ISLANDERS EXACT REVENGE
KINGS DOWNED BY ISLES, 3-2
LOS ANGELES -- Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Kings began what would
be a sweep of the three New York area NHL teams with a 3-0 victory
over the New York Islanders.
That game was the second of a five-game road trip in which the Kings
won four times.
On Saturday afternoon, the Islanders came to Los Angeles, hoping to
get their revenge, and on the strength of three straight goals, they
defeated the Kings, 3-2, in front of an overflow crowd of 18,152 at
Staples Center.
Kip Miller scored his first goal of the season at 1:02 of the first
period to give the Isles a 1-0 lead.
Adrien Aucoin scored on the power play just twenty-eight seconds into
the second period, followed at 2:23 by a goal from Mariusz Czerkawski,
to give the Isles a big 3-0 lead.
Despite being down by what is huge lead in hockey, the Kings did not
give up.
"I still believed we could win the game because we'd been playing so
well," Kings' right wing Steve Heinze said. "I still thought we could
pull it out, but when you start out that slow and that bad, that's a
tough deficit to come back from."
Adam Mair and Ziggy Palffy scored second-period goals, but the Isles
kept the Kings off the scoreboard in the third period, riding the
strong play of goalie Garth Snow.
In the first period, the Kings wound up outshooting the Isles, 14-5,
and got more quality scoring chances. But do not let those numbers
fool you.
Just like their two previous games, the Kings got outworked and
outhustled on loose pucks from the opening face-off, as the Isles, who
were playing the final game of a five-game road trip, were usually
faster to the loose pucks and clearly the hungrier team, and this
continued throughout the first period.
"Complacency," is what Heinze said might be the problem for his team
in recent games. "Maybe you think you're just going to keep doing it
and it's going to be easy. I hope it doesn't happen to this team
because we've had to work real hard to get back to where we're at. And
we're nowhere near where we need and want to be. So hopefully, it
will be addressed. We weren't ready to play at the start of the last
couple of games and today."
"It's a mental game," Heinze emphasized. "You've got to be prepared.
We had a day between games, so we weren't tired or anything. We just
weren't ready."
That's three straight games in which the Kings "weren't ready," and
their coaching staff is concerned.
"This was the way we were losing games in October," Kings' head coach
Andy Murray said. "We'd be close, but we did little things that added
up to a loss."
The numbers were reversed in the second period, as the Isles outshot
the Kings, 13-5. Only this time, the numbers matched their effort,
except on the scoreboard, as the Kings outscored the Isles, 2-1 in the
period.
"They were very opportunistic," Murray said about the Islanders. "They
capitalized and they battled real hard. They're a really good team
now, in terms of generating their own chances."
The Kings dominated the third period, as the Isles tried to sit on
their lead, and the Kings pressed their advantage, getting a number of
high-quality scoring chances. But Snow was strong in goal, and held
the Kings at bay.
"It was up and down in that third period," Snow said. "It was probably
exciting for the fans, but it's not what you want to see when you're
protecting a one-goal lead."
Strong goaltending by Snow was a big factor in the game, but the
Kings' poor starts of late finally caught up to them.
"It's not like we didn't work hard," Kings' forward Ian Laperriere
explained. "We did, for maybe forty minutes. For twenty minutes, we
didn't, and it's tough to battle back against a team like that, or any
team, if you shoot yourself in the foot early in the game."
"We have come this far to reach the top eight in our conference,"
Laperriere added. "A game like this shows that we can't let down the
rest of the way."
"It was a long night, but I thought we played pretty well," Miller
said. "But we gave up those goals early and gave up a power-play goal,
which we haven't been doing lately, and that cost us the game."
"It just seemed like we were asleep out there at times," added Aaron
Miller. "We shouldn't need a wake-up call."
Islanders' head coach Peter Laviolette called his team's 3-2-0 road
trip a good one.
"I guess we go home feeling good about the road trip," Laviolette
said. "The schedule sets up in our favor for the next fifteen, twenty
games, so we have to take advantage of that. This one, hopefully, can
give us a jump."
"The guys battled hard," Laviolette added. "We did a good job
defensively. For the guys to play the way they did, it was a big
effort for us, a big two points."
He was also impressed with the play of Snow, his backup goalie.
"When it was 3-0, we had three or four more opportunities and didn't
score," Laviolette said. "So when that happens, you start wondering if
they're going to climb back in. But we got saves when we needed them
at the end."
