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LAst Night's Action: No "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulers"
This is what the Kings and Kings' fans hope to see a lot at the STAPLES Center this season. (LAist/Jimmy Bramlett)
Phoenix Coyotes defeat LA Kings 5-4 (SO). That’s it folks. Unless General Manager Dean Lombardi gets Rick Nash or Zach Parise or both or all or what not before the trade deadline on Monday, this is it folks.
It started as an odd night. Like the lack of traffic on the 405, the Kings scored three goals in the first period which would normally be the sign of the first horseman of the apocalypse. But the Kings started taking stupid penalties, and it was over. Despite being among the league best penalty killing team, the Kings could not stop the league’s worst power-play - the Coyotes stormed back with three goals with the man advantage. The doozy came on Radim Vrbata’s game tying goal during the Kyle Clifford major penalty.
The Kings are not in the position to be giving away free points by failing to close out games so regardless of an overtime win or loss, the game would have essentially been a loss for the Kings. But Mikkel Boedker’s shootout goal put the seal on it: the Kings had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
So things looked better for the Kings offensively. But with all the emphasis there, they lost every other part of their game. This team can’t close out games, and simply put are lost on the ice. And to add insult to injury, they go to Colorado for a nationally televised game Wednesday night.
Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Anaheim Ducks 3-2. The Ducks didn’t play all that poorly, but given where they are in the standings they cannot afford any slip up for the remainder of the season.
TONIGHT’S ACTION
LA Lakers at Dallas Mavericks. 6:30 p.m. KCAL9, ESPN, AM 710 KSPN.
Denver Nuggets at LA Clippers. 7:30 p.m. FS Prime Ticket, AM 980 KFWB.
LA Kings at Colorado Avalanche. 6:00 p.m. NBC Sports Net, AM 1150 KTLK.
UCSB Gauchos at LB State 49ers. 8:00 p.m. ESPN2.
UC Riverside Highlanders at Cal State Northridge Matadors. 7:05 p.m.
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