The Death Knell

The team seemed to play with a new defensive energy tonight.  They moved well.  They drove to the goal. Their spacing looked decent, and individuals stepped up to make plays when it counted.  That is right, I am not talking about the Kings, rather, the Lakers.  The Kings looked pedestrian, and pedestrian doesn't get things done in the NHL as their last six games would demonstrate as they were outscored 29-8. 

I am tired of all the negativity.  I'm tired of seeing it online.  I'm tired of watching it.  I'm tired of seeing it in the score.  I'm tired of feeling it.  That is what we do isn't it?  As a fan of a specific team, we feel the highs and lows.  To quote the sage wisdom of Bob McKenzie, "...this isn't heaven.  This Sucks!" 

If we just looked at some of the numbers, we might act like middle schoolers and just blame the goalie.  Quick's Goals Against Average is 4.55, and his save percentage is 0.845.  I've never seen that from him.  Even for the small sample size, it is abhorrent.  The truth is that we are not in middle school, and even if we wanted to, the Kings faithful probably couldn't, at least not right away, bring themselves to turn on Quicky.  The problem runs deeper.

For one million dollars, name all the Kings players with positive plus/minus rating.  Take your time, and make sure that you get all the names.  Ready to compare lists: Anze Kopitar +1.  That is it folks.  Finito.  Three players are even, and everyone else are digging plus/minus holes so big that it will take three years to score their way out of them.  So, is it a team of Bernie Nicholls  like players that never drop below their own Blue Line?  To be fair, he did score 70 goals one season, which is pretty special, and was also a plus 30 that season, so thanks Wayne.  This isn't the problem here.  The players on this team can play defense well.  Should we dig deeper?

We don't have to go too far really.  The problem is that the Kings are not playing well together.  Change must come soon.  If the Kings don't find some success, and I have seen zero signs of improvement, then everyone but Kopitar is likely to be at risk.  Yes, Quick and Doughty probably should be protected as well, but things are so bad, who knows what will happen?  I foresee a trade happening soon, and don't be surprised if Carter of the Russian Woodchuck (Kovalchuck) are involved.  More likely, it might be Toffoli or Pearson, or any combination of the bunch.  If that doesn't work, Stephens will be able to spend Christmas in Turkey Point, and then hang out in Bridge Port to watch Jr. because he will have been sent into the sandy wastelands strapped backwards on a donkey with a giant paper mache head placed over his own. 

Before you get all teary eyed about Stephens, consider that the wood chipper is still whirring, and might just swallow up the two gentlemen that put this whole debacle together.  Lucky and Blakey aren't enjoying any of this either.  The reality is, that a noncompetitive team in Los Angeles is the death knell.  Even the Lakers couldn't sell out post Kobe, pre Lebron.  I don't want to spend an hour in traffic, $30 on gas, pay $20 for parking, $30 for food and a beer, and stay up late on a school night to have my team rip my heart out.  Kings fans will stay away in droves, if the team doesn't get their act together, which ends up being a kick in the nuts to the season ticket holder that can't give away their tickets.  Luckily for me, teachers don't make enough money to rationally buy season tickets.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to look forward to watching a game, instead of the dread I currently feel.  Hope isn't dead, but it's kidney's have shut down, it needs a liver transplant, it's brain is swollen, it's on a ventilator, and the infection still rages inside.