I almost never predict that one team will sweep another team in the playoffs. I suppose I should stick to that from now on if they’re all going to work out the way the Penguins/Senators series did for the first game. The Senators clearly aren’t getting swept by the Penguins. I still think the Pens will bounce back and win the series, but they’re obviously not going to do it in 4 games. If they look the way they did in game one, the Penguins could get swept. They had their moments, but the game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates.

I know NBC couldn’t possibly give up Minute to Win It (which I’d never heard of before I decided to see what was on tonight), Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit (a show I’ve actually seen), & “To Be Announced” (that’s still what my DVR has listed for tonight, though it looks like a second episode of Law & Order: Special Victim’s Unit or another Law & Order). However, having all the NHL playoff games on only one channel (Versus, of course) in this round is very frustrating for someone who can’t get NHL Center Ice any more. The trade-off (not having to deal with the horrible Cox Cable any more) was well worth it, but I couldn’t watch tonight’s Flyers/Devils game and that was very disappointing for someone who missed fewer than 2 full games the last two playoff years. Four playoff games in a day and only three on TV in the United States is disappointing, but it could be worse. Last year, only two of the first four games were on Versus in the US. All of the games are, of course, televised in Canada and if it were the Los Angeles games that were being skipped by National TV, I’d be fine. Sadly, I won’t get to see ANY of the Devils/Flyers series (I can’t count the in-game updates and NHL on the Fly as watching the game). I really can’t imagine how the network deemed that series completely unworthy of national television. Of course, I guess it’s almost worse to say that the entire Penguins/Senators series is worth except for game 7 if it happens. I still don’t think that series will go to 7 games, but what if it does? If that series goes to 7 games and the only game of the series not televised nationally in the United States is the most important game of the series, Gary Bettman and Versus should be completely ashamed of themselves. Just as much as when NBC and Bettman chose horse racing pre-show coverage over the overtime ending of a playoff hockey game.

I thought it was great to see Muhammad Ali in Phoenix for the Coyotes/Red Wings game. Perhaps he can take some of the credit for the Coyotes being the only home team to win game 1 in the first day of the 2010 NHL playoffs. Then again, perhaps it’s the Coyotes’ reaction to a completely full building. I’ve never seen the Glendale Arena so full. In talking to the players when they were here for one of the Kings’ last games, I found out that their building has been a lot more full recently and that they’ve enjoyed seeing so the building get more crowded as they continued to do well. I’m sure it’ll stay that way through the playoffs. Hopefully, the attendance burst will carry over to the 2010-11 season for the Coyotes, too. The Glendale Arena isn’t that far from downtown Phoenix. Hopefully, those living in Phoenix will figure that out during the playoffs and keep going back. The Glendale Arena is beautiful. It’d be nice to see it full more often.

Due to the way the games were scheduled on Versus, I saw under 8 minutes of the Sharks/Avalanche game. It seemed like that game was going to go into overtime. I was thinking how fortunate it was for the NHL and Versus that the last game of the day would be the only game to go into overtime. No sooner had I thought that than I got to the Avalanche goal with just 49.3 seconds left in regulation. Stewart banked it off of Rob Blake’s skate and won the game for the Avalanche. Oddly enough, this was the only series that started out the way I would have guessed. It’s definitely going to be an interesting playoff season!

In 2009, I went 7 for 8 in first round predictions. Somehow, I think that’s very unlikely this year. It was difficult for me to decide who I think will win a couple of the series this year, which I hope means there will be some great match-ups. Here are my predictions…

Eastern Conference

Capitals vs. Canadiens
Capitals in 5 – I don’t think this will be at all challenging for the Capitals, but I think the Canadiens will win a game, hopefully at home for their fans.

Devils vs. Flyers
Devils in 6 – I think the Devils will take this one unless they have a completely unexpected breakdown or the Martin Brodeur of the Olympics resurfaces. It seems like Marty is determined to make everyone forget about his horrible performance in the 2010 Olympics, which will probably help the Devils, but the Flyers are still a very good team in spite of how they were playing the last couple weeks. I think they’ll bounce back and win a couple games.

