Harrison Mooney

Author
  • Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

    • YikesAnd at right, we have a photo of Marc-Andre Fleury from 1997. [Reddit Hockey]

    • One man's journey from New York Rangers' fandom to New Jersey Devils' fandom. [Star-Ledger]

    • Martin Hanzal faces a hearing for boarding Dustin Brown. [USA Today]

    • Mike Smith's slash on Dustin Brown, however, is just impressive. The beauty is in the form! It's like the Mona Lisa of slashes! [Backhand Shelf]

    • Michael Farber, on John Tortorella's press conferences: "The question-and-answer sessions are hockey's version of Kabuki theater, elaborately stylized and weirdly dramatic." [Sports Illustrated]

    • You will likely enjoy this collection of John Tortorella's greatest hits. [SI Red Light]

    • Unless you're the media, who find Tortorella's walkouts more than a little frustrating. Is it time for the media to walk out on John Tortorella? [Dean Brown]

    • State lawmakers weight the liquor license request for the Winter Classic in Detroit. [Detroit News]

    • Here's a cool study from some Finnish researchers on the effects and effectiveness of the various boards used in hockey arenas. "The results show that the maximum impact force of a body check against a support post was up to 70% higher than the maximum impact force of a similar body check against a protective shield. They also found that the posts were up to five times more rigid than a plastic shield. 'By replacing the widely used tempered glass with a plastic shield, the impact force on players being body-checked against the boards is considerably reduced,' said Professor Janne Avela and researcher Piritta Poutiainen." [Cordis]

    • This post on the 5 worst Chicago Blackhawks trades gets extra points for the hockey card graphics. [The Hockey Writers]

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  • Getty

    This dude seems upset about something.

    No. 1 Star: Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings

    Jeff Carter scored the Kings' second goal in the second period, after which the game got out of hand. Then, he took advantage of the game getting out of hand, cashing in twice more on the myriad power plays in a 4-0 Game 2 win. Carter becomes the first Kings' player since to score a hat trick in a postseason game since Wayne Gretzky did it in 1993, a fact that also serves the dual purpose of shaming the Coyotes further by mentioning Wayne Gretzky in the same sentence as them.

    No. 2 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

    He had a pretty big margin for error, but Quick was flawless just for kicks, making 24 saves for his third career playoff goose egg. The trio of shutouts tied a team record set by Felix Potvin.

    No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

    Doughty was excellent in just over 23 minutes of work, tying Jeff Carter with a game-high 5 shots, picking up an assist, and finishing the night a plus-2.

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  • Getty

    After falling 4-2 in a lopsided Game 1, outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin, Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was direct about what changes had to be made for a better outcome in Game 2: "Adjustments all over the board," he told the Arizona Republic.

    He made them. It didn't work.

    For the second straight game -- or maybe the 11th straight game, depending on how far back you want to go -- the Kings looked like an unstoppable juggernaut, once again outshooting the Coyotes by nearly a 2-1 margin and dropping 4 goals on Mike Smith in a 4-0 Game 2 shellacking.

    [Jay Hart: Los Angeles Kings seem destined to reach Stanley Cup finals]

    It should be clear by now that the Kings are the eighth seed in name only. (Consider: the phrase unstoppable juggernaut, used above, isn't typically bestowed on eighth seeds.) L.A. is 10-1 this postseason. It just picked up its seventh consecutive road win, tied for the NHL postseason record. In two games versus the Coyotes, the Kings have peppered Mike Smith with 88 shots, scoring eight times.

    The Coyotes were overmatched from beginning to end in Game 2. Outshot 15 to 8 in the first period, the Kings opened the scoring by simply wearing them down. Dwight King put the Kings on the board at 13:15 on a redirect of a Drew Doughty point shot.

    In the second period, the Kings came out even harder, outshooting the Coyotes 17-8 and doubling their lead on a goal from Jeff Carter. (That totally rhymed, you guys!) The goal came after some great work by Dustin Penner, who gained the zone, and outworked his man down low before tipping the puck to his linemate.

    That was enough for the Coyotes to become disagreeable.

