How many games for Nurse?

[DoubleMinor]

Agreed. The only retribution the Kings should be seeking against Nurse is knocking his team out of the playoffs in the first round. Kings can't subscribe to the petty nonsense if they hope to win.

I hope Jeannot and Edmundson are back for game 1 but from what I've heard Jeannot appears to be a long shot (but he is listed as DTD so hopefully that is good news). Not sure on Edmundson (who is also listed as DTD).

I really do want to see the Kings get good clean hits on both McDavid and Drai often and consistently through this series. I get that McDavid is hard to hit because of his speed, but they rarely even touched Drai the past few series who was like a Hyena out there last season (hobbled and deadly). Both seem to have a short fuse and will retaliate even if the hits are clean.

Nurse I'd just stay away from. Edmonton is literally worse with him on the ice and he doesn't have the skating speed to keep up with most Kings. Just gotta stay away from him after the whistle and ensure he doesn't injure anyone.

I agree that Nurse is a liability defensively. With Ekholm out that really puts pressure on the oilers already weak defensive corp.
Nurse, Perry and Kane will all try to do things between the whistles. Kings have to keep their composure.

As much as my emotions want to get the best of me I just don’t want to see the Kings lose another winnable series because we let Corey effing Perry goad them into dumb responses.

As has been said, the Kings have an advantage 5-5. While we hope the PK is better, we hoped that last year when Edmonton was about 50% on their PP’s.

A few years ago Mikey was pretty physical against McDavid and it clearly got under the skin. And you are correct about Draisital needing to get a pounding.

I think we will see Eddie in the lineup. I don’t think we see Jeannot.
Question is if Hiller is comfortable with three youngsters on the fourth line or if he puts Lewis in for Malott. To me, Lewis has shown he cannot keep up with the pace. Malott does give the Kings a bit of what Jeannot does. I hope he goes with the three young guys.

 

[Clif]

If at all possible, I would like to see Kempe put himself in a position to hipcheck McDavid. A lot to ask, but will be a core Kings memory for years to come.

 

[Rog or Reg?]

If at all possible, I would like to see Kempe put himself in a position to hipcheck McDavid. A lot to ask, but will be a core Kings memory for years to come.

Well, if we learned nothing else the last few games, it's that Adrian Kempe knows how to deliver a hip check. I thought it was Rob Blake out there.

 

[DryKing]

Question is if Hiller is comfortable with three youngsters on the fourth line or if he puts Lewis in for Malott. To me, Lewis has shown he cannot keep up with the pace. Malott does give the Kings a bit of what Jeannot does. I hope he goes with the three young guys.

My guess is that we see the rookies get the start and then adjust, as needed, from there.

Lewis is still a quality player who can be counted on to play in any situation, but he's not going to provide the physicality or speed Malott will. I don't see us winning without Helenius playing well/physical, and Turcotte is quite honestly better, from a skill perspective, than the three of them combined (I just hope he stays healthy).

Really wish Jeannot was in the lineup, though, as this is the exact time Blake acquired him for.

 

[DRice]

Exactly. Going after Nurse accomplishes nothing.
Drilling Connor, Leon & Hyman every chance we get will make a difference.

But it has to be UBER clean hits. I mean ridiculously clean hits. Otherwise the Oilers power play will make this a very short series.

 

[Ice Rhino]

Play hard, play clean, stay out of the box, and win the series in 5-6 games with 5 on 5. They have the team to do it.

Then, give them a pat on the chest, and let those *#&@!er's know you hope they enjoy the upcoming golf during the handshake line, and that they'll never have their name engraved.

 

[DoubleMinor]

My guess is that we see the rookies get the start and then adjust, as needed, from there.

Lewis is still a quality player who can be counted on to play in any situation, but he's not going to provide the physicality or speed Malott will. I don't see us winning without Helenius playing well/physical, and Turcotte is quite honestly better, from a skill perspective, than the three of them combined (I just hope he stays healthy).

Really wish Jeannot was in the lineup, though, as this is the exact time Blake acquired him for.

If Jeannot is not available it’s a big loss. As guy stated, this is the precise moment for why he was acquired.
I have been impressed with Malott in his handful of games. He can partially fill the role.

Turcotte has really good skills. While he can go quiet at times he has shown glimpses of why he was viewed as a top pick. It’s just the injuries that have held him back. Unfortunately I just don’t see a long career for him. Hope I’m wrong.

I agree, you start the three young guys and go from there.

One question that I can’t really answer is what happened with Thomas?
Could be wrong but I thought he was viewed as a likely starter. Word was he did not have a good camp and has been buried. While I don’t think he is great by any stretch he almost seemed a good replacement for Lewis.
Did the bad camp spoil the year? Was it something that got him crossways with Hiller?
His year has been a waste. And he’s played so seldom it’s hard to judge his value. I’m just curious about what happened?

 

[Dr. Tran]

It should’ve been more than 1 game. That’s a meaningless regular season game. It should be at least 1 playoff game or more. Especially with his history. But I guess it’s better than nothing, barely. I was worried it would be just a fine.

But no, there’s no reason to retaliate. We can’t let the refs determine the series because we don’t know how they’ll call things. Just play hard but clean & win the series.