Sabres vs. Bruins
Bruins in 6 – I know it’s not a popular choice, but I think the Bruins are going to step up and beat the Sabres. Buffalo hadn’t been doing that great in their last couple weeks and Boston may just take their winning streak into the playoffs.

Penguins vs. Senators
Penguins in 4 – A lot of those who know me will say I’m being too much of a fan in this prediction, but I disagree. I think that the Penguins (especially their Captain Sidney Crosby) still remember the 2007 meeting with the Senators in the playoffs. The Penguins swept the Senators when they faced the team the following year in the quarterfinals and I think they’ll do the same 2 years later.

Western Conference

Sharks vs. Avalanche
Avalanche in 6 – I know everyone keeps saying the Sharks are bound to break out of their playoff slump some year, but I don’t see it happening any time soon. The one thing that makes me a bit skeptical about this pick is that (unlike recent playoff years) the Sharks went 8-1-1 in their last 10 games of the season as opposed to barely squeaking by to win the western conference title. The Avalanche have struggled at the end of the season, so if the Sharks don’t crash and burn early, they may get past the Avalanche and lose in round 2.

Blackhawks vs. Predators
Blackhawks in 6 – I think the Blackhawks will take the series, though it’ll be more difficult for them than it would if they had a better goalie. A team can win the Stanley Cup with an amazing defense and an okay goalie, but Huet is near the bottom out of all ranked goalies. Niemi has been doing well, but has very little experience. Of course, many new goalies (even those like Hedberg with the Pens, who had played only 9 regular season games) have great playoff runs, so I think the Blackhawks will get through the first round in spite of the goaltending questions.

Canucks vs. Kings
Canucks in 6 – I’ve talked to a lot of people who think the Kings will win this one, but I have to go with the Canucks for a few reasons. First, the Canucks have a lot more playoff experience than the Kings. I don’t see them making it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but I do think they’ll get past the Kings. In 2007, I was sure the Penguins would beat the Senators and then collapse. Instead, they were out of the playoffs in 5 games. I think the Kings will win one more game than the 2007 Pens, but they don’t have much playoff experience and I think that’ll hurt them. The other issue in this match-up is the goaltending. Luongo just won the gold medal with Canada in his home arena in Vancouver. Conversely, Quick (who Terry Murray keeps reminding everyone is the “number one guy”) had never played as many games as he did this season (72). He played only 44 last season and came from college hockey, where he played fewer games. It’s been speculated that part of Nabokov’s problem in the playoffs is that he’s so tired (he played 71 games this season). If a lot of games affect a seasoned goalie the way they have Nabokov, what will it do to a goalie with a lot less experience? As if that’s not enough, the Canucks have the number one scorer in the NHL (and 3 of the top 25). All those factors add up to me thinking the Canucks will win this round and a picture similar to that of Sidney Crosby’s depressed locker room shot of captain Dustin Brown.

Coyotes vs. Red Wings
Red Wings in 7 – This series was the hardest series for me to pick a winner, which is why I had to predict that it’ll go to 7 games. The Red Wings have been doing so well lately (8-1-1 in their last 10 games) that I had to pick them. Until I started writing this, I was going to pick the Coyotes. I think it’ll be a great series. The Red Wings do seem to already be in playoff mode, though, and their playoff goaltending has been amazing lately (leading them to two Stanley Cup Finals in the last two years and one Cup). I don’t think the Red Wings will get as far this year, but I don’t think they’ll collapse until at least the second round. The Coyotes have been playing really well this season, but recently they’ve been good, but not great and I don’t think that’s quite enough to beat the playoff Red Wings. Would anyone have predicted that the Coyotes would have home ice advantage in this series? It’s doubtful. The Red Wings didn’t play that well overall this season, but they know how to win in the playoffs. They have a history of winning for a reason.

Hopefully, a lot of the match-ups will be exciting this year. I think that’s all most serious hockey fans want (other than their own team winning the Cup, of course, but we can’t have that every year).

Enjoy the playoffs!