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  • The Phoenix Coyotes are in trouble. After Shane Doan drove Trevor Lewis into the boards with an ugly hit, the team was already facing the possibility of playing a must-win Game 3 in Los Angeles without their captain.

    At least things couldn't get any worse, someone must have said, thereby cursing the team and guaranteeing that things could get worse. Because now they'll have to worry about playing Game 3 without Martin Hanzal as well, after the big winger put himself on Sheriff Shanahan's radar with an even uglier hit from behind on Dustin Brown.

    This is an inexcusable check, as Hanzal shoves Brown into the end boards with significant force, driving the LA captain's head into the wall.

    It's a hit Shanahan has been particularly unkind to this season. With the player already traveling in that direction with significant speed, shoving him is a recipe for disaster and a Shanaban. Hanzal was given a 5-minute major penalty for the hit; I suspect he'll get one game more.

    One wonders if the "star clause" will come into effect here. Arguably, both Doan and Hanzal committed suspendable offences, but Hanzal isn't a star and Doan is. Furthermore, Hanzal hit a star -- the frontrunner for playoff MVP at that -- and Doan hit some guy named Trevor Lewis.

    The game got more than a little heated in the third period, so it's clear that, if Shanahan doesn't intervene in some way here, Game 3 could get silly. Hanzal may have just made himself the sacrificial lamb.

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  • The Phoenix Coyotes are in enough trouble as it is. Despite adjustments -- stapling Boyd Gordon to Anze Kopitar, for instance -- they were outshot by a wide margin by the Los Angeles Kings for the second game in a row.

    Now, to make matters worse, they'll have to worry about whether Shane Doan will be available for Game 3, after the Phoenix captain hit Trevor Lewis into the end boards from behind late in the second period of Game 2.

    Doan was slapped with a 5-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. But will that be all, or will NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan see this hit fit for supplemental discipline?

    (First things first: For the last time, yes, if you compare this to Shea Weber's unsuspended turnbuckling of Henrik Zetterbeg, this shouldn't be suspended either. So here's what I suggest: don't compare it to that. Chalk that one up as a terrible, bizarro world call that should have no bearing on what Shanahan does here.)

    Doan can argue that Lewis turned immediately prior to the hit, which he did, and that's typically a mitigating factor. But one wonders if Shanahan will take issue with the way he follows through after making contact.

    One thing Shanahan is sensitive to is intent. It's tough to prove, but if he can find it, he tends to bring the hammer down. If he views that follow-through as an outward showing of the Coyote captain's frustration, the quick turn defence could be out.

    It won't help that Doan's a serious repeat offender, having been suspended for three games last season, suspended three games this season, and fined for a boarding infraction in between. Might that be enough to push a potential fine into ban territory?

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  • AP"Beat LA" strikes me as a really unimaginative slogan. Was "Win the hockey match" taken?

    Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Phoenix Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET

    The Coyotes will attempt to do what no other team has done versus the Kings this postseason: win a game at home. The Kings have won 6 consecutive road games, just one off the NHL record held by the Blackhawks of 2010, the Islanders of 1980 and 1982, thew Devils of 1995, and the Avalanche of 1999. The Coyotes will have to pick their game up considerably to avoid a repeat of Game 1, where they were out-possessed handily and outshot 48-27. Do they have it in them? The key will be shutting down Dustin Brown and his linemates, something no one has been able to do thus far. If they can't, the Kings will tie that record.

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  • AP

    Western Conference fans often complain about how close the teams in the East are to one another, and how the short distance between cities makes travel a cinch and limits fatigue. But being a short drive away from your opponent has its drawbacks too, most notably, that enemy fans can get inside your building very, very easily. This is an issue that the New Jersey Devils are meeting head-on.

    The Devils have launched "No Blue", a campaign to protect home ice by encouraging Devils fans to deny tickets to Rangers fans that might come in from the city and cheer for the wrong team. The Devils' website outlines 3 strategies by which fans can protect home ice by ensuring the Rock is packed with red.

