• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorsManor.com

NHL blog, LA Kings hockey news and interviews from The Mayor

  • Radio Replay
  • Prospect Rankings
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / NHL / Avalanche / Mike Richards on missed opportunities

Mike Richards on missed opportunities

November 2, 2011 By John Hoven

Kings center Mike Richards has quickly picked up on the fact things are tight in the Western Conference.

Last year, the difference between home ice in the first round of the playoffs (Anaheim) and sitting at home watching (Dallas) was four points. FOUR POINTS! That’s only two games.

By contrast, fourth to ninth place was a 15 point gap in the Eastern Conference.

Thus, the old adage that ‘games in October count just as much as the ones in April’ is even more true for teams out of the Eastern Time Zone.

As an avid fisherman, Richards knows all about the one that got away. And after practice yesterday, he was still thinking about the missed missed opportunities in Denver on Sunday – where the Kings outshot the Avalanche 32-16.

Still, LA never led in the game – but, also never trailed by more than one goal. They tied in twice, yet lost by the final score of 3-2. 

“It was tough. It was one of those games I thought we played well and we dug in, ” said Richards. “Obviously, we lost the game. But, at the same time we probably could have earned at least a point there, if not won that game – if we had a couple good bounces. Road trips are going to happen and at the end of them you just have to dig down and focus on doing the right things and not worry about or psyching yourself out with being tired.”

Not only do visiting teams have to deal with the thin air of Denver, up on the mountain, they also have to contend with one of the fastest teams in the league.

“They have a lot of skill, with good, quick forwards,” remarked Richards. “The defense gives them the puck early and they really come at you with a lot of speed. But, I thought we did a good job standing over top of them, making them make plays. We did a good job moving the puck up the ice too. Like I said, that game was just one or two bounces away from us winning.”

Instead of ‘I left my heart in Denver,’ perhaps ‘We left two points in Denver’ shirts are in order.

The two teams won’t meet again until January 2nd in Los Angeles.

More notes from Tuesday’s practice can be found here – including items on the Scott Parse and Terry Murray ‘issues’…plus, the immediate plans for Dustin Penner.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

What I’ve learned so far this season… by Mike Richards

Trevor Lewis dishes on his new roommate – Mike Richards

Simon Gagne – ‘Mike Richards is the type of guy I want on my team’

Ian Laperriere on the Mike Richards vs. Chris Pronger feud in Philadelphia

Stoll had questions from Richards, has answers for Terry Murray

Shop MMAOverload.com Today!

Filed Under: Avalanche, comments, hockey, Interview, Kings, Los Angeles, Mayor, MayorsManor, NHL Tagged With: Colorado, comments, hockey, Los Angeles, Mayor, MayorsManor, quote, Richards

About John Hoven

John Hoven is a former member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and co-hosts Kings of the Podcast. He's also the founder and editor of MayorsManor.com, which has been named Best Sports Blog in Los Angeles and Hockey Blog of the Year. Click "ABOUT OUR TEAM" below for a full bio.

Primary Sidebar

Kings Of The Podcast

Kings Of The Podcast: Ep. 132 – Mark Yannetti, 2022 NHL Draft Review

There’s no introduction or fancy setup needed on this one… Our guest is Mark Yannetti. Listen to this episode for free using the audio player below or check us out on all the major podcast platforms, including: Spotify, iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Tune In, Radio.com, and many more. Follow @mayorNHL Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping […]

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Kings Of The Podcast: Ep. 133 – Jack Hughes; Vin Scully, True-False
  • Round 2: LA Kings Reverse Retro 2.0 Jersey Mock-Ups
  • Kings Opening Night Roster Coming Together; Updates on Durzi and Anderson Contracts
  • NHL RADIO REPLAY: Mayor’s Minutes – LA Kings Summer Report Card, Grading Rob Blake
  • Mike Donnelly on Standouts at LA Kings Dev Camp and Other Impressions
  • LA Kings 2022 Dev Camp Notebook: Day 3 Notes and Scrimmage Highlights
  • LA Kings 2022 Dev Camp Notebook: Day 2 Notes and Quotes
  • REPORT: LA Kings to Hire Jim Hiller as Assistant Coach
  • LA Kings 2022 Dev Camp Notebook: Day 1 Scrimmage, Quotes, and Observations
  • NHL Rookie Faceoff: Schedule Released for September Tournament; Three Kings Games

Tweets by mayorNHL

Footer

Archives

Tags

AHL Blackhawks Brown camp Carter Clifford coach comments Doughty draft Ducks history hockey interview Kings Kopitar lineup Lombardi Los Angeles Manchester Mayor MayorsManor Monarchs Murray NHL Ontario Penner Playoffs Prospect Quick quote Radio Reign Richards roster Sharks Stanley Cup Stoll Sutter Toffoli trade video WCB West Coast Bias Williams

MayorsManor

  • About Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Store

© 2022 MayorsManor.com