This season, the Kings have an amazing ability to bounce back after giving up a lead – even against their southern California rival Anaheim Ducks. They’re 22-0-0 when leading after 2 periods. To make things exciting/stressful for their fans (not really… the Kings have never tried to give up a lead), the Kings have given up the lead they took into the third period in quite a few of those 21 games. The Kings don’t seem to know what’s different this season or why they refuse to give up in the third period even if they give up the lead they have going into it, but as Kopitar said, “It’s a good thing.” They may not be able to explain their success this season, but who cares? Their fans are happy and like the team they’ve supported, the Kings fans are having fun!

The Kings tied the club record winning streak of 8 games they had in 91-92 & 72-73 last night (most recently February 18 – March 2, 1991). Jon Quick extended his career high winning streak and broke the longest winning streak in Kings goal tending history (which he’d tied Tuesday). Anze Kopitar tied his career high points in a game (4) and Jack Johnson beat his career high points in a game (also with 4).

Did the Kings win the way they would have preferred? No. But they won. They didn’t give up when the Ducks tied the game after the Kings had a 4-1 lead. Kings fans were on the edge of their seats and certainly concerned once the Ducks made the game 4-3, but the Kings didn’t give up and let the Ducks win (or even get away with a point by getting into overtime). Though no one can explain the difference, it’s clear that the Kings are a different team now than they were last year at this time. Last season, they might have gotten a point in last night’s game or perhaps two by winning in a shootout. This season, the Kings don’t settle for just one point. They want to win. Winning games may be their job, as coach Terry Murray pointed out when asked about the winning streak, but this year the Kings (now in 4th place in the western conference – tied with Phoenix in points, but with more wins) expect to win. Winning streaks are great, but they just care about making sure they’re playing in mid-April this year for the first time in seven years.

The Kings were clearly tired from beating the Sharks in overtime the night before, but they brought home a win in spite of giving up their two goal lead and allowing the Coyotes to tie the game. The Kings are undefeated when leading after the 2nd period (14-0-0) and haven’t been beaten in regulation in the last seven games. It may be too early for some to pay attention to standings, but the Kings have been solidly in playoff contention this whole season and they’ve played 40% of their games now, so I don’t think it’s too early to talk about the fact that the Kings are in 4th place in the West now. Yes, some of the teams behind them have games in hand, but they’ll catch up when the Kings are off the week before Christmas and I think the Kings will still be solidly in playoff contention at that point.

In spite of giving up many of their leads when they get to the 3rd period, the Kings are finding ways to win games this season rather than finding ways to lose (as they did most of last season). Los Angeles has done very well in a pretty tough division (including against the San Jose Sharks, the top team in the western conference and tied for the NHL lead). The Pacific division currently has 4 teams in playoff standings (everyone but the last place Anaheim Ducks), so the division is doing well overall and the Kings are only 1 point behind the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have a game in hand on the Kings at this point, but the Kings weren’t even close to the Sharks last year at this point.

Before the season started when people asked me if I thought the Kings would make the playoffs, they thought I was giving them too much credit when I said I thought they’d sneak in (6-8th place in the conference). Now it seems that I may have been underestimating the team. The games might not all be pretty and the Kings definitely make their fans nervous a lot. However, the Kings are getting the job done and somehow and finding ways to win.

Kings fans should start saving their money for playoff tickets if they haven’t already. This team is definitely a team determined to make it to the playoffs, just as their “The only reason we’re here” shirts say.

If Kings fans missed the game last night against Vancouver, they might have thought they were seeing things when they read that their team lost 2-1 in a shootout. The only difference in the simple box scores was the game in San Jose taking 3 more rounds of the shootout to end the game.

Though he always went on to say that he liked the shootout for the fans and realized that the fans like the shootout and get excited, Terry Murray made it very clear that he hates the shootout. Many of us think it’s a bit ridiculous to decide a game by a team with a skill competition. Yes, penalty shots are exciting and the skills competition of the All Star game is always my favorite part. However, other sports don’t end team games with individual competition, why does the NHL? Could you imagine after 9 innings of baseball deciding the game in a home run competition instead of continuing to play? What about the team that loses in 22 innings getting a point for that in the standings? Didn’t think so. What about the NBA ending in a free throw competition or a game of HORSE? So why give a goaltender who’s played well enough to keep his team in the game and get them through 65 minutes of play a loss (even if it is in the separate overtime loss column)? Okay, enough of my anti-shootout rant.

