Los Angeles Kings
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Los Angeles Kings 02/04/12 Scoring Chances
Until tonight, the Hurricanes had not beaten the Los Angeles Kings since Feburary of 2007 and it looked like that streak would continue after the Canes looked flat in the first period and were trailing 1-0. It marks the third straight game that the team has gotten off to a sluggish start and this one was probably their worst yet, but it was all uphill after that…sort of. Carolina battled back and looked a lot stronger for the rest of the game which resulted in them taking home a 2-1 win.
It was definitely an ugly win and there were a lot of things that went wrong for the Canes (awful powerplay, only one even strength scoring chance in the first period, outshot yet again) but all of that usually gets minimized with a loss. Carolina has a lot of things to feel good about with this win, as well. Jiri Tlusty had one of his better games and scored a goal on what was a fantastic individual effort and the Hurricanes played a solid defensive game so Ward did not need to completely stand …
Hurricanes 2, Kings 1
Jeff Skinner scored 3:02 into the third period to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Jiri Tlutsy also scored and Cam Ward made 24 saves for the Hurricanes, who are 8-2-1 in their last 11 home games as they try to work their way up from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Anze Kopitar scored for Los Angeles and Jonathan Bernier made 20 saves.
The Kings have lost two in a row.
With the score tied at 1, Skinner worked hard on the forecheck deep in the Los Angeles zone. He eventually freed the puck and got it back to Jussi Jokinen, whose wrist shot was stopped by Bernier. Skinner pounced on the rebound before Bernier could freeze the puck and shot it into the open net.
It was Skinner’s third goal in his last five games.
Los Angeles opened the scoring when Kopitar one-timed a shot from the slot past Ward. Justin Williams set Kopitar up with a nice pass from the corner.
Carolina tied the score late in the second when Tlutsy blocked a shot at the Carolina blue line. The puck deflected back into the Kings’ zone, and Tlutsy managed to corral it along the right boards. He skated forward and beat Bernier with a wrist shot from the right circle.
The comeback win was a rarity for the Hurricanes, who entered the game with a 1-13-0 record when trailing after the first period.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, was 9-0-1 when leading after the first.
The Kings are in the midst of six-game road trip. Los Angeles, which entered the game in seventh place in the West, lost 1-0 to St. Louis on Friday.
The last time Los Angeles played in Carolina was on Nov. 11, 2009.
Ward has played especially well during the Hurricanes’ surge at home. Coming into the game, he had posted a 1.88 goals-against average over the previous 10 home games.
NOTES: Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter is the uncle of Carolina’s Brandon Sutter. … The Kings didn’t get into Raleigh until early Saturday morning after their game in St. Louis. … Williams was a member of the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Skinner leads Hurricanes to win over Kings
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After Los Angeles took an early lead, the Carolina Hurricanes waited for the Kings’ travel schedule to catch up with them.
Jeff Skinner scored 3:02 into the third period to lift the Hurricanes to a 2-1 win over the Kings on Saturday night.
Jiri Tlutsy also scored and Cam Ward made 24 saves for the Hurricanes, who are 8-2-1 in their last 11 home games as they try to work their way up from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
“They came out ready to play, and it seemed like they had a step on us in the first period,” Carolina netminder Cam Ward said. “We weren’t too pleased with it after the first intermission, but once again, we were able to turn it around. We knew that they had some travel, so we made it difficult on them in the second and third.”
After their 1-0 loss to St. Louis on Friday night, the Kings didn’t arrive in Raleigh until early Saturday morning.
“It’s not rocket science,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. “We played last night and got here at two in the morning. They were pushing a little bit more because they had more.”
Anze Kopitar scored for Los Angeles and Jonathan Bernier made 20 saves.
“I can count the number of opportunities they had on one hand and the number of opportunities we had,” Sutter said. “It’s a fine line. We played six periods on the road and gave up three goals and didn’t get anything out of it. Tough one to swallow.”
The Kings have lost two in a row.
