Kings Gameday: Why the Ducks Can't Win California
by RudyKelly on Feb 8, 2010 11:48 AM PST
237 comments
As Earl detailed below, the Ducks have a terrible record against the Pacific Division and a particularly egregious record against the 2 good teams in California: 8 games, 0 wins, and a lot of laughter from LA and the Bay Area. Why are the Ducks so terrible against their Pacific foes? Well, some of it's luck, obviously; the Ducks are bad but they're not that bad. But I think the real problem is that the Ducks don't match up well against either LA or San Jose because of their centers. Both Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar present a riddle that Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle can't solve because he doesn't have the chips to complete the puzzle. The result? Yatzee.*
*In my dreams I look exactly like Zapp Brannigan.
Here's a look at who scored in the last game between the Kings and the Ducks to illustrate my point. Thoughts after:
| Goal | Who Scored | Anaheim Line | Los Angeles Line |
| 1 | ANA | Blake-Koivu-Selanne | Smyth-Stoll-Brown |
| 2 | LA | Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan | Richardson-Kopitar-Meat |
| 3 | LA | Blake-Koivu-Selanne | Richardson-Kopitar-Meat |
| 4 (PP) | LA | Marchant-Chipchura | Frolov-Kopitar-Handzus |
| 5 | LA | Ryan-Koivu-Selanne | Frolov-Handzus-Segal |
| 6 | ANA | Bodie-Getzlaf-Parros | Ivanans-Moller-Harrold |
| 7 | ANA | Belesky-Getzlaf-Perry | Frolov-Handzus-Segal |
| 8 | ANA | Blake-Marchant-Carter | Smyth-Stoll-Brown |
| 9 | LA | Belesky-Getzlaf-Perry | Richardson-Kopitar-Brown |
| 10 (PP) | LA | Marchant-Koivu | Frolov-Kopitar-Handzus |
237 comments | 1 recs |
BoC Gameday -- Sleek's Stupid Request Policy
by Earl Sleek on Feb 8, 2010 8:42 AM PST
161 comments
Los Angeles Kings (36-19-3, t-3rd in west) at Anaheim Ducks (27-24-7, 12th in west), 7 pm
Jewels From The Crown or Anaheim Calling for the mono-team angle.
Today's game image is a little pun-strained, but I think it turned out OK:
Put on your 3-D glasses for the full effect.
Anze Kopitar did have a monster game last Thursday against the Ducks, but the King that's really been killing Anaheim this season? Jack M.F. Johnson. In three games so far this year against Anaheim, JMFJ has 1 goal and 7 assists; to put that in perspective, Anaheim as a team has only scored 7 goals total in those games. Plus it's half as many points as Johnson has in 53 games against non-Duck-opponents this season.
And yeah, the inability for the Ducks to win within the BoC is really getting tiresome. Five matchups against the Sharks and three matchups against the Kings this season have yielded zero wins, eight regulation losses, and most of the time it's been quite decisive. Three times the Ducks did have third-period ties; three times they blew that before regulation ended. In 480 total intrastate minutes, the Ducks have led twice (never by more than a goal) for a total of 20:02, they have been tied for a total of 142:57, and have trailed for 317:01. Here's the breakdown:
Ducks vs. the Kings and Sharks this season
8 games total -- 480 minutes
| Scoreboard Situation | Time Spent | Pct. Time Spent |
| Ducks lead by one | 20:02 | 4.2% |
| Game is tied | 142:57 | 29.8% |
| Ducks trail by one | 156:00 | 32.5% |
| Ducks trail by two | 54:32 | 11.4% |
| Ducks trail by three | 48:43 | 10.1% |
| Ducks trail by four | 52:05 | 10.9% |
| Ducks trail by five | 5:41 | 1.2% |
| Ducks lead | 20:02 | 4.2% |
| Game is tied | 142:57 | 29.8% |
| Ducks trail | 317:01 | 66.0% |
Nut, Feb. 4th:
Time for a county rape cartoon?
