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.

The team is back in action and the LA Kings are surging into the playoffs. Tonight, Keith and Chris talk about the games up to now, enjoy the thoughts of the upcoming playoffs and say goodbye to Teddy Purcell. Enjoy!

Brad Richardson played like the Brad Richardson of last season when he coughed up the puck in overtime to seal it for the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a rough start for the Los Angeles Kings but they turned up the heat to take Chicago into Overtime. Not a bad game by any stretch and it was nice to grab a point. Your thoughts on the game?

Alex’s post-game blog here.

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.

Prior to Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, Chris Kaliszewski took part in an interview with Team 990 Montreal. Here he talks about the Los Angeles Kings and guarantees a victory. If the Kings don’t win, Chris has to wear a Montreal jersey in the next edition of Overtime. We all know who won and look forward to seeing Chris in a Habs jersey soon!

It was like a game of NHL 2010 on Rookie Mode as the Los Angeles Kings notched six goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Staples Center last night. Alexander Frolov had a monster game with four points (1G, 4A) and newly acquired Fredrik Modin (1G, 1A) also had a great game. Incidentally, the conditional 7th round pick the Kings gave up for Modin only happens if the Kings win the Stanley Cup. I guess we’ll be hanging onto that pick!

Alex’s Post-Game blog on the win.

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.

With the Olympic break finally over, the playoff push for the LA Kings begins. In this new installment; how the Olympics experience impacts the players, trade deadline fodder, exclusive coverage of the Stars game from Dallas correspondent Chris Bond and a special “international” shoutout.

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?

The Vancouver Olympics are winding down and the Hockey medal race is in full swing. We take a look at the historic USA vs Canada game, present our game viewing experience and discuss this years hockey rules. Question of the Day: Who is the MVP of Mens Hockey at the Olympics so far?

Nearing the crucial games that will be documented as the “playoff-stretch”, I’m taking a look at each player on the Kings roster and evaluating them with a grade on their performance thus far. A roster that has worked together to post a 37-20-4 record (78 points) at 5th place in the Western Conference has to be doing something right, Right? Which players have contributed most? Which players have disappointed? In Part 3 of a 3-Part series, we’ll take a look at the forwards of the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have tallied 185 goals so far, which ranks them 4th in the Western Conference and 6th in the NHL. The production from this offense has been a big contributor to the Kings success this season.

FORWARDS

DUSTIN BROWN #23
GRADE: B
SYNOPSIS: Dustin Brown has had a solid season for the Kings, bringing his high intensity, physical play whenever he’s on the ice. Brown has been impressive on the forecheck, utilizing his speed and strength to create offensive zone posession. With 15 goals and 27 assists, Brown has been a key contributor, but there are still some flaws. I like to see Brown make the dump & chase work for the Kings with his heavy pressure down low, but often find myself frustrated when he enters the zone with the puck. Too often Brown is fancy with the puck with his through the legs deke, and still has an issue with missing the net with his shots. Bottom Line: You can always count on Brown to make a presence physically, but he’s had issues with the puck. A couple of scoring droughts have lowered Brown’s point totals, but his leadership on and off the ice is crucial to the team.

ALEXANDER FROLOV #24
GRADE: C-
SYNOPSIS: I’ve been frustrated with Frolov’s play all season, which I see as having a lack of heart and intensity. Whether it’s giving up on the back-check, or skating circles without the puck, Frolov has been a huge disappointment. The guy has skill, and his 13 goals and 27 assists is sub-par for a player with his capability. Frolov has made plenty of bad decisions, namely his constant wrap-arounds, and has shown his inability to occupy the front of the net. Bottom Line: Frolov has been the center of trade rumors this year, and there’s still a chance he could be dealt after the Olympic break. Frolov, even with his lackluster style of play, has the ability to create points for the Kings as they stride toward the playoffs.