With the score tied at 1, Skinner worked hard on the forecheck deep in the Los Angeles zone. He eventually freed the puck and got it back to Jussi Jokinen, whose wrist shot was stopped by Bernier. Skinner pounced on the rebound before Bernier could freeze the puck and shot it into the open net.
It was Skinner’s third goal in five games as he works his way back into form after missing 16 games with a concussion.
“I’m not going to be digging on Cam Ward like that in practice,” Skinner said. “Those sort of things take a while to come back, and it was a good feeling.”
Los Angeles opened the scoring when Kopitar one-timed a shot from the slot past Ward. Justin Williams set Kopitar up with a nice pass from the corner.
Carolina tied the score late in the second when Tlutsy blocked a shot at the Carolina blue line. The puck deflected back into the Kings’ zone, and Tlutsy managed to corral it along the right boards. He skated forward and beat Bernier with a wrist shot from the right circle.
“He’s really picked his game up over the last 10 games or so,” Carolina coach Kirk Muller said of Tlutsy’s play. “Offensively, he’s been making a lot of things tick.”
The comeback win was a rarity for the Hurricanes, who entered the game with a 1-13-0 record when trailing after the first period.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, was 9-0-1 when leading after the first.
The Kings are in the midst of six-game road trip. Los Angeles, which entered the game in seventh place in the West, lost 1-0 to St. Louis on Friday.
The last time Los Angeles played in Carolina was on Nov. 11, 2009.
Ward has played especially well during the Hurricanes’ surge at home. Coming into the game, he had posted a 1.88 goals-against average over the previous 10 home games.
NOTES: Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter is the uncle of Carolina’s Brandon Sutter. … The Kings didn’t get into Raleigh until early Saturday morning after their game in St. Louis. … Williams was a member of the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Kings fall to Hurricanes on the road
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jeff Skinner scored 3:02 into the third period to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Jiri Tlutsy also scored and Cam Ward made 24 saves for the Hurricanes, who are 8-2-1 in their last 11 home games as they try to work their way up from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Anze Kopitar scored for Los Angeles and Jonathan Bernier made 20 saves.
The Kings have lost two in a row.
With the score tied at 1, Skinner worked hard on the forecheck deep in the Los Angeles zone. He eventually freed the puck and got it back to Jussi Jokinen, whose wrist shot was stopped by Bernier. Skinner pounced on the rebound before Bernier could freeze the puck and shot it into the open net.
It was Skinner’s third goal in his last five games.
Los Angeles opened the scoring when Kopitar one-timed a shot from the slot past Ward. Justin Williams set Kopitar up with a nice pass from the corner.
Carolina tied the score late in the second when Tlutsy blocked a shot at the Carolina blue line. The puck deflected back into the Kings’ zone, and Tlutsy managed to corral it along the right boards. He skated forward and beat Bernier with a wrist shot from the right circle.
The comeback win was a rarity for the Hurricanes, who entered the game with a 1-13-0 record when trailing after the first period.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, was 9-0-1 when leading after the first.
The Kings are in the midst of six-game road trip. Los Angeles, which entered the game in seventh place in the West, lost 1-0 to St. Louis on Friday.
The last time Los Angeles played in Carolina was on Nov. 11, 2009.
Ward has played especially well during the Hurricanes’ surge at home. Coming into the game, he had posted a 1.88 goals-against average over the previous 10 home games.
NOTES: Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter is the uncle of Carolina’s Brandon Sutter. … The Kings didn’t get into Raleigh until early Saturday morning after their game in St. Louis. … Williams was a member of the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Los Angeles Kings show interest in Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings are in need of a top six forward if they have any chance of beating the upper echelon of their respective conferences. If the playoffs started today, the Maple Leafs would face the New York Rangers, while the Kings would be playing the Vancouver Canucks.
Would these two teams be good trading partners?
I’m saying no.
Looking at the Kings roster, players Maple Leafs (or any team for that matter) could benefit from are; Anze Kopitar, though he is the Kings best player, so he is not going anywhere. Mike Richards would a nice addition, but just like Jeff Carter, a long contract does not suit Brian Burke’s taste.
