The LA Kings Disastrous Game Not All Bad
- Updated: January 20, 2019
There was one highlight from the Los Angeles Kings’ match against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. It can not be understated or highlighted enough. For much of this lopsided affair, there was the occasional tune that rocked the Pepsi Center arena, which was actually the same tunes that play during my wife’s Zumba class. Hearing those fine ditties made my wife smile. All in all, not a bad day.
The fact it was another rotten turnout by the lackluster squad, giving up six goals in a disastrous second period, within a 7-1 shellacking?
– Eh. If they don’t care, why should we?
But to be in honor with my agreement with superfan Jeff Duarte, we’ll review the game. So where do we start?
Should it be with Fitz and the Tantrums’ powerhouse song “HandClap?” It really gets you moving in Zumba, according to my wife. It’s also an upper at hockey game timeouts.
Or no no no. The game. That’s right, the game. Where to start? Starting in the first period – it actually wasn’t so bad. No need for good tunes, we had some solid play towards the beginning of the period before the team ran out of gas, say seven minutes in. (Helpful tip: try some conditioning; it’s a long season.) At the halfway mark, the Avalanche got on the board first on an odd play wherein both captain Anze Kopitar and lead stand-arounder Sean Walker tipped soft pucks over to the other team.
Ending the first period down only one goal looked to be a huge victory for the hapless LA-sters. However, there was still plenty of time, 1.6 seconds to be exact, for the most idiotic of penalties. Dustin Brown delay of game flip into the stands. Why not just hold onto it for, say, another 1. 6 seconds? Nope. The coach Willie Desjardins would later point out that play as a turning point, but he was nicer about it than I am. Unlike him, I don’t have to see Dustin later.
Being down one player to start the second led to one of the worst periods of play the Kings have seen since … ever? Six goals, a chased and pissed Jonathan Quick, a goal taken away since Derek Forbort used his skate instead of a stick, a gorgeous Avalanche goal where every single player should have received an assist, and a whole lotta lazy-hazy Kings play later … and we found ourselves down 7 – 0.
But wait! The fun wasn’t over. We still had one more period to play and there still was time for some break-time tunes. Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time” sounded really good in the background. I thought my wife would start Zumbaing right there in the living room.
The third period did showcase some Avalanche fine-touch play as it appeared they were practicing some tricky passes, for a time when a team actually shows up in its arena. To be fair, Kyle Clifford is out there busting his butt and Dion Phenoff put up a good fight. During a 5-on-3 advantage at 7:52 of the third a blistering slapshot from Ilya Kovalchuk ensured the Kings wouldn’t be shut out this dreadful day.
Coach Desjardins soothes the post-game interview watchers by saying the team has a whole bunch of pride in that locker room. That is good news. Let’s hope they bring some of that out onto the ice the next game.
The Kings – 19-26-4 with 42 points in last place in the Pacific Division – next play the St. Louis Blues at 1 p.m., Monday, January 21 at the Staples Center.
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