 

[Dr. Tran]

The other thing is, I saw on twitter where whoever posted said QB was in the press box with the other scratched players. And they said he was fine & joking around. So he should be good for game 1.

 

[Clif]

Well, if we learned nothing else the last few games, it's that Adrian Kempe knows how to deliver a hip check. I thought it was Rob Blake out there.

Kempe does everything at a high level. And yet, he can also place a perfect hipcheck. He is no mere mortal.

 

[DryKing]

One question that I can’t really answer is what happened with Thomas?
Could be wrong but I thought he was viewed as a likely starter. Word was he did not have a good camp and has been buried. While I don’t think he is great by any stretch he almost seemed a good replacement for Lewis.
Did the bad camp spoil the year? Was it something that got him crossways with Hiller?
His year has been a waste. And he’s played so seldom it’s hard to judge his value. I’m just curious about what happened?

Thomas has been a big disappointment - he has the skill but really hasn't shown anything this season. I agree part of the problem is limited playing time and only suiting up for 24 games this season, but when he has suited up he's been mainly a shadow. Compare him to Turcotte, for instance, who consistently gets very little play time but still manages to make his presence known.

He's 25 now so it may be time to move on. If not, next season is likely make or break for him with the Kings. I know he is good enough to play in the NHL, so it's a bit confusing why he has done so poorly this season.

 

[McSorleyFan]

If at all possible, I would like to see Kempe put himself in a position to hipcheck McDavid. A lot to ask, but will be a core Kings memory for years to come.

As much as I want the Kings to score on their PP, I love seeing an unsuspecting opponent try to skate around Kempe.

 

[Madness20721]

The most important question: How is QB?

 

[Earl]

For sure, Edmonton is scared to face the Kings and is trying to hedge their bets in advance (either through intimidation or injury). The Kings have shown a lack of ability to push back, in the past, when things get nasty

I think targeting McDavid with every "clean" hit possible is the correct strategy. Get him in a corner and blast him into the seats.

Problem with that is you have to catch him first!

 

[hokiecat]

The most important question: How is QB?

He's fine.

 

[hokiecat]

It should’ve been more than 1 game. That’s a meaningless regular season game. It should be at least 1 playoff game or more. Especially with his history. But I guess it’s better than nothing, barely. I was worried it would be just a fine.

But no, there’s no reason to retaliate. We can’t let the refs determine the series because we don’t know how they’ll call things. Just play hard but clean & win the series.

I agree with everything you said.

It was a one game suspension when the Oilers were already probably likely to rest Nurse for the playoffs. It would be like the NHL giving Keumper the night off tonight because of using an unapproved blocker. That's no punishment at all.

But there's no reason to goon it up or do anything stupid in retalliation. Just eliminate Edmonton. Ekholm is out, Skinner sucks, 97 is back, but LD could still be under 100%. Meanwhile, we're mostly healthy with the exception of Doughty being well below 100%.

 

[DryKing]

I agree with everything you said.

It was a one game suspension when the Oilers were already probably likely to rest Nurse for the playoffs. It would be like the NHL giving Keumper the night off tonight because of using an unapproved blocker. That's no punishment at all.

But there's no reason to goon it up or do anything stupid in retalliation. Just eliminate Edmonton. Ekholm is out, Skinner sucks, 97 is back, but LD could still be under 100%. Meanwhile, we're mostly healthy with the exception of Doughty being well below 100%.

Yeah, though it does add to Nurse's suspension history which could have a future impact on his career.

Ekholm being out is huge for us as he has been a key to their success. I know he's getting up there in age and has one more year on his contract with EDM but he would look good in a Kings uniform one day. That guy is a true warrior.

 

[DoubleMinor]

Yeah, though it does add to Nurse's suspension history which could have a future impact on his career.

Ekholm being out is huge for us as he has been a key to their success. I know he's getting up there in age and has one more year on his contract with EDM but he would look good in a Kings uniform one day. That guy is a true warrior.

I was really hoping the Kings would get Ekholm at the deadline when Nashville made him available. It was a double whammy when EDM got him instead. He has really helped their D.
It’s big that he is out for at least the start of the series. I honestly don’t know if he’s out for the whole round. Hockey players play through crazy amounts of pain and injuries that would have most of us in traction. I have no idea what his injury is but if he can go later in the series it would not surprise me to see him.

 

[VCRW]

Question is if Hiller is comfortable with three youngsters on the fourth line or if he puts Lewis in for Malott. To me, Lewis has shown he cannot keep up with the pace. Malott does give the Kings a bit of what Jeannot does. I hope he goes with the three young guys.

Malott is 28 and a veteran of 5 pro seasons in the AHL after graduating from Cornell. He's definitely a grownup in terms of strength and experience.

 

[DoubleMinor]

Malott is 28 and a veteran of 5 pro seasons in the AHL after graduating from Cornell. He's definitely a grownup in terms of strength and experience.

Yeah, he’s older and has played a lot of pro hockey. But I doubt he’s ever experienced NHL playoff hockey.
I like what I’ve seen from him. I think he can handle it.
My question /concern is whether the coaches feel comfortable with a line with virtually no playoff experience. It’s not so much the home games where Hiller can match them. It’s the road games. I would be a bit nervous seeing McDavid and Leon hopping over the boards vs that line in a close game.
With two home games we will get a good chance to see how they can handle things, if that’s the plan.