Jarret Stoll would be a great addition if Mikhail Grabovski is still in Toronto this summer and does not re-sign. Looking at the free agent pool, Stoll the only viable center this summer who could fit in with the Maple Leafs system. Yes Zach Parise, one of the better free agents this off-season would be a nice addition,…
Why the Los Angeles Kings’ clock error doesn’t matter
It was a matter of time until the Los Angeles Kings prevailed against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night.
The win was more critical for the Kings than the loss was for the Blue Jackets. Still, it examplifies a fundamental flaw with the basic principle the game is played: the team with the most goals in three 20-minute periods win. And, if it’s tied, the game is decided in overtime.
(Here’s commissioner Gary Bettman addressing the controversy:)
Columbus is 11 points behind the 14th-place Edmonton Oilers with 32, and certain isn’t losing a whole lot by losing one to a technical blunder.
The Kings, however, will take what they can get, surely, trying to propel to the top ranks of the Western Conference race.
But, if the game went into overtime with those that half-second going scoreless, the Kings were assured one point at least. Thankfully, it wasn’t a playoff or playoff-clinching game. It wasn’t a Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks, a Mo…
NHL reviewing suspicious clock stoppage
The NHL is investigating a suspicious circumstance from Wednesday night’s last-second victory by the Los Angeles Kings over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With the game tied 2-2 and the home Kings on the power play, the clock froze at 1.8 seconds and remained stopped for more than a second.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s game-winner crossed the goal line with 0.4 on the clock.
Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson immediately contacted the NHL after the game to address the fishy situation.
“I spoke with (NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations) Colin Campbell on two occasions after the game,” Howson said in a statement. “Colin has promised me that the NHL will investigate this to try and figure out how this happened.”
Describing it as an “amazing coincidence,” Howson said Campbell confirmed the official game clock at the Staples Center incorrectly stopped at 1.8, not just the clock shown on television.
Nevertheless, Campbell told ESPN Thursday the result of the game will stand. Campbell admitted the goal should have been waved off, saying the league’s probe will seek to identify why the stoppage occurred.
The Kings, however, offered their own explanation Thursday, stating that the clock stoppage was not actually a malfunction, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs — given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see,” said Kings general manager Dean Lombardi.
“The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10-10ths of a second before the delay. This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes.
“That is not an opinion — that is science — amazing device quite frankly.”
At 13-32-6, Columbus is at the bottom of the NHL by 11 points.
But the extra two points were significant to the Western Conference playoff race, since the Kings are in seventh place, now five points clear of Minnesota and six points up on Dallas and Colorado.
NHL investigating Blue Jackets-Kings finish
The Columbus Blue Jackets got the shaft Wednesday night.
This might not be a big deal when referring to hockey sticks, but it matters when it comes to a last-second goal that eliminated overtime against the Los Angeles Kings.
It matters a lot.
Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson appropriately pointed this out in a Thursday blog post that was later removed from the team’s website.
“Anyone who has competed at a high level of sports knows that when you put everything into a game, the result matters,” Howson wrote. “And to have the result altered unfairly stings.”
The situation: The game was tied 2-2 in the final seconds, with the Kings swarming the Blue Jackets goal on a power play. Drew Doughty scored with four-tenths of a second left.
However, replays showed the clock did not move during play for about one full second with 1.8 seconds left, a stoppage that Howson noticed and brought to the league’s attention.
NHL vice president Colin Campbell told Howson that the league would investigate.
Kings president Dean Lombardi had an interesting — yes, that’s the word — explanation for the clock situation. In an email to the Los Angeles Times, Lombardi wrote:
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs — given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 1010ths of a second before the delay. This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes.
“That is not an opinion — that is science — amazing device quite frankly.”
Quite frankly.
For those who do not know, a coulomb is named after a fine gentleman named Charles de Coulomb, who lived from 1736-1806 (according to dictionary.com). It is the amount of electricity conveyed in one second by a current of one amp.
Evidently it has something to do with the time shown on the clock syncing with the internal computer that runs the clock. Or something like that. A member of the Kings communications staff confirmed that Lombardi send that email.
