Red Wings Truly Best Lackluster Kings

Park and ride. Seems an appropriate thought an after the train wreck of a game the Kings just played. Jeff Zatkoff had his first start in-goal this year but fans didn’t want it to last long. Considering how uncomfortable he looked in net and how desperately the Kings needed a momentum change after going down 3-0 in the first it was a change I expected Sutter to make. The first Red Wings goal came 1:42 after puck drop. Jake Muzzin failed to block his man, who made a slick pass from behind the net to Vanek who shot it up past Zatkoff’s left shoulder while he was still looking right. It was their first shot on Gail and their only shot in the first 8 minutes. That’s not to say that the Kings were looking good – their looks on goal weren’t clean, and the seemed to spend most of the first chasing the Red Wings around the ice. Tanner Pearson has his shot to change the momentum when he streaked down center ice followed closely by three Red Wings and drew a penalty shot, however the Kings may have done better with the 2 minute power play instead. Half way through the first (10:02 to be precise) the Red Wings scored their second of the evening, when Kevin Gravel made an unwise pass to Nic Dowd that instead became a giveaway to Athanasiou (the same player who hooked Pearson). Athanasiou schooled Zatkoff on the breakaway and the Kings deflated like a lead balloon. Drew Doughty to the penalty by didn’t help, although it was the best two minutes the Kings played in the period, clearing well and not allowing a shot on goal. The Kings were looking lucky to make it out of the period alive, since Zatkoff spent a lot of time flat on his back. But luck was not going their way as poor defense led to a third Red Wings goal with 1:43 remaining.

The second period was much less entertaining, but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. About half way through the Kings got some kind of offensive push. Devin Setoguchi had a grade a chance front of net he fanned on, there were some pile ups by the Red Wings net, and a couple of nice plays from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. (With the amount of time their linemate Marian Gaborik spent falling over I’m waiting for him to be a healthy scratch again.) Muzzin was also having another off night, with three glaring mistakes in about five minutes the Kings could have done without. Just when things might have looked up Jeff Carter, the only King of late who seems to be able to put the puck in the back of the net, found his way into the penalty box for high sticking. Another stunning penalty kill left many wondering why the Kings can get it together so well down a man but can’t seem to execute 5-on-5. Doughty did his best as the seconds ticked away on the second period, making a nice bid for a goal to close it out, but the shot, fine as the play was, wasn’t getting by Jared Coreau.

Onto the third, where the Kings continued their lackluster ways. The most interesting part of the third period was the Chris Sutter dance cam, though by that point the Kings had let in a fourth goal at 7:33 at nothing was giving them the spark they needed to be a contender in the game. Kyle Clifford at least made an attempt, throwing the gloves but the linesmen didn’t let it go anywhere. So much for that spark – the Kings couldn’t get any offense going. They gave Coreau, in his fifth game in the NHL, his first shutout. With little good to work from, let’s hope the Kings do indeed park and ride before playing the Wild Saturday afternoon.

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