Now back to your regularly scheduled programming… (although not without another plug for that awesome polar bear ad. It’s awesome, check it out.) Now, after going 3-2 in the first five games, the Kings had three games left on the schedule, including two against the Avalanche and one against the hated Ducks. Unfortunately the results didn’t play out quite the way a Kings fan might have preferred (ie. we lost too many times). On to the game by game:
Kings 2 – Avalanche 3
Kings Scorers: Peter Harrold (1), Trevor Lewis (1)
Avalanche Scorers: P. Stastny (1), M. Hedjuk (1), T. Hensick (1)
Recap – Bummer of a start with a loss against the Avs. It definitely not a good sign, since the Avs have been widely predicted to finish outside of the playoffs, and since the Kings will certainly be fighting for a playoff spot, they’ll need to make sure to secure as many points as possible when playing substantially inferior teams.
Coyotes 3 – Kings 5
Kings Scorers: Anze Kopitar (2), Alexander Frolov (1), Wayne Simmonds (1), Drew Doughty (1)
Avalanche Scorers: D. Tucker (2), W. Wolski (1)
Recap – A better result then the last matchup between these two teams and I’ll take it. With Kopitar’s two goals, he’s hopefully finding his knack for the net that he’ll be able to build upon heading into the season. Another bright spot in this game includes Simmonds’ continued scoring touch, and while I’d be shocked if the scoring continued at anywhere near this pace, the offense he’s shown, coupled with the teammates he’s likely to have make me think 20 goals for the winger might not be out of the question. It’s probably worth a mention that this game was played in Las Vegas, Nevada during the annual “Frozen Fury”. In the last 13 FF matches, the Kings are 9-2-2. If only they could translate that success into the regular season…
Ducks 5 – Kings 4
Kings Scorers: Ryan Smyth (2), Anze Kopitar (2)
Sharks Scorers: C. Perry (1), B. Ryan (2), R. Getzlaf (1), J. Lupul (1)
Recap – Not the most uplifting way to end the pre-season with a loss to cross-town rival Ducks. That being said, Kopitar put in another couple goals, and Ryan Smyth continued to impress with his performance for the Kings. He’s looking more and more like a great addition to this team, and certainly worth the cost. This end to the pre-season put the final record at a solid, if unspectacular 4-3-1. Lest you be tempted to be overly optomistic about this record, keep in mind that the Kings have finished with a pre-season record of .500 or better for 21 consecutive years. Yes, you read that right, they haven’t had a preseason below .500 since the 1980’s. In all that time, they’ve also only made the playoffs 9 times. Clearly success in the preseason is not a predictor of success. Hopefully this will be the year that it all turns around and the Kings make the next step into the playoffs.