Leading up to tomorrow night’s match-up against the Division-foe Dallas Stars, the Kings face a big question in net. With Jonathan Quick staying in Los Angeles to be at his wife’s side as they deliver their first baby, Jonathan Bernier has been called up from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League. Which goalie should start; Erik Ersberg or Jonathan Bernier, immediately turned into a hot topic, and Terry Murray has an important decision to make. With every point being crucial as the Kings are in full-stride of a playoff stretch, Murray has to start the goalie who gives us the best chance to win. Do I think the popularity of a hyped prospect in Jonathan Bernier has swayed away from this frame of mind? Yes. Do I think Bernier has the capability to grab 2 points in Dallas? Yes. Do I think he should start tomorrow night? No. And in fact, I’m in very strong favor of Erik Ersberg. Let me explain my thoughts on why Ersberg should get the start.

Why Ersberg Should Get The Call:
Erik Ersberg will be on the Kings bench come the playoffs, Jonathan Bernier won’t. That, right there, is huge to me. Teams that expect to make a run for the Stanley Cup need a back-up goaltender they can trust. Now, Ersberg hasn’t played great, but the opportunites have come few and far between. Let’s not get into stats, because quite frankly those should be thrown out the door regarding this argument. Ersberg needs a couple more starts, some live-action, something to shake off the rust; loosen the nerves. Quick has been great, but goalies can hit a wall come post-season. The fatigue starts to set in, and playing the same opponent consecutive games can be difficult for a goalie to handle. Bottom line is, the Kings, and Terry Murray, should start to realize Ersberg needs to be a viable option down the road. And what better way than tomorrow night? If he loses? Well, I still think it’s the correct decision. Look folks, this is THIS SEASON, the Kings are striding toward the playoffs, and Erik Ersberg is THE back-up goalie. Save the Bernier – Ersberg competition for training camp. Right now, it’s time to test Ersberg; Give the guy a start, and look to build his confidence.

Who do you think should be between the pipes for the Kings tomorrow night? I’d love to hear your thoughts, disagreements, and opinions on the decision at hand in the comments section below.

The Los Angeles Kings are poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and they aren’t looking to slide in. Here’s the latest from Gann Matsuda on LA’s push. And, no, they can’t just sit back and slide in..

LOS ANGELES — For the first time since the 2001-02 season, the Los Angeles Kings are looking like a playoff team, so much so that even if they play just .500 hockey over their remaining sixteen games, they are still likely to earn an invitation to the post-season party.

Heading into the Olympic break, the Kings were hot, earning a 12-2-1 record in their last fifteen games prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. But coming out of the break, the Kings have been a mixed bag, with a decisive 5-1 win at Dallas on March 2, followed by two extremely poor efforts at Nashville (4-2 loss) on March 4 and against Montreal (4-2 loss) on March 6. The Kings responded with a 6-0 blowout over the feeble Columbus Blue Jackets on March 8, but then they suffered a tough, 3-2 overtime loss at Chicago on March 10.

The big question for the Kings with just sixteen games remaining is: even if they qualify for post-season action, will they go in with momentum or will they slide into the playoffs, putting them at a disadvantage right off the bat?

Based on their play over the last six weeks, there is cause for concern, especially when you consider the fact that even during their 12-2-1 run, the Kings often got off to slow starts and had to struggle to come from behind to win.

“The biggest thing for us has been our starts recently,” Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said. “We’ve shown some real good character and an ability to come back in games. But a few of us have been talking here. When it comes down to the stretch, you’re not going to be able to come back against good teams.”

“The games [heading down the stretch] are going to be huge for us,” Scuderi emphasized. “We can’t make a habit of terrible starts.”

Slow starts continued to plague the Kings after the Olympic break as well.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

In what I knew was going to be a tough, but solid match-up for the Kings, the boys from Los Angeles certainly provided a quality performance; A game that had the thrilling intensity that some would relate to playoff-caliber. Two teams contested tonight; Teams with stability on both sides of the puck, and two teams who are built not only for now, but for the years ahead. The Kings were out-shot by a wide margin tonight, but produced 32 shots on Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi, not a number the Blackhawks allow very often.
The Chicago Blackhawks are tied for first in the Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks and are a favorite come the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, tonight was a big test for the Kings, and they proved they’re on the verge of becoming a playoff threat. On the road, in Chicago, where the NHL buzz revolves around two young hotshots known as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the Kings were one neutral zone turnover in OT from having the opportunity to beat one of the elite teams in the league. Below are my notes from the game:

