Earlier this year, I wrote a game blog before a Sharks’ game and noted that other than Thornton (duh), many of the Kings’ forwards individually had considerably more points and individual success. For whatever reason, despite being touted to win the Cup, despite all that talent, the Sharks couldn’t find the net or consistency to save their collective souls.
Until March 27, 2008 or the day after the trade deadline.
It turns out a team that played strong defensively, needed a defenseman that wasn’t known for his defense (Campbell). Huh? Go figure…. This team once upon a time also possessed no confidence in their back-up goalie forcing Nabakov to play nearly every minute of every game and then some. I remember saying then that I am no expert but a team planning to contend for a Cup might just want to have a rested goaltender. Doug Wilson rescued Brian Boucher out of the AHL Phantoms at the deadline as well. That guy has now only won both starts and looked strong doing it…
especially so Tuesday at Staples.
Does anyone other than me wonder why Lombardi chose Aubin over Boucher as his insurance policy? He had far more success at the NHL level than Aubin did and obviously was open to a two-way contract? Seriously.
Tuesday’s game started differently when Cloutier got the start. I am still disappointed he wasn’t booed on sight. Lombardi never did directly respond to Cloutier’s slanderous allegations against the Kings. The funny thing is we are supposed to believe that Danny knew to call the Players’ Association when the Kings had the audacity to not pay his rent after 28 days in the minors, but lacked the knowledge or follow through when he was playing bone on bone with a wonky hip? The Kings purportedly rebuked him with the response of “no more excuses” – an off the record statement from an unnamed ex-King who conveniently wouldn’t go on the record and own that remark. Enough said.
Does anyone else now question the veracity of that statement when that is a claim never levied against this organization before? The Kings, especially during the Murray era, lost more man games to injury. Surely, if this is accurate, then one would think that allegation would have surfaced during a period where the Kings were more known as the Manchester Kings or the Los Angeles Monarchs. But I digress.
The bottom line of Tuesday’s loss is without a scoreboard you could see, truly see, the differences between the teams. San Jose played content to be in the Kings’ defensive zone even if they never scored, or frankly even if they never got a shot on goal. Their patience, their confidence on the ice was palpable to me off the ice and having never played the game personally.
In direct contrast, I saw the Kings play, truly play, and exert effort but rarely maintain possession, earn solid scoring chances and looked especially helpless on the power play against the second best penalty killing team in the league. It turns out that you need three things to win in this league, perhaps four as I see it:
1. Team Work;
2. Confidence;
3. Effort;
4. Talent.
I suspect if a team has the first three things, less of the fourth would be sufficient. San Jose had talent, and team work, but consistently lacked in both confidence and effort. As a result, the Sharks were streaky, I suspect maddening to their own coaching staff, management team and fans/press … don’t even go there, I suspect.
For whatever reason, with Campbell and a back-up who earned the trust of the coaching staff, and now the players based upon his game play, the Sharks just might be the surprise of these playoffs. If they get past the second round, they will also save the jobs of both Wilsons.
Regardless of how the Sharks have taken off, they are off. In direct contrast, despite Ellis’ post-game interview that mirrored comments of other Kings lately, how these last closing games are the Kings’ playoffs, their measuring stick, that mindset is hard to see on the ice with the Kings’ play.
The Kings are beginning to have the talent that over time will make Los Angeles the envy of the league. In the present, they are obviously still a work in progress. Unfortunately. There are signs this team is different than past rebuilds.
Since Ellis got here from Detroit, the Kings have killed off 30 of 32 penalties. One of those two happened last night while Ellis sat for a couple for hooking. He prides himself on his penalty killing and the on ice results reflect that. I liked what I heard an away commentator say about Ellis; he had gone from being a depth player in Detroit to having a career in Los Angeles. Not a bad move all around.
Tuesday did bring the team one step closer to Stamkos. First, by the loss and second, by the season ending injury to Johnson who sustained a non-displaced fracture of the foot while blocking a shot in the first. Thank heavens the Kings had the two minutes a game man
otherwise known as Klemm to pair with Blake on defense for the rest of the game…yikes!
It turned out after the game was over; there were more low lights than highlights that I mark as follows:
• Cloutier drawing two goaltender interference calls and going into Rambo mode bringing the appreciative home crowd to give him a standing ovation when a hockey game erupted from a rumble;
• Bigger applause from the crowd over pictures of celebrities put on the Jumbotron next to fans in the building who were compared to Joe Pesci, Willie Nelson and another celebrity I forget;
• Visnovsky scoring a goal through traffic to finally break Boucher from a great Armstrong pass;
• A jaw dropping stop by Cloutier he had no business saving to the rebound goal he gave up after Rissmiller undressed Visnovsky and whom Preissing fared no better.
For those who want to see the best/worst of the game again, watch here:
Game Highlights Crawford Post Game Royal Race II
Fans obviously want and deserve more from their team. I urge all concerned to watch as much as Kings’ hockey as you can before the playoffs. It is a long off-season and I truly believe the best is yet to come.
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net
CarlaMuller
The Haves and the Have Nots 
