10-25 Preview - Potential Alignment + Facing The Bolts, Grundstroms Metrics, Clarke on Firsts - LA Kings Insider
# 10-25 Preview - Potential Alignment + Facing The Bolts, Grundstroms Metrics, Clarke on Firsts - LA Kings Insider
# Contributors
# Summary
The Kings have returned home following five straight games on the road, with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning kicking off a three-game homestand here in Los Angeles.
# Players
# Staff
# Notes and Quotes
# Todd McLellan
I think if you’re playing against Tampa, it doesn’t matter if it’s at home or on the road, it could be at a neutral site game in Europe, you better be ready. It’s pretty good opponent for us to have tonight to see if we can get it going in the right direction consistently. It’s been going in the right direction, but inconsistently.
This team likes to play long and they’re good at it. They also have defensemen that are very active, jumping into the play and they’ve had success doing that. When you talk about a pinch, you often talk about what your defenseman is doing and how he’s doing it and when but that’s the player going south, the other players coming north are as important or more important. There are situations where all five players are involved successfully or unsuccessfully in pinches.
The last few times we played them they weren’t necessarily healthy. They had some pretty good players out of their lineup and they’ll have their best tonight and that’s real good. They rely on their goaltender to be a stabilizing factor for them and I just wrote in our pre-scout that they play their game and they try and impose it on their opponent, that’s what they do.
# Blake Lizotte
[Carl Grundstrom] is just a workhorse, he throws his weight around and he can score around the net. If you give him a few chances around the net, it’s going to go in. I think Carl brings that bulldog attitude, along with Lemieux, where we can break teams down by using our bodies and our legs on the forecheck. I think that chemistry is at a good spot right now.
# Brendan Lemieux
Grunny can play a simple game, but also has the offensive ability and skill to make other plays. I think our line has an identity and how the coaching staff has wanted us to play is that simple style of game over and over and repeat that process.
# Brandt Clarke
Yeah, it was a really good feeling, it was late in the game, down 6-0 to make it 6-1 isn’t the most memorable story ever but it’s still something I’ll cherish for a long time. I have the puck and it’s definitely something I’ll keep forever.
[In the OHL] with Barrie, we were so central that we rarely ever stayed in hotels and a lot of the young guys had school. It was fun to just be around the team for so long, we all bonded, so that was nice. The guys all included me in dinners and what not and I had a great time on the trip.
Yeah, it’s kind of wild, my buddies are always watching the game and sending me photos standing next to those guys, it’s pretty funny. I feel like in warm up, looking over and [Crosby] is doing his warm up on the McDonald’s sign, that’s kind of when I’m looking over there like wow, they’re here. I think when the puck drops, the game starts, it doesn’t really cross my mind. I feel like I’m good in that sense.