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Carter Needs Kane

February 25, 2017, 6:02 PM ET [15 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
"The Freeway Faceoff" between the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks is always a ball buster of an event. It gets ugly.

There is never a shortage of fireworks. When the Kings and Ducks lock horns, it's like watching football on ice. Crushing, full speed hits and bodies on the ground. There is always heaping amounts of hatred and sucker punches being exchanged between the hostile Pacific Division rivals,

On Saturday afternoon, the Kings hosted the Ducks in a Tinseltown matinee and it

Once again, the game took a nasty turn in the early stages when Brayden McNabb took out Ryan Getzlaf's knee in the first period.





McNabb's greasy knee job on the Ducks' captain got tempers flaring and blood pressure rising. Before you could say line brawl, Ducks forward Nate Thompson jumped McNabb and made him pay a physical price.





If only for a moment, the Kings exacted their proverbial pound of flesh from the Ducks.

The chirping and pile punching continued throughout the first and second periods. Corey Perry harrassed Anze Kopitar. Dustin Brown ran Jake Silfverberg. Josh Manson got his lumber up on Drew Doughty and so on and so on.

Then, Ryan Kesler decided it was time to dance with Kings leading scorer and team MVP Jeff Carter. Bad idea, Carter.

Kesler's one-punch to the jaw bone of Carter KO'd the 6'4" 225 lb. sniper was heard round the hockey world. Understandable, a woozy Carter made hi sway to the room after getting beat down.






Talk about a bad look for the Kings.

This is reprehensible!







How do you sit idly by and watch a hated rival shake your money maker?!!


Carter was pounded in the face by Kesler and there was zero response from the Kings.

Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada.

That is the Kings equivalent to Milan Lucic freight training Ryan Miller.

Cue the Phil Collin and Genesis:

No. Reply. At. All.


Carter has scored 30 goals and 26 assists and been carrying the Kings on his shoulders all season long. Without Carter's consistent offensive production, the Kings are a lottery team.


The Kings entered Saturday's matinee ranked 25th in the NHL in goals for with 145. The Kings are also #25 in terms of even strength goals scored with just 96, 5v5 goals for.


If I was Carter, I'd be in the faces of my teammates in the room when the coaches are not around. I'd be pissed if I were Carter, who is capable of fighting his own battles but got KO'd by a massive right hand from Kesler. The least thing the Kings need now is their leading scorer busting his hand while fighting.

The Kings have heavy players who can chuck the knucks.


Where was Dustin Brown? Anze Kopitar? Trevor Lewis? Dwight Kings? Jordan Nolan? Drew Doughty?


Where were they? On the bench watching it all happen with zero response.

Western opponents a San Jose,Minnesota, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Edmonton, Calgary, et al will watch the Kesler punch to Carter's jaw and perhaps take the same tack in future games.

As Carter goes, so go the Kings.

You know who would not allow Carter to get punked and embarrassed by Kesler?

Evander Kane.


The Kings and Sabres have been scouting one another for months. If I'm Dean Lombardi, I'm paying Tim Murray's price and I'm trading for Kane at Wednesday's NHL trade deadline.

If I'm Murray, I'd be demanding one of Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez, plus former first round forward Adrian Kempe in exchange for Kane.

The Kings cannot continue to rely on Carter, Toffoli and Pearson to score all of LA's goals. If they make the playoffs, and that is a BIG if, opponents will be all over Carter, Toffoli and Pearson like a cheap, polyester leisure suit. There will be no room for the Kings play makers and scorers to create in. They need help. They need a speedy forward to stretch the D and win wall battles.

Kane would give the Kings 20+ even strength goals right off the hop. Kane cane also kill it on the first PP unit, a place where Dan Byslma refuses to play him in Buffalo. Sure, Kane can light the lamp and set up his line mates. Kane would give the Kings a pugilistic competitor who creates huge chunks of ice and extra time/space for his line mates. Kane would be a credible and respected body guard for Kopitar, Carter, Toffoli, Pearson and the Kings as they fight for a wild card berth.


My money would be on Kane to win a punch in the face contest with Ryan Kesler.


With their 4-1 win over the Ducks on Saturday afternoon, the Kings still trail Nashville by three points for the second Western wild card berth. They won't make up ground and earn a playoff spot is Carter is getting his face rearranged by Kesler or another goon on another team on another night.



The Kings better watch out. The Ducks might beat the Kings to the punch and land a heavyweight champ named Evander Kane.




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