Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2015 2:26:58 GMT
For the Los Angeles Kings, a fantastic regular season and a promising playoff run turned to bitter disappointment in Game 7 of the Western Conference final.
The GHL President's Trophy winners bowed out to the St. Louis Blues in a battle of the top two teams in the West, with the Blues hammering them 6-0 in the deciding game.
St. Louis had taken a 2-0 series lead with a pair of road wins, the second time that fate had befallen the Kings during the post-season. This time, however, it cost them. The Blues then grabbed a 3-1 lead, only for the Kings to storm back with two straight wins.
In Game 7, the Blues got goals from Jamie Benn, David Backes, Alex Steen, TJ Oshie, Pavel Datsyuk and Vladimir Tarasenko, as their powerhouse attack proved too much for Jonathan Quick, who allowed six goals on just 27 shots.
Quick was recently named the winner of the Paul Bolduc Trophy for the league's top goalie, as selected by GHL general managers. However, he had several stinkers in the playoffs.
"Jon was inconsistent during the post-season. He was mostly good, but there were several really bad games sprinkled in there, and unfortunately he just didn't show up for Game 7," said Kings GM Josh Lewis, who was a finalist for the GM of the Year award.
Quick posted a playoff record of 11-6-1, with a 3.16 GAA and an ugly .871 save percentage that paled in comparison with his .910 regular season mark.
Lewis said the conference final exit is disappointing, as the Kings were arguably the odds-on Stanley Cup favourites.
"With the season we had, especially the hot streak we were on down the stretch, we really believed this club could go all the way. We were the best team in the GHL this season, so anything short of a Cup was going to be a disappointment. There were positives though. We had a deep playoff run and managed to come back against Calgary after being down 2-0. We also beat a very good team in Anaheim, and took the Blues to the limit."
As we speak, the Blues hold a 3-1 lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup final.
Several players had big post-season performances for the Kings. Marian Gaborik led the team in scoring with 12 goals and 24 points in 18 games. Behind him with 20 points each was the trio of James van Riemsdyk, Shawn Matthias and Tyler Toffoli.
Lewis said Matthias shone in the playoffs despite a slow start with the club after the trade deadline.
"That ended up being a great pickup, especially after Dustin Brown got hurt. Matthias slid onto the second line and was excellent at both ends of the ice. He's earned himself the second line centre job for next year."
Lewis said this summer won't be a repeat of last, which saw the incoming GM overhaul the roster.
"We likely won't do a whole lot. Carter's already been traded. Our top priority is to acquire a strong No. 3 defenceman to support Doughty and Kronwall. We like our D now but that's the missing piece for sure. There may be a free agent signing or two. A few kids will come up from Manchester, guys like Charlie Coyle, Matia Marcantuoni and Colin Miller."
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Meanwhile, the Kings recently signed nine minor leaguers, eight of them aged 23 or under.
Here is a look at the nine new Kings:
Ludvig Rensfeldt, C, 23
2014-15: Brynas Gavle (SEL) - 46-32-27-59
Potential: Dominant shutdown centre with little offence.
Brooks Macek, C, 23
2014-15: Revier Lowen Oberhausen (DEL) - 50-29-34-63
Potential: Second line centre with little defensive acumen.
Taylor Vause, C, 23
2014-15: Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) - 75-72-62-134
Potential: Small two-way forward with a rocket of a shot.
Erik Nystrom, LW, 21
2014-15: (SEL) - 50-30-20-50
Potential: Two-way winger with smooth hands.
Peter Trainor, LW, 21
2014-15: Manchester Storm (GBR)- 47-37-32-69
Potential: Depth forward with sound positioning.
Rasmus Bengtsson, D, 22
2014-15: Luulaja HF (49-16-30-46)
Potential: Could be an excellent shutdown defenceman. Classic boom or bust prospect.
Michal Cajkovsky, D, 23
2014-15: MoDo (SEL): 50-6-10-16
Potential: Solid stay-at-home defenceman, if he pans out.
Niklas Tikkinen, D, 20
2014-15: Blues Espoo (48-16-32-48)
Potential: Undersized third-pairing defenceman.
Leonardo Genoni, G, 27
2014-15: HC Davos (SUI): 12-0-5, 2.35 GAA, .918 SP
Potential: Will be the starter in Manchester next year.