Naturally, the Kings didn’t look as good in the second night of their back to back games. I still think that teams in back to back games should be facing other teams who played the day before on their second night (which would have worked if the Canucks had played the Ducks on Wednesday instead of playing them Friday). The Canucks will have the disadvantage against the rested Ducks tonight and the Ducks will be at a disadvantage on Saturday when they play in Phoenix. Somehow, it seems it could have been coordinated a bit better.

On the bright side for Kings fans, their team got a point for the shootout loss in both of their last two games and points in their last 6 (4-0-2) games. The Kings had two four game winning streaks in the same month for the first time since… I’m not sure when. I went back to the late 90s and couldn’t find another time when the Kings put together two winning streaks of 4 games or more in the same month. The Kings are at the head of their division and despite many reports to the contrary, when they were tied in points with the Sharks the Kings were in the lead of the division, since they’ve gotten 3 points in their 2 games with the Sharks and the Sharks have only gotten 2. They only had two four game winning streaks in their entire last season (and none longer).

It’ll be very interesting to see the Kings play the Penguins next week. They’ve played the Sharks, but the Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions and (having lost only two games so far) are clearly still at the top of their game. The Penguins haven’t been to LA since November of 2006. For some reason, they tend to come to southern California in November or December (escaping the Pennsylvania weather for a bit?). I’ve seen the Penguins play so often the last couple years in Pittsburgh that I sometimes forget how little most southern California hockey fans have seen of the Penguins. The last time the Penguins were in LA was the season where they made the playoffs for the first time in years. It was Sidney Crosby’s first trip to California in the NHL and Evgeni Malkin’s first year in the NHL. They both had fairly big nights in LA and the Kings lost in overtime (Malkin scored the OT goal). Both teams have changed quite a bit since then. The Penguins have found a coach (Dan Bylsma) who seems to know exactly how to lead a group of young superstars. Bylsma’s record in his 61 games as a coach of the Penguins is 44-13-4 (they’ve won 72% of their games, 83% since his first training camp with the team). The Kings have done well with Terry Murray’s system focusing on defense and seem to have found a goaltender (in Jon Quick) capable of making the saves to give the Kings a chance to win every night. They’ve also added a few key players to help them achieve a higher level of play. Anze Kopitar has definitely stepped up his game this season. It’s early, but Kopi’s on pace to score almost 60 goals this season and has scored 1.5 points per game so far. (He was leading the NHL in points until Alex Ovechkin passed him last night.) Next Thursday’s game should be very interesting and will certainly be the biggest test the Kings have faced so far this season.

In spite of Williams’ injury (sustained during practice), the Kings looked good at the beginning of last night’s game. Breaking up the first line that’s combined to score 35 points in the Kings’ 9 games was certainly not something Terry Murray looked forward to doing. After the game, he credited GM Dean Lombardi with the idea of putting Wayne Simmonds on the top line. Clearly, Simmonds’ goal and assist support this decision (even though the goal was scored in a 4 on 4 situation and assisted by Frolov). Alexander Frolov had two assists in the game and looked much better than he did before he sat out as a healthy scratch. Perhaps Fro got the point and will be more dedicated in the future. I wouldn’t recommend that Kings fans hold their breath for that to happen, though everyone would love to see it.

The Kings started out very strong at Staples Center against the Stars. Anze Kopitar’s first goal was a great hard goal – a goal even Terry Murray said Kopitar would not have scored last year. Simmonds scored with a nice 4 on 4 goal at the end of the first and less than a minute later, the Stars cut the lead in half by when Neal scored his own 4 on 4 goal (unassisted). This wasn’t really a reason for the Kings fans to worry. Their team looked strong in the first period and they had every reason to think that would continue in the second period. It did.

The Kings scored two unanswered goals in the 2nd period, extending their lead. Anze Kopitar scored his first career NHL hat trick. The 4th Kings goal is definitely a goal that Auld wanted to have back. He bobbled the puck and it still got by him. Oddly enough, Turco almost allowed a similar goal the previous night against the Ducks in Anaheim, but managed to make the save.

