LA Kings (surprisingly decent) @ NY Islanders (haha, seriously?)
4:00 PST, Fox Sports West
I waited a period to write this because I wanted to check out how the Kings were doing, and so far... I'm thinking maybe I should stop watching. The Kings look pretty bad. The only line with any energy is Simmonds-Handzus-Richardson, while the defense has looked rattled all game. I know it's just the first period and the Islanders have been pretty aggressive, but still, get it the fuck together guys.
A team like the Islanders relies on forechecking to get opportunities because, let's be honest, they're not going to create much on their own. So far, the Kings have had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone, but hopefully that'll get better as the game goes on. The young defenders especially have had trouble and I imagine Mark Hardy will stress the importane of getting the puck up the boards. They just need to make sure no one is leaving the zone without the puck secured and they'll be fine.
Also, how sad is it to watch an Islanders game? It's like watching Hockey Witness Protection. "Wait, hold on: Trent Hunter? He's still playing? And Brendan Witt, I thought he got thrown out of the league a few years ago." Guerin, Weight, Yan Denis, Mike Comrie, Jon Sim, Mike Sillinger, Richard fuckin' Park... it's like the Islanders decided to comprise their team of sloppy seconds from the trade deadline 5 years ago. I do like Okposo, though.
Prediction: Kings win, 4-1. Goals by Simmonds, Greene, Frolov and O'Sullivan.
Loading comments...