Kings Shutout Again; Playoff Hope is Lost

Ah Kings you keep giving me hope. Hope is dangerous y’all. Hope can be cruel. As can hockey. For instance when the Kings actually want the Sharks to do well they lose 7-2 to the Predators, one of the two teams the Kings need to lose if they’re going to be playing past April 9th. Not that it matters ‘cause after this game I think hope is in pretty short supply, and playing past April is close enough to mathematically possible, the only hope I have is that with 22 regulation wins in 74 games there will be a significant change (*cough Sutter cough*) next season.

The first period was typical Kings hockey but in a way that gave me hope (cruel, cruel I tell you.) They played well but just weren’t getting pucks past the goal line. But the turnovers were going their way, they were controlling the neutral zone, and it seemed like the majority of play was down by the Rangers netminder Raanta (lundqvist isn’t back until tomorrow against the Ducks.) The Kings did have a new player skate up for the first time in the NHL: Jonny Brodzinski, who had a solid debut (when Sutter actually let him play.) He was fast, something the Kings have been lacking lately, had 1 of the 6 Kings shots on goal that period, and had a generally confident period. Things were looking good, until Jake Muzzin (who I keep hearing is having an ‘off season’ but I’m not convinced is actually better than this without Drew Doughty, and let’s face it who isn’t better with Doughty by their side?) took a penalty 8:03 in, in which the Rangers got not much more than momentum, but that momentum was important. Also Jonathan Quick is sharp and I’m even more upset we lost him for 60 odd games. Relevant side note: I’m also over Marian Gaborik and would like Vegas to take him off our hands. He was lazy, on the wrong side of turnovers, including one at led to a 2-on-0 the Ranger chocked on (but Quick likely would have had: like I said he was looking sharp.) Quick kept the Kings in it as the Rangers had the better of the chances to close out the first period.

Quick keeps his magic ways going as the second period opened, while at the other end of the ice the Kings kept getting plenty of chances to wrap the game up. Alas none went past Raanta, causing some distress that it was going to end up being one of *those* games. You know the one. Kings outshoot, outplay and out chance their opponent and end up giving up one goal and lose? Yeah… Toffoli had a breakaway. Brodzinski had a breakaway. Brodzinski even had the chance to clean up his own rebound and get his first NHL goal, so of course instead Stepan slaps in Smith’s rebounding by a sprawled but still looming Quick at a steep angle shot. Yep, it was going to be one of those games. Especially considering it was likely icing that didn’t get called that got the puck anywhere near Quick in the first place.

Brown opened the third with a pretty good chance, but as always the Kings were in top form making other teams goalies look like Veznia Trophy winners. There were a multitude of chances they just weren’t burying. Meanwhile Andy Andreoff took a 4 minute minor the Rangers wasted no time burying. Literally 4 seconds into the high sticking penalty. Win a face-off, shoot a puck, get a goal. Seems simple right? I so wish the Kings could figure it out. 1:50 into the third and the Kings chances were looking dismal. It was looking hard enough to score 1 goal, let alone 2 to equalize, and surely not 3 to get the win. The chemistry just wasn’t there. They did have 1:16 of a power play, as Chris Kreider took his first of 3 penalties in the third. Of course the power play was abysmal, spiraling just as out of control as the period did. Twice Quick was literally trampled on by a Ranger for an extended period of time; the second time he retaliated. Derek Forbert did too (good boy, sticking up for his goalie) so Kreider and he got coincidental minors. With 4:26 remaining Kreider took his third and with Quick pulled the entire time, you’d think that’d be the prefect time for a goal. Right? Nope. An empty net clinched the game for the Rangers, not that had been in question for the last 20 minutes. The Kings have now been shutout 10 times. The Avalanche hold the record with 12. Not the team I’d want the Kings to be emulating this season.