[Source: Harry How, Getty Images]

Of late, it has not been a happy time for “Coon n’ Friends”. After a nice 6-0 winning streak, the Kings have gone 1-6 in their past 7 games, with the only win coming from a shootout against Boston. Yes, of course I’m really disappointed, but no, the sky is not falling! Every team goes through tough periods. You can’t expect any team to win all 82 games; that’s just ridiculous! I really hate reading all the message boards after a loss because everybody jumps on the “trade ______” bandwagon. However, I do agree that there are issues that we need to take care of:

– Our PP is seriously horrendous. Even with a man advantage, we have difficulty with puck possession in the offensive zone. When we do keep the puck in, our plays are so damn predictable, it’s no wonder every team seems to be able to shut us down on the PP.
– What’s up with all the turnovers?! One person comes to mind when I think turnovers and that is JJ. When JJ is on his game, he’s great. When he’s not, his mistakes usually lead to goals for the other team. But let’s be fair, JJ is not single-handedly bringing down the Kings.
– TM doesn’t want to break up the 2nd line, which is understandable given that they have been the dominant scoring line since the regular season started. However, the Smyth-Stoll-Williams line has been less and less effective in the last few games (the line hasn’t scored since the Boston game), perhaps due to the fact that the other teams are adjusting their focus to neutralize our “hot” line. It’s time for TM to consider shaking up this line – what do we have to lose?