calgary Flames are up on Thursday. Any evening of games could surely alter the standings, and these next three will definitely be a big test for the Kings in all aspects of their physical and mental play since they will not face another team until after Christmas on Saturday, December 26th against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Kings Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Edmonton	Tue 12/15	8:30 PM CST
@ Calgary	Thu 12/17	8:30 PM CST
@ Phoenix	Sat 12/26	8:00 PM CST
Minnesota	Mon 12/28	9:30 PM CST
@ Calgary	Wed 12/30	8:30 PM CST

Last 5 Games

@ Vancouver	Mon 12/14	L 1 - 3
Dallas	Sat 12/12	SO - W 3 - 2
Phoenix	Thu 12/10	SO - W 3 - 2
@ San Jose	Wed 12/09	OT - W 5 - 4
Calgary	Mon 12/07	W 2 - 1

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

The Phoenix Coyotes; 3rd in the Pacific, 7th in the West:

The Coyotes have gained points in seven of their last eight games and seem to have rebounded from a slight bump in the road in early November. On top of that, it appears that the Coyotes might actually have a real buyer. Five For Howling breaks down the myths surrounding Ice Edge:

MYTH: Ice Edge is proving that hockey will not work in Arizona by needing to play games in Saskatoon.

FACT: Ice Edge is indeed hoping to play up to five regular season home games in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but not for the long term. In fact, the proposed Saskatoon games are a short-term "subsidy," as Ice Edge's Anthony LeBlanc described it, to buttress the team's bottom line while the ownership group assesses the team's financial outlook and rectifies the mess left over from the previous administration. Certainly, if the plan was to play five "home" games in Saskatoon or another Canadian city in perpetuity, it would be a different story. But IEH principals are adamant that their idea for Saskatoon is intended to be a win-win for everyone - bringing NHL hockey to a hockey-mad Canadian city that is simply too small for an NHL franchise, and pumping operating capital to help solidify the franchise's finances in the short term.

MYTH: Ice Edge's Anthony LeBlanc is planning to flip the franchise in a couple of years and relocate it to Canada.

FACT: Ice Edge is planning to assume the original lease with Glendale established when the team moved from downtown Phoenix - a 30-year lease that has 26 years remaining on the term. Ice Edge does plan to negotiate with the city to make the lease conditions more favorable financially to the franchise, but the lease duration has never been part of those negotiations.

Part of the reason why this myth has been spread is that LeBlanc previously worked for Research in Motion (RIMM), the Blackberry-manufacturing corporation whose CEO is Jim Balsillie, the man who attempted to purchase and move the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario. LeBlanc spent 8 years at RIMM as the Vice President of Global Sales. Some pundits and fans believe that LeBlanc is keen on finishing the job his former boss started - some of the more tinfoil-hatted theorists believe that Balsillie is, in fact, one of Ice Edge's silent investors. However, LeBlanc has been very public in his statements that his connections to RIMM are coincidental with regards to his interest in the Coyotes. Common sense would further indicate that it would be a true measure of his business acumen - and a jab at his old boss - if he were to be a part of a successful Coyotes salvage when Balsillie claimed that the team could not be saved.

Coyotes Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Toronto	Wed 12/16	6:30 PM CST
@ Columbus	Thu 12/17	6:00 PM CST
@ Anaheim	Sat 12/19	3:00 PM CST
Columbus	Mon 12/21	8:00 PM CST
Anaheim	Wed 12/23	8:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

@ Detroit	Mon 12/14	L 2 - 3
San Jose	Sat 12/12	W 2 - 1
@ Los Angeles	Thu 12/10	SO - L 2 - 3
Minnesota	Mon 12/07	W 2 - 0
Ottawa	Sat 12/05	W 3 - 2

Phoenix Coyotes Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Kurt Sauer	head	10/07/2009

The Anaheim Ducks; 5th in the Pacific, 15th in the West:

The Ducks have just two wins in their past eight games, but have at least secured points in their last five games. One of their wins was over the Stars and it seems as if Anaheim is starting to gain some steam, led by none other than Dan Sexton:

Dan Sexton's NHL career is off to an eye-popping start. With goals in his last three games, the half-pint forward is serving crow to his naysayers, including your blogger (who short sold Sexton's ability to perform in a physical, defensive system but should have short sold Murray's desire to maintain a defensive system in the first place).

