alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />The Kings face a daunting task tonight…not only back-to-back games, not only a 5 p.m. local time start, but a game against a rested New Jersey team that sits second in the Eastern Conference and has allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season.
Should the Kings come away with a win, they would have their first 5-0 road trip in franchise history, their first six-game winning streak since March 11-23, 2002, and they would also push their road winning streak to seven games. The franchise record is eight games, set from Dec. 18, 1974-Jan. 16, 1975. So yeah, it would be a pretty big win, Terry Murray said this morning.
MURRAY: “At this time of the year, it would be remarkable. This is a desperate time for a lot of the teams that we have played. You start off in Detroit, and moving through Toronto. That’s a hard team, desperate to get something going for themselves. Then you look at Columbus. My God, there’s an urgency there for them to get their game back on track the way they were last year, a playoff team last year. So, boy, it speaks a lot of what this team is starting to show, as far as character and playing for your teammates. Remarkable stuff. I’m very proud of these guys, the way they’ve come through this trip and played hard for each other.”
What is perhaps even more remarkable is that the Kings are 4-0 on this trip and, yet, arguably haven’t played a strong 60-minute game yet. Of course, in the parity of today’s NHL, it’s not easy for one team to dominate another for 60 minutes. If anything, it speaks to the raised level of expectations for the Kings, that they can be on a five-game winning streak and still talk about playing better.
MURRAY: “After the Detroit game, I’m looking for us to bounce back to that same level again. We have been off our game, to what I expect. If we can bounce back here with that solid team effort tonight, that would be a very good thing to take home with us.”
if im murray im telling the guys to not expect the other guys on the team to go out and play inspired hockey, all of them are guna have to be up for it tonight. i think this game will show us more than any other, how good this team is this year.
Just play smart and stay close, we can win this thing in the 3rd
look at the playoff teams in the east right now:
1. washington; 2-1 W
2. new jersey; yet to play
3. buffalo; 4-3 W
4. pittsburgh; 5-2 W
5. ottawa; 6-3 W
we are undefeated against the top eastern teams so lets continue that trend.
I agree. The boys have yet to put a 60 minute game on the board.
Could they do it today?
As much as some despise this coach, I think he’s great!
He’s patient, methodical, mentoring, nurturing, reasonable, even-tempered, encouraging, realistic, honest, disciplined, has a system that fits the quality level of his players and allows them to come into their own but stresses team first attitude. This is a long-term winning attitude that is exactly what this group of young players needs. The Purcells and Parses, while possibly under-performing in some eyes, are being given opportunity in a very tight family type of environment and will be much better players in the long run.
What Lombardi and Murray are building for fans and the organization will ensure success for a long, long time, something Kings fans have been waiting for a long, long time.
Enjoy the ride but don’t be impatient – take the good with the bad, and keep in mind that overall there’s a lot more good than bad.
Stop The Puck…Excellent!
Bako…How ya doin? Yes, they can do it but the back end of a back to back against the best team in the east…..gads. NJ hasn’t been playing all that well either so….maybe. Funny thing, my son just asked me the same thing and I said…..
Take NJ +2…I hate to say it but we have some tired legs out there and it’s been a long and very successful road trip so far. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
GO KINGS!
Hey Rich…..
How about feedback/response on the Leafs/Flames/Ducks trade?
Anyone see this bit of bad news for the Coyotes?
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=515684
No matter what happens today, I already call this a successful road trip. That said, lets get out there and do what we have to in order to win. That includes staying out of the box boys! That Simmer penalty was necessary (not all the minutes but what he did) but, some of the other ones yesterday could have been avoided.
Rich:
How ’bout a thread on today’s blockbuster trades?
Yeah, Kris! Who expected this team to go 7-1 after the 0-3 homestand start?
dMan, Well said.
Patience is the key for long term success. Do not stunt the growth of any younger players, whether on the team or in the minors/juniors.
Moondoggie:
Doin’ just fine, regarding the Kings!
Moping along, relative to the Condors…
A mixed hockey bag.
Condors just dropped two to the Idaho Steelheads, after losing our top 3 d-men to the AHL, 3-6 and 2-3… THEN found out today that our two best remaining players are going up to the Calgary AHL team, Abbottsford, including our captain Shawn Weller and our fourth best d-man Mark Mitera! That makes 11 Condors in the AHL-NHL, and unless some of them come back for the playoffs, the Condors are TOAST…