On paper, the Los Angeles Kings had no chance of winning against the Detroit Red Wings. One organization seems to do everything right. In contrast, many people believe the other organization has never done anything right... except perhaps buying Gretzky once upon a time from Peter Pocklington. Considering the Wings have won 15 of the last 16 meetings including Tuesday, why should the Kings even attempt to win? ... The funny thing is that the Kings learned 6:57 into the game exactly how the Canucks felt Saturday right about when Holmstrom scored.
Some people have taken issue with me. After losses admittedly, I look for ways to decipher outcomes. Maybe the reasons I seek are in fact excuses for the team when I should be demanding more accountability. It is in this spirit that I will put away my rose-colored glasses and let the team’s play speak for itself this time.
The Kings dominated the first seven minutes of the game allowing exactly one shot on goal. Holmstrom scored on Detroit’s second shot on goal of the period partially attributable to Lidstrom’s transition game, Datsyuk’s ability to win a battle of possession with Preissing and Holstrom’s finishing skills. Los Angeles responded by not taking another shot for another five minutes. Absent Rafalski’s penalty, it is entirely possible that the Kings might have failed to take a shot for far longer than that.
Detroit erred by their mistaken belief that the Kings are in last place due to lack of talent and/or effort. The talent of Los Angeles on paper appears in games – just not consistently. Luongo could no doubt confirm that personally. The Wings are a team that on average only gives up 23.6 shots per game and they gave up nearly half that or twelve shots in the opening 20 minutes... yikes!
By the second period, after the rude awakening that the Kings might just really be an NHL team, the Wings woke up and started playing their game, which I think of as the ‘Red Machine’. Love them or hate them, you have to respect the way Detroit plays when they are at their best. That team can suck the proverbial life out of their opponents.
In an atypical Detroit statistic post lock out is the point differential between the Wings play in their own division and when they play any other team in the league. This might surprise some. In the Central Division, they are 7-7-2. Against the rest of the league, they are a staggering 29-3-2. Apparently, against some teams, Detroit is mortal. Go figure....
At the end of the second period, Samuellson increased the score by one on yet another Kings’ breakdown where Armstrong gave up the biscuit while being double teamed. That allowed Samuellson to take off one on none. Despite Blake’s attempt to catch up to this Swedish import, he fell short. Of course, if Chelios’ scuttlebutt is accurate, perhaps the Kings’ captain decided to unofficially start playing for Detroit now... ouch! While the NHL’s oldest player didn’t dress for Tuesday’s festivities, he found time to chirp yet again on Blake’s desire to fly the coop. Here is Chelios’ latest comment:
“Asked about Blake going to Detroit Tuesday, Chelios said, “If he was thinking of going to another team, I’m sure he wants to go to a winner. Depending on what we have to give up, I’m sure he’d be more than welcome. I like Rob Blake a lot, he’s a great defenseman, he’s been through hell since he’s been in L.A., so it wears on you. Chelios said he doesn’t talk to Blake during the season, “but we’ve known each other for a long time.”
The full article can be read here:
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../1053/SPORTS05
My G-Rated response to this quote is quite simple. Blake is the current $6 million dollar man who rarely has come close to earning that salary. I take no issue with him accepting the $$; I take extreme issue with Chelios' remarks like life has been hell for him here, i.e., he is being well paid to lose. He knew full well he was coming back to a rebuilding team unless he was in a coma when he signed his new deal. At the time, he had just left Colorado over a refusal to give the Avalanche a salary cap break due to the hit of his bonus being applied against that team’s cap. Paycheck guys who go to the highest bidder get no sympathy from me. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.... double ouch!
By the third, in spurts, the Kings showed life ... at least up to the third goal against, by yet another Swedish import, this time Franzen. Toronto’s War Room took a look at that one and then validated the call in the building. The home team needs to take some ownership of the fact of how many times Franzen took a whack at that puck before it somehow got past LaBarbera who tried to shut him down. At some point, Los Angeles needs to appreciate this is a team game and too much of the time the Kings have too many passengers. If LaBarbera is supposed to stop the puck, perhaps his teammates might be willing to consider they should stop allowing opponents to plant their back sides at the Kings’ crease without paying
any price. Seriously.
What the Kings Got Right:
• Los Angeles took more shots against Detroit than the average of other opponents (23.6) for a game total of 27;
• Los Angeles also allowed fewer Detroit shots than their other opponents with a differential of 34.6 vs. 27;
• The NHL’s 29th best penalty killing team stopped the NHL’s 3rd best power play on all three opportunities;
• The Kings returned to their more disciplined ways and only took three penalties and none until 8:20 of the second period;
• Giuliano dominated in the face-off circle with a winning percentage of 71.4%;
• The Kings had seven take-aways vs. Detroit’s four;
• Los Angeles had to have something to do with the 20 Detroit giveaways;
• Los Angeles outhit Detroit 33 to 19.
What the Kings Got Horribly Wrong:
• In the face-off circle, Handzus continued to display his horrific talent to lose with a meager win % of 12.7%;
• Armstrong fared even worse than Handzus, (that one is a head scratcher since Armstrong is often the most consistent player there) with a scary win ratio of 11.1%;
• Kopitar didn’t dominate at a 50% winning percentage but he improved by 100% since he failed to win one draw against Vancouver’s Kesler;
• They again displayed their knack for invisible play once the Kings got behind. At some point, the players need to face that every loss cannot be chalked up to rebuilding or youth or lack of morale. This team needs to pick itself up by their jock straps and be accountable for losses.
Call for Leadership:
As has often been the case this year, after losses, this team’s leaders were nowhere to be found for the post game interview with Darryl Evans. Where are Blake, Armstrong, Thornton, Visnovsky and Cammalleri? I don’t even want to hear about Cammalleri being injured so he cannot explain the losses he hasn’t dressed for. When Roenick hurt his knee this year, he sat up in the press box, watched his team play and saw where his teammates’ breakdowns were and called his team out for it and became part of the solution once he regained his health to get back in the line-up.
As has happened most after losses this year, the rookies step up. I have heard from Zeiler, Giuliano (fresh from his call-up and I do get at 28 he isn’t a rookie), Moulson and this time, Teddy Purcell. This veteran of exactly four (4) games had this to say:
“We took too many chances. They capitalized on our mistakes. I am in my 4th NHL game, no more excuses for me.”
Purcell wrote this blog’s name. If the guy with four games experience, refuses to give excuses for what he hasn’t done in the game, how on earth do this team’s passengers rationalize their sometimes invisible play when they look in the mirror? Enough said.
It is time for this team to exert 100% effort. Stop playing the blame game and start being a part of the solution. And for the record, I am not suggesting every player provided invisible play. Rather than making a list, I will leave that to others and the players’ themselves if and when they want a different result.
Carla Muller
carla.hockeygal@att.net