Big Sexy is doing something truly special for the Ducks, but eventually Teemu Selanne will come back. At that point, Sexton may have to play on a line with more physical responsibility, an assignment that usually defeats Anaheim's small forwards (Shannon, Ebbett) and even some regular-sized ones (Christensen). Daniel, is Dan Sexton playing well enough to stay in the lineup, maybe even the Top 6, when Teemu Selanne comes back from injury?

Ducks Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Vancouver	Wed 12/16	9:00 PM CST
@ San Jose	Thu 12/17	9:30 PM CST
Phoenix	Sat 12/19	3:00 PM CST
@ Colorado	Tue 12/22	9:00 PM CST
@ Phoenix	Wed 12/23	8:00 PM CST

Last 5 Games

@ Columbus	Sat 12/12	W 3 - 1
@ Detroit	Fri 12/11	OT - L 2 - 3
Dallas	Tue 12/08	OT - W 4 - 3
Ottawa	Sun 12/06	SO - L 3 - 4
@ Minnesota	Fri 12/04	SO - L 4 - 5

Anaheim Ducks Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mike Brown	other-excused	12/14/2009

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Joffrey Lupul	leg	12/14/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Teemu Selanne	hand	12/04/2009
Ryan Carter	foot	11/12/2009

Kings Gameday: Replacing Wayne & I Heart Cliche

RudyKelly — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:34:10 -0000

Next Game

Los Angeles Kings
@ Vancouver Canucks

Monday, Dec 14, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
General Motors Place

Complete Coverage >

-Not to put a damper on the whole "Kings are in 1st place (and the Ducks are in last)" thing, but I'm still really bummed about Wayne Simmonds. There are injuries that you hate to hear about because it hurts your team (Ryan Smyth), and there are injuries you hate because you just feel bad for the guy. I feel bad for Simmonds. I mean, hes only 21 and he's been the driving force behind the team for 3 weeks, but now his whole season is probably lost. He'll be back in about 6 weeks but it usually takes a lot longer for a player to feel comfortable after a knee injury. Will he still have the same explosiveness? Will he still play with the same fearlessness? I don't know. I'm scared. Poor little guy.

-On the plus side, Simmonds' injury does open the door for yet another call up from Manchester to either play great or get injured in their first game. I really, really hope they end up calling Marc-Andre Cliche for a shot. If you don't remember, Cliche was one of the people involved in the Sean Avery trade and he was the shutdown center for Canada during the World Junior Championships in 2007. I have an unreasonable and unrequited love for Cliche and I am convinced he is going to take Jarret Stoll's place as the shutdown center for the Kings some day. Call up Cliche, so that I may unfairly credit him for fortuitous bounces and concoct elaborate scenarios to justify him staying up with the Kings.

-With Simmonds out I think it's only a matter of time before Alex Frolov is put back alongside Michal Handzus. Terry Murray loves spreading out the scoring and that line is going to look pretty weak unless someone is moved down to shore it up. Oddly enough, I kind of think the Kings should look at replacing Kopitar, not Simmonds. I think Fro and Justin Williams have a lot of chemistry together and the Kings should think about keeping them together. When Smyth gets back I wouldn't mind seeing:

Smyth-Kopitar-Purcell/Moller/Me

Frolov-Stoll-Williams

Parse-Handzus-Brown

Ivanans-Cliche (hooray!)-NOT Harrold

I don't know, just a thought.

Marketing Exec: "Well, we've been at this for 3 days and we still don't have anything. C'mon guys, this is important. If you can't come up with something then I'll find someone who will!" *leaves, slams door

Copy Writer #1: "Jesus, this is ridiculous. Guess we better start preparing our resumes."

Copy Writer #2: "I mean, what does he want from us? We're not geniuses. We've given him 30 different titles and we still can't find one he likes."

Copy Writer #3: "I know. Oh well, I'll put on another cup of coffee. ...Eek!"

Copy Writer #2: "What's wrong?"

Copy Writer #3: "Ahh, nothing, I just burned my hand a little. Boy, that was embarrassing. I think I squeaked instead of yelling."

Copy Writer #1: "Wait a minute... squeak... sequel... I'VE GOT IT!!! LET'S CALL OUR MOVIE 'THE SQUEAKQUEL!!!!'"

Copy Writer #3: " The Squeakquel... why, that's genius! You've done it! We're saved!"

Copy Writer #2: "To The Squeakquel!"

Copy Writers #1, 2 and 3: "Huzzah!" *clink coffee cups together

***

"'Joe,' our driver, was willing. His name was not really 'Joe,' but that's what we'd been instructed to call him. I had talked to the FoMoCo boss the night before, and when he mentioned the driver he was assigning to us he said, 'His real name is Steve, but you should call him Joe.'

