Don’t panic now, but the Kings are starting to flirt with the edge of the cliff that is a top 8 seeding in the Western Conference. Now only 6 points ahead of the 9th place Calgary Flames, the Kings are tied with the Nashville Predators in points (85) and have fallen to 6th place in the Western. Tonight’s performance can be summed up in one word. Abysmal. The Chicago Blackhawks dominated with a roster missing key players in Defensmen Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. The Kings put forth an embarrassing effort offensively, getting out-shot 37-17, and only managing 3 shots in the 2nd period. Tonight, the Kings had the opportunity to take advantage of a Blackhawks roster that was missing two of their top defensemen. That was not the case. Instead, a lowly display was put forth that included 3 Chicago goals via two horrendous turnovers (on goals 1 and 3) and a softy (on Chicago’s 2nd goal) on questionable positioning from Jonathan Quick. Yes, what may seem like an easy opponent in the New York Islanders, who sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference, come to town Saturday night; But not so fast. The boys from Staten Island are riding a 3 game winning streak. This roster needs to do some soul searching until then, and get serious about getting back on track. Below are my notes on tonight’s game:

Notes on the game:
– Can anything positive come out of tonight’s performance? Unseemingly so, as the Kings managed to kill off all 5 of Chicago’s power-play opportunities. The special teams have continued to perform well. The Kings have now had success on 19 consecutive penalty kills. However, Chicago managed to stay out of the penalty box tonight, not allowing a surging Kings power-play any opportunity.
– Chicago capitalized on two Kings turnovers tonight. Jordan Hendry stepped up on Dustin Brown, causing him to cough up the puck in the neutral zone. Great transition play, keyed by Patrick Kane beating Rob Scuderi to the outside, ended in a garbage goal finished off by Troy Brouwer.
– Jack Johnson‘s clearing attempt in front of Jonathan Quick failed miserably. Instead of looking to clear the puck to the sideboards, Johnson fed the puck up the middle to a wide-open Tomas Kopecky, who beat Quick thereafter. Give Johnson the assist on that one.
– Can’t put the blame on Jonathan Quick for this loss, but you certainly can on Chicago’s second tally. Sean O’Donnell played his man correctly, forcing him to the outside, but Tomas Kopecky beat Jonathan Quick on a quick wrister. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. NHL goaltenders need to stop that shot, especially from that angle.
– For the first time in almost 6 years, the Chicago Blackhawks came out victorious at Staples Center in regulation. Prior to tonight’s game, the Kings were 7-0-3 as hosts to Chicago in the previous six seasons.

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty was at the Kings’ practice the other day and picked up some great quotes. His first story is on Jonathan Bernier and his experience and journey with the organization. This is a fun read on one of our best prospects.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — For much of the 2008-09 season, Los Angeles Kings goaltending prospect Jonathan Bernier was not a happy camper.

First, he was upset that he was unable to crack the Kings lineup out of training camp, even though an injury contributed greatly to that.

Not long after that, when goaltender Jonathan Quick was called up from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, Bernier pouted.

“When we called up Quick, [Bernier] did not work hard in practice,” Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi said in an earlier interview. “He thought this was going to be an easy ride to the NHL.”

“[Bernier has] always been one of the top goaltenders in Canada his whole life,” Lombardi added. “It’s all been fairly easy because he’s so talented and he thought he would go right to the Kings. When it didn’t happen, he didn’t want to work hard. One of the biggest complaints we had was, ‘you’re not coming up here until you learn to work hard in practice.’ He didn’t do it. When we called up Quick, he kind of went the other way on us. We actually called up [former Kings goalie prospect] Danny Taylor. We played him in Manchester.”

A long talk with Kings assistant general manager Ron Hextall appears to have straightened Bernier out.

“I had a long chat with Ron Hextall,” Bernier explained. “He’s an old goalie. He told me that if I want to get back [to the Kings], I need to work harder in practice and that’s what I did.”