Though impressively scientific, this does not eliminate Howson’s legitimate concerns. The clock malfunction seems improper, and it matters. It won’t matter to the Blue Jackets, who are 13-32-6 this season. But it might matter to the Kings and the Western Conference playoffs, where a point or two can make a difference in playoff seeding, home ice and, in the most extreme, who makes the playoffs.
“We will never know if the Kings would have got the extra point in overtime or shootout, but they may not have,” Howson wrote. “This extra point in the standings could have an enormous impact both competitively and economically. What if the Kings make the playoffs by one point or gain home ice advantage by one point? We could be talking about a team not making the playoffs and missing out on millions of dollars in playoff gates.
“No one can ever convince me that this result does not matter.”
During the day Thursday, Howson asked that the blog post be removed, thinking that some of the wording was a little too pointed. Reasonable. But in this age, once something is posted and reposted, it’s tough to eradicate completely. There also were valid and good points in the blog.
It also is valid to say if the Blue Jackets really wanted to avoid the controversy they would not have let Los Angeles score. That would have erased any and all discussion. But this still leaves an odd feeling. The NHL can’t change the outcome of a game — league rules — but it can do some digging to find out what happened.
And it might come to an answer nobody likes: Even in the most perfect of systems, human error happens. Fans and media who cry for replay constantly ignore the fact that things won’t always be 100 percent correct because humans operate cameras, machines and clocks.
Even in the most perfect of systems, perfection is unattainable.
The question is whether someone in Los Angeles willfully stopped the clock. If so, he or she should be held accountable.
“We anxiously await the results of the NHL’s investigation,” Howson wrote.
Doesn’t everyone.
NHL investigating Blue Jackets-Kings finish
The Columbus Blue Jackets got the shaft Wednesday night.
This might not be a big deal when referring to hockey sticks, but it matters when it comes to a last-second goal that eliminated overtime against the Los Angeles Kings.
It matters a lot.
Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson appropriately pointed this out in a Thursday blog post that was later removed from the team’s website.
“Anyone who has competed at a high level of sports knows that when you put everything into a game, the result matters,” Howson wrote. “And to have the result altered unfairly stings.”
The situation: The game was tied 2-2 in the final seconds, with the Kings swarming the Blue Jackets goal on a power play. Drew Doughty scored with four-tenths of a second left.
However, replays showed the clock did not move during play for about one full second with 1.8 seconds left, a stoppage that Howson noticed and brought to the league’s attention.
NHL vice president Colin Campbell told Howson that the league would investigate.
Kings president Dean Lombardi had an interesting — yes, that’s the word — explanation for the clock situation. In an email to the Los Angeles Times, Lombardi wrote:
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs — given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 1010ths of a second before the delay. This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes.
“That is not an opinion — that is science — amazing device quite frankly.”
Quite frankly.
For those who do not know, a coulomb is named after a fine gentleman named Charles de Coulomb, who lived from 1736-1806 (according to dictionary.com). It is the amount of electricity conveyed in one second by a current of one amp.
Evidently it has something to do with the time shown on the clock syncing with the internal computer that runs the clock. Or something like that. A member of the Kings communications staff confirmed that Lombardi send that email.
Though impressively scientific, this does not eliminate Howson’s legitimate concerns. The clock malfunction seems improper, and it matters. It won’t matter to the Blue Jackets, who are 13-32-6 this season. But it might matter to the Kings and the Western Conference playoffs, where a point or two can make a difference in playoff seeding, home ice and, in the most extreme, who makes the playoffs.
“We will never know if the Kings would have got the extra point in overtime or shootout, but they may not have,” Howson wrote. “This extra point in the standings could have an enormous impact both competitively and economically. What if the Kings make the playoffs by one point or gain home ice advantage by one point? We could be talking about a team not making the playoffs and missing out on millions of dollars in playoff gates.
“No one can ever convince me that this result does not matter.”
During the day Thursday, Howson asked that the blog post be removed, thinking that some of the wording was a little too pointed. Reasonable. But in this age, once something is posted and reposted, it’s tough to eradicate completely. There also were valid and good points in the blog.