"'Why not?' I said. 'We'll call him anything he wants. How about Zoom?'

"'No dice,' said the Ford man. 'It has to be Joe.'"

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I don't know why but that kills me every time I read it.

Prediction: Kings win, 4-2. Goals by Parse, Kopitar, Doughty and Moller.

Game Day Preview: Dallas Stars @ Los Angeles Kings (9:30p CS)

Brandon Worley — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:00:19 -0000

Next Game

Dallas Stars (14-8-9, 8th in the West)
@ Los Angeles Kings (20-10-3, 4th in the West)

Saturday, Dec 12, 2009, 9:30 PM CST
Staples Center

TV: FSSW+
Local Radio: KTCK 1310 The Ticket

Opponent's Blog: A Queen Among Kings | Battle of California

Complete Coverage >

Note: Tonight's game is being broadcast on FSN+. Here are the channels this network is carried on in the DFW area.

* Time Warner - Digital Channel 960 (requires digital cable box)
* DirecTV - Channel 677, Channel 677-1 HD
* Dish Network - Channel 448, Channel 9518-HD
* AT&T U-Verse - Channel 755, Channel 1755-HD

At 10:30, the broadcast will be picked up by the normal FSN carrier after the Mavericks post-game show.

The Dallas Stars continue their five-game road trip tonight with the last of a California three-game swing against the Los Angeles Kings. The Stars will once again try and carry over the momentum from a big win, after dropping the San Jose Sharks last night 3-2 in a shootout. The game was impressive (and important) for the Stars in a number of ways and should be the type of performance that hopefully pulls them away from this trend of inconsistency. Of course, we've said that same thing about a dozen times or so this season and the Stars face a difficult opponent tonight to try and put together that elusive winning streak.

Before we get onto to tonight's game, some more thoughts on the Stars' performance against the Sharks...

What impressed me the most about the game was the resolve the Stars showed not just after getting down 2-1, but actually to start the game. You could see the players' determination to bounce back from the debacle in Anaheim, and San Jose proved to be the perfect venue. Despite the one-goal deficit at the end of the first period, I felt that the Stars still had a good showing to start the game. They were aggressive on the forecheck, intent on being physical and pulled the Sharks into the exact type of game the Stars wanted them to. Yet the Sharks are the top team in the West for a reason, and showed that despite the distractions after the whistle they still have the ability to respond offensively.

What was tremendous to see was how the Stars responded coming out of the second period. They fixed the defensive mistakes they had to start the game and continued to put the pressure on the Sharks. While San Jose was able to contain the Stars to the perimeter of the offensive zone for much of the game, it was as if we were watching an old medieval siege; the Stars chipped away and chipped away at the defenses until finally breaking through in the third period.

Steve Ott gets a lot of credit for having a great game last night, and Brendan Morrow was just as effective as he constantly got under the skin of the Sharks in front of the net, yet it was the work by Mike Ribeiro that really stood out as the game progressed. He opened the scoring with a very 'un-Ribeiro' like goal when he tipped in a Daley pass, but provided much of the offensive pressure that kept the Sharks back on their heels for most of the game. What stood out to me was how the Stars ran their equivalent of the half-court offense, keeping the Sharks out of a run-and-gun game. This is the perfect approach for Ribeiro, who loves to slow the game down to his pace. He finished the game with six shots and five (!) hits, and in my mind set the tone for the rest of the team. It's something we haven't seen much of from Ribeiro this season and is something the Stars desperately need from him every game.

Goaltender news and injury notes for both teams after the jump.

The Dallas Stars:

Alex Auld is expected to get the start in net tonight for the Stars, a night after Marty Turco put on a masterful performance against the Sharks. It still feels like the best move however, especially since Auld has been solid in his past two games. One of the goals headed into the season was to get Turco the rest he needs, and the Stars are committed to that plan even if Turco is coming off a great win.

What was interesting about last night's game was the fact that Mike Modano sat on the bench in favor of Steve Ott and Tom Wandell in the third period:

Marc Crawford said Mike Modano was sat down for much of the third period and overtime (he played 1:24) not because he was playing poorly, but because Tom Wandell and Steve Ott were playing so well. Ott played 8:04 in the third period and OT, while Wandell played 6:18. Modano played 9:15 in the first two periods, but Crawford was worried about the match-up against Joe Thornton down the stretch.

It seems like he made a pretty good call on that one, as the Thornton line looked pretty frustrated in the third.

