After 9 games, the future looks awfully bright for the Kings. That said, let's review the Good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good:
1) Jonathan Quick looks better than ever. 1.12 GAA, .962 Save percentage, 3 shutouts. His 3 straight shutouts established a new team record.He also has no losses in regulation (6-0-1).
2) Jack Johnson (aka JMFJ), has 3 GWG and his plus/minus rating of +6 on the season leads the team.
3) Anze Kopitar is already having a monster season (just imagine what it will be like when he really gets comfortable on his surgically repaired ankle)
4) Mike Richards & Simon Gagne are both delivering as well, or better than expected.
5) Slava Voynov filled in admirably in Drew Doughty's absence (Doughty is expected to suit up against Phoenix on Oct 29th).
The Bad:
Dustin Penner appears to be no better this season than last. In fact . . . .
The Ugly:
Penner has played in 7 games. His vital stats are 1 assist, 9 shots, 13 hits. Those are not the stats for his single best game of the season, or even two best games, those are his combined stats for season so far.
The real head-scratching part is it appears as though Penner did workout hard in the offseason. He came into camp having noticeably lost weight, yet he still looks too slow and is hardly ever in the play.
Perhaps the big fella just does not have the proper instincts to be an effective NHL player.
When discussing winger's lack of effectiveness with a fellow Press Box Scribe, I offered that Luc Robitaille was never even close to being one of the fastest players in the league, or even on any of the teams on which he played, yet Luc became the highest scoring LW in NHL history.
The only point my colleague could make was "Well, you can't compare Penner and Robitaille." I am still not quite sure what that meant, but so be it.
Going more recent, Michal Handzus was slow, but was still quite effective killing penalties during his recent stint with the Kings.
My guess is that Penner would be a disaster on the PK.
At this point, I play a little game whenever I watch a Kings' game on TV. It's called "Let's see how long it takes Penner to even show up in the TV picture".
Perhaps the Head coach can provide some enlightenment.
Here's what Terry Murray had to say when Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period magazine asked this point blank question, after the Kings beat Dallas 1-0 for their third straight shutout, on Oct 22nd. "What about Penner, is he giving you enough ?"
Murray: "Well, He's giving me good work, and that's what I want. I want him to work and I want him to check, be responsible. He gets in and recovers the pucks in the offensive and defensive zone, and I'm happy with that, the points will come. I think he's got the ability to put some pretty big numbers up, I'm looking to see that happen, but right now, everything's good."
Consider yourselves enlightened.
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