It also is valid to say if the Blue Jackets really wanted to avoid the controversy they would not have let Los Angeles score. That would have erased any and all discussion. But this still leaves an odd feeling. The NHL can’t change the outcome of a game — league rules — but it can do some digging to find out what happened.
And it might come to an answer nobody likes: Even in the most perfect of systems, human error happens. Fans and media who cry for replay constantly ignore the fact that things won’t always be 100 percent correct because humans operate cameras, machines and clocks.
Even in the most perfect of systems, perfection is unattainable.
The question is whether someone in Los Angeles willfully stopped the clock. If so, he or she should be held accountable.
“We anxiously await the results of the NHL’s investigation,” Howson wrote.
Doesn’t everyone.
NHL: Doughty’s goal should not have counted
The NHL is investigating whether human error or a glitch in the clock system at Staples Center was responsible for prolonging the Kings game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday long enough for Kings defenseman Drew Doughty to score the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory.
Colin Campbell, the leagues senior vice president of hockey operations, said Thursday he believes the Blue Jackets were wronged because the clock was paused with 1.8 seconds left in the third period and Doughtys goal with .4 of a second left should not have been allowed. In our opinion it was one full second, Campbell said of the stoppage.
The decision wont make much difference to 30th-ranked Columbus but could prove crucial for the Kings, who are battling for a playoff spot.
In determining playoff seedings when teams are tied, wins gained in a shootout are subtracted from each teams win total and the greater win total gets the better seeding. Had Doughtys goal been disallowed the game might have gone to the tiebreaker, potentially reducing the Kings wins in regulation and overtime.
The pause was not immediately seen by officials in the NHLs Toronto situation room, where every goal is reviewed. Campbell said the initial concern in Toronto was to determine if the puck had crossed the goal line before time expired according to the clock burned into the corner of the footage they saw. Not until later did they back up the frame-by-frame footage to the moment the clock stopped. Seeing that hesitation with 1.8 seconds left persuaded him Columbus had gotten a bad deal.
When you look at it, regulation was over when L.A. scored so yes they did, Campbell said in a phone conversation. They didnt have the opportunity to get a point for a tie game. They didnt get a point from the tie game, which they would have got and they werent afforded the opportuntity to go for an extra point in overtime or a shootout.
Campbell said the league had contacted the clocks manufacter, Daktronics, to determine if the clock was at fault and will send technicians to Staples Center to examine the clock and the system. Campbell also said the NHL will send a representative to Los Angeles to meet with the off-ice officials, who are employed by the league. That crew includes the person designated the game timekeeper Wednesdaywhom Campbell would not identifyas well as the official scorer, penalty timekeeper and others.
Although Campbell said he believed there had been other problems with the Staples Center clock involving basketball games, Staples Center spokesman Michael Roth said he was unaware of such difficulties.
Columbus General Manager Scott Howson posted a blog on the teams web site criticizing the process that allowed the goal to stand and emphasizing how important the extra point for the win could be for the Kings, but that blog was later removed.
Campbell said investigating the incident is crucial to maintaining trust and credibility in Los Angeles and every other arena in which NHL games are played.
“We have to peruse two areas, Campbell said. Theres a human element, where a fellows operating the clock. And was there a human mistake here? So was there human error in this case? Is he watching the play? Did he think there was a high stick? Did he think there was a hand pass and he accidentally stopped it and started it? Or was there an error in the Daktronics clock?
Weve talked to the Daks people. Weve also asked them if its humanly possible to stop the clock and start it just one second.
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said via email that the clock was correct and no extra time had been added.
Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs, he said. Given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10 10ths of a second before the delay.
This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes. That is not an opinion. That is science. Amazing device quite frankly.”
Campbell discounted Lombardis comment. I read it and it sounded interesting, Campbell said.