Modano, like the team as a whole, has been up and down this season. At times he shows the same skill and speed he's always had throughout his career and other times he disappears for long stretches during the game. The Stars had issues containing the Sharks' top scorers to start the game and there was a time when Mike Modano was the go-to guy to help shut them down. Yet Tom Wandell (and Steve Ott, who's turned into a faceoff specialist) has emerged as an intriguing matchup on the checking line and has shown he can give fits to opposing team's top lines.

That's not to say the Modano is being completely phased out, but it does seem that the Stars are starting to see the emergence of a young player who could perhaps take over the veteran's role when he does retire. It's also good to know the Stars have a player who can step in when Modano isn't as effective during a game.

There are murmurs that Crawford will be looking to insert some fresh legs tonight, so there's a good chance we see Brian Sutherby and/or Krys Barch tonight against the Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings:

It appears the Kings are for real. They are a team with intense resolve and concentration, who have gone 10-1-3 in one-goal games this season and who have perfected the art of finding any way to win. They aren't dominating by any stretch of the imagination, but they are extremely tough to beat.

The Kings are riding a three game winning streak and have won five of their last six. They are a hungry team that are sniffing the Sharks for first in the division, and will provide a tough for for the Stars tonight.

Los Angeles has won both game against the Stars this season, yet these two teams haven't played since October 22. You'd like to think that the Stars have grown and changed since then, but the Stars are still dealing with the same issues they had to start the season.

The lone exception would be the the Stars' penalty kill, which has improved to 14th in the NHL and 7th on the road. If there is one area of the game the Stars have to opportunity to take advantage of some of the Kings' shortcomings, it's going to come on special teams. L.A. is just 28th in the league in penalty kill percentage and are facing a Stars team that has started to become dangerous with the man advantage.

Despite the fact that the Kings have had a leg up on the Stars the past few seasons, the Stars showed last night they have the personnel and ability to skate with any team in the NHL.

Yet this game is being played at the Staples Center tonight, so all bets are off.

Key Injuries:

Dallas: None.

Los Angeles: LW Ryan Smyth (upper body), RW Brandon Segal (knee) and C Andrei Loktionov (shoulder) are out.

Deep Thoughts

RudyKelly — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:44:20 -0000

-The guys behind us were driving me pretty Goddamn crazy. It was like I had the fucking Jerky Boyz behind me all night, it was ridiculous. The worst part is that they weren't even Ducks fans; they were Kings fans! Ducks fans are annoying because they're kind of dumb and don't know anything about hockey, but I think Kings fans are honestly worse because they think they know about hockey when they really don't. They guys behind me had apparently played before so they thought they were Bob and Jimmy.

One thing you'll notice is that people who play hockey don't necessarily know anything about hockey, but most people don't call them on it because most people don't play hockey in Southern California. Most people who play hockey are dumb, just like most people in general, and playing hockey and knowing about hockey are different. Here's how you can tell if someone knows about hockey: if they say, "Oh great, more dump 'n chase," then they don't know shit about hockey. Oh, and if they say, "Du-ucks," over and over and over again because they think it's funny to do it in the voice of a mentally challenged person, then they don't know shit about hockey and they've made a powerful new enemy.

-I went to the game because it was my mom's birthday and I'm a terrible son that only gets gifts that somehow benefit me in some way. It was a pretty entertaining game but it was kind of hard to get a read on; the Ducks were dominant when Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan were out there and the Kings were dominant on every other shift. The Kings had to adjust early because Brandon Segal got injured during his first shift and had to leave the game. They adjusted by giving Brad Richardson and Dustin Brown more playing time and the two responded with some of their best games of the year; Richardson especially played very well, showing that he can do good things when he actually has real linemates.

The Kings were better over the course of the game, as the Ducks were only close because Jonathan Quick let in an awful goal to Todd Marchant. (Todd Marchant! That should count as two.) Overall the game was heartening from my perspective: the Kings are kind of at the low point of their season (missing Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi, losing Segal right at the start of the game) and the Ducks are kind of at the high point (winning 6 of their last 7 at home) and the Kings still looked better. I would be happier about beating the Ducks, but beating the Ducks is kind of like nailing Paris Hilton; it's probably fun but who cares if everyone has already done it?

-I went to a fast food Chinese place that's by my work last week and got some food. I was signing my name on the receipt while the guy was wrapping up my order and we finished about the same time. I went to say, "There ya go!" and hand him the receipt, but he said, "There ya go!" as he handed me my food first. I tried to change what I was saying to, "Thanks," but was too committed to my previous sentence and ended up saying, "Tharnks!" I felt like an idiot.

