8 Straight: Duck Hunting
February 5th, 2010 by puremetal338 Straight wins ties a franchise record. 8 Straight victories for Jonathan Quick establish a new franchise record and give the NHL lead in wins with 33. 2 more goals (and 4 more points) for Anze Kopitar. Jack Johnson’s first career 4 point night. The Kings also improved to 12-4-1 against Pacific Division opponents. Oh yeah, and it all came against the hated Anaheim Ducks.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s pretty obvious by now that the Kings OWN Anaheim this season. 3 games so far (and 3 wins)have shown them to be a superior hockey team. The Ducks are on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in, and all the sudden Honda Center is mostly empty except for road fans most game nights. Not that anybody is really surprised at that.
The Kings weathered a bit of a storm in the first 13 minutes of the game, but after that dominated all but a five minute stretch in the third period. That five minute stretch saw Anaheim score 3 times to rally from a 4-1 deficit - although two of those tallies were the result of Randy Jones blunders. I wonder if this will convince Terry Murray that it’s time to insert Davis Drewiske or play Peter Harrold on defense against Detroit on Saturday. Randy Jones has been mostly nerve-wracking in his own zone, while being pretty good in the offensive zone. To give you an idea of Jones’ ineptitude inside his own blueline: Jack Johnson was -1 tonight despite scoring 4 points. His defense partner is, you guessed it: Randy Jones.
Kings now lead the 2009-10 Freeway Face-Off 6 points to none. If the Kings gain a mere point in any of their last 3 meetings, they will win this years’ prize. The worst they can do is tie, and in that event, the team with the better overall record wins it, meaning the Kings have all but clinched this years Freeway series.
Up next: Detroit, who the Kings beat to start their perfect road trip two weeks ago. In 3 meetings with the Red Wings this season, the Kings have dominated two of them, but trail the series 2-1 on account of Jimmy Howard making 51 saves and stealing a win in the Wings’ last visit to Staples Center. Kings will be looking to set a new franchise record with 9 straight victories. Detroit is getting healthy again, so it will be a big test for the Kings despite the Wings’ recent struggles.
Kings and Red Wings, 1PM Saturday at Staples.
GO KINGS!
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One Response to “8 Straight: Duck Hunting”
By BCapp on Feb 5, 2010
A Leaf fan here. I really love watching the kings. They are everything you want to see in an up and coming team. While they are definitely contenders this year, no doubt about it, I am just psyched to watch them over the next 2-3 years.
With guys like Schenn, Mikus, Bernier coming through the system and so many others; Kopitar reaching his potential; and Doughty and Johnson probably IMPROVING for another 3-4 years before they reach their potential they are going to be just crazy.
I am calling a cup to LA in the next 4 years.