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Notes on the Game:
– On Chicago’s First Goal: I’m usually harsh on the Kings defensive play, but Chicago moved the puck down-low perfectly for their first tally. Patrick Kane and Adam Burish did a wonderful job of controlling the puck behind the goal line, ultimately finding Patrick Sharp for the goal. No blame on Kings defense here, kudos to the Blackhawks.
– On LA’s first Goal: Sean O’Donnell was the key to Dustin Brown‘s wrap-around marker, making it possible as he stepped up from the blue-line to keep the puck in offensive territory that had all intentions of clearing the zone.
On LA’s second Goal: Drew Doughty and Jarret Stoll work the puck on the blue-line beautifully to feed an open Anze Kopitar who rifled a gorgeous wrist shot to beat Antti Niemi on the power-play. Great puck control on the point with heavy pressure to construct a goal.
On Chicago’s second Goal: Matt Greene, on his back feet, failed to clear the puck, allowing Kris Versteeg to find the puck in front of the net, eventually capitalizing on his own rebound to tie the game.
On Chicago’s OT winner: Brad Richardson, who was defended well with control in the neutral zone, tried to make the best of it with a blind back-hand pass. A risky play in overtime, Dave Bolland cut off Richardon’s neutral zone pass and fed a wide-open Patrick Sharp who walked in alone on Jonathan Quick and ended the game beating a helpless Quick on the back-hand side.

Jonathan Quick was able to take care of his tax returns tonight, facing a pathetic Columbus Blue Jackets offensive performance. In all seriousness, Los Angeles was all over Columbus from start to finish, out-shooting the struggling Blue Jackets 35-11. The Kings had a season-high three power-play goals, and Jonathan Quick recorded his third shut-out of the season; as he bumped up his league-lead in victories to 37. Six different players scored for the Kings tonight, and Alexander Frolov continued his solid play with four points. Columbus goaltender Steve Mason was replaced just 15 minutes into the game, after he allowed 4 early goals. In his second game as a King, Fredrik Modin recorded his 2nd goal in an LA uniform; against his former team. Coming off of two straight losses, much has to be said about the Kings ability to bounce back in dominating fashion. Head coach Terry Murray, along with the veterans on this team, are really showing their ability to control a locker room full of young players. In my opinion, especially after the deadline deals, this roster has the perfect balance of veterans and youngsters. You’ve got the unrelenting energy, that is guided by the wisdom and leadership of the experienced players. Short recap tonight, the final score says it all. Great hockey from start to finish by the Kings, something they will certainly have to bring to the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday.

If there was anything to stand out in tonight’s game, it was Montreal’s defense. Talk about shut-down. The Canadians had total control of the neutral zone, completely taking away the middle of the ice and covering the passing lanes…almost perfectly. You could say the same with Montreal’s defense in their own zone; quite impressive. The Kings two goals came directly in front of the net, the only loophole Los Angeles could find tonight. Let’s not take away what the Kings provided defensively, as this game had very few scoring opportunities on both ends. Coming out prepared has been an issue stressed by coach Terry Murray a few times this season, and the Kings faltered on that front tonight; allowing goals within the first minute in periods one and three. As for special teams, the power-play was very quiet. The Kings had trouble possessing the puck in Montreal’s zone, which was the factor in their failures in the man-up situations tonight, going 0 for 4. Below are my key notes to the game:

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On Montreal’s Defense: As I stated before, the key factor in tonight’s game was their ability to clog up the middle of the ice, especially in the neutral zone. They forced the Kings to keep the puck on the outside along the boards and in the corner, giving them few chances to create solid opportunities in the crease; in front of the net. Note on the turnover for Montreal’s 4th goal, a neutral-zone interception on a cross-ice pass off the stick of Drew Doughty.

On what I liked from the Kings tonight: By beating Montreal’s Glen Metropolit to score LA’s first goal with his much improved speed and strength, Anze Kopitar continues to show his growth into an elite player in the NHL; much of which was due to his off-season conditioning. Great play by Michal Handzus to keep the puck inside the offensive zone on Fredrik Modin‘s third period goal. Handzus had a stellar game, and his effort to leave his feet and use his glove to knock down a Montreal clearing attempt was the reason Modin was able to walk in point-blank on Jaroslav Halak to record his first goal as a King. Jarret Stoll came to play tonight, winning over 90% of his face-off attempts and continuously attacking in the offensive zone, even drawing a hooking penalty on Jaroslav Spacek with his consistent foot movement through traffic.

