Fropitar

Well, after almost 3 years of playing on the same team, Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov are finally getting the chance to skate on the same line tonight, with wunderkid defensive specialist 20 Year Old Wayne Simmonds on the other wing. In Coach Murray's quest to find some offense, these are the lines tonight:

Frolov-Kopitar-Simmonds
Calder-Handzus-Brown
O'Sullivan-Stoll-Purcell
Ivanans-Boyle-Zeiler

Last season, the Half Season Ticket Holder Buddy and I were walking back to our cars when we came across a Kings fan wearing this exact jersey:

Yup, it looked just like this.
But someone actually paid money for it and was wearing it.

It took us a few moments to figure it out. At first, we thought the guy got screwed on the spelling with his lettering. But then it hit us... Frolov, #24 plus Kopitar, #11 equals Fropitar, #35. This guy was giving way too much credit to the logic functions of hockey fans. Especially Kings fans.

The discovery of the existence of this jersey led to our thoughts on some possible future jerseys: Bropel (Dustin Brown and Brent Sopel), Frolovsky (Frolov and Lubomir Visnovsky) and of course, the 2nd line from early in this season, Frostoller.

I look forward to seeing what Anze and Alex can do together tonight. Their games are a bit similar, but if Frolov can do his puck protection magic and get the puck to Kopitar, it could work out. And Wayne Simmonds will continue to do what he does best... be the wildcard!

At this point, Coach Murray would put Peter Harold, Tom Preissing and Gabe Gauthier on the 1st line if they could get the puck in the net.

Scar

My appreciation for Oscar Moller has grown over the course of this young season. But it wasn't until last night's game against the Dallas Stars that I realized he might be my new favorite player.

I think it was Wes Anderson that added the little crowns.

Welcome to the NHL, Scar. Cute crowns.

The Rise of Frostoller

How great did the line of Alexander Frolov, Jarrett Stoll and Oscar Moller look tonight? The mixture of these players... the puck protection of Frolov, the grittiness and face-offiness of Stoll and the offensive potential of Moller... this might end up being a stronger line over the full season than Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and whatever slug ends up on the other wing. (How nice was it when Patrick O'Sullivan played that one shift tonight as their winger?)

There is no coincidence that the play of this line picked up the moment their official nickname was born. I mean tonight... Frolov and Stoll both scored... on the same goal! Stoll using his backhand at the same time Frolov shot on his forehand. The goal was credited to Frolov, then to Stoll and all the while Oscar just stood there flashing his toothless grin.

Frostoller. The choice of a generation.

Kings 3, The team falling apart at the seams that plays in Dallas, TX, 2

Ladies and Gentlemen... there are 60 minutes in a regulation hockey game. Tonight, versus the Dallas Stars, 18 year old rookie Drew Doughty played 27 minutes and 5 seconds. By my calculations, that is nearly half the game. We, as fans, are getting the rarest of opportunities to witness something special here. He just keeps getting better and better each game. And with injured defenseman Jack Johnson making a special appearance in the broadcast booth during the 2nd period, it reminded me "oh yeah, Jack Johnson isn't playing." Jack Johnson isn't playing and the team is playing this well. I guess it begs the question... will Jack Johnson's return coincide with a serious run at the playoffs for this team?

After JJ's performance in the booth, I think Jim Fox's job is safe.
That's saying a lot.

I don't want to start talking playoffs yet. For one reason, it's not even a 1/4 of the way through the season. And I've been down this path before with the Kings... a stellar few games backed by a great performance by a goaltender. There is a long season left. But try telling that to Captain Sorrow of the Dallas Stars:

Hey Fox Sports Dallas... when your Captain is about to cry...
you might want to hold off on the graphics and sound effects.

If this guy is getting ready to throw in the towel for the season... then Kings fans can get excited about the possibility of the playoffs. Well, if the Stars season is lost... at least they have the Fan Zam!

Now this is what I call a party bus.

Things I Learned From Watching the Dallas Stars:

The Dallas arena looked emptier than Staples Center has.

The goaltender interference penalty that Sean Avery took in the first is the exact reason why you hate to have him on your team. A stupid penalty that leads to a Power Play goal.

Dave Tippett will be fired as coach in the next few weeks. His replacement...Brett Hull?

The 2nd Line

Over the last few games, the 2nd line of Alexander Frolov, Jarett Stoll and rookie Oscar Moller has played well. Moller continues to impress nightly with his offensive potential... Stoll's addition to the team is a definite reason that the Kings have improved their defense... and Frolov, even though he may not be scoring at the same pace as years past, has become a better all-around player this season.

But the real reason for success of this particular line? Why it's their new nickname.

The Kings 2nd Line. A sweet blend of Swedish, Russian and Canadian flavors.

Everyone is always searching for the best nicknames for hockey lines. But I say, for this Kings season, let's buck the trend of naming something "The So and So Line" and just call these guys by their new legal last name.... Frostoller. It just seems to roll off the tongue. No, it's not a new German Microbrew... it's the 2nd line for the Los Angeles Kings.

You heard it here first.