MICHAL HANDZUS #26
GRADE: B+
SYNOPSIS: Handzus, with 33 points this season, has been a solid contributor up front for the Kings. Not a flashy forward, but extremely versatile. Handzus has shown he is capable of winning face-offs, scoring from the top of the circles, and creating traffic in front of the net. #26 is a veteran who can center a wide variety of wingers. Handzus’ smart play has worked well with the various line combinations Terry Murray has drawn up. Bottom Line: An essential part of the Kings offense, Handzus rarely makes costly mistakes. Whether it’s his puck control down low, his body in front of the net, or his shot selection from the top of the circles, his intelligence on the ice meshes well with his line-mates.

RAITIS IVANANS #41
GRADE: C-
SYNOPSIS: Ivanans is on the roster for one reason; To be the enforcer. If there’s a player who’s going to drop the gloves, look to Raitis. Even though it’s not his function on the ice, Ivanans has yet to record a point, which is troubling at 54 games played. My main problem with his play is the stupid retaliation I’ve seen from him this season. I have no problem with him dancing when necessary, but it’s been a recurring instance where Ivanans takes a revenge penalty that hurts the team. Bottom Line: Ivanans has a spot on the roster to have the back of his skilled teammates. #41 needs to be a little smarter when choosing to stick up for his team, and make sure he isn’t a burden to their success.

ANZE KOPITAR #11
GRADE: A-
SYNOPSIS: Kopitar had a stunning start to the season, even leading the NHL in points for a period of time. The hot start was quickly crushed with a lengthy stretch of games where Kopitar failed to produce. However, he regrouped to again become an offensive force for the Kings. I believe his slump was in part to pushing too hard. #11 never stopped working, but just couldn’t catch a break. He never left his game, but over-did it at times. Once he was able to settle down, and had healthy surroundings, he’s become the vastly improved player we saw at the start of the season. Bottom Line: Kopitar’s skill has been coupled with his revamped strength this season to create a player who is on the verge of being a superstar. A long stretch into the playoffs will only help Kopitar’s process of maturing and growing into an elite NHL player.

OSCAR MOLLER #9
GRADE: B
SYNOPSIS: I, for one, didn’t expect much out of the young Swede this season. I figured Moller would get shut-down because of his size. Yes, I judged, but you can’t deny that was the story last season. Now, he hasn’t been putting up the points, but he’s not afraid to go into corners and fight for the puck. I like to relate him to a mosquito. Small, but extremely bothersome. Moller uses his speed to disrupt the opposition. Does he always win the battles? No. But he distracts the flow of his counterparts. Bottom Line: Moller is annoying to the opposition. He doesn’t scare them, he bothers them. This is what allows him to create turnovers down-low utilizing his small stature and quick feet.

TEDDY PURCELL #54
GRADE: D+
SYNOPSIS: Late decisions, and bad ones. That can describe Purcell’s season so far. Teddy had a semi-promising ending to last season, but has completely flopped this year. 3 goals and 3 assist through 41 games, Purcell has been awful. There hasn’t been one positive to his play. At times he looks lost, and at other times he just looks bad. Bad passes, bad shot selection, poor puck control down-low, I’ll stop now. Bottom Line: I’ve just about given up hope with Purcell. Will he be a factor down the stretch? I don’t think so. A part of me wants to have some faith in him, but there’s been no reason to build it.

BRAD RICHARDSON #15
GRADE: B+
SYNOPSIS: Boy, talk about an impressive player coming from nowhere. Richardson, who was pointless for a long stretch at the start of the season, began to blossom into a key forward. The guy just works hard. Always hard on the forecheck and backcheck, Richardson works for his points. He’s provided a spark to the offense with his work ethic, and has earned every single one of his 21 points. Bottom Line: A young winger like Richardson who takes pride in hustle, he can create big plays for the Kings down the line. No question he’ll be a factor in plenty of games, and his intensity will be a great fit come playoff time.

WAYNE SIMMONDS #17
GRADE: A
SYNOPSIS: There’s no question Simmonds play has led him to become a fan favorite. A forward who mixes in a bit of everything when on the ice, he has posted 35 points. Simmonds physical play on the forecheck and ability to fight make him even more of a threat. His speed allows him to beat the opposition to the puck. His long, fluid stride helps as well. Bottom Line: In only his second season, Simmonds has been a huge surprise. A player who is still developing, only expect to get more results from Simmonds for the rest of the season and beyond.