Brokenyard, next comment:
This Ducks fan says definately.
Earl Sleek, Jan. 27th:
FYI, I'm a pushover when it comes to commenter requests, especially ones that are seconded.
Dammit.
161 comments | 1 recs |
Kings Gameday: Wayne Simmonds is Awesome, Take XVIII
by RudyKelly on Feb 6, 2010 7:48 AM PST
54 comments
Players 23 or under with more even-strength points than Wayne Simmonds:
Players 23 or under with fewer even-strength points than Wayne Simmonds:
-Steve Stamkos
Total power play time for Wayne Simmonds this season, in minutes:
-10:11
Per game, in minutes:
-0:11
Meat Train Status:
Confirmed
Prediction Kings win, 4-2. Goals by Kopitar, Simmonds, Johnson and Brown.
54 comments | 0 recs |
Spade and the King of Ptown visit the staples center
by SPADE-IN-VICTORHELL on Feb 5, 2010 3:23 PM PST
20 comments
Howdy folks!!
your nieghborhood spade here with a recap of last nite's excellent adventure...ill write this journal style:
5:15: arrive in pomona at KOP (short for king of ptown) pad. As he mentioned in the comments he had already started with his cheap whiskey and coke...I quickly downed 2 myself and ate some tacos he bought for me...awwww..how sweet right
6pm: driving to the staples center...realize we dont have either a cigar cuter or matches for our cigar...fuck...pissed off..blaring "filter" and doing quite well on air drums thank you very much...we also sing the chorus back n forth...fun times indeed
6:30pm: arrive at the staples center..down some more jack n cokes before we go in..i scratch my nuts...KOP lets loose a snot rocket....no just kidding...but that would have been funny....plus i dont want to piss him off..youll find out later why
20 comments | 1 recs
Sharks Gameday: Sneak Preview
by Mike Chen on Feb 4, 2010 11:34 AM PST
15 comments
San Jose Sharks (36-11-9) at St. Louis Blues (25-22-9), 5 PM EST
Barring any sort of insane Ilya Kovalchuk theories, it looks like the Sharks are going to be getting stay-at-home defenseman Niclas Wallin. I pinged my FTR mates Bob and Cory (both Hurricanes fans at Canes Country) and they both agreed that he's steady and reliable without being flashy, though he scored some big goals during the Carolina Cup run.
Steady, reliable. That's exactly what the Sharks need right now. Assuming no defensemen are let go, the future pairings could look like this:
Boyle, Murray
Blake, Vlasic
Huskins/Demers, Wallin
I'd prefer to put Demers out there with a steady veteran like Wallin, as it provides a safety net for Demers as he grows into his offensive role. Huskins can be steady but his brain farts usually are those of the monumental fashion, and I'd rather see Demers out there with someone less error-prone.
Does McLellan trust Demers? As a 5/6 guy with upside and a good outlet pass, I'd hope so, and hopefully Wallin could show the kid some good defensive habits.
Update: Here's what Bob from Canes Country said about Wallin:
Wallin has been with the Canes for quite some time (2000) and has never played for another NHL team. He's a good sized, stay at home defenseman who can play with a physical edge. That's not to say that he will line up guys at the blueline for huge hits, but he can clear the crease and hold players up along the boards with the best of them.
He has scored some huge goals during the playoffs, (hence the nickname, "the secret weapon"), but he's pretty offensively challenged for the most part. You won't see him on the point of the powerplay for sure. He's not necessarily a great skater, so he won't be skating the puck out of his zone with ease, but his first pass out is usually pretty good and he's not overly prone to making dumb mistakes. (although he does make them from time to time, but don't we all?).
As long as you don't expect too much, you won't be disappointed. Like I said, he's a good stay at home guy who will use his muscle when needed.
The Blue I'd Like On My Team: Paul Kariya, cause he's Asian and that'd be cool to put him on a line with Devin Setoguchi (Japanese) and Manny Malhotra (Indian). That'd be a first, right?
Prediction: Sharks 3, Blues 1. I don't care who scores because a free pizza isn't involved.
