If the first minute of Thursday’s game was an indicator of the evening, the Kings were set to make it quite comfortable …. for the visitors. There was Crawford playing “What’s My Line?” night where over the course of sixty (60) minutes, he used at least twelve (12) different line combinations by my count.
The game started with Handzus, Ivanans and Frolov. They proceeded to spend the first shift entirely in the Kings’ zone and enable Jumbo Joe Thornton to once again show he can find the net alone, not just through others. With the lead, San Jose seemed to tilt the ice in their favor until the Marleau tripping penalty that Visnovsky drew. Eleven minutes of a period and the Kings managed a meager one shot on goal. (Really) Thanks to the visitor’s quiet captain, Los Angeles found their game and peeled off four shots on goal, no goals to be had, but the home team started to play. Finally.
Of the many surprises Thursday, the Kings facing Nabakov has to be one of them. Last place teams generally draw the back-up who at least this year, has fared well…ouch! Not Thursday. The Sharks and Wilson got greedy and wanted to enable Nabakov to tie a NHL record of 48 wins. That choice strikes me as arrogant and arguably short-sighted tactic for one of the most over-worked netminders in the NHL this year for a team picked to win it all.
Arrogance, confidence or perhaps having nothing left to play for once Detroit sealed the President’s Trophy prior to the Sharks’ game, resulted in San Jose taking two-thirds of the first period off considering they had seven (7) shots in the first seven (7) minutes and two (2) in the last thirteen minutes.
By the second, things again started too slow for my comfort level when Handzus, Giuliano and Ellis spent their first shift entirely in the Kings’ end. Thankfully, that is where the similarities ended. Los Angeles scored a couple in the middle stanza, a distinct and material difference to how the Kings have played the middle period this season. The first goal was especially fun to watch since it involved a new way to screen a goalie.
A McLaren give-away to a deflection for now three (3) goal man, otherwise known as Willsie, to Cammalleri screening Nabakov. Number 13 literally jumped up to get out of the way of the puck as it trickled past Nabakov. There is an assist and a piece of real estate Cammalleri owned Thursday. Good for him.
Mid-way through the second, the Kings flat out dominated the visitors. Two of the most solid minutes of ice Los Angeles played all year. No power play in sight, but the home team possessed that ice with ferocity. Here is what the visitors’ paper had to say on this part of the game:
“A little more than eight minutes later, Kings left wing Raitis Ivanans beat Nabokov after Los Angeles had pinned the Sharks in their own zone for so long it looked as if the Kings were on a power play.”
San Jose Breaks 20 game point streak
Things looked solid all around. Here is the thing though, after Los Angeles took the lead, they were no better than their opponents. Not one Kings’ shot on goal in the 2nd after about the 10:29 mark. Thus, as far as Los Angeles has come since December, is as far as they need to go. This was nowhere near a complete effort.
The third period revealed one of the Kings’ biggest weaknesses of the year, outside of goaltending *ugh*…., that being the penalty kill. Miraculously enough, the only man advantage the Sharks got off a Frolov hook on Vlasic resulted in a top shelf score from Pavelski. It was a potential lock for the visitors considering the Los Angeles again showed its propensity to not be able to clear the zone on the kill. After thirty-three seconds of possession, San Jose capitalized on their efforts.
The nice wrinkle in this story is that the Kings kept plugging away, and found a way to win a potential tie game in regulation. The give and go between the other Thornton, Brown and Kopitar who deflected Brown’s shot turned out to be the game winner. A nice change for the home team and their fans.
Record Night:
A couple of team and individual records went by the way side Thursday. Most importantly, the Kings ended the Sharks 20 game point scoring streak with that win. When a last place team can dominate the league’s second best team, which is a nice preview of the future.
Some in the media suggest that San Jose perhaps peaked too soon and that it was somehow a good thing to lose a game. (Huh?) Exactly.
Here is Wilson’s response to this suggestion:
“People say, ‘Oh, you’re peaking too early.’ Like if we play .600 hockey it’s not good enough, then when you play basically 1.000 hockey, that’s too good. Then you lose a game and it’s ‘O, God, geeze, it’s over.’ It’s just the next game and that’s what it is. It happens to be part of this streak, but it’s just the next game.”
Sharks and Peaking
Here is Nabakov’s take:
“Nabokov shrugged off the fact he can't get a 48th victory, trying to turn the loss into something positive. It's probably good that this happened, that we lose a game before the playoffs," he said. "because sometimes you just need to refocus."
Personally, I like Mike Grier’s take better, perhaps why he has such an impeccable professional reputation and work ethic (i.e. he hates to lose):
"You know it's going to come to an end at some point, but it shouldn't have been now," Grier said.
San Jose’s streaks and peaking
Another record that bit the dust was Robitaille’s most goals scored by a left wing in a season when Ovechkin scored his league leading 64th and 65th goals of the season. Here is Lucky Luc Robitaille’s response:
“Alexander Ovechkin broke Kings President, Business Operations Luc Robitaille's single-season NHL record for most goals by a left wing with his 64th and 65th scores Thursday night to lead the Capitals to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I am very happy that Alex has achieved this accomplishment," Robitaille said. "I love watching him play because he plays not only with heart and passion but with a true love for the game."
Robitaille on Ovechkin
Penalty Box Suggestions:
I have spent this season watching the visiting team do some pretty funny stuff in the box this year at Staples. From the Ducks’ Beauchamin having a glow worm, blanket and pillow, to others who have put on nail polish (really), reading Oprah’s magazine, to a mass gorging of Twinkies in a recent home game.
It is about time that for Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday, that the Kings’ gurus come up with something funny and enjoyable to do for their fans. Why is it that the visitors provide all of the laughs? So, I am asking all Hockey Buzzers and Letsgokings.com contributors to put forth your best suggestions and hopefully, the Kings will take notice. It might just spark their creative side for the season’s final home game.
Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net
CarlaMuller
Satisfaction in Record Breaking Night & Fan Sin Bin Suggestions for the Kings 