A two goal lead is often said to be the most dangerous lead in hockey. Kings fans are probably thinking the three goal lead is up there on the list. By 8:30 into the 3rd period, the Stars had cut their deficit to one and they tied the game with almost 3 minutes left in the third period, sending the game into overtime.

I’m sure most Kings fans were wondering what hit them. They’re not used to the Kings giving up leads like that against the Stars. In fact, they typically do quite the opposite where the Stars are concerned. Though they didn’t make the playoffs last season, the Kings had a winning record against the Stars, including one come from behind win. The fans don’t want to see the reverse happen in their own building – especially not when their team has shown such promise.

Fortunately for Kings fans, Handzus scored less than a minute into overtime giving the Kings the win.

In spite of the collapse the Kings faced in the third period (brought on mostly by a couple of soft goals allowed by Jon Quick), the team did not give up. They stuck with their game and won the game in overtime. It’s my opinion that Kopitar’s first goal isn’t the only thing that would have been a lot less likely last season. I seriously doubt the Kings of last season would have won in overtime after giving up a 3 goal lead in the third period. Most likely, they would have buckled under in the overtime period or shootout and been happy that they escaped with a point.

This year, the guys in the locker room were definitely singing a different tune than they would have last year. They talked a lot about the fact that giving up a 3 goal lead in the third period is something they can’t do. They realize that getting two points is the most important thing, but they also know they can’t allow a team to catch up and just assume that they’ll still be able to win in overtime. The main difference is that the Kings expect to be playing in the postseason this time around. They don’t expect to go home early in April 2010. The Kings are ready for playoff hockey (which many of the Kings would be playing for the first time, not just their first time in a Kings uniform) and playoff teams can’t allow themselves to think losing a three goal lead is acceptable. Once you get to overtime, it’s anybody’s game. That’s not a risk a team that expects to win wants to take.

Now the team heads to Phoenix for Saturday’s game for the first of many quick road trips before heading home to host Columbus on Sunday. The way Quick bounces back after the collapse in Thursday’s game will tell Kings fans a lot about what they can expect from their team this season.

Preseason games often have a lot of fighting. This is true even more in rookie games, since everyone seems to be trying to get noticed. (This is common knowledge, a friend of mine who barely watches hockey even asked me if I thought a game might break out at the fight tonight – I said I wasn’t expecting it.) Fighting is always a big crowd pleaser, but when there seems to be as much fighting as 5 on 5 hockey without it, serious hockey fans can get a little frustrated… a possible problem when the only fans who will attend a preseason rookie game are the most loyal fans.

Tonight, the Toyota Sports Center was packed with fans who watched their team’s rookies lose to the Coyotes’ rookies (who rode out to LA on a bus) 6-1. The Kings scored the middle goal of the game and the crowd went wild. Of course, the fans also cheered for the fights, but their team had a lot more fights than goals and the fans need to find entertainment value in the game.

However, I still think the best way to enjoy a preseason game of any kind is to sit with good friends who also really know the game. That way, you can discuss the players fighting, potential pronunciations (though most of us figure we’ll learn the names of the guys who actually make it – most of the guys in the rookie tournament won’t be in the NHL this coming season and many won’t be on the Kings when they do), the give-aways, the hits that take players out of position, the break-out player moments, and (in tonight’s case) maybe even how the other team is outplaying your team.

I personally enjoyed the second period of tonight’s game the most and it had nothing to do with the Kings scoring their only goal a little more than half-way through the period, though as a Kings fan that was a definite plus. No offense to those I watched the 1st & 3rd periods of the game with, since we had a lot of fun talking; however, Bob Miller sat next to me for the 2nd period and hearing his stories more than made up for the quality of the game and the fact that the Kings’ rookies weren’t doing too well against the Coyotes’ rookies. Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty & HockeyTalk.biz kept telling Bob he needs to write a second book (an idea I fully support), since he has so many great stories that didn’t make the cut for the first book. Those who were lucky enough to catch Bob Miller’s One Man Show at Hockey Fest at the end of last month got to hear a few of the anecdotes that didn’t make the cut for Bob Miller’s Tales from the Los Angeles Kings. I’m sure many of the Kings fans would join us in pre-ordering Bob’s next book if/when we’re given that chance.