-The Ducks are a pretty hilarious team right now because they're still a team of giant dicks but now they suck so it comes off as just kind of sad and pathetic. It's like they're the high school bully that grew up to be a gas station attendant and the Kings are the lonely, pathetic nerd that grew up to be a fairly successful software engineer with a nice house and a lovely wife that may not be that attractive but is sweet and kind. Last night was the software engineer pulling into the gas station and going for a fill up and then the pump won't work, so he presses the little button to talk to the attendant, but the attendant calls him a fag so the software engineer just drives to another station and gets gas then goes home while the attendant is fired because that was the last fucking time he abused the little button, so then the gas station attendant goes home and gets drunk and posts angrily on a hockey blog under the name, "Spade-in-Victorhell."

But still, the Ducks are in good shape. In 3 years they'll have a core of Getzlaf, Perry, Lupul, Ryan, Hiller, Sbisa, whatever defenseman they sign with Niedermayer's money and whatever defenseman they draft this year. Then they'll lose someone (probably Perry) and they'll have another window as Ryan hits his prime and Getzlaf leaves his. Trading Pronger was a good idea because even with him the Ducks still wouldn't be in a position to win a Cup. It's better to suck and then be great, then tear it down and suck again and then be great. I like what Brian Burke and Bob Murray did with the Ducks and I have a feeling they'll be the 2nd best team in California in just a few short years.

-"Shit, I really gotta go to the bathroom. I gotta stop drinking beer during ga- oh shit, I wore button flies. Fuck! Alright, don't panic, just undo the buttons, but hurry the fuck up. Why the fuck did I buy these, why the fuck do they even make button flys anymore? They don't make TVs with knobs anymore. Jesus, I've already been here for like 30 seconds, do I just go over the top? No, I can't go over the top, I don't like the way the guy next to me is glancing over. Does he know I'm not pissing? Oh God, is he going to stare at my dick? Jesus, c'mon you fucking buttons, come on! Come on! Come- fuck this, I'm using a stall."

-Happy birthday, mom.

Back-To-Back Is Back! Canucks-Kings Preview

Sean Zandberg — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:15:09 -0000

We know who the real kings are.

View full size photo »

Kings (13-9-2, 6th in West) vs Canucks (12-11-0, 11th in West)

GAME TIME: 7:00 PST

TV: Canucks PPV

The Enemy: Battle of California

UPDATE (2:13 PM): Rick Rypien has a sore hand because Ben Eager's ugly face hit it last game. If he isn't good to go, Darcy Hordichuk will take his spot tonight.

UPDATE (12:00 AM): Sami Salo's ice-time has been reduced lately, but he's not giving up. You may be surprised at what else he has to say.

***********************

"They played a real slow-the-game," Murray said, "five guys back at their own blue line kind of a game, and took a lot of the emotion and speed out of the game. That was a good strategy by them. It was a good plan."

That is what Kings coach Terry Murray said of the Canucks' play the last time these 2 teams faced eachother in late October, where the Canucks won 2-1 in a shootout. Vancouver shut down the Kings' top line and limited L.A.'s prime scoring opportunities. Andrew Raycroft stopped 30 of 31 shots and was the first star of the game. Mikael Samuelsson scored the tying goal and the winning goal in the shootout.

Once again, the Canucks get to play a team that is playing in a back-to-back scenario, and Vancouver is coming off an extended layoff. This really has to play a role in the outcome of this game. There is no reason for the Canucks not to maintain a strong consistent effort against the Kings. The Kings beat

the Oilers 3-1 last night after a 4-day layoff. Their top line (Kopitar-Williams-Brown) was kept off the scoresheet, but guys like Frolov and Simmonds responded. Anze Kopitar played over 23:00 in that game, second only to Jack Jerkson, I mean Johnson.

I read somewhere that after the Kings lost to Flames on Saturday, the Kings had played 24 games in 50 days, and that was the second-most grueling schedule in the NHL this season behind San Jose. Cry me a river. The Canucks have played 23 games in 52 days. STFU. That being said...

Now that the long layoffs are over the Canucks will play 6 games in the next 10 nights and 14 games in the next 27 nights. They will play back-to-back games 3 times between now and January 2nd. The longest layoff will be a 4-day rest at Xmas time. Perfect! We'll be too busy shoving turkey and salad down our throats and putting up with family to care! Yeah, there is going to be a lot of Canucks hockey from now until the Olympic Break. Ole!

No Ryan Smyth in the Kings' lineup tonight and that is a good thing, as he not only is a smaller, feistier version of Dustin Byfuglyen, he also had 24 points in 23 games in the Kings' top line.The Kings are now 1-2 without him.

