First off, I apologize for not being around recently. I have been sick over the last few days and been trying to sleep it off.
Moving on, that was some game on Saturday night.
It’s easy to be hung up on that last minute “no goal…. As we’ve seen all year, the definition of goalie interference has been subjective based on who is officiating the game, which is the most frustrating thing for fans.
It makes it worse for the fans in the stands because they don’t get the commentary and angles that those on TV do. I don’t blame them for being upset.
However, the Kings came out flat right from the opening puck drop and that is what cost them the game. For much of the first two period, the Oilers outplayed LA and the Kings didn’t look like they deserved to win.
With that said, credit the Kings for fighting back, despite all odds, to make it as close as they did. There were no signs of quitting after Edmonton got the empty net goal and you could see that they believed they could win.
They just ran out of time to do it.
It was great to see Jeff Carter back in the lineup with the Kings. The team had/has been looking for another scoring forward and once Carter can find his legs again, he should be able to fill the role.
Also, there was immediate dividends from the Tobias Reider for Darcy Kuemper trade. Reider was able to clean up in front of Cam Talbot to get the Kings within one in the third period.
Looking ahead at the trade deadline today, the Kings have been the most active team leading up to it. This makes me think that they may not be active today with many of their moves already done.
The one name that keeps popping up is Max Pacioretty, the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. Pacioretty has a year left on his deal after this season at a cap hit of $4.5 million.
Pacioretty’s cap hit is relatively team friendly and would give the Kings two shots because he has a year left. However, this also means his value is at his highest for Montreal because the longer they wait to deal him, the less they’ll be able to get.
Montreal is in a weird situation where they have Carey Price signed long term but might be on the verge or rebuilding themselves. Some of the names that were thrown around on Hockey Night in Canada for Pacioretty were Tyler Toffoli and/or Tanner Pearson.
I believe both those players are comparable to Pacioretty so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the Kings to deal them. Earlier this year it was thought that the Kings might deal one of Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez for a scoring winger but with the acquisition of Dion Phaneuf, the Kings have one of the stronger bluelines in the west.
Unless Montreal accepts a deal involving prospects, I don’t know if this will work.
We’ll all keep our ears to the ground on Monday to see what Rob Blake is up to, but I believe the Kings did their moves already. The team that brought them this far will have to be the one that carries them over the top, especially now that they’re finally healthy.