Hot Shots

Kings 0, Ducks 2

These are a tough couple of losses. The Los Angeles Kings are getting plenty of shots on net, but they are first shots with no follow-up chances on the rebounds. An NHL team can sit there and put 50 shots on net a night, but if they aren't getting 2nd and 3rd chances, they'll never score. Over the past 2 nights, the Kings have fired left and right at the goaltenders they've faced, but struggled to get one into the net. It's always easy to blame someone... and that person is Kyle Calder. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar are getting the first shots in... then Kyle Calder and his enormous hands of stone blow any chance of putting in a rebound. Case in point was that simple drag move that Calder should have pulled in the 3rd period with a wide open net. Instead, he fumbles with the puck and the goalie gets his freakin' skate out in time to poke the puck away. His skate! I don't care who takes his place on the line... Patrick O'Sullivan, Brian Boyle, Ted Purcell, Bailey... just get Calder out of there.

Tonight was the new and improved Rinkside View. Last week, Fox Sports Executive Producer Tom Feuer told the greater Southern California hockey fans to "fuck off." This week, someone at Fox Sports must have reminded Tom how lucky he is to have a job in the current economy because tonight's Rinkside View broadcast was just like any other Kings/Ducks broadcast. With one special change:

Brian Hayward is on the bench!
Now, if they can only move him to outside the Honda Center...
then we are talking about an improved broadcast.

Brian Hayward broadcast from the bench. How silly is this? Is Hayward really getting that much more information from crouching in the corner as the Ducks change lines? Can you imagine Vin Scully calling Gibson's home run from the end of the Dodger's dugout? What if Chick Hearn sat underneath the basket? Fox Sports West... if you want to increase viewership and attention to hockey broadcasts, then just show all the games in HD. I bet your ratings will soar, especially for the "Freeway Faceoff". And why does the Ducks announcer say "rimming" all the time?

The Kings don't play again until Thursday against the Washington Ovechkin's Capitals. My buddy and I have tickets for that game as part of our Half Season Ticket Package. It's going to be great to see the Capitals in person. And with the way the Kings have played over the last week, it should be a good one.