Are the Kings Turning it Around?
We don't believe there is a win switch teams can turn on and off at will. Winning is a culture, a state of mind. While there is very good news to report regarding the Kings' last two games we are trying to contain our excitement.
The Kings are basically last in the league on offense but have seven goals in their last 2 games. Muzzin, Iafallo, Luff, Wagner and Thompson got those goals. The assists came from a well-rounded group of players.
On Sunday we took the Penguins into overtime to get a point. Last night we beat a red hot Winnipeg Jets.
The Jets had won five straight and 9 of their last ten. They had 27 goals in their previous 5 games. They have the best power play in the league. Patrik Laine was the player of the month for November with an amazing 18 goals, he's 3rd in the league in goals for the season. Mark Scheifele had 14 points in the previous 5 games and is 5th in the league in points.
Consistency
We are curbing our enthusiasm because we don't understand how you can lose to Detroit one week and then grab 3 points from the Penguins and Jets the next. But a statement has been made. Quick is getting back into form which means any improvement from our offense will spell danger for even the best opponents. We can shut you down, if you don't shut us down we win. We have signaled that even though have have issues with an interim coach and many injuries we can still put on a show. If this competitive level can be maintained as our injured stars return this will be a great path forward.
Alex Iafollo
New names scare us. Ex Kings coach Andy Murray had an amateur fetish partially caused by tight purse strings that led to disaster. New names should be carefully chosen and slowly added to the mix to allow growth and chemistry to form. Iafollo did not scare us when we first saw him, he was ready for The Show. We knew right away number 19 was legit and he is playing well. He has points in his last 5 games. We don't know if he belongs on the first line but he is a very good player.
The Cross Ice Pass
Tyler Toffoli missed a great opportunity against the Jets, he failed to shoot off a cross ice pass. Kings, please, practice shooting off the cross ice pass. Team Russia does this all day long, Ovechkin and the Capitals do this all day long. It is a great way to score goals as it is difficult for the goalie to make a save after moving across the crease. THE LONG, CROSS ICE PASS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, DON'T STOP IT, DON'T LOOK AT IT, DON'T CALL YOUR MOM, DON'T MAKE A SANDWICH, SLAP THE SHIT OUT OF THAT FUCKER STRAIGHT AWAY OFF THE PASS! Practice this and practice it hard, study Russia and Washington and incorporate this into your style. Next to screening the goalie I don't know a better way to score.
Tyler Toffoli
Tyler has one point in his last 10 games. Why? In his last 2 years with the Ottowa 67's he had an amazing 109 goals in 133 games. In 2016 he had a 31 goal season. This years he's on track for 12. Tyler, step it up man.