15 comments | 0 recs
Kings Gameday: I'm Helpless to Resist
by RudyKelly on Feb 4, 2010 11:04 AM PST
352 comments
I hate stupid promotional shit that advertisers try to sneak in to get you to buy their product. I hate those little commercials they do during Community with Ken Jeong and the little gay dean to trick you into thinking the show has started again and then they try to get you to buy Norton Antivirus or some shit. I hated during Ultimate Fighter when they showed 10-second clips of the show to get you to stop fast-forwarding through the commercials. And I hate that new Best Buy commercial with the black guy who sounds exactly like Vince Vaughn so I keep looking up to see what new movie Vaughn is in.
HOWEVER:
If you take my "mane" man Bailey and show him "lion" around in a speedo while eating Carl's Jr., I'm going to love it. I can't help myself. I had to "paws" the video, I was laughing so hard. You might even say it's like catnip to me. *Shotgun blast to the head
(I wonder if the guy who plays Bailey lies about his job when he talks to women. It's funny, he's playing a lion but he has no pride.)
***
I'm really nervous about tonight's game. The Ducks are a really good team with a lot of forward and defensive depth and I'm sure they're going to give the Kings trouble. I'm especially nervous about their top line, since all three of their top forwards are smart and good and in no way douche bags. It should be a tough game tonight.
(Wouldn't it be weird if any of the above were true? I know, right?)
***
Did anyone else watch the Ducks game last night? There was a point where Getzlaf got the puck in the slot with the goalie down and then instead of shooting he tried a backhand pass through traffic to Corey Perry. I'm convinced Ryan Getzlaf is the dumbest hockey player in the NHL.
Prediction: Spade and his brother get hammered.
352 comments | 0 recs |
BoC Gameday -- SoCal Collision Course
by Earl Sleek on Feb 4, 2010 9:56 AM PST
101 comments
Anaheim Ducks (27-23-7, t-10th in west) at Los Angeles Kings (34-19-3, 5th in west), 7:30 pm
Anaheim Calling and Jewels From The Crown -- damn separatists.
(Author's note -- I'm putting the "Remembering Jiggy" theme aside for a day, but definitely more to come. It would have been relevant had the Ducks and Kings ever shared any playoff history, but unfortunately we know how that goes: there can be only one!)
Shockingly big game tonight. Kings have won seven games in a row and 12 of their past 16. Ducks have won three in a row and 11 of their past 15. I can't remember a time when these two teams played a game with that kind of mutual momentum going into it.
Guest cartoon by Spade -- this one's epic.
Of course, the Ducks are still a league-worst 3-11-2 within their own division (0-7-0 within the BoC) and an impressive 24-12-5 against non-Pacific foes. It's not a stretch to think that with only 25 games remaining on the Anaheim schedule, the four remaining against the Kings (including tonight) really could make or break Anaheim's attempt to climb into the playoff picture. And I'm fairly certain that the Kings relish any opportunity to stomp that hope out.
Critter Battle of the Night: Jason Blake vs. Anze Kopitar.
Prediction: Of course epic BoC games only can happen on Thursday nights, so I won't be around tonight until the latter half of the third -- play nice in the game comments. Oh, and as for a prediction? I'll take the safe route -- Spade and his brother get hammered.
Go Ducks.
101 comments | 0 recs |
Ducks Gameday -- Remembering Jiggy, Part 1
by Earl Sleek on Feb 3, 2010 3:00 PM PST
262 comments
Detroit Red Wings (27-19-10, t-7th in west) at Anaheim Ducks (26-23-7, 11th in west), 7 pm
Anaheim Calling, Winging It In Motown, Abel To Yzerman, The Triple Deke -- have fun out there, kiddos.
(Author's note: this originally was going to be a rather lengthy farewell post to J.S. Giguere, but seeing that I've procrastinated a great deal in the past 24 hours, now it has transformed itself into a multi-part series, with most of it coming tomorrow and possibly beyond. So don't use up all your kleenex reminiscing today, Ducks fans.)