On the Kings mistakes tonight: Early in the third period, Jeff Halpern threw the puck on net as he entered Montreal territory. Halak easily handled the shot, there was no loose puck. Yet, Matt Greene and Randy Jones felt the need to join the scrum that ensued in the crease. Stupid, and Terry Murray should be livid. This turns what could be a face-off inside Montreal’s zone into a face-off outside the blue-line. IN THE THIRD PERIOD. OF A TWO GOAL GAME. GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES. Greene, you’re smarter than that. Not sure about you, Jones. A rare mistake was made by Drew Doughty tonight, and it was huge. With just over a minute to go, and goaltender Jonathan Quick on the bench, Doughty went for the cute tape-to-tape pass in the neutral zone. Easily picked off by Sergei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec gladly received the pass and put the nail in the coffin with an empty-netter. Doughty needs to be smarter with the puck in that situation; by throwing it down-low, or looking for an option that doesn’t involve a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone.

The woes against the Nashville Predators continue as the Kings fall in a rough outing in a 4-2 loss. The Kings, who are 0-5-1 against Nashville the past two seasons, have had two ugly performances against the Predators this year. The game started on a positive note with an Alexander Frolov tally just 56 seconds in, but the 59 minutes to follow brought lackluster, mistake-prone play from the Kings. Nashville, who now only trail the Kings by 5 points and sit 7th in the Western Conference, have been a surprise much like the Colorado Avalanche. Solid teams capitalize on opponents’ mistakes, and Nashville has done so to the Kings twice this year. Jonathan Quick, who’s weakest aspect is playing the puck, got burned tonight. Too many Kings turnovers as well, especially deep inside our own zone. Nashville was winning the battles to the puck, and completely owned the 2nd period; They were the better team tonight. Not to worry, though. The Kings trade-deadline acquisitions Fredrik Modin and Jeff Halpern played their first games as a King, so the chemistry may have been off a bit. Other than that, Nashville simply played hard tonight, and had the extra step on loose pucks. Here are my notes on the game:

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– I’m going to blame Nashville’s scoring on two things tonight: Jonathan Quick‘s play with the puck, and a flat-footed defense.
– Jonathan Quick is to fault for Nashville’s first goal, and their third goal. Two bad plays with the puck led to golden opportunities for the Predators. As for the first goal, it looks like he may have taken his eye off of the puck caused by J.P. Dumont‘s pressure. The puck hit his stick on a bad angle and was redirected to an open Dumont who buried the puck into an empty net. As for the second goal, Quick hesitated again and fed a no-look backhander to Martin Erat who easily fed an open Marcel Goc for a goal.
– Sean O’Donnell had a rough game as well. The fault is on him as well for Nashville’s first goal. He found himself standing still as Quick misplayed the puck, and had no chance to stop J.P. Dumont from scoring. Another careless turnover from O’Donnell deep in the defensive zone in the 2nd period almost turned into another Nashville goal.
– At times, it looked as though the Kings were in skates made out of concrete. Jason Arnott‘s PP goal, are you kidding me? Three guys staring at the puck down low, clumped together closer than canned sardines, leave a wide open Arnott who absolutely unloaded a beautiful shot to beat Quick. Bad. Defense. Period.
– Keep up the good work, Alexander Frolov.
– Another PP goal was nice to see. Great play by Drew Doughty, who made a V-line to the back-door after passing from the point. Great play, keep up the success on the PP.
– Ryan Smyth records his 700th career NHL point on his 3rd period assist.

The trade deadline had passed, but minutes later the Kings announced another addition. Fredrik Modin has been traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a conditional 7th round pick. Modin, a left winger who has been in the league since 1996, brings more experience and leadership to this young roster. Modin will fill in at the the wing position on the 3rd and 4th lines, much like newly acquired Jeff Halpern. Modin, a 13-year veteran started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs for three seasons, played with the Tampa Bay Lightning for six seasons, and most recently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets for four seasons. Through a career of 838 games, Modin has 222 goals and 225 goals to his name. Modin has only played in 24 games this season for Columbus, with 2 goals and 4 assists.

So, it turns out the Kings do in fact make a move at today’s deadline as they deal for Tampa Bay’s Jeff Halpern. Looks like a solid move from Lombardi, as he brings another seasoned veteran to the team. Halpern, a center, will most likely be a 3rd or 4th line player. As a captain of the United States’ World Championship team, and the Alternate captain for Tamba Bay, Halpern brings leadership the locker room as well. The price for Halpern was Teddy Purcell and a third round draft pick, so not too much. Purcell, who showed promise at the end of last season, never built on that this year. He was a major disappointment and performed under expectations all year long. Still young, however, Purcell may flourish with a change of scenery. Halpern has played 10 seasons in the NHL, playing in a total of 704 games while racking up 131 goals and 183 assists. Halpern started his career in 1999 with the Washington Capitals for 6 seasons. Following that, 1 and 1/2 seasons with the Dallas Stars and 2 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. No word on when Halpern will join the team, but chances are we’ll see him in a Kings uniform Thursday night in Nashville.

