Flames @ Kings Gamethread
by Kent Wilson on Nov 21, 2009 12:41 PM PST
348 comments
Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings, Nov 21, 2009 1:00 PM PST
The Kings are a team that looks poised to finally stray out of the West's basement and start being competitive again. I think they have one of the most impressive collections of top 6 forwards in the WC this year, especially given the way Kopitar is playing.
Things to watch for:
- Even with Smyth gone, Kopitar is going to be handful for whoever gets that assignment. He's probably already one of the best young centers in the game and he'll be playing with Justin Williams (no slouch when he's healthy) and Alexander Frolov. Sometimes Dustin Brown slides to the first line too and he's a legitimate power forward in his own right.
- Drew Doughty is quite the player. Not physically imposing in any sense, but he impressed me with his poise, vision and high IQ when I watched him previously. I think he'll become one of the premier defenders in the league at some point.
- Ironically, Olli Jokinen had his best individual performance of the season against the Hawks. He scored his first legit goal of the season - a snipe to the top corner - and was actually fairly dangerous otherwise. He also led the team with 7 shots on net. While one game does not a turn-around make, it's nice to finally have some indication that Jokinen can actually do damage in the offensive zone. He'd be far less a worrisome if he was at least not a liability in one end of the ice.
Let the expletives fly.
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Interesting line comobs listed by SNet:
Lundmark-Jokinen-Iginla
Dawes-Langkow-Moss
Glencross-Conroy-Boyd
Nystrom-Prust-Sjostrom
Those are the bottom two lines that generated so many scoring chances in the first few games of the year.
great quote from rudy over at boc:
The Kings play the Calgary Flames, which is awesome because it means I get to see Jay Bouwmeester and Craig Conroy. I love Bouwmeester because he’s probably one of the smartest players in hockey and it’ll be fascinating to watch him in contrast to one of the dumbest, Dion Phaneuf. I like to think that Phaneuf and Jack Johnson will start slashing and jawing at each other and then Bouwmeester and Doughty will just kind of look at each other and shake their heads in bewilderment.
…and how many times have they held that early lead ?
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:13 PM PST up reply actions
i see sutter has gone status quo with the d pairings…. no surprise there, i guess…
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:14 PM PST up reply actions
interesting, however, that gio and pardy are backing up the langkow (aka #1) line against the tough comp
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:15 PM PST up reply actions
Im trying to sort out the match-ups. They’ve been cluttered early, so Im not sure that’s the way it is tonight.
that’s what it looked like to me, but it’s admittedly early.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:17 PM PST up reply actions
I think the Kings are going for PvP, but Sutter is trying to get Langkow out versus Kopitar when he can.
which i generally don’t. but they HAVE been improving….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:23 PM PST up reply actions
who kinda just schooled regehr, i might add….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:22 PM PST up reply actions
i think he’s capable physically, but he makes TERRIBLE decisions FREQUENTLY
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:25 PM PST up reply actions
You shoulda passed that scouting report on to Daz last spring ;-)
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 1:27 PM PST up reply actions
lots of flames jerseys in the stands, plus a roughriders jersey (love that) but this place is half empty.
by maimster on Nov 21, 2009 1:25 PM PST via mobile reply actions
i’m 8 rows up from the zamboni entrance in the corner, over kippers right shoulder, only two flame jerseys anywhere near.
by maimster on Nov 21, 2009 1:40 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
hard to say. maybe glenX will fight. or gio —he’s due for a good dustup. :P
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
28-3 looks terrible.
5 had a nice 4on4 shift
10 swedish kronor that brown draws at least one cheap penalty
i love betting in kronor !!! :) just kidding, i’ve never done it….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
this is probably an awesome gametime for you, hey shep ?
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:30 PM PST up reply actions
You know I haven't played hockey in years and years
but I’m fairly certain I could hit the net from 9 inches away.
That shot of Joker’s was closer to me than to the net (note: I’m in WInnipeg)
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 1:35 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Next October, when he’s on another team.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 1:38 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, not a fan. Glencross has to be smarter than that. Hooking penalties in the offensive zone always suck.