"We came out pretty strong in the Boston and Calgary games and we did
again today," Laviolette explained, referring to earlier games on
their road trip. "Snow played a huge first period for us and we got
some saves when we needed them at the end. They got four power plays
in a row in the second period and still, we were able to hold them
down to eleven shots in the last two periods."
Laviolette explained that his team's hard work in the second period
was the difference.
"We came out at the start of the second period, and I was giving 'em a
little bit of a hard time because we weren't shooting enough,"
Laviolette explained. "You've got to put the puck on the net and get
people to the net."
His penalty-killers saw a lot of ice time the second period, and they
did not allow the Kings any time at all to get anything set-up. They
gave up a power play goal to Palffy, but even that one was deflected
in off a lucky bounce in front of the Islanders' net.
"Penalty-killers work hard in general because they're outnumbered,"
Laviolette said. "And if your power play doesn't match their work
ethic and intensity, you're not going to have any success."
Scratches
---------
Los Angeles: Eric Belanger (sprained wrist), Philippe Boucher
(concussion), Jere Karalahti (healthy)
New York: Ted Donato (healthy), Igor Korolev (healthy), Ray
Schultz (healthy)
Goalies
-------
Los Angeles: Felix Potvin
New York: Garth Snow
Referees: Don Koharski, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Thor Nelson
First Period
------------
The Isles were the stronger, faster team early. They were quicker to
get to loose pucks, and were stronger on the puck.
1. NEW YORK. Kip Miller 1 (Mats Lindgren, Dave Scatchard), 1:02
After a face-off in the right circle, Scatchard and Lindgren took the
puck behind the Kings' net. Miller was also there, and he took the
puck around the right corner, and out to the right outer hashmark. He
turned, and threw a low wrist shot towards the net. The shot appeared
to surprise Potvin, and it beat him through the five-hole (between his
pads).
The Kings got outworked behind their own net for the loose puck, but
they had the play covered well. Potvin just was not ready for the
shot...a soft goal.
"I'm sure Felix would like to have the first one back," Murray said.
"It was a bad goal and it cost us," Potvin said. "We came out a little
sluggish today. We got back in the game, but when you allow a goal
like that, it always comes back to haunt you."
For Kip Miller, who was signed by the Isles earlier in the week, it
was his first NHL goal since January 12, 2001.
"It feels good to score up here," he said. "Mainly, it's good to help
the team and it was good to get off to a better start than we did in
the last game, when we were down 3-0."
Second Period
-------------
The Kings continued to be a step slow on the puck, and that proved
very costly...
2. NEW YORK. Aucoin 4 (Miller), 0:28 POWER PLAY
Miller got the puck along the right wing boards. He moved to the top
of the right circle, where he passed to Aucoin, who was just inside
the blue line, at the top of the slot. He fired a one-timer that
beat Potvin off of his glove, and into the top right corner of the
net.
A bad break for Potvin. He was screened by Aaron Miller, and did not
see the puck until it was too late.
"I never saw it," Potvin said.
With the power play goal allowed, the Kings' penalty-killing streak
ended at 46, a new team record.
"We made a mistake and we paid for it," Murray said. "I think we set a
record and we were probably closing in [on] a league record. We've
been used to coming out on the plus side of that lately."
3. NEW YORK. Czerkawski 15 (Alexei Yashin, Dick Tarnstrom), 2:23
Isles' left wing Oleg Kvasha carried the puck with speed into the
Kings' zone. He passed to Czerkawski on right wing, and he took the
puck below the right circle, where he threw a centering pass to
Yashin, but Aaron Miller tipped the puck away. It went back to
Tarnstrom, who fired the puck on net. The was knocked down in front,
but Czerkawski jumped on it, and got off a little backhand from below
the right face-off dot. The puck caromed to Yashin at the bottom of
the left circle, and threw the puck in front. The puck hit Miller, who
was just outside left crease, and the puck trickled into the crease.
Kings' defenseman Mathieu Schneider had Czerkawski covered at left
crease, but could not control his stick. Czerkawski was able to reach
around Schneider, and push the puck into the open right side of the
net.
The Kings were back on their heels, and were not getting much of
anything going, and then, on what looked like an innocent play...
4. LOS ANGELES. Mair 1 (Jaroslav Modry, Kelly Buchberger), 9:02
Aaron Miller kept the puck in the Isles' zone at right point, throwing
the puck into the right corner. Buchberger picked up the loose puck
behind the net, and moved to the bottom of the left circle, where he
backhanded a pass to Modry, who was about halfway between left point
and the top of the left circle. Almost immediately, Modry fired a low
wrist shot that was deflected in front by Mair. The deflection beat
Snow, trickling through the five-hole.