“I remember Hextall [later] went down [to Manchester] and said, ‘wow…what a change,’” said Lombardi. “He’s working his tail off in practice, he almost got that team in the playoffs, he played really well down the stretch in some big games. Now we can say, ‘OK…now he’s starting to figure it out.’”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

If there is one team who’s had the Kings number the past two seasons, it is the Nashville Predators. With a 3-2 victory this afternoon at Staples Center, the Predators continue to own the Kings. For whatever reason, I don’t know. Los Angeles hasn’t been able to beat the Predators since March 13th of 2008; and lost to Nashville for the fifth consecutive time on home ice. The Kings came out of the gates slow, failing to record a shot before Steve Sullivan snuck home a bad-angle shot that slipped through the legs of Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles never seemed to catch their stride, getting out-shot each period, and often looking flat-footed in the defensive zone. The Kings scraped back to take a 2-1 third period lead, but lasted only 39 seconds only to see Colin Wilson tie the game. Justin Williams had a reviewable goal waived off by a questionable goaltender interference call. Speaking of which, you could argue Jonathan Quick was victim of interference on Nashville’s game-winning tally. Below are my notes on the game:

Notes on the game:
– On Nashville’s first goal, Randy Jones did everything right in defending Steve Sullivan. Jones forced Sullivan to the outside, making him have to release a shot from a low-percentage angle. Unfortunately, the puck slipped through the pads of Jonathan Quick, who had a shaky start.
– The powerplay continues its success as the Kings were able to capitalize on their only opportunity today. Drew Doughty utilized his control and presence with the puck when under pressure, and managed to not only get the puck down-low, but drag a couple of Nashville defenders with him. This cleared up space in the slot, which Michael Handzus took advantage of by feeding a wide open Anze Kopitar for the goal.
– Good job by Dustin Brown to walk the puck in from the side-boards forcing Pekka Rinne to move. Brown released mid-stride in the middle of the slot, catching Rinne off-guard.

The Kings skated into Dallas Friday night to face an aggressive Stars team that is fighting to cling to any hopes of a playoff berth. Tonight’s affair was pretty evenly matched throughout; With both teams producing solid play on both ends of the ice, and solid goaltending from both Jonathan Bernier and Marty Turco. Shots (27) and goals (1) were even at the end of regulation, and lasted into a 6-round shootout to see Jarret Stoll claim the extra point for the Kings. Jonathan Bernier, who started in place of an absent Jonathan Quick, played an outstanding game, and was able to hold his own after allowing a 3rd period goal to Dallas. Bernier, a highly touted prospect, backed up that claim tonight; But will be reassigned to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League as Jonathan Quick re-joins the Kings. Newly acquired Fedrik Modin continues his resurgence with the LA’s only regulation goal, on a nifty re-direction that beat Dallas’ Marty Turco on a first period power-play. Below are my notes on tonight’s game:

Notes on the game:
– Great recovery on Dustin Brown‘s part to chase down a muffed pass from Alexander Frolov. Not only was he successful in retaining offensive zone presence, but slowed down, walked the puck in, and put a shot on net. Not a howitzer, but the right idea, which led to a goal.
– Fredrik Modin had an impressive game, yet again. With three solid scoring chances, he capitalized on one. His finest attributes are controlling the puck down low, and using his body in front of the net. Tonight, he did just that; Re-directing Dustin Brown‘s shot to beat Marty Turco.
– On Dallas’ 3rd period marker, Richard Clune and Jeff Halpern got caught chasing, and staring at the puck up top. Dallas capitalized on the over-committed Kings players high in the zone, eventually finding Brendan Morrow open on the back-door to beat Jonathan Bernier.
– After tonight, I’d like to see Peter Harrold take some playing time from Randy Jones. Jones had an awful game. Too many times Jones stood still with the puck, allowing defenders to close passing lanes, and shutting down offensive flow. His play in the corners has been terrible as well, concentrating more on the pressure from the oncoming hit, than making a play on the puck. This isn’t anything new with Jones, who has had Kings fans pulling out their hair with play like this on a regular basis.
– Jonathan Bernier‘s performance was quite spectacular tonight. However, I’m disappointed in Terry Murray‘s decision to sit Erik Ersberg. I felt it was a slap in the face to the current back-up goaltender, one who will be dressing come the playoffs. This has nothing to do with who I think is a better goalie, but how to manage a player who can become the team’s backbone in an instant; in the playoffs. I think it’s safe to say Bernier will be on the Kings roster come next season.

Your thoughts on the game? What did you think of tonight’s 2-1 victory? Impressed with Bernier? Frustrated with Jones? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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.