I was talking to a buddy of mine the other day about the J.S. Giguere trade, and he shot me a fairly direct question: "So after it's all said and done, what is your favorite Giguere memory?" It seemed a question that I'd have to ponder for a few minutes, but I was shocked at how quickly the correct answer jumped out of my mouth: "Uh, it has to be sweeping Detroit." My buddy and I went ahead and listed out some of the alternative good time options -- Jiggy won a cup, ousted two #1 seeds, held the Minnesota Wild to one fucking goal in a conference finals -- but after we went through the options, my reflexive answer held.
Sweeping fucking Detroit -- the way Jiggy started his postseason career was probably the climactic moment of my hockey fandom, and to this day I still can't believe it happened like it did.
OMG -- Pahlsson sighting.
Going into that spring of 2003, the Mighty Ducks had finished their season well, but could only climb their way to the the seventh seed. It was the franchise's third playoff appearance, and first since 1999. Each of its previous two playoff appearances had ended the same way -- death by Red Wing, each time in a four-game sweep. And wouldn't you know it? Four years since their last appearance, the Mighty Ducks' first round opponent was fittingly that same Red Menace -- defending cup champions Detroit. Another four opportunities for Anaheim to win its first ever playoff game against the cursed winged wheel.
262 comments | 0 recs |
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Pacific Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Jose
|
59 | 39 | 11 | 9 | 87 |
|
Phoenix
|
60 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 77 |
|
Los Angeles
|
59 | 36 | 20 | 3 | 75 |
|
Dallas
|
58 | 26 | 21 | 11 | 63 |
|
Anaheim
|
59 | 28 | 24 | 7 | 63 |
(updated 2.8.2010 at 9:41 PM PST)
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Ducks Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Edmonton
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Wed 02/10 | 7:00 PM PST |
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@
Calgary
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Sat 02/13 | 7:00 PM PST |
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@
Edmonton
|
Sun 02/14 | 4:00 PM PST |
|
Colorado
|
Wed 03/03 | 7:00 PM PST |
|
@
Phoenix
|
Sat 03/06 | 5:00 PM PST |
Last 5 Games
|
Los Angeles
|
Mon 02/08 | W 4 - 2 |
|
@
Los Angeles
|
Thu 02/04 | L 4 - 6 |
|
Detroit
|
Wed 02/03 | W 3 - 1 |
|
@
Florida
|
Mon 02/01 | W 3 - 0 |
|
@
Tampa Bay
|
Fri 01/29 | SO - W 2 - 1 |
Kings Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Edmonton
|
Thu 02/11 | 7:30 PM PST |
|
Colorado
|
Sat 02/13 | 7:30 PM PST |
|
@
Dallas
|
Tue 03/02 | 5:30 PM PST |
|
@
Nashville
|
Thu 03/04 | 5:00 PM PST |
|
Montreal
|
Sat 03/06 | 7:00 PM PST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Anaheim
|
Mon 02/08 | L 2 - 4 |
|
Detroit
|
Sat 02/06 | W 4 - 3 |
|
Anaheim
|
Thu 02/04 | W 6 - 4 |
|
New York Rangers
|
Tue 02/02 | W 2 - 1 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Sun 01/31 | W 3 - 2 |
Sharks Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
@
Columbus
|
Wed 02/10 | 4:00 PM PST |
|
@
Detroit
|
Thu 02/11 | 4:30 PM PST |
|
@
Buffalo
|
Sat 02/13 | 4:00 PM PST |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 03/02 | 7:30 PM PST |
|
Montreal
|
Thu 03/04 | 7:30 PM PST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Toronto
|
Mon 02/08 | W 3 - 2 |
|
@
Nashville
|
Sat 02/06 | W 4 - 3 |
|
@
St. Louis
|
Thu 02/04 | W 4 - 2 |
|
Detroit
|
Tue 02/02 | L 2 - 4 |
|
Minnesota
|
Sat 01/30 | W 5 - 2 |
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