It’s honestly hard to explain what the hell happened in tonight’s game. The Kings absolutely dominated in possession, but the Flyers were able to capitalize on the few chances they had to pull out an unlikely win.
The Kings — as expected — set up a tent in the Flyers zone and camped out there for the majority of the first period. This wasn’t as infuriating as usual, however, because somehow the Flyers kept the scoring chances about equal. If you don’t watch the Kings much and find yourself wondering how they lose games despite controlling play, take a look at that period.
It really felt like this entire game was going to be boring as hell until the Kings absolutely ratcheted it up at the very end of the second. The total scoring chance count at the end of the second was 7-2 Kings, with eight of them happening in the final few minutes. It wasn’t so much that the Flyers gave up at the end of the second (they never even showed up), but rather the Kings were finally starting to convert possession into quality chances.
The Flyers never got solid footing at any point in this game, and it really began to take its toll in the third. I can’t recall any sustained pressure on their part, and it looked like the Kings were bound to get the scoring going. But Kings will be Kings, and all that coveted possession time was in vain.
Tonight was a pure garbage outing for the Flyers, and continuing to play like this is no way to succeed, but whatever. Shutting out the Kings in their barn is pretty cool.
Some notes:
*The Kings, if you haven’t figured it out yet, are really freaking good at controlling play. It seemed like every time they entered the Flyers zone, the camera didn’t have to move for another minute or so. Their forecheck is absolutely incredible, and when they dump the puck in, they actually do something with it. Imagine that!
*The Flyers had a total of 13 shots tonight, about a third of what the King’s put up. Hopefully Berube doesn’t let them sit back and celebrate too much, because this win should not have happened with that kind of anemic offense. Eventually they’re going to face a team that can, you know, score.
*Wayne Simmonds had a pretty great game tonight. Because of Timonen’s injury, he wore the “A” for the first time and scored his 100th goal, which would end up being the game winner. I guess all you have to do to get a King to score is trade him away.
*Steve Mason had to come up really big tonight. Like humongous big. Despite getting absolutely no help from the team in front of him, he got the shutout, and earned every little bit of it. While we’re on the subject of Mason — Kurt made a promise. Let’s make sure he keeps it.
Comment of the Night
Schenn and Richards should fight. And hopefully Richards hits Schenn so hard that he transfers his powers.
