* The Kings came out and did exactly what they needed to do last night by coming out and setting the tempo early on. They out-chanced and out shot the Canucks in the first period. They scored first. And if the Kings could have found a way to open up a two goal lead last night, he believes they'd be back in Vancouver tomorrow night for game seven.
* Thoughts on Luongo - he wasn't extremely busy...he didn't have to make a large volume of saves in the series...but, when he needed to he came up big. Two big saves come to mind - the stop of Frolov in game four (that would have put the Kings up by two goals in the third) and the stop last night on Ryan Smyth "that looked to be a for sure goal."
* Is the fact the series was so close the 'positive' message the Kings have to take away from the series? The loss is disappointing. During the regular season the Kings were 29-0-2 when entering the third period with a lead. They couldn't repeat that success in the playoffs, giving third period leads away in the three games at Staples Center. They were outscored 11-3 in the third periods of this series. So, there's some work to be done. You have to give yourself a pat on the back for making the playoffs. However, there's probably a handful of events in the series that if 'this or that' would have happened, the Kings would have been in control of the series. They gave Vancouver a battle...and for this team and the organization - it's going to pay dividiends in the years to come. In talking to the guys last night, they couldn't wait to get going again next year. They wanted to apply what they learned. They believe they're a playoff team now.
* Lots of questions about Quick coming out of the series. What's your evaluation? Quick played real solid, especially early on in the series. He was a factor in the games the Kings won. Looking at game five, I dont think you can point the finger at the goaltending. The Kings inability to score 5 on 5 in the series was a factor. He didn't get the support he needed at the key times. The Kings had a total of 7 even strength goals in the six games. Their power play was red hot and that kept them in the series. Quick learned a lot. He probably played more than anybody else in the league this year and he works harder than anybody. If it wasn't for his strong play throughout the year, the Kings wouldn't have even been in postseason. Next year it will probably be Quick and Bernier. Splitting the duties next year will probably help both. I dont want to say Quick was tired, maybe mentaly drained - but, it's a learning process for him and the organization. The lack of goals were a greater factor in the outcome of the series.
* Simmonds was impressive in the series. Thoughts? He was a bright spot for sure. His strong work ethic over the last two years has given him a spot on the team. In a perfect world he probably belongs on your 2nd or 3rd line, even though he played up front with Kopitar at times. Next year, with a few more pounds, he'll be even better. The scouts did a great job in finding him and convincing Lombardi to draft him. He led the team in +/- this season and he'll only get better as he matures.
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Nick Nickson please pick up the white courtesy phone. We've heard from Bob Miller in an interview here on Mayors Manor a few weeks ago...Jim Fox stopped by with his High / Low points from game four...above are some comments from Daryl (via NHL radio)...
Nick Nickson, you're on the clock...
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
What I loved most about the Evans interview was the look on the faces of the Power Play hosts while Daryl was talking..."Will this guy ever shut the hell up?" Of course, you wouldn't know that if you weren't watching it on the NHL network.
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