True. I’m not exactly a fan of the Ethan Moreau school of stupid.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 1:41 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
accidental. but unfortunate, yes. and, as is the flames MO, i would imagine the kings shall score on this one (being that there’s only a couple mins left in the period, plus they have a PP).
shall we wager kroner on how many seconds/minutes in that the kings will score ?
i’ll say kopitar in 44 seconds. yep.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:40 PM PST up reply actions
1:27 seems a lot, though. with 6/3 taking the other :33. interesting….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:49 PM PST up reply actions
ironic based on comments, but joker has actually looked good live. gio,bouw have looked really good, and reggie really suffers from having to play with dion.
by maimster on Nov 21, 2009 1:50 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Yeah there was that play where he took out… damn I can’t remember, Williams? brown? Whoever it was, Regehr along the boards takes his man, puck is free and clear, Dion can’t recover it. I mean the other LA forechecker was on his ass but still, the defencemen are supposed to break that, and the better ones ought to break it more.
Flames +5, EV shots 8-7 CGY. Better.
Phaneuf is only averaging about one minute a game of PK time this season. That’s a smart move, I’d say.
gio’s been playing the pk, which is why i thought it interesting that dion had more PK time than #5.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 1:56 PM PST up reply actions
Pretty low event game so far. The Flames are a tad sloppy but are stymying the Kings in the neutral zone. However the Kings are doing much the same to the Flames.
That PP was more of the same as Thursday night. Charlie Simmer needs to bust out his “move his feet” line, it’s apropo. The Flames can’t open up seams unless they start moving both the puck and themselves.
They should take note from the Kings PP though.
but joker has actually looked good live
are we watching the same game ? is joker still jokinen’s nickname ? cause maybe he’s okay off the puck but he’s definitely missed some serious on-net opportunities for a first line centre.
yeah, I meant off the puck, positionally, etc. still can’t score though.
short hair, no name on jersey
by maimster on Nov 21, 2009 2:25 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
He always does that
Didn’t watch the game, but Iggy always seems to do that and frequently it results in a scoring chance by the opposition.
Flames allow 2 goals in less than a minute. What’s new?
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love.
do i dare suggest the PP was better when we didn’t practice it ? ;)
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:14 PM PST up reply actions
That is ALL bouwmeester. That seam doesn’t open without that movement.
Thank God someone on this team doesn’t have his head up his ass on the man advantage.
that’s what i meant, btw, when i said “ALL jaybouw” just above here….
i like that we think the same, at least. :P
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:18 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah it started out unpromisning. Then you see phaneuf with the puck, and then WTF bouwmeester’s moving???
I swear you could here from here, the words “enough of this shit” from 4.
EXACTLY what i read in the thought bubble above his helmet…. like, EXACTLY (though it might have started “come ON dion !!!” ;)
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:21 PM PST up reply actions
he really does seem to be modelling his game after #4. he pinches intelligently, passes amazingly and seems to be in position about 98% of the time…. mind you, he was starting to do that last year….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:24 PM PST up reply actions
So... trade Phaneuf
We’ve got Gio… he doesn’t have the hard shot, but he seems to have good offensive instincts.
Is there anyway we can keep Lundmark after Bourque recovers? Seriously, I’ve liked him better then any of the other revolving cast on the Jokinen Iginla line.
but mcgrattan is so good at bleeding !!!
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:26 PM PST up reply actions
part of me feels bad for the guy, part of me wants him to take a couple weeks off and go to the bahamas or something.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:28 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah the linesman probably fell asleep there. Damn, would’ve been a surefire chance.
But what is Iggy doing at centre ice there again? Fuckin fuck.
well because he doesn’t really have a centreman.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:34 PM PST up reply actions
smart play considering it’s not like they practiced it…
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:36 PM PST up reply actions
It’s always a balancing act, right? You want your skill guys to anticipate a chance, but cheating up all the time seems like a poor risk.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 2:36 PM PST up reply actions
if it wasn’t so effing depressing, it would actually be kindof funny how bad he is.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:40 PM PST up reply actions
Tough to make a lane when everyone, including the passer, is standing around like they’re waiting for a damn bus.
