LA Hockey Underground

 Season Review Part 1 I attempted to write a single post as a season review.  I soon found myself glossing over important issues to try and fit everything in.  At the end of last season, I pretty much didn't want to write anything except, "I'm glad it's over."  This season is a different story.  This team was hugely successful, and stymied the self proclaimed great minds of NHL journalism all year long.   Part 1 starts with the four horsemen, the big boys, the guys that brought us two Stanley Cups and are leading the rebuild: Anze Kopitar (Kopi), Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown (Brownie), and Jonathan Quick (Quicky).  These four have been the heart of this team since the day they entered the league.  They will likely never know what it is like to play for another team in the NHL, and in today's NHL, that is truly something.  Despite their inflated ages, they still bring it, and are showing the puppies what it takes to be a champion. I have to...

 End of the Year Notes The Los Angeles Kings had an amazingly successful year.  Last season, I was rarely able to watch an entire game.  I could see what McLellan was trying to do, and largely was supportive of it, but the team just wasn't competitive.  This year, with some notable exceptions, the Kings were competitive for the entire season.  They showed skill, strength, growth, and character while making the playoffs, and taking the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers to a hard fought game seven.   One of the glaring negatives of this season doesn't even come from the team.  Over the summer, the hockey media, and I mean every single last person that writes or speaks about hockey, decided that the Pacific Conference was not even worth mentioning outside of Edmonton and Las Vegas.  Despite the glaring proof coming as early as November, the Kings were openly dismissed.  Any success they were having was a fluke.  This, of course, is a log...

 It hasn't been the greatest week in Kings history.  The team lost to Chicago, a team that is arguably playing much better.  They beat the Kraken, then got punched in the mouth and destroyed by the same.  Following that, the Kings got their asses handed to them in Edmonton, yet somehow came away with a crucial point.  Then the win against the Flames breathed a bit of life back in the club hopefully.  How does one interpret this schizophrenic performance.  Actually, with quite a bit of optomism. In soccer, or futbol, ya that sport where panzies take a dive every five seconds and the leagues encourage it, teams routinely control the pace and tempo of the game, dominating posession and chances on goal, only to loose one zero.  Hockey is typically a bit different, but not always.  As in many sports, finishing counts.  Dominating possession time doesn't count on the scoreboard. I have to admint, that watching game two against the Kraken was m...

The Flames are good.  We know they are good, but what separates them from the other elite teams in the NHL?  Florida, and Tampa are dangerous in the East.  Colorado is an offensive juggernaut.  Even our Kings, a team decimated by injuries, demonstrated some serious grit and resilience with a band of young guys coming up from the Reign to put Florida down.  Despite the negative opinions that surround the plus/minus stat, it, when taken in the correct context can enlighten us as to why the Flames are so good. So why is the plus/minus flawed?  Like any stat, it can't tell the whole story.  A great player could have a terrible minus if for instance he is on a team that doesn't play a defensive style, isn't very good, has poor goal tending, or all of the above.  Meanwhile a poor player could have a great plus minus if all of those things are reversed.  It isn't a great tool to evaluate an individual, but it speaks volumes for a team. Take a gander...

What a difference a year makes.  The Kings are much better than they were last year.  They are currently sitting in a playoff spot and were just a point or two out of first place a few weeks ago.  The Kings might make the playoffs, and one might even go out on a limb to say that they have a very good chance to make the playoffs, but they aren't ready for the big time...yet. As was fortold by me, and several hundred thousand others, Calgary and Edmonton are mounting their charge to the playoffs.  Calgary has been especially impressive (Lucky for Tofolli), and look to be the legitimate challenger to Colorado for the Western Conference.  As a result, both the Kings and the Quacks have dropped a bit down the standings.  Microcosms aside, two very young and still rough around the edges teams had to slide a bit. The Kings are lacking in a few key areas.  For this team to become a real threat for the cup, the defensemen need to get nastier and more consistent...

 The Pacific Division race for the playoffs is heating up.  Only ten points seperates the top seven teams in the division.  Last year's cellar dwellers are surging forward while the talented, and presumptive playoff bound teams have hit some rough spots.  If nothing else, the Pacific is looking to be a dog fight down the stretch which is good for fans.  Realistically, the Pacific can only hope for four entries into the playoffs.  With the central division's top four teams outpacing even the Golden Blights, it is likely that they will sew up the first wild card spot.  I also wouldn't rule out a surge from Dallas to compete for that second wild card spot, which would make things even more interesting out West.  It is also conceivable that the West improves and competes for both Wild Card spots.   The Golden Blights are looking to improve as Eichle completes his recovery and joins the team.  If he is close to his old self, then a formi...