The LA Kings still have slim playoff chances. They haven’t been mathematically eliminated – yet. However, it’s clear that they (and probably the Ducks, slated just ahead of them in the standings with 2 more points) will not make the playoffs this year. I was surprised by how many people said that last night’s game was “it,” meaning the end of the playoff hopes for the Kings. I understand wanting your team to do well. I definitely wanted the Kings to make the playoffs. I really enjoyed seeing the players happy and in the race for the playoffs, blasting Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the locker room. Most of the Kings’ current roster had never been in a position where it was possible (if all the stars aligned) for them to make it to the playoffs until this season. They’re young and the Kings have not been good since most of them joined the NHL. The excitement of the playoff hunt didn’t change the fact that the problem the Kings faced was not the points in the standings, but all the teams between them and the 8th and final playoff spot in the western conference. Last night at the game, someone mentioned that all they had to do was change the number of points they had to get into the playoffs. However, that’s not a realistic view of the situation. In order to advance, a team needs to win and have other teams lose. Since the Kings face east coast teams (Boston and Pittsburgh) in the beginning of their road trip that starts Thursday), they can only control their result. They have no way of keeping teams they’re competing against from getting points unless they’re playing them at the time.

Some fans may still believe the Kings have a shot at the playoffs this season, but their long shot just got more unlikely when they lost a four point game (as Terry Murray always calls the division games, but last night’s was more of a four point game than a game against the Coyotes this season) last night against the then 9th place Nashville Predators (last night’s game moved them into 7th place). The Kings will most likely finish where I expected them to finish (not in the playoffs, but not far from it). They’re definitely outside looking in this year, but at least they can see the playoffs in their future. Last year at this time, the Kings’ locker room was one of the most depressing places one can imagine. Now, the Kings see what they need to do to improve and realize that they are capable of making the playoffs… just not this year.

Unfortunately for NHL fans in southern California, the only hockey team in the area making the playoffs this year might just be the Ontario Reign. In good news, the arena is beautiful, prices are lower, and parking is free. The down side, of course, is that all the NHL playoffs may have to be on TV or require travel for those who live in southern California. There is the possibility that the not-so-distant future will have both the Kings and the Ducks in the playoffs, though. The future looks bright for hockey fans in the LA/Orange County area.

Last night, the Kings played their first two (yes, two) preseason games. Half the team was in Kansas City playing the Blues, while the other half remained in LA to play the Coyotes. The game in Kansas City sold more tickets. The attendance there was 11,603. The official attendance at the game in Staples Center was 8,221. A lot of those seats were empty, of course. I don’t know the official count of fans in the building, but a lot of season ticket holders don’t attend preseason games, so Staples Center was very empty.

The fans who did attend the preseason game in Staples Center got a good show. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and Jack Johnson were all at the game in LA.

Not too long ago, fans were booing Dan Cloutier in net (and when he was announced at the start of a game). They were chanting to put in LaBarbera. When Mathieu Garon and Jason LaBarbera were playing for the Kings, I knew fans who would only show up to the games Jason was supposed to start and many fans shouted that they wanted to see LaBarbera in net.

Last season, the fans pretty much got their wish and LaBarbera was in net… until he got injured. Cloutier was booed whenever he played and fans cheered if he got pulled from a game. That’s a rough situation for a goalie and I’m sure the fan reaction didn’t help Cloutier’s performance in net.

This season, it looks like Jason LaBarbera will be the number one goalie for the Kings and (partly because of his injury and rehabilitation from that) he’s feeling like he’s in better shape than ever. LaBarbera has really paid attention to his eating habits and training program and is ready to go. That being said, he hadn’t played in a hockey game for over 7 months. When I asked what happened last night, since he looked a bit off (allowing 4 goals in 17 shots), he said it was rust. He hadn’t played in over 7 months and was rusty. Jason’s not at all concerned about getting back into the swing of things and I think the fans need to give him a little slack before attacking him.

