Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Kings Grit Their Way Back Into the Series
It wasn't pretty by any means, but the Kings announced their presence in the series. Thanks to a gritty goal by Slava Voynov in the second period, the Kings got the 1-0 victory after losing two disappointing games in St. Louis.
"I don't think anyone's happy with how we played," captain Dustin Brown said about the Kings performance in Game 1 and the third period of Game 2. They as a team knew they had to show up for the full 60 minutes.
It had been two years since the Kings trailed in a playoff series. It had also been since 2002 that the Kings trailed 0-2 in a playoff series. They didn't come back to win either, but in order to buck that trend it would seem the Kings would have to win this game.
Head coach Darryl Sutter scoffed at the suggestion of a must-win game after the morning skate, playing desperate and all other cliches we have worn thin through the years. It looked the rest of the team scoffed along.
Support for LAist comes from
One thing head coach Darryl Sutter did was dress seven defenseman bringing up Alec Martinez while sending center Jordan Nolan back into a three-piece suit.
"I'm just trying to get a little more out of everyone," Sutter said about the move. Sutter already acknowledged that scoring was going to be difficult. "Not much for goals. You can't get frustrated by it."
Through one period it seemed only Kyle Clifford and Justin Williams had joined goaltender Jonathan Quick on the ice. Clifford had a shot blocked, two missed shots, three hits ands two takeaways during the first 20 minutes while Williams tallied two missed shots. Other than that the period was filled with the Kings being sloppy with the puck in their zone and not getting much pressure on Blues goaltender Brian Elliott.
"This is a fun time of the year," Williams said. "I love moving on. I love winning."
Early in the second period the Kings finally broke open the scoring, among the grittiest goals I've ever seen in a while. Mike Richards made the original shot on Brian Elliott which sent everyone collapsing to the net. Kyle Clifford took a hack on the rebound, and Elliott seemed to have stopped the puck. However the puck squirted out to Slava Voynov who was sitting back for defensive purposes. He took the shot high as bodies were still collapsed in front of Elliott. I mean, look at it:
"That's how you score goals," Blues defenseman Jordan Leopold said. "You go to the net and you dig and you grind."
For Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, he expected all of this sort of battle.
Support for LAist comes from
"It is a hell of a battle, and it won't be any different on Monday," Hitchcock said. "There is not much difference between the two teams, both goalies are on top of their game. Our guy was great again tonight, their guy was a little bit better."
Elliott made 20 saves while Quick turned away all 30 shots he faced. And things have been really tight. A bounce here, a lapse there, this series could be 3-0, 2-1, 1-2, 0-3.
Don't get me wrong. This has not been pretty hockey. Ask Quick who got sat on by David Perron in the third period as the play was going the other way. But just because the Kings are down two games to one doesn't mean they're the inferior team.
Having said that this isn't a recipe for the Stanley Cup, but you know the cliche that players and coaches like to use: take it one game at a time. The Kings will need to clean up the play in their own zone, but they did a good job of accounting for their errors.
The two face off against each other on Monday.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist