Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Let's not get too excited...
Sure, it was nice to see the Kings get a win over the hapless Coyotes. Yes, it was nice to see Garon get the call, then turn around and serve up a shutout. Yes, it was nice that we scored four (count 'em, 4) power play goals.
Keep in mind that the 'Yotes are a team that the Kings should beat. Beat badly. Which they did. It's not time for Garon to assume the throne over Cloutier just yet. Starting Sunday, L.A. has to play 3 games in 4 days. That is going to be rough on the boys. And conceivably, the Kings could go 1-4 in the next 5 games. Columbus, Anaheim and Minnesota are tops in the league in power play percentage.
Rob Blake continued his strong play from against the Wild Thursday night against the Coyotes. He had two assists, and is settling into game shape. O'Sullivan had a couple chances, and he is settling into his role. Even Sean Avery played well, barring his game misconduct in the final seconds of the game.
Here's a stat that I don't think I've seen in a long time: As of Thursday, Los Angeles is second in the league in shots on goal. All those calls of "shoot the puck" during the Andy Murray Walking Dead regime seem to have stuck this year. But with the good comes the bad, L.A. is also second in penalty minutes.