The GHL President's Trophy winners bowed out to the St. Louis Blues in a battle of the top two teams in the West, with the Blues hammering them 6-0 in the deciding game.
St. Louis had taken a 2-0 series lead with a pair of road wins, the second time that fate had befallen the Kings during the post-season. This time, however, it cost them. The Blues then grabbed a 3-1 lead, only for the Kings to storm back with two straight wins.
In Game 7, the Blues got goals from Jamie Benn, David Backes, Alex Steen, TJ Oshie, Pavel Datsyuk and Vladimir Tarasenko, as their powerhouse attack proved too much for Jonathan Quick, who allowed six goals on just 27 shots.
Quick was recently named the winner of the Paul Bolduc Trophy for the league's top goalie, as selected by GHL general managers. However, he had several stinkers in the playoffs.
"Jon was inconsistent during the post-season. He was mostly good, but there were several really bad games sprinkled in there, and unfortunately he just didn't show up for Game 7," said Kings GM Josh Lewis, who was a finalist for the GM of the Year award.
Quick posted a playoff record of 11-6-1, with a 3.16 GAA and an ugly .871 save percentage that paled in comparison with his .910 regular season mark.
Lewis said the conference final exit is disappointing, as the Kings were arguably the odds-on Stanley Cup favourites.
"With the season we had, especially the hot streak we were on down the stretch, we really believed this club could go all the way. We were the best team in the GHL this season, so anything short of a Cup was going to be a disappointment. There were positives though. We had a deep playoff run and managed to come back against Calgary after being down 2-0. We also beat a very good team in Anaheim, and took the Blues to the limit."
As we speak, the Blues hold a 3-1 lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup final.
Several players had big post-season performances for the Kings. Marian Gaborik led the team in scoring with 12 goals and 24 points in 18 games. Behind him with 20 points each was the trio of James van Riemsdyk, Shawn Matthias and Tyler Toffoli.
Lewis said Matthias shone in the playoffs despite a slow start with the club after the trade deadline.
"That ended up being a great pickup, especially after Dustin Brown got hurt. Matthias slid onto the second line and was excellent at both ends of the ice. He's earned himself the second line centre job for next year."
Lewis said this summer won't be a repeat of last, which saw the incoming GM overhaul the roster.
"We likely won't do a whole lot. Carter's already been traded. Our top priority is to acquire a strong No. 3 defenceman to support Doughty and Kronwall. We like our D now but that's the missing piece for sure. There may be a free agent signing or two. A few kids will come up from Manchester, guys like Charlie Coyle, Matia Marcantuoni and Colin Miller."
------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, the Kings recently signed nine minor leaguers, eight of them aged 23 or under.
Here is a look at the nine new Kings:
Ludvig Rensfeldt, C, 23
2014-15: Brynas Gavle (SEL) - 46-32-27-59
Potential: Dominant shutdown centre with little offence.
Brooks Macek, C, 23
2014-15: Revier Lowen Oberhausen (DEL) - 50-29-34-63
Potential: Second line centre with little defensive acumen.
Taylor Vause, C, 23
2014-15: Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) - 75-72-62-134
Potential: Small two-way forward with a rocket of a shot.
Erik Nystrom, LW, 21
2014-15: (SEL) - 50-30-20-50
Potential: Two-way winger with smooth hands.
Peter Trainor, LW, 21
2014-15: Manchester Storm (GBR)- 47-37-32-69
Potential: Depth forward with sound positioning.
Rasmus Bengtsson, D, 22
2014-15: Luulaja HF (49-16-30-46)
Potential: Could be an excellent shutdown defenceman. Classic boom or bust prospect.
Michal Cajkovsky, D, 23
2014-15: MoDo (SEL): 50-6-10-16
Potential: Solid stay-at-home defenceman, if he pans out.
Niklas Tikkinen, D, 20
2014-15: Blues Espoo (48-16-32-48)
Potential: Undersized third-pairing defenceman.
Leonardo Genoni, G, 27
2014-15: HC Davos (SUI): 12-0-5, 2.35 GAA, .918 SP
Potential: Will be the starter in Manchester next year.
i'll be doing it all on friday as its teh only day off I have at the moment. Sorry, we are down people and its long late shifts at teh moment. 