Update: Halpern will wear #22 for the Kings

Fresh off of the Olympic break, the Kings put on a performance tonight at American Airlines Center that was quite reminiscent of their play two weeks ago. In front of what looked like about 2,000 fans, and on soft ice that looked to be of terrible quality, the Kings played outstanding hockey. Five different goal scorers, 10 players registered at least one point, and Jonathan Quick broke into the Kings record book with 31 saves. Winners of 11 of their last 13 games, the Kings picked up right where they left off. Even with having 5 Olympians scramble their way out of Vancouver to make tonight’s game, the Kings looked animated. There was absolutely no rust in their play. Solid puck movement, two power play goals, and genuine defensive zone play. The 16 days in between games didn’t slow down any momentum this team had. Here are some thoughts on tonight’s victory.

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– Alexander Frolov had a magnificent game with 1 goal and 2 assists. His puck control behind the net was the key to the first goal, protecting the puck on a wrap-around until he found Jarret Stoll open for a back-door tally.
– Frolov followed up with a goal of his own as he controlled a deflection from a Drew Doughty shot point-blank in front of Turco. Frolov patiently waited to find an opening and slipped the puck into an empty net.
– Later, Frolov made a smart play by throwing the puck to the front of the net as he saw Ryan Smyth set-up in front of Marty Turco; Which resulted in LA’s fourth goal.
– Drew Doughty recorded three assists, backing up the praise he was given by media during the Olympics.
– The Powerplay looked decent as the Kings recorded two goals when a man up. Given Anze Kopitar’s PP goal came in garbage time, still a good job of breaking the zone, setting up, and making smart decisions when moving the puck.
– Jonathan Quick had yet another solid game. His 31-save victory tonight makes him the all time leader in single season victories for a Los Angeles Kings goaltender. Quick was also able to record his first assist of the season on Brad Richardson‘s 2nd period goal.

The Los Angeles Kings resume play tonight to the face Pacific Division foe Dallas Stars in Texas. With that, could it be the final game for any players in a Kings uniform? Probably not. The Kings, who have been in the mix involving trade rumors throughout the season, are quiet as the trade-deadline looms just over 24 hours away. I’d lean heavily toward saying the Kings stick with their current roster as few players are available; And not many, if any, are worth breaking into our current line-up for. Dealing for a winger and/or an extra defensemen is enticing, but not completely necessary. Sure, it would be comforting to acquire a blue-liner to add stability with an aging Sean O’Donnell and the dissapointing Randy Jones for the playoff push; But yet again, not a necessity.

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J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that “Kings GM Dean Lombardi isn’t expecting to make a blockbuster move”

“The Kings have salary-cap space and, for the first time in years, have won enough games to be considered buyers as Wednesday’s NHL trade deadline approaches.But Dean Lombardi is still maintaining his usual conservative approach when he scours the trade market. And this year, the Kings general manager said, “there’s not a lot out there.”

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And about that winger Kings fans have wanted? Not so fast, it looks like Justin Williams’ rehab is going quite well. Williams is traveling with the team on their two game road-trip, and looks like he’ll be back in a Kings uniform this season. Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider is seeing promising strides toward his recovery:

“It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that Justin Williams might far exceed my expectations for his return. Since his injury, I’ve considered the idea that he might return this season to be doubtful at best, but given the way he has looked in practice for the past few days, I’d have to change my opinion of that.”

Hammond also stressed the importance of William’s travel with the team even though he won’t dress. Neither Terry Murray or Williams have expressed a time-table for his return, but all of the current signs are encouraging.

“Williams made it through his first full practice on Monday morning and accompanied the Kings on their two-game road trip. Williams still has quite a bit of conditioning work to do, but injured players typically don’t travel, so Williams’ presence on the road indicates that the Kings are very serious about his return.”

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As the clock ticks on the deadline, keep it here at Kingscast for updates on Kings transactions. Like Lombardi said, don’t expect a blockbuster move; but acquiring a role player is still a possibility. Will any Kings be playing their final game in the black & purple tonight? Who would you like to see the Kings acquire, if anyone?