A few observations from tonight's game...
...first a big shout out to LAKingSteve for the parking tip. The lot on Hope and 11th was perfect: Safe, secure, close to the arena and reasonably priced. And thanks to Susan for the tip on the lot on Blaine, but Blaine doesn't work for me since I don't take the freeway (I come in from Glendale/2nd Street).
As for the game...sigh...the Kings passing was abysmal all night long. It was actually pretty funny...they simply could not connect on one meaningful pass. My buddy had never been to an NHL game, but as a young man he played hockey in SoCal at all the usual places...Pickwick, Culver, Laurel, et al...and he said "The Kings looked disconnected...like a bunch of strangers on the ice playing together for the first time. "Spot-on.
And I know I sound like a broken record, but the Kings are not going anywhere until we get bigger. We got pushed around, again, and we lost almost every puck battle on the boards and one-on-one. Pathetic.
Kaprizov was by far the best player on the ice. And it wasn't even close. His skill level is far beyond any player on the Kings team.
The Kings should not be remotely concerned who they play first in the playoffs. I'm tired of hearing about it. There is no hiding in the playoffs. To keep advancing, you have to play the best teams at some point. The only thing the Kings need to concentrate on is the wild inconsistency of their game.
In my opinion, this schizophrenic group needs a complete rebuild. Tear it down and start over from scratch, from top to bottom. Kick Blake to the curb and hire a new coach and put some of the older Kings out to pasture. As much as I hate the thought of beginning yet another rebuild, the Blake experiment has failed. This team is a mess.
If the Kings win one game in the first round I will be shocked. I just don't see any fight in this team. Sometimes they look like they'd rather be anywhere else but out on the ice....the golf course, the beach, a club...their heads don't seem to be on the task at hand. I don't blame the coaching staff, this is on the players.
And finally I am starting to wonder if I will ever see a Kings win in person again. This is by far the longest losing streak since I started watching hockey in 1967.