View from the Ox Box

[oxnardkingsfan]

A much better effort from our team tonight. I think they can still play better but after the clunker they had on Monday night this game was a whole lot better played. The top 2 scoring lines had an excellent game. They took advantage of their power play opportunities early and built the nice 3-0 lead. Ottawa came on a bit in the second but Quick kept them at bay with the exception of the one goal.

At the start of the 3rd period the Kings still had control of the game. For the first 5 minutes it was all Kings but then Brown took that interference penalty and Ryan capitalized almost immediately. Interesting note on that one was that he beat Quick high glove and during the warmup before the game the Kings shooters were beating him high glove. I watched 3 or 4 shooters put one by him up there in succession. Maybe Ranford needs to work with him on that. That early goal got the Senators back in the game and from that point on they pretty much controlled play. It was only a matter of time before they tied it up.

The end result was 2 points for our boys so all is good with this fan. I'm still a little concerned about the amount of turnovers. Especially those in their own zone or at the blue line. Had Ottawa handled the puck better when they got those gifts and Quick not been so sharp the game could have had a much sadder ending. It may not have gotten to overtime for Carter to do his thing. Man does that guy have great hands.

Ox

 

[davnlaguna]

As always thanks
Kings need to not let teams back into games.

 

[histkng23]

I think their most glaring need so far is to improve their 5-on-5 play. Daryl Evans was even pointing it out on KingsTalk on the radio on the drive home. I remember an interview with Deano a few years back and he felt that was the most important stat to follow. Sure the special teams get all the hype, but the best indicator of success is 5-on-5 scoring. Its still early but the Kings need to pick that up.
Martinez looked a ton better than Muzzin. Quicker passes and tempo. When a puck got on his stick he didn't hold on to it, he moved it, either to a teammate or just simply getting it out of the zone. I feel Doughty could take a few cues from him on that aspect of his game, as he tends to hold on to the puck a bit too long for my book, resulting in the opposition caving in on him. Leads to more turnovers. I think Mitchell is still just working the rust off, as it looks like he's just not up to the speed of the game yet. Hopefully, by December that issue will be a thing of the past.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Thanks for the recap Ox, always nice to see the View on the boards.

Hist has it right, 5 on 5 scoring an opportunities is what defines a team. The Kings need to work on that and generate more chances, but last night was a massive improvement over that trash we saw on Monday night. Lot more movement, lot more traffic, better decisions. Hopefully the Kings are getting into a rhythm knowing it's the regular season and will be firing on all cylinders soon. There are still areas to clean up but compared to Monday they played a lot better.

I agree about Doughty, he is trying to be too cute with his plays instead of just making the smart play. That stuff worked his rookie season, teams didn't buy into it his sophomore season and he toned it down and simply played smart from then on. Not sure why he is trying to be Mr. Fancy Pants again but he needs to return to that mindset and not try to be Bobby Orr out there. That's what your 4 other linemates are there for - use them.

Martinez was heads and shoulders better than Muffin. I didn't cringe any time he had the puck and he made some solid defensive plays too. Inserting Carcillo was good too, he made a lot of smart little plays to get the Kings out of trouble. I always knew he was a goon, but watching him last night he has some smarts about him too. Hopefully he can chip in offensively and be rewarded for that.

 

[Fox4Kings]

Nice to see Brown look like him old self, saw him throw a couple of big hits, one of which led to a PP. Martinez was a huge upgrade over Muzzin. Martinez looks a lot quicker out there and not afraid to lay the body. Carter is a machine, would be exciting to have a Kings player contend for the goal scoring lead for the first time since #99.

 

[xis]

Thanks for the recap Ox, always nice to see the View on the boards.

Hist has it right, 5 on 5 scoring an opportunities is what defines a team. ...

Agree with most of what you said in your post except for the 5 on 5 part. Though 5 on 5 scoring was an issue statistical the team didn't play bad 5 on 5 either. I looked it up and the Kings out shot the Sens 27-18 while 5 on 5. The solid 5 on 5 play drew calls on the Sens and the Kings power play made them pay.

Sure the scoring while 5 on 5 needs to improve per-say but I think Anderson made some big saves even strength that kept the Kings off the board.

Also agree with what you said about Carcillo. I liked what I saw from him and how he played with grit and discipline as well. Lets hope he keeps it up all year.