A bit more about the Kings:

-they are Alyssa Milano's favorite hockey team. Yeah, she told me that on Twitter, yes I'm bragging. Damn she has bad taste.

-the Kings rank just a bit higher than the Canucks in goals per game.

-they allow more goals per game than we do. (rank 25th...are you listening Wellwood?)

-the Canucks are better than the Kings at even strength.

-Vancouver ranks better than the Kings on the powerplay.

-the Kings and Canucks both suck at killing penalties, with Vancouver holding a slight advantage.

-L.A. averages less shots per game than we do.

-The Kings and Canucks both allow a lot of shots per game on average, both in the bottom 10 in the category with the Kings being worse.

-The Kings lick in the faceoff category, where the Canucks don't.

Keep an eye out for updates at the top of this post as game time draws near. Let's see if Bolduc replaces Wellwood or not. You never know. That noose is getting tight around Woody's neck right now.

Are the Kings going to rest Jon Quick and play Erik Ersberg in a back-to-back scenario? Let's hope so!

See? There is no reason why we can't hand these guys their asses tonight. No excuses at all.

Don't forget to add your score prediction in the comments thread. 1 point for guessing the right score, 1 point for guessing the right team, and 1 point for guessing who scores the game winner. Not as easy as it sounds. After 2 games nobody has a single point yet! Somewhere Nostradamus is rolling in his grave.

Oilers vs. Kings, 11/25/09 - The Mullet Is Injured

Derek Zona — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:23:27 -0000

via sportslogos.net

SBNation's Kings vs Oilers game page

Battle Of California

Anyone that doesn't think the Kings should return to the purple and gold colors is colorblind and possibly tasteless. There were some beauty uniforms in there before they fell for the conformity of black with black trim uniforms.

The Mullet is on IR.

Anze Kopitar is missing Ryan Smyth. So are thousands of Edmontonians, most of them are commentors for ten or so blogs.

According to Battle of Cali, Jonathan Quick is struggling. The Oilers only beat backups and the injured, so this may be great news!

The Kings are extremely similar to the Flyers. Right down to the flighty goaltender.

Los Angeles Kings Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jarret Stoll	other-excused	11/25/2009
Rob Scuderi	other-excused	11/25/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan Smyth	other-excused	11/18/2009

Colorado Avalanche: What the Hell Happened?

David Driscoll-Carignan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Halloween, 2009. Although the Avalanche had lost the night before to San Jose, we woke up that Saturday feeling pretty good about our team. The Avalanche had finished October at phenomenal 10-2-2 and, as we dressed our kiddos in their Halloween costumes and ran out to the stores to stock our trick-or-treat bowls, we had a little spring in our step. Our sad-sack Avalanche of last year had turned things around and were currently perched on top of the Western Conference (indeed, they were tied with Pittsburgh at 1st in the league).

And, yet, we knew.

Oh, sure, we got indignant when James Mirtle (and others) predicted we'd start to fall back into the pack or whenever someone failed to give the Avalanche props in power rankings and the like. We're proud of our team and, after 6 months of nothing but negativity (on the ice and off), it was great to have something to feel good about again. Deep down, though, we knew. The team was better (not that we could have gotten much worse than the steaming pile of dung that was the 2008 season); the Avalanche were working harder, working smarter and, for the first time in years, had a bona fide #1 between the pipes. But - and this may be the largest "but" I've ever written - this was not a first-place team. Deep down, we knew it.

Since then, it hasn't been very pretty. The Avalanche have gone 3-5-1 in November. That won't get it done. If the Avalanche were to continue at that pace, they'd finish the season at 33-40-9. 75 points. Last year, 75 points would have been good enough for...you guessed it: 3rd-worst record in the NHL. Are you guys ready for the next "tank it 4 ___" watch?

What the hell happened? Lots. Adrian Dater covered it very well on Friday night after the latest debacle. I agree with every single point in that excellent post. I'd also like to flesh out a few thoughts I've had bouncing around in that little plinko machine in my head.