    Strategy number one makes it very clear that the Devils mean business, because they're recommending visits to the local blogs and message boards. From the Devils:

    If you own seats and have to sell for any of the home games because of conflicts, do NOT list your seats on the secondary market.  Blogs such as Fire and IceIn Lou We Trust, and HFBoards provide you with outlets to speak directly with other Devils fans who are looking for seats.  This will ensure you are selling ONLY to other Devils fans.  You can ask for pictures or meet them to deliver tickets, to ensure where their loyalty lies.

    Ask for pictures and verify loyalties? This is serious.

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  • NBC Los Angeles thinks the LA Kings are the Sacramento Kings (PHOTO)

    Los Angeles is a busy sports city these days. With the Clippers, Lakers and Kings still in contention for their respective championships, there's a lot to cover. And with two basketball teams to one hockey team, you can understand why basketball might still be dominating the conversation.

    But this embarrassing screengrab from NBC4 News in Los Angeles -- again, that's in Los Angeles -- is beyond the pale:

    Chuck Henry does not endorse this graphic

    See, this is why the L.A. Kings' Twitter account has to work so hard.

    This is the second time something like this has happened, as a Miami news station in Florida got the Florida Panthers' logo mixed up with the Florida International University Panthers back in the first round. But this is worse. This is the local NBC affiliate mixing up a team in the Western Conference finals.

    Hey now, NBC4, you might want to focus up and investigate the difference between basketball's Sacramento Kings and the hockey's Los Angeles Kings. Because one of them is in the playoffs in your city, and the other is neither in the playoffs nor in your city.

    A helpful tip: look for the word "SACRAMENTO" on the Kings' logo. If it's there, it's a team from Sacramento.

    That's the funniest part. The second funniest part is the notion that the Sacramento Kings would still be in the playoffs. I was already questioning NBC4's hockey knowledge; now I question its basketball knowledge.

    s/t to Awful Announcing and Scott Whalen.

    Follow Harrison Mooney on Twitter at @HarrisonMooney

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  • Staples Center (Getty)

    Since it opened in October of 1999, the Staples Center in Los Angeles has had a good problem: It's home to three teams -- basketball's Lakers and Clippers, and hockey's Kings -- but only the Lakers are ever really all that competitive. In the last 13 years, the Kings have made the playoffs seven times, and the Clippers only twice; prior to this season, the two clubs had played past the first round just once each.

    Springtime at the Staples Center tends to be a Laker-centric affair.

    This year, however, things are different. For the first time in the history of the building, all three teams made the playoffs, and what's more, all three have advanced to the second round. (The Kings are in Round 3.)

    And here's where things get especially tricky: Due to what Staples Center Senior Vice President and General Manager Lee Zeidman is describing as a perfect storm of scheduling, each of the three teams will be playing two playoff games in the building between May 17 and May 20.

    The Staples Center staff will be facilitating six arena changeovers in four days.

    "It's unprecedented in the history I believe of any arena," said Zeidman, "And I don't think it will ever be duplicated anywhere else but here."

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  • kingscoyotes

    The No. 3 seed Phoenix Coyotes and the No. 8 seed Los Angeles Kings will clash in the Western Conference Final beginning Sunday night in Phoenix. It will be the largest clash of coyotes and kings since Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad. Here are 10 items for your consideration about this matchup.

    10. The Kings are killing Division champions

    The Phoenix Coyotes enter this series the reigning Pacific Division champions, and if the Kings' recent history is any indication, this could prove problematic. LA made short work of the Northwest Division champion Vancouver Canucks, knocking them off in 5 games. They followed that act by sweeping the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues. They eat Division champions for breakfast right now.

    9. The Kings are money shorthanded

    LA has a +1 goal differential when shorthanded, having allowed three power play goals and scored four shorthanded goals in the postseason thus far. There's simply no margin for error against their forecheck on the penalty kill. They cause neutral zone turnovers, disrupt zone entries, and make it Hell for the oppponent to set up. That frustration tends to lead to sloppiness, and that sloppiness tends to lead to shorthanded opportunities. It's an endless cycle.

    Both the Blues and the Canucks fell victim to the Kings' fabulous penalty-killing. Will the Coyotes do the same?

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