The fans in Staples Center last night were very quick to boo Jason LaBarbera. One fan near me shouted that LaBarbera sucked and that there had only been x shots and there were already y goals. I realize that Kings fans are looking for a hero in net and want a miracle this season. They’ve been waiting a long time for the Kings to do well. Who wouldn’t like that? Any fan of a team that’s predicted to do poorly would be thrilled if they got into the playoffs, but it’s different to dream than it is to hold the players of your team to unrealistic expectations.

When Cloutier was playing poorly the Kings fans gave him the benefit of the doubt. Many argued that Cloutier was doing great when he won games, though I argue that if a team wins 5-4, the goalie performed just as badly as if they lost 4-0 and you have to factor in the kinds of goals that are being scored, whether the goalie was well screened, etc. The score doesn’t tell you everything about how a goalie is performing. Even the save percentage (though more accurate than the goals against average, which takes into account the rest of the team, especially the defense) isn’t a perfect indicator of how the goaltender is performing. Maybe there was a crazy deflection or the goalie was well screened and couldn’t see that shot from the point.

Even if all four of the goals by the Coyotes had been easy goals (which I don’t think anyone would argue) for a goalie to see and ones that any goalie would think they should have gotten and beat themselves up over, Jason LaBarbera hadn’t played a game of hockey in over 7 months. After his injury, he only had 4 days of on-ice training camp (counting the day of the game) to prepare for his first hockey game in 7 months. I think the fans need to think about how difficult it is to bounce back from an injury and give LaBarbera a bit of time before they judge him and decide he’s not worthy. Jason LaBarbera is a good goalie. One the fans have requested in the past. They got what they wanted and now they’ve decided they prefer Bernier. While Bernier may be the goalie of the future for the Kings, he probably has some more development to do and I don’t think he’ll be in the NHL this season. I would like to see the fans step up and support the team the Kings coaching staff decides to put on the ice, rather than making their own rash judgments and condemning players before they’re given a chance.

The fans who were at Staples Center last night are the die hard fans. They’re the fans who refused to give up their season tickets after years of poor performance by the Kings and care enough to attend preseason games, which don’t count and have some players who will not be in the NHL this season. When looking around at all the empty seats last night, it was clear that most season ticket holders couldn’t care less about a preseason game. I expect more from the die hard fans than booing a player who has always tried his best to do a good job in net for the Kings and cares about the organization. I hate seeing fans boo any player on their own team and it bothers me more when the player in question is a great guy who’s determined to play well for the team and the fans.

If you’re a Kings fan, please consider the impact you could have on a player by booing him. How would you feel if every time you made a mistake in your job a big red light went on to highlight the fact and the fans booed (or in an opposing team’s arena they chanted your name taunting you)? I can’t remember who pointed out that being a goalie is really one of the most difficult jobs anywhere, but I agree with them. Think of all that pressure. Fans are very quick to blame a goalie for their problems, but Jason LaBarbera had the same save percentage as Evgeni Nabokov, Jose Theodore, & Martin Gerber last season. He was tied for 20th out of 44 ranked goalies. Just about the middle of the pack. Not at the bottom with Johan Holmqvist or Ray Emery. Give him a chance to show that he can do a good job.

I realize the Kings fans are passionate (they wouldn’t still support the Kings if they weren’t), but I would like to attend a game without hearing fans boo their own team. I think the fans who booed Jason LaBarbera last night should be ashamed of themselves. I believe it’s incredibly rude to boo someone who is trying so hard to please the fans. If he weren’t trying it would make a bit more sense, though I still think booing your team is wrong. LaBarbera tries. Fans should at least give him a month or so of the regular season to do his best before they start berating him, but even if they get to that point I’d like them to think about the fact that Jason LaBarbera is a person and he is doing his best to win (which is clearly what the fans want). He and the rest of the Kings want to win more than the fans want the team to win. Losing isn’t fun. Everyone has played some sort of sport or game in their lives, so I’m sure everyone can relate to the fact that winning is more fun than losing. Players try to win. Please give your team a chance – especially during the preseason when lines are being changed and the team is getting used to new players and (in the Kings’ case) new coaches.