Kings Game One and Done

So the first game was a HUGE disappointment, especially after the Kings got all the way to OT, only to lose game 1 by a score of 3-2. After jumping out to a lead 1-0 at the start of the 2nd period, they allowed the Canucks not only to tie the game up on a power play, but take a significant lead later in the same period. A major penalty against Andrew Alberts for a significant cheap shot allowed the Kings to tie it up, and that’s where it stood through the entire third period.

Some thoughts of game 1:

• Shots in the game favored the Canucks heavily, 44-27, which is a telling statistic, since Terry Murray has been repeatedly emphasizing his need for the Kings to get shots on goal. Frankly, it can’t be argued that more shots=more chances, and the Kings desperately need to generate more traffic in front of Luongo. When he’s had a Kings player located in front of him, he struggles. He did in the last regular season game, and he did the few times that the Kings made his life difficult in Game 1.
• Randy Jones sucks. Not only was he a significant liability, where every time something bad was happening you could look on the ice and see Randy Jones. Not only did he make the awful turnover in OT that lead directly to the Canucks game-winning goal. But he was the Kings player with the 5th most ice time! Only Kopitar, Doughty, Greene and Johnson had more time. C’mon Murray, I know he played well (allegedly) in Philadelphia, but damn. It’s time to show him the bench.
• Raitis Ivanans needs to be scratched. Bring back Parse and let’s go to town. Ivanans accomplished nothing. His presence didn’t stop Alberts from taking a run at the Kings. It didn’t prevent anything, and while he didn’t play much (less than 6 minutes of ice time), he brought nothing at all to the table. In a game with over 65 minutes of play, anyone who can’t get on the ice for at least 10 minutes might as well not even be there. Put it in perspective: Ivanans had 5 minutes and 48 seconds of ice time. The second least (rightly so) was Jeff Halpern, who had 13 minutes and 12 seconds. Not even close. Get him off the bench, off the ice and into the stands.
• Quick appears to have gotten his head out of his ass. He put in a spectacular performance, and none of the three goals could reasonably have been considered his fault. Would I like him to have made a spectacular save or two to get one of them back? Sure. But he made several other brilliant saves that kept the Kings in the game. Suffice it to say that if Quick plays like that for the entire series, the Kings will win or lose, but it won’t be on Quick if they lose.

It was only game 1. It’s a mantra that San Jose, Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit, New Jersey, and seemingly all the favorites going into the playoffs have to be repeating to themselves. There are as many as six more games remaining in round one. The Kings will need to pick up their play, get in front of Luongo, and crack down on the Sedins a bit more if they want to get out. Let’s all be honest though, the Kings were never going to sweep the Canucks, and losing game 1 away is nothing to be upset about. If the Kings can build on this performance and do better in game 2, we could be in for a very entertaining (and hopefully victorious) series. Go Kings!