The Best Of The West Is...

R

Rorschach

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A lot of people are talking about how Chicago is going to play Anaheim in the WCF. If that's true, the best team (so far this year at least) won't be playing...


A bit on how the Kings are REALLY playing, what their rank is in the league according to certain hardcore analysts:

HockeyBuzz Fenwick Analysis, March 23, 2013
Read the March 1st link in this page too, it's good. Chicago was #1 but had unsustainable numbers and has fallen to 2, behind LA which just has great numbers for every stat.


Broadstreet Hockey March 13, 2013
Good analysis and second opinion of the above link.


Up to date Fenwick today, BehindTheNet
Kings still #1.


In case some of you don't know, the Fenwick (and all these guys are using something slightly different since stats don't always tell the whole truth) is based on puck possession and shots taken on net. With a large enough sample (and now at this point of the season we do have a large enough sample of games for the season), you can see just how teams are really doing, whether or not success is based on good hockey or just lucky shots.

They also say that usually a team playing bad hockey but is winning games will eventually start to lose games...their record will start moving back to how they're playing. Chicago looks good, right behind the Kings, but unlike the other teams at the top, their goaltending is...below average. Anaheim...well, they're still having a sick save percentage and shooting percentage. Naturally though, when the last time the Kings played either team, both teams lost to the Kings. Just 4 points though...regular season games don't mean anything as long as you get to the playoffs.


Right now though, we have problems stopping/blocking/not allowing shots that come through on Quick so cleanly that an opposing player has time to concentrate and deflect them past Quick. Not Quickie's fault. We just need a real crease-clearing defenseman. That's why there are rumors of the Kings trying to get that ex-Flame...no, not Iginla, Robyn Regher.


The biggest irony is we're measuring the regular season and the Kings are said to be built purely for the playoffs...

The second biggest irony? We've had devastating injuries this year both in quantity and quality of players yet our rating is better this year than last year when we streaked into the playoffs after acquiring Carter. I don't think it's because Doughty sucked for a lot of games, lol.


Speaking of which...
I know it looks like I'm Doughty superfan #1 but I don't mind criticism of Doughty. What I don't like is misinformation. I collect a ton of Kings guys casually...right now it could be said that Carter, the Eeyore of this menagerie, is my fave.

On Doughty:
Darryl Sutter on Drew Doughty's goal total: 'Who cares?'

March 19 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

I don't think any other team in the league could absorb losing three top defensemen and still be playing like gangbusters. We're lucky we have DD8 to cover for the younger, substitute players.


- R
.>|<.
 
I've had the opportunity to watch a number of Hawks games this season, and to me the Hawks are still the class of the West, no doubt in my mind. The Kings will need Quick to play a lot better if they want to have a chance to go back to the Cup. He has not looked great this season.
 
canucksfreak19 said:
I've had the opportunity to watch a number of Hawks games this season, and to me the Hawks are still the class of the West, no doubt in my mind. The Kings will need Quick to play a lot better if they want to have a chance to go back to the Cup. He has not looked great this season.
Click to expand...

The last part is true except for last week...he's playing much better now and Bernier has been lights out, like 1st team all star numbers. He was recovering from surgery last off season. No telling when Crawford will recover from being Crawford yet though. ;) Our goaltending is solid; it's our D in our own end...

We both know, being fans of our respective teams, that goaltending is extremely important, maybe the most important position for playoff hockey. Right now I'd take Vancouver in seven over Chicago...especially if Kesler makes it back some how or Gillis (that's your GM right?) makes a deal for a suitable replacement.

Chicago reminds of early Yzerman/Federov Detroit, early Sakic/Forsberg Colorado...they played with youth and passion to win regular season games. Then they have an early exit first or second round in the playoffs to a solid team with playoff experience (that's certain Van).

But we'll see.
 
That comparison doesn't quite hold as the Hawks have Stanley Cup championship experience. They are not some young/unproven team. They have already been to the mountain top. The numbers that stand out to me right now are 3.29 and 2.14. Those represent Chicago's goals for, and goals against. Both number one in the West.
 
If the best team in the West's number 1 goalie is 22nd in the league in GAA and 40th in save percentage, well, the Western conference really sucks...... :crazy:
 
Quick needs to play better and Greene needs to be healthy in time for the playoffs for the Kings to make another serious run.

if those two things happen, i feel pretty good about the Kings heading into the playoffs.
 
gretzky99 said:
Quick needs to play better and Greene needs to be healthy in time for the playoffs for the Kings to make another serious run.

if those two things happen, i feel pretty good about the Kings heading into the playoffs.
Click to expand...

I have my Fingers crossed on greenes return. Now is Mitchell officially done for the season or is there still some hope for his return. And just like you said we need Quicky playing like the Quicky we all know.

Also I could care less what place La finishes in as long as they make the playoffs. They are built for winning Stanley cups!
Go Kings Go!
 
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None of these stats mean anything come playoffs. The best of the West will prove themselves then, whoever it is.
 
Measuring who is and who is not the best team at this point is an exercise in futility in my opinion.

My gut tells me that if you ran these stats with 15 games left in the regular season last year you wouldn't see much coorelation with playoff success and that the "best team" at that point in the season wasn't the one that ended up going on a historic run to the Cup.

There are a lot of fans that have hope at this point in the season. Shoot, I am a Vancouver fan and have optomism even though they are not playing well (from what I have seen) but still slugging through a winning a few games here and there. I could make the arguement that their powerplay will start producting at a better than 29th in the league clip at some point here and they are right in the mix.

Shoot - there are probably only three teams that are out of playoff contention in the West right now and a three game winning streak by any of a number of teams completely changes the landscape of what the playoffs look like.

You say the Kings are the best in the West and there is still a ligitimate chance that they don't make the playoffs (I don't believe that will happen but it's certainly not a given).
 
This year is about who is hot for a half season. The late bloomers are finding it tough to pick up where they left off. While the hot teams at the moment are playing above their means (ducks, Habs, Hawks). Not saying these teams are bad by any means, but we all know they could just as easily be the 7th or 8th seed (or worse) and we wouldn't be surprised. All that matters is they make the playoffs, then it's anyone's game.

The NHL (and to a lesser extent MLB) is awesome in that regard, any team from any seed can win due to the parity alone. Preference goes to the hot team though.
 
The NFL is the ultimate example of this. Just make the playoffs - it really doesn't matter what sees you are. If you get into the tournament you have as good a chance as anybody these days.

Metrags said:
This year is about who is hot for a half season. The late bloomers are finding it tough to pick up where they left off. While the hot teams at the moment are playing above their means (ducks, Habs, Hawks). Not saying these teams are bad by any means, but we all know they could just as easily be the 7th or 8th seed (or worse) and we wouldn't be surprised. All that matters is they make the playoffs, then it's anyone's game.

The NHL (and to a lesser extent MLB) is awesome in that regard, any team from any seed can win due to the parity alone. Preference goes to the hot team though.
Click to expand...
 
Any team that makes it in can win, we saw two teams play for the Cup last year that I don't think anyone picked to be there. However, I still believe the Stanley Cup is the hardest championship to win in any sport, and repeating is even harder. In the modern era it doesn't happen very often, and if the Kings repeat this year it will be one of the greatest accomplishments in hockey in a long, long time. I wouldn't mind seeing them repeat, as long as they don't knock the Hawks out in the process. If they do, depending on who they play next or in the finals, I still might cheer for them.
 

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