Unquestionably, any discussion about the Avs and their now-wheelless bus has to start with the powerplay. After 6 games, the Avalanche had 10 PP goals and were humming along at 38.5% efficiency. For a team that scored just 50 PP goals last year, that was an amazing start. Sadly, it wouldn't last. In the 17 games since that game 6 in Toronto, the Avalanche have just 7 PP goals in 62 chances. That's a pitiful 11.3% efficiency, even worse than 15.7% the Avalanche mustered last year and the 14.6% laugher under Joel Quenneville that created our power play kitten meme. Why has it been so bad? Losing John-Michael Liles has had an impact. It's probably not a coincidence that the PP collapse coincided with Liles' leaving the lineup; he was injured in the Toronto game. In a perfectly symmetrical stat, the Avalanche have had 44 PP opportunities this year with Liles in the lineup and 44 PP opportunities with him out of the lineup. With him in, they've scored 13 times (29.5%). Without? 4 (9.1%).That's ugly.

Compelling stats, but there's more to it. In the first 6 games, the Avalanche were getting something on the powerplay they have lacked for years: scoring from the point. Kyle Quincey was absolutely revitalizing in the early going and he, Liles and Brett Clark combined for 3 goals and 11 assists on the PP in the first 6 games. Since then, bone dry and I mean Mojave Desert dry. No goals for any of them. Liles has 2 assists (both in Friday's game). Quincey and Clark have just one PP assist each. What happened to them? In the last 4 games, Quincey hasn't even registered a shot on net (PP or otherwise). They have been so ineffective that Joe Sacco has resorted to using a forward on the point. It's working about as well as it did under both Joel Quenneville and Tony Granato. In other words, it isn't.

And how about that Kyle Quincey? When the Avalanche traded for him this summer, I was less than pleased. It wasn't so much a knock on Quincey (or Tom Preissing...don't ask me to go there right now) as I felt it was a mistake to trade Ryan Smyth. My argument was that the Avalanche had a fair number of manageable defensemen, while they were thin offensively and at left wing. And that was before the sudden maturation of Kyle Cumiskey or the surprising play of Ryan Wilson. For a while, it looked like Quincey would sway me. In an interview for Second City Hockey's fan program back in October, I said the following:

Quincey has been a GREAT fit for us defensively. He is already paying dividends. The Avs have been looking for a PP quarterback for eons and his crisp passes have already started a boatload of breakaways at even strength.

What happened to those dividends? Did the board of directors vote to suspend them? Where did that PP quarterbacking go? Where did those breakout passes go? What about the big hits he was throwing around in the first couple of weeks? What's with all the stupid penalties all of a sudden (6 minor penalties in the last 4 games)? Is he still an upgrade for our defense? Yes. Has he been playing so far above the guys in the pressbox to warrant the trade of Smyth? No. I mean, Ruslan Salei can take bad penalties and do nothing on the PP just as well as Quincey has done lately. Speaking of Salei, he's set to return from his back injury soon. With all that defensive depth I talked about, is he even going to play? Or are we just going to pay Salei and Preissing $5.775 million to watch from the press box?

While I'm aware that moving Smyth was a salary move, you'd like to see a big trade like that make your team better. Smyth, in case you missed it, has 23 points in 22 games this year. Our #1 left wing, Wojtek Wolski, has a solid 20 points. No complaints there. After Wolski, though, our left wingers are providing butkus. Cody McLeod has 8 points. Darcy Tucker has 7. David Koci has 1. The Avalanche are so hard up at left wing that Marek Svatos (8 points) played there on Friday; he has 3 even strength points this year. I like Kyle Quincey, but wouldn't this team look much better right now with Ryan Smyth skating with Matt Duchene and Milan Hejduk rather than Svatos or Tucker?

Smyth's linemate this year is Anze Kopitar, who is tearing up the league (33 points). Smyth's linemate last year was Paul Stastny. While Stastny hasn't been terrible, he's been quieter than he should be. You may recall that when Kopitar signed his big extension with the Kings last year, I opined that that deal would be the ballpark for Stastny's upcoming extension. Sure enough, when Stastny signed his extension about a month later, it was just $200,000 less per season than Kopitar's. How's that worked out for the respective teams? For the Kings, really well. Here are Kopitar's numbers before signing his extension and his numbers since:

Before: 155 GP 52G 86A 138P -29 .89 PPG (points per game)
Since: 105GP 41G 58A 99P -10 .94 PPG

Since becoming rich, Kopitar hasn't rested on his laurels. In fact, he's increased his scoring production. You know what's coming next.