RYAN SMYTH #94
GRADE: A
SYNOPSIS: Smyth is hands-down the best off-season acquisition for the Kings. He’s had such a big impact on the team both on and off of the ice. Smyth has managed to tally 19 goals and 19 assists even being out for over a month. His presence in front of the net is a key factor on the PP. Knowing where to be on the ice at all times, Smyth makes his line-mates better. He gives his teammates confidence when putting the puck on net or down low, knowing Smyth will be scrapping for possession or a deflection. Bottom Line: There’s no doubt Smyth will be an important factor down the stretch. Not only is his play crucial to the team, but his experience as well. Smyth went to the Stanley Cup Finals with Edmonton in 2006.

JARRET STOLL
GRADE: B-
SYNOPSIS: Stoll has fought back from numerous injuries this season to put together a solid overall performance. With 12 goals and 23 assists, Stoll has backed up his success in the face-off circle with production in the offensive zone. A key part of the PP, Stoll moves to the blue-line because of his shot. You have to be impressed with the embattled forward fighting through injuries and still bringing a strong performance to the ice. Bottom Line: Stoll’s biggest contributions to the team will be face-offs in the O-Zone and to continue to pose a threat from the blue-line on the PP.

Nearing the crucial games that will be documented as the “playoff-stretch”, I’m taking a look at each player on the Kings roster and evaluating them with a grade on their performance thus far. A roster that has worked together to post a 37-20-4 record (78 points) at 5th place in the Western Conference has to be doing something right, Right? Which players have contributed most? Which players have disappointed? In Part 2 of a 3-Part series, we’ll take a look at the defensemen of the Los Angeles Kings. With 166 goals allowed, the Kings stand at 8th in the Western Conference, and 12th in the entire NHL. Don’t give Jonathan Quick total credit for the success the Kings have had in their own zone this season, this group of defensemen have been solid all year.

DEFENSEMEN

DREW DOUGHTY #8
GRADE: A-
SYNOPSIS: The 19 year-old Defenseman for the Kings has been a strong asset on the blue line from the start of his NHL career. Playing in every game so far this season, Doughty has posted an exceptional stat-line of 11 goals and 34 assists. His awareness of the ice when he has the puck allows him to be an offensive defensemen. Once he controls the puck in his own zone, Doughty has the ability to create space and either move the puck up the ice laterally with a pass or take it himself with a rush. Doughty has also become a staple on the Kings PP with his puck movement up-top and his stellar shot. Bottom Line: Although Doughty is often a standout player, he’s had a few rough games this year. At his age, that is perfectly reasonable; his ability to recover from his mistakes is impressive.

DAVIS DREWISKE #44
GRADE: C+
SYNOPSIS: After signing a 3-year contract extension before the season, Drewiske’s play has been moderate. Not the type of player who’s going to rack up the points or drop the gloves, so his contributions often go unnoticed. Drewiske, with his lack of speed, has had a little trouble in the transition game, mainly in the neutral zone. Most of the time he knows where to look for passing lanes on the break-out, but we’ve seen a few too many turnovers from #44 this season. Bottom Line: A tough call on Drewiske because he’s not the solid stay-at-home guy you’d like to pair with Doughty or Johnson, or the guy you’d like to pair with another shut-down D-man. Drewiske, for this year, will continue to float around Murray’s D-line pairings.

MATT GREENE #2
GRADE: B+
SYNOPSIS: The guy is providing the Kings with exactly what they acquired him for. His physical play down low is some of the best in knocking opposition off of the puck. You’re not going to see a lot of anything else from the Alternate Captain. He makes the simple passes, and puts the puck on net when necessary. His mindset is always Defense; And this is key when you need a partner to pair with our flashy D-men. Bottom Line: Greene will bring a physical presence to every game, and is smart to not push it to the point where it hurts the team. His leadership in the locker room is vital, where his toughness rubs off on teammates and his humor builds camaraderie in the locker room.

