The Kings extended their winning streak to nine games today, breaking the club record of 8 (1991-92 & 1992-93). They’ve had some trouble with their Saturday 1pm starts at home this season, though they’ve now won three in a row. It seems like the Kings aren’t always awake in time for the 1pm starts at home. Perhaps part of that is the fact that the Saturday afternoon games are rarely very crowded. Of course, one of their worst games of the season was against the Predators at home on a Saturday afternoon and it’s easy to understand why that game wasn’t as popular as the Washington Capitals or Detroit Red Wings. This afternoon’s game was sold out (with the announced attendance 18,118) and very well attended. A large percentage of fans in the lower concourse were wearing red and clearly supporting the Red Wings, but a full arena is always more exciting and energizing for a team.

When the Kings were losing 3-0 at the intermission, many were talking about how nice the Kings’ 8 game winning streak had been and figuring it was about to be ended by the Red Wings. Fortunately, the Kings fans weren’t willing to leave their team that early and didn’t give up any more than the Kings did. They stayed to watch their team tie the game by the end of the 2nd period. By that point, I think a large portion of the fans in the building thought the Kings would pull out a win.

The third period looked a little questionable and perhaps like the game would take more than 60 minutes. Handzus scored what ended up being the game winning goal with under 3 minutes left in the game. The Kings came back from being down 3-0 to beat the Red Wings 4-3. The Red Wings may not be in a playoff position at this point, but they’re always a tough team to play – especially for the Kings. The Red Wings clearly wanted to end the Kings’ winning streak.

There are a lot of winning streaks going on right now, so the Kings’ streak isn’t getting much recognition, though my dad (who lives in Pittsburgh and is definitely a Penguins fan, not a hockey fan in general) heard about the winning streak, so it’s getting more attention than I would have expected in the northeast – especially with the Penguins playing the Capitals tomorrow. The Capitals have a 13 game winning streak going now and the Pens face them tomorrow. The Penguins currently hold the record winning streak in the NHL (17 games) and certainly want to stop the Caps before they can beat it.

As a side note for Kings fans: Heidi Androl was wearing a red sweater during the first period, which I noticed from the press box. Someone pointed out later that she had taken off the sweater by the beginning of the 2nd period, when the Kings started to score. I’m not saying that Heidi wearing red in the first period had anything to do with how the Kings played. The Kings have had problem in the beginning of afternoon home games all season. However, I think all superstitious fans will be happy that Heidi decided to try removing the red sweater and being a bit chilly instead of wearing the opposing team’s color.

Kat

Contact Kat

To read more of my thoughts on the NHL and other sports, check out Press Box Perspective.

Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment

» Perry Leads Ducks to 6-2 Win with First Career Hat Trick

» Parros Leads Ducks to Third Win in a Row

» Have the Ducks Turned a Corner?

» Can Ducks Homecoming Win Kick Start Their Season?

» Scott Niedermayer Retirement Announcement No Surprise