Before: 164GP 55G 109A 164P +16 1.00 PPG
After: 52GP 12G 29A 41P -3 .79 PPG

Stastny's production has slipped since signing his extension. Now, .79 PPG is not terrible, but it is a decline. That's a 65-point season, something 50 players managed last year. In fact, only 5 teams didn't have a player get to 65 points (want to guess one of them?). It's good, but it's not great. It's not quite $6.6 million worth, not quite highest-paid-on-the-team great, not quite 21st-highest-paid forward-like. It's hard to pick on a guy who leads the team in scoring, but Paul Stastny needs to be doing more and he needs to do it on a more consistent basis. Stastny is held off the scoresheet on too many nights and, in fact, is in the longest goal-scoring drought of his career (12 games). When he was a 2nd line center and the Avalanche had other weapons, this would have been okay. They don't have other weapons.

I'm already running long, so I'll have to speed through the rest of this. Craig Anderson has a 3.39 GAA and .885 Save Percentage in November and lately he's been making us think fondly of Jose Theodore's awful stickhandling. Perhaps we should hold off on giving him the keys to the city for a while longer. Our PK was terrific in October (12.9%) but it's been dreadful since (26.3%). The Avalanche were supposed to be harder to play against under Joe Sacco, but the Avs are giving up more shots per game than they did under Tony Granato and they are hitting substantially less (from about 10 per game to 6). How is that better?

At the end of October, Joe Sacco looked like a coach of the year candidate for the way he had turned this team around. In just 3 weeks, that's gone away. Although they are still high in the standings, they are looking more and more like last year's team - no scoring, defensive lapses, inconsistent goaltending. With another bad week, the Avs could be out of the top 8 altogether (they are just 5 points ahead of the 11th place Canucks).

Personally, I think the next few weeks are going to be very interesting. As we approached the start of the season, it seems like most of us fans felt that this season wouldn't be so much about winning as losing as it would be about effort and player development. That's going to be put to the test shortly, I'm afraid. Will we be frustrated with repeated losses? Or will we really be content to watch guys like Wojtek Wolski, David Jones and Kyle Cumiskey who are having career years (Cumiskey has already set a career high, and Jones needs just 2 more points to do the same) as well as seeing kids like Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan Wilson blossom? It will be an adjustment for sure, but not all that new for us. After all, we were 3 games over .500 and in 8th place as late as January 10th last year. I think we all know how that ended for us.

Paul Gaustad Earning His Appreciation

Rafal Ladysz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:19:35 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

about 1 month ago: Buffalo Sabres' Paul Gaustad, from left, reacts after scoring a goal against Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery and Chris Pronger skates by in the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Philadelphia. Buffalo won 3-1. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Hockey fans can admire a player for dozens of purposes; that's the beauty of it all. Despite newspapers and magazines throwing constant recognition on scorers or goaltenders, a win has as much to do with the men that have a lesser known but particular role.

Blocking a shot for instance requires courage and integrity similar to fighting. While it's second nature to the participants because they've done it repeatedly, we know all about the passion and heart they unquestionably carry plunging into daring moments.

Lindy Ruff's Buffalo Sabres present the depth a team needs for a long postseason stretch. Seeing as how many months remain before the playoffs arrive, it's a little early to get excited with their fifth place Eastern Conference position. Habits like laziness have obliterated this group causing let-downs historically.

Getting cute instead of making the simple play is a recipe for disaster every so often. If you want proof, take a peak at the 6-2 thrashing Florida handed the Sabres Wednesday. I realize confidence rises after a string of wins and you want to give the home crowd a great showing but at some point enough is enough.

Paul Gaustad is someone who isn't keen on bringing fanciness to the arena. What he does on a nightly basis boosts the possibility of success. For starters, he's a hell of a face-off man owning a 66.9 per cent surpassing all others who have attempted their mastery in over 200 draws this year.

With possession of the puck earned, Gaustad hurries to the front of the net becoming an enormous screen for the goaltenders and banging away at loose rebounds or searching for a tip-in. No different than Tomas Holmstrom or Ryan Smyth, this makes him a strong fitting on the powerplay.

Adept at both the center and wing position, the fifth-year professional is a presence on the penalty kill using his large build along the boards pressuring his target and taking away shooting lanes. Gaustad's willingness to tussle is noble but ultimately it's the hesitation or lack thereof which presents his leadership.

As a favorite of the audience, the 27-year-old is sudden in everything he does garnering Goose chants for his determination.

Paul Gaustad

#28 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-4

Weight: 229

Born: Feb 03, 1982

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Paul Gaustad	16	4	2	6	6	31	1	0	1	0	35	11.4

A relatively solid offensive contributor, Gaustad's career high in points is 36 from 2008. Glancing at his production through 16 games, could 20 goals and 20-plus assists be his total come April? I don't see why not; the effort certainly qualifies him to be rewarded.

And it will be just another example explaining why Paul Gaustad is so valued in Buffalo.