That was my biggest complaint last year as well. Everyone spends their time trying to feed a stand-still shooter.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 2:43 PM PST up reply actions
my brother and I are trying to broker a Phaneuf trade but none of the fans around here are interested. they appear to be intelligent fans.
by maimster on Nov 21, 2009 2:42 PM PST via mobile reply actions
they won’t take him for a dud like kopitar ??? sheeesh….
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:44 PM PST up reply actions
she prob pulls in significantly less than her beau…
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:49 PM PST up reply actions
Yup. As usual, the Flames got a lead in the first and then gave it all back in the second. Those two awful shifts in a row probably did a bunch of the damage.
I think so. I remember them going from about +5 to zero quite rapidly.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 2:47 PM PST up reply actions
Also, this game resembles the first couple in terms of possession at ES: the first line getting killed by the other big boys, while the Flames bottom 6 takes out the other guys bottom 6. At least, however, Iginla is scoring on his chances.
Not to mention that his counterpart is Frolov, who is a wonderful young player. He’s a guy who I want the Flames to pursue.
And this is a surprise, why? All they need is Doug MacLean telling another tale about how he screwed up Columbus, and the day would be complete.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 2:54 PM PST up reply actions
oh, he plays for the hamburg freezers.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 2:53 PM PST up reply actions
-God damn Bouwmeester is good, but I’ve been surprised at how often I’ve noticed Corey Sarich making a good play.
-The Kings need to shoot Ivanans into the Sun.
-Jim Fox LOVES Kiprusoff.
-Craig Conroy is a lovable son of a bitch.
-Doughty is awesome.
-Go Kings.
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
The positive side is that those HAVE to start going in eventually. Nobody can be that unlucky for 82 consecutive games.
i totally disagree. it’s been 20 games (plus last year) so why would i think it will change ?
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:04 PM PST up reply actions
Honestly, and I hate to say it, but I think glenX is trying to challenge for least effective Flame. He hasn’t done shit-much for about 10 games….less get suspended.
He was fantastic in the game after his suspension ended I thought. Otherwise, he’s been fighting it.
moss is equally up for that award, IMO.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:06 PM PST up reply actions
….and i’m guessing we’ll see the very goal i was anticipating, as well.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:07 PM PST up reply actions
I’m sure I’ve used that line before, albeit in a different setting, Colin.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 3:11 PM PST up reply actions
infact, this game is a statement by lundy to stay a) with the big club, and b) on the top line.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:24 PM PST up reply actions
well he’s a step up from sjöström on the wing, and it leaves glenX to play with moss and boyd on the 3rd…..
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:28 PM PST up reply actions
You mean playing a 1-4 or 0-5 forecheck isn’t a winning approach?
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 3:28 PM PST up reply actions
i wonder if he’s been playing hurt, and is starting to come out of it.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:29 PM PST up reply actions
he missed some games early on, i think….. ?
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:31 PM PST up reply actions
I think he had a bad shoulder and a bad foot at the same time.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 3:31 PM PST up reply actions
That uncharacteristically good shiftby the top line brought to you by good coaching.
Seriously. Sutter got the top guns out vs. Richardson and Simmonds, result is good.
This is in no way slagging Iginla and co, they should dominatelesser opposition. Still, we should keep it real.
With that goal, Iggy is now tied with OV and Gaborik for 2nd in goals. However Ovechkin is playing Toskalol and the Leafs tonight, so we’ll see how long that lasts.
shouldn’t that be toskalol and the laffs ?
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
i’m just sayin’ that you might as well go for both if you’re gonna go for one.
by walkinvisible on Nov 21, 2009 3:50 PM PST up reply actions
Why in the name of decency do theey wait until the game is out of hand before playing well on the PP?
No pressure. That’s why can score there.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 3:33 PM PST up reply actions
The PK was much better tonight, even if the SHG doesn’t go in. They were able to clear the zone effectiely and forechecked like demons. Good stuff.
THe EV effort didn’t really surface til the third but as Robert notes, it was there.
The PP remains a work in progress. Goddamn, I thought they got it right in the beginning of the sason.
The PP is stagnant. I can accept pucks not going in on occasion, but you still need to do the right thing, and the right thing is moving yourselves and the puck. The only time it really happened was the 5 v 3.
by Robert Cleave on Nov 21, 2009 3:49 PM PST up reply actions
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