PETER HARROLD #5
GRADE: C
SYNOPSIS: Harrold is a role player for Terry Murray. You could call him a “swingman”, as he accepts the call for taking the ice as a forward or defenseman. A guy like this is good for a team, yet underrated. Harrold, who’s only dressed in 36 games this season for the Kings, has played a conservative style of hockey this year. I haven’t seen a lot of big mistakes from #5 this season, but not too many impressive plays either. He’s not a skill player, but a smart player. Bottom Line: Harrold is a safe bet for Terry Murray when it comes to filling a spot on the bench. I think the word “fill” describes his play perfectly. For now, a good option to have on the roster down the line this season.

JACK JOHNSON #3
GRADE: B-
SYNOPSIS: In what was a tumultuous start to the season for Johnson, his game has stepped up as of late. Missing two games due to an arm injury, Johnson has posted 6 goals and 20 assists in 59 games for the Kings. I had to think for a bit on Johnson’s grading, and I find myself appreciating what he always brings to the ice. Quick feet, good vision of the ice, solid passing. What I see missing from his game this year was his physical play; stepping up on the top of the circles. Johnson also hasn’t been the offensive threat I think he is capable of. Less shots from the blue-line and fewer end-to-end rushes. Bottom Line: Johnson has the tools to be an elite defenseman. Don’t get me wrong, he’s close to having that stature, but right now Johnson seems to still be learning how to utilize his skills to become an exclusive player at the NHL level.

RANDY JONES #12
GRADE: D
SYNOPSIS: Randy Jones has been awful for the Kings this season. Acquired by the Kings off of waivers in October, Jones has posted 5 goals and 9 assists. His performance has been questionable all year; From wary physical play to terrible passes through the middle of the ice, Jones’ mishaps strongly overshadow the positives in his game. Bottom Line: I don’t think Randy Jones will make an impact on the rest of the season. He hasn’t done much to win over the fans, or Terry Murray; Who’s expressed frustration with him. Look for Jones to continue with his mediocre play.

SEAN O’DONNELL
GRADE: C-
SYNOPSIS: O’Donnell’s role on the team is to provide stability in the defensive zone while bringing veteran leadership to this young roster. While his experience is huge for this team, it seems that his game is slipping. O’Donnell’s age may be showing, as he’s getting pushed around in the corners more often this year. O’Donnell has blown coverage several times and is getting beat to the outside too easily. Bottom Line: O’Donnell is a key part to the Kings locker room. A player with his experience and wisdom will help this team as the playoffs loom. I can see O’Donnell lasting one more season with the Kings, but there’s no question his performance on the ice is on the downhill.

ROB SCUDERI #7
GRADE: B+
SYNOPSIS: A key off-season acquisition for the Kings, Scuderi brings playoff experience, solid defensive play, and more veteran leadership to the table. Scuderi has been a wonderful addition. He can be paired with any defenseman on the roster, as he is able to work with the offensive-minded and the stay-at-homers like himself. He’s been able to clear the front of the net and cut off passing lanes through the slot. Bottom Line: Scuderi may be the most important player on the roster when it comes to the playoff stretch. A smart, physical shut-down defenseman who has all of the post-season experience you could ask for, #7 will be a big factor later this season.

Part III: “Dancing in the Reign” on Kingscast.net will be pulling out the grade-book on Kings forwards on the next installment of Kings Grade Reports. What would you grade King’s defensemen so far? Please post comments downstairs!

Nearing the crucial games that will be documented as the “playoff-stretch”, I’m taking a look at each player on the Kings roster and evaluating them with a grade on their performance thus far. A roster that has worked together to post a 37-20-4 record (78 points) at 5th place in the Western Conference has to be doing something right, Right? Which players have contributed most? Which players have disappointed? In Part 1 of a 3-Part series, we’ll take a look at the goaltenders of the Los Angeles Kings. With 166 goals allowed, the Kings stand at 8th in the Western Conference, and 12th in the entire NHL.