Mair's goal was his first goal with the Kings, and his second NHL
goal.
5. LOS ANGELES. Palffy 12 (Adam Deadmarsh, Bryan Smolinski), 18:53
POWER PLAY
Smolinski got the puck at left point, and passed across to Deadmarsh,
who was in the right corner. Deadmarsh took a hard hit in the corner,
but kept control of the puck. He moved the puck up the right wing
boards, before passing back to Palffy in the right corner. Palffy
moved up the right wing boards, before hitting the brakes, and moving
back into the right corner. He was alone as he moved to the bottom of
the right circle, and tried to throw a pass across the low slot to
Schneider, who had snuck into the back door from left point. But
Palffy's pass hit the right skate of Isles' forward Claude Lapointe
and beat Snow into the left side of the net.
A lucky break for the Kings got them to within one goal, but that
would be as close as they would get.
Third Period
------------
No scoring...the Kings dominated the period territorially, but Snow
was strong in goal, and kept the Kings off the board.
Shots on Goal
-------------
Los Angeles: 14 5 6 -- 25
New York: 5 13 7 -- 25
Power Play Conversions
----------------------
Los Angeles: 0/6; New York: 1/6
Zone Time
---------
Los Angeles: 8:37 7:09 6:45 -- 22:31
New York: 6:02 8:40 8:18 -- 23:00
Neutral: 5:21 4:11 4:57 -- 14:29
Three Stars (official)
----------------------
#3 - Palffy; #2 - Aucoin; #1 - Snow
Gann's Three Stars
------------------
#3 - Kip Miller; #2 - Aucoin; #1 - Snow
A slow start, and a lethargic start to the second period spelled doom
for the Kings in this game. Slow starts has been the rule rather than
the exception in the Kings' last three games, and it finally caught up
to them--they were not able to steal a win again in this game.
The Kings are also not getting anything at all going on the power
play, Palffy's lucky goal notwithstanding. Teams have figured out
that they can keep the Kings off-balance by keeping a guy on the
puck-carrier at all times, keeping the Kings from getting their power
play set-up. The Kings will need to address this and figure out how
to counter what the opposition is doing.
Kings' center Jason Allison, who is in a big slump, needs to pick up
his game. Although he has been suffering from the flu for much of the
past two weeks, he is also finding two defenders right on him on
virtually every shift. One defender is right on him, as usual, but
another defender is not faraway, looking to takeaway any passing lane
Allison might find, limiting his effectiveness.
But this is where his linemates need to step up, and create space for
him. This may also explain why Andy Murray put Palffy on Allison's
line on several shifts in this game, because he knows that opposing
teams have to respect Palffy while playing defense. This would keep
the defense honest, giving Allison more room to create.
Unfortunately, Palffy and Allison have not been able to mesh well so
far.
In fact, Murray was not at all happy with the play of anyone on his
first line, so he changed things up and put Heinze on the fourth line.
"I don't think that is an indictment of Steve Heinze," Murray
explained. "It's just that our top players did not play well in this
game."
About the three stars...giving the third star to Palffy over Kip
Miller was a crime. Palffy scored a lucky goal, while Miller scored a
goal, and assisted on Aucoin's power play goal in the second period.
He had a much bigger impact on the outcome of the game than Palffy
did.
Kings' defenseman and team captain Mattias Norstrom played just three
shifts in the first period, before having to sit out the rest of the
game with stomach flu.
"The biggest problem today was that we were down to five defensemen
right at the beginning of the game," Murray said. "We should have
played better, but that was a disadvantage."
Norstrom decided to try to play, but wound up playing just three
shifts. No one was complaining about it, but Norstrom's decision wound
up leaving his team short one defenseman.
"That's a player's decision," Murray explained. "We usually let them
decide if they can play."
Left wing Craig Johnson also has the flu, and he left the game in the
third period.
"It's been going around the team for a while," Allison said about the
flu. "Every team goes through this."
Next Game: The Kings hope to find the winning formula again on Monday,
when they hop on the bus and head south to the Pond, where they will
face Paul Kariya and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Game time: 7:30 PM
PST. Televised in the Los Angeles area on Fox Sports Net West 2, with
Mighty Ducks announcers Chris Madsen and Brian Hayward calling the
action.
|