–Helene Elliott
Dean Lombardi responds to clock controversy
Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said there is a scientific explanation for the apparent hesitation by the scoreboard clock at Staples Center on Wednesday night that preceded the last-second goal by Drew Doughty in the Kings’ 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Times colleague Lisa Dillman asked Lombardi to respond to comments on the goal made by Blue Jackets General Manager Scott Howson. Here’s Lombardi’s email reply:
“Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 1010ths of a second before the delay. This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes.
“That is not an opinion – that is science – amazing device quite frankly.”
– Helene Elliott and Lisa Dillman
NHL looking into clock error in Kings win
TORONTO (AP) — The NHL is investigating a scoreboard error that could have an “enormous impact” on playoff races in the Western Conference.
During Wednesday night’s game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the clock briefly stopped in the closing seconds — giving Drew Doughty enough time to score the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The puck officially crossed the line with less than a second to play in regulation. However, when the Blue Jackets looked at video after the game, they discovered the clock froze for roughly a second just prior to Doughty’s goal — meaning time should have expired.
The NHL’s video room looked at the play immediately after the goal was scored, but didn’t notice that the scoreboard stopped while the Kings were buzzing around the net.
“We didn’t even look to go back and say OK, did something happen (with the clock)?’” Colin Campbell, the NHL’s senior executive vice president of hockey operations, said Thursday.
“When it crosses the line (and) you review it, you back the puck out and you see what the clock was. And the clock was 0.4 (seconds).
“And then after the game, minutes after the game, we see (it and say) Holy cow.’”
Campbell confirmed that the goal shouldn’t have counted and said the league would conduct an investigation to determine what caused the error.
“You ask some tough questions,” he said. “You’ve got to ask every question.”
It’s not clear if the result of the game will stand.
The Blue Jackets were upset by an incident that cost them at least one point in the standings.
Even though the team has the NHL’s worst record, general manager Scott Howson wrote in a blog post that the unjust result “matters to our players, to our coaches, every person in our organization and our fans.”
There’s also the question of what it might mean for teams battling the Kings for a playoff position in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles is seventh in the conference — five points ahead of eighth-place Minnesota and six points ahead of Dallas and Colorado.
Campbell says he can’t recall a similar situation during his 14 years with the NHL.
Quick leading the way for L.A.
When it comes to talking about the NHL’s top netminder, there is one goaltender that seems to be overlooked time and time again.Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings may be on an up-and-down hockey club, but it certainly has not been his fault. In fact, Quick’s play this season may be the only reason why the Kings currently hold down the seventh spot in the ever-competitive Western Conference.Quick, who played in his first NHL All-Star Game this past weekend, is among the league leaders at the goaltending position this season. In 42 games, Quick is 21-12-9 with a 1.93 goals-against average (fourth in the league), a .934 save percentage (fourth), and 6 shutouts (first).Time and time again, Quick has been the Kings’ best player on the ice. While his 3-1-2 record over his last six games does not look overly pretty, it does show just how well Quick has been playing for his hockey club this season.In those six games, he has allowed just 11 goals and has stopped 161 of 172 s…
Video- When Time Stopped On The Doughty Goal
from AaronPortzline of Puck-Rakers, A twitchy finger in Los Angeles may have cost the Blue Jackets at least a point tonight in Staples Center. If the Jackets were battling for a playoff spot, this would be a heartbreaker. Instead, it’s a black mark on the NHL and just another lump in a season full of them.
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scored at the end of an intense scramble with only 0.3 seconds remaining, giving Los Angeles a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets before a soldout crowd of 18,118. Except the goal shouldn’t have counted.
Replays shown by both Fox Sports Ohio and Fox Sports West, which covers the Kings, show the game clock mysteriously stopping for at least a full second with 1.8 seconds remaining. Had the clock kept running—the puck was still in play, so it should have—the buzzer would have sounded before Doughty dropped to a knee and buried the loose puck.
continued
After edging CBJ, Kings set sights on road trip
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the Kings only play Columbus once more this season.
The NHL’s cellar-dwellers, 11 points behind the 29th-ranked team, have given Los Angeles everything it can handle and then some in the clubs’ three meetings this year. Ahead 2-1 in the season series, the Kings now lead the aggregate goal total 5-4 after a 3-2 win Wednesday evening at Staples Center, their NHL-leading 30th home game of the season.
