I know I got crazy yesterday, but after the loss last night, can you really blame me? Last night was LA’s chance to stay in the fight for a wild card spot that is becoming increasingly more important as the season rages on.
Rivalry night at the Shark Tank! Who doesn’t love a good battle between Northern California and Southern California? It’s games like this that we look forward to all season. And I could feel my blood pumping as I sat down and got ready to enjoy some great rivalry hockey. The hits were big, and the passion…even bigger.
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But it wasn’t enough to stop the LA Kings from losing another game, and another one on the road.
Midway through the first period at 10:44, Logan Couture scored on Jonathan Quick. No denying, the goal was pretty spectacular, but the back checking was weak, and is the reason Couture was able to break through. Kings got a power play at 3:53, but couldn’t capitalize. Kings were outshot 10-6 in the first period. There were some good chances where they could have gotten a shot off, but Sharks defense was pretty tight last night.
Kings 0, Sharks 1, end of the first period.
Going into the second period at 11:39 Dustin Brown scores! Game is tied! Assisted by Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar. The goal was a classic behind the net wraparound goal to beat Niemi and tie the game at 1-1. But the party was short-lived when Patrick Marleau scored on a Sharks power play to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Sharks outshot the Kings again 9-6, which really did show on the scoreboard. They got better chances, and took better advantage of those chances.
Puck Prose
The third period was when things got interesting. Joe Pavelski scored on what was another power play chance. Sharks now lead the Kings 3-1. But the Kings came back to score on a power play of their own, with Jeff Carter shoving it in the net this time. It would seem that the Kings would be able to stay in it, but mind you, this goal was scored with 27 seconds left in the game. So let’s just say a goal being scored is very slim. And as usual, goalie was pulled, and the other team scores on the empty net, game over, Kings lose the game before the All Star Game this weekend.
What The Loss Means
This loss means the Kings have an uphill climb to try to get to the playoffs. We no longer have the luxury of saying “Oh, it’s just a midseason slump”, this is a lot more than that. The Kings have struggled all season, and hopefully they can regroup this All Star break and find some way to get back into the game, and make a fight for that playoff spot. Yes, history is on our side, but remember why that happened. The Kings put in the effort and fought hard for that playoff spot. It doesn’t take history, it takes dedication, and let’s hope the Kings show us that they have it once All Star break is over.