GOALTENDERS

#32 JONATHAN QUICK

GRADE: A+

A great way to start off this whole rating process, huh? Makes me look like an easy grader, but let’s be honest; would it be fair to mark Quicker any lower? In his second full season in the league, Quick has already started 55 games. What Fatigue? Quick is 1st in the NHL in goals allowed (139) and Victories (35). He has proven time and time again this season that he has the ability to perform at an elite level on a consistent basis. What I’ve been most impressed with? Quick’s poise. We’ve seen a few sloppy starts from him this season, but how he reacts to these slow starts is striking. Plenty of times Quick has made remarkable saves that have changed the momentum of a game, and that is huge for the players in front of him. The team has confidence in his play, and the Kings know they can be more aggressive offensively after falling behind because of having a goalie who knows how to regroup & compose. Bottom Line: Quick is a young goalie who has validated himself in having the traits of being a prestigious goaltender. With a young roster, it is key to have a persistent leader in net to spread confidence, and ultimately, success.

#31 ERIK ERSBERG

Grade: C-
With Jonathan Quick having such a stellar season, Erik Ersberg hasn’t seen a lot of ice-time. Ersberg has faced action in only 8 games so far, allowing 20 goals. You have to realize, though, Erberg’s situation isn’t very easy. He has been called upon rarely this year, which gives him no groove to work with. His starts often come so far apart, he’s rusty in terms of live-play. The reality of the situation is that a backup goalie needs to take full advantage of the few opportunities he has, and Ersberg has not done that. He has been average at best, but I’m marking him just below. This year, the Kings haven’t developed a confidence in Ersberg. You could argue that he hasn’t seen enough ice, and you could argue that Terry Murray is relying too heavily on Quick. But, how can you blame the guy? So, it’s tough to grade Ersberg, but an NHL back-up needs to be ready to provide stability in net whenever called on, no matter how infrequently. Bottom Line: Erik Ersberg will have a few more appearances this season; And one, if not more will be important games. Back-up goalies can be the difference late in the season, can Ersberg step up?

Part II: “Dancing in the Reign” on Kingscast.net will be pulling out the grade-book on Kings defensemen on the next installment on Kings Grade Reports. What would you grade King’s goaltenders so far? Please post comments downstairs!

The boys (and girl) are back in studio with our best podcast of the season. That’s right, here we take a look at the Kings entrance into the Olympic break, a preview of the Los Angeles Kings who are taking part in the Olympic games in Vancouver and say goodbye to a player we barely knew….

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games in full effect, we take a look at Team Canada & Team USA’s chances at Olympic gold as well as what Los Angeles Kings will make an impact on their respective teams. Question of the Day: Which Olympic teams get the gold, silver and bronze?

If you’ve ever watched Overtime then you know who Chris and Adrian Nadeau at The Hockey Zen are. Chris and I have a bit of history as we made a little bet in the off-season that has materialized into the most lopsided bet in history.

Recently, Chris and Adrian started doing a Fan Series on their show. Here, they invite a fan of each NHL team to do a quick video explaining why they are so passionately devoted to their team. This time, the Los Angeles Kings get their turn and your favorite LA vloggers got a shot to make their case for the Kings.

Affectionately called California Love, this episode is a must watch for any LA Kings fans. So jump on over to The Hockey Zen and share your love of the team!

Check out the video on The Hockey Zen TV Show.

Matt Greene is hilarious. But, to get the true sense of his sense of humor, you need to watch this video!

LOS ANGELES — As the heavy criticism of NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia gets louder and more overwhelming, if that’s possible, it is clear that the time has come for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee, assuming they have a say in the matter, to end the exclusive broadcasting deal with NBC for future Olympic Games.

Indeed, the criticism of NBC’s coverage has been vehement and unending since these Games began. But with their piece-meal, tape-delayed coverage of the Games, despite the fact that they are in Vancouver—not only in the same hemisphere as the United States, but also the same continent—NBC has no one to blame but themselves.

It seems rather obvious that, even though they are broadcasting the games on their affiliates across the country and on USA Network, CNBC and MSNBC, NBC is unwilling to preempt a significant number of their shows during the day on any of their channels so that they could air live coverage.

That decision has left a foul taste in the mouths of many Olympic fans.

“It’s frustrating,” said Erin Norton, 33, of Gilbert, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. “NBC pays a ton of money to have exclusive coverage and it’s on the same continent. The coverage they could have had for these Olympics would have blown all the other channels out of the water. They could show so many events live during the day on CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network and the local NBC station.”

“Yet they show things tape-delayed and if they show three hours during the day on NBC, then it’s a good day,” added Norton. “Instead, we’re still subjected to all their normal crap.”

“I know they still want to keep their soap operas and other crap on television, but I’d prefer to see more stuff live on NBC so it’s more widely available to the masses,” said Bruce Fung, 45, of Long Beach, California.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

In the midst of the Olympic break, I’ve been eager to take advantage of the time to ramble on a couple of unique topics. Personally, I’m a sucker for everything sports uniforms. In today’s reading, I’ll be summarizing each era of Los Angeles Kings uniforms, asking Kingscast followers which current set they like the best, and a little trivia at the end; A question I consider very tricky to answer. This franchise is known for changing their uniform style quite often. Let’s take a look at the wardrobe that is the history of the Los Angeles Kings.

“Purple & Gold; The Early Years; 1967 – 1988″

The Los Angeles Kings donned the purple and gold-trimmed sweaters for over 20 seasons. Not only is that a big chunk of this franchise’s history, it’s the roots of the franchise. From when they first took the ice, until the late 80’s when Greatzky arrived, this was the image of the team. The colors and crest of the jersey always remained the same, but the design changed several times. Numerous small adjustments on the uniforms were made; From number outlines to the piping on the hem. Beside all of that, do I like them? I can’t say I do. Now, I know I may ruffle a few feathers of the long-time Kings fans, and I fully understand why. First, the colors. Gold and purple are both pretty bold colors to put on a uniform. The Kings used both colors, and prominently. The uniforms were too loud, and with a lack, or not enough piping to break up the screaming. As for the Crown? Don’t like it, don’t hate it. It was just there, nothing fierce, nothing special. The colors didn’t help, it always looked like a blob to me. Not to say I’m fully on board with the modern crown, but it has a little more character to it. More definition to the shape, and stands out a little nicer on a uniform. Overall? My least favorite era of Kings uniforms. From the colors to the crest, not a fan. Please, long-time Kings fans, let me hear it. I deserve it, I know.

“Silver & Black; The Gretzky Era; 1988 – 1998″

Now, if you want to talk a set of colors and logo that certainly won over the fans, and made it’s presence into the mainstream, this is the one. Try scoring yourself a black & silver Kings snap-back hat these days, and you better have some paper. What to say about these uniforms? Great color scheme, even better logo. Who knows if this uniform style would ever have been as popular if Wayne Gretzky hadn’t donned it. But to me, the basic style of this jersey was priceless. Basic colors, basic logo, basic piping. Black and silver work a lot better together than purple and gold. The color combo creates an image that is a little more intimidating, more serious. Now that I look back, I’m quite surprised this design didn’t last longer. I mean, it’s not like it’s out of style. The move to Staples Center obviously was the nail in the coffin to these beauties. Overall, my second favorite Kings uniform set.

“The Burger King Jersey; 1996-1997 Season”

Oh man, where to start with this monstrosity. The NHL decided to really dig into the whole “3rd jersey” trend during the ‘96/’97 season. What a mistake that was, and the Kings were far from the most embarrassing. Yes, the Mighty Ducks wore those. For the Kings to wear these instead of the current set they had is a disgrace. Every time I see photos of this uniform, I get hit with the same reaction; like I didn’t believe they had worn them before. Maybe that’s the way it’ll always be. I think it’s from me blacking these out of my mind the second after seeing them. And on Gretzky? Excuse me for a minute…Oh shit, I looked at it again. Maybe posting it on the article wasn’t such a great idea. Well hey, if I have to look at it then you do too. Let’s be fair. Enough on these. Well no, if you were to shove one of these in front of my face during Teddy Purcell’s ice-time, I’d happily oblige.