“We were real average, quite honest,” Darryl Sutter said.
Credit interim Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards for maintaining his composure after the game when replays showed that the clock had stuttered with 1.8 seconds remaining, perhaps allowing Drew Doughty to score the game-winning power play goal with under 0.4 seconds on the clock during a goalmouth scrum.
“Well, I don’t have anything official, any official report. Watching the replay and talking with our producer who runs our show, the clock stopped at 1.8 seconds, and it stopped for 1.5 seconds, and they scored with 0.5 seconds,” Richards said.
“Something happened and it’s really disappointing because I thought our guys battled and worked hard.”
We’ll leave any lingering clock issues to the NHL. If there’s anything Los Angeles can gain moving forward, it’s how to live out of a suitcase for the next two months.
The Kings embark on their longest roadtrip of the season Thursday, a six-game, 10-day excursion that will take them to St. Louis, Carolina, Tampa Bay, South Florida, Long Island and Dallas. It’s one of three roadtrips of at least four games remaining on Los Angeles’ schedule.
Particularly unique about this trip is that it will force Los Angeles to play on the road against Atlantic and Pacific Division teams on back-to-back nights. After the Kings face the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, February 11, they’re in action nearly 1,500 miles away one night later, taking on a gritty Dallas Stars team on Sunday, February 12.
The expanse of travel on consecutive nights isn’t as difficult for Sutter to digest as is the change in time zones on back-to-back nights to begin the trip.
“The tough part is the start of it, right? St. Louis, Carolina, back to back. You look at the time zone problem, that’s poor scheduling. You’re getting there three in the morning, that’s the tough part. And then you’ve got two days off again. And then you’ve got back-to-back again, but it’s not bad because they’re afternoons. I don’t look at it as a six-game trip. I look at it more as a back-to-back to start, a back-to-back to finish, and then we’ve got time between them.”
The road hasn’t presented any particularly daunting challenges for the Kings as of yet. They’ve earned points in 16 of their 21 road games this season and have won in Chicago and Vancouver in the past five weeks. Along with Nashville and Chicago, they’re one of three NHL teams to win in regulation in St. Louis, where the trip opens up Friday at the Scottrade Center.
“That’s the first one we’ve got to focus on when we get on the airplane out there to St. Louis, but then every game after that is just as important, even more important,” Doughty said.
Los Angeles’ star defenseman articulated the particulars of what makes the club such ungracious visitors.
“I know that we’re on the road, we really stick to that road mentality game. We make sure to keep things simple. We don’t try to do too much, and I think that could be a big part of it. At the same time, when you’re on the road, guys are away from their families and stuff like that, obviously, so you’re going out for dinner together and you’re spending a lot more time together outside of the rink.”
It’s all a part of the profession that Doughty savors the competition, the camaraderie, the lack of a margin for error.
“This is one of the best times of the year, of the regular season, anyway. The playoffs is no doubt the best time of the year, but right now it’s gut check time.”
“It’s going to obviously be tough to do, but that’s just how we’ve got to look at it. Every single point is so important. The race in this conference is just so tight that we can’t be giving any points up.”
NOTES: Justin Williams’ first period goal extended his point streak to nine games. He spoke after the game about the chemistry he’s been cultivating with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. “My linemates and I are kind of reading off each other pretty well. We’re creating a lot of offense through turnovers, and I think that’s where we’re getting the multitude of our chances. When you’re feeling good and pucks seem to go in, it’s a good sign for us,” Williams said. His career-high point streak is 11 games, set last season. Doughty’s goal with 0.4 seconds remaining was the sixth time that the Kings have won the game at the final buzzer, and the first time in nearly 13 years. Josef Stumpel scored with 0.3 seconds remaining as Los Angeles edged Philadelphia 4-3 on February 11, 1999. Current Kings Assistant General Manager Ron Hextall was in net for the Flyers. Los Angeles is 14-0-1 when scoring three-plus goals in a game.