“Purple, Black, Silver; Staples Center; 1998 – 2007″

The Kings decided to make the move into the brand-new Staples Center with a flashy, modern look. Smart move business-wise from the front office, and they didn’t disappoint. These weren’t bad uniforms, but they weren’t great. They made purple and black work, and created a uniform that was different from the rest. I’ve always liked the “Los Angeles” on the front bottom hem-line of the uniform. We’ve never seen that in the NHL, and I always liked the unique aspect of the design. From ‘98 until ‘02, this was the crest on the home and away jerseys. The current crown crest was debuted on the purple alternates in ‘99. Starting in ‘03, the crown was featured on the primary home and away jerseys, with this now becoming the crest on the purple alternate and the shoulder patch to the primary home and away. I give the Kings credit, because if you’re going to commit to a uniform switch from the set you previously had, you need to design something decent. This they did, but was still a bit sloppy for my liking. Not my least favorite, but ahead of the purple & gold classics.

“Purple, Black, Silver; The RBK Edge Era; 2007 – Present”

As Reebok took over the NHL jersey industry, the Kings cleaned up the look of their uniforms. Very similar to what they wore before the “Edge era”, but dropped the purple from the bottom hem-line. This, in my opinion, made a world of difference. Instead, there was no striping on the hem, but just the “Los Angeles” on the bottom front hem-line. The modern crown is the crest for both of the primary home and away jerseys, and they stuck with the same shoulder patches. A very crisp, clean look; And it’s not easy to pull off purple. During the ‘08-’09 season, the Kings debuted a new alternate jersey. It was nice for them to go back to the old Silver & Black, but I think they could’ve done better. The best part of the new alternates? The helmet decals; Kings in the classic script from the “88-’98 era. Not a fan of the logo or the piping on the jersey, but credit for creating a design based on the history of the franchise.

“My Favorite Uniform; What’s Yours?”

It’s not a tough decision for me to pick my favorite Kings uniform. I’m going to ask the same from Kingscast readers, and want to see your picks downstairs. For me, it’s the current road uniforms. A simple, crisp, clean look. A lot of white, coupled with an even amount of black and purple. The silver trim helps as well. These uniforms just look sharp, no questions asked. So, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. I want specifics people! What design, what colors, home/away, what year, whatever you need to provide! Let’s hear it!

“Trivia Question”

If you can answer this question correctly, all I have to provide is respect. I wish I had an autographed puck to provide like Chris and Keith, but I don’t. Don’t let that discourage you. Now, the Kings first donned the RBK Edge uniforms during the 2007-2008 season. There was a minor change in the uniforms for the 2008-2009 season, and I’m not talking about the new alternate jersey. What was it? This is a tough one, good luck!

The Los Angeles Kings had a very nice send-off for the Olympians on the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. In total, the two teams are sending eight players to Vancouver (five for Los Angeles, three for Colorado). With the exception of Salei (playing for Belarus), the other seven player all have a shot at medaling. Enjoy the video!

LOS ANGELES — With the 2010 Olympic Winter Games now in full swing, the hockey world is now focused on Vancouver and, more specifically, on the men’s Olympic hockey tournament beginning today.

Five Los Angeles Kings players are in Vancouver, including right wing Dustin Brown (United States), defenseman Drew Doughty (Canada), center Michal Handzus (Slovakia), defenseman Jack Johnson and goaltender Jonathan Quick (USA), and they are chomping at the bit, raring to go.

“I couldn’t wait for it to happen,” Doughty said about the Olympic tournament. “It’s been in the back of my mind even though my main focus is the Kings. I can’t wait to get to Vancouver and get the games going.”

Speaking of being unable to wait, Johnson left the Kings with permission on February 12 to participate in the Opening Ceremonies.

Even though the Kings had played the night before and had another game on February 13, Johnson was not going to miss the Opening Ceremonies—he wanted the full Olympic experience.

“It’s the opening ceremony of the Winter Games,” Johnson exclaimed. “It’s a no-brainer. I had the opportunity, so why waste it? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I’m fortunate enough to play in the next one, it’s in Russia. I can’t just go over and back.”

Johnson not only walked into Vancouver’s BC Place with the US Olympic Team during the Parade Of Nations, but he also got the opportunity to meet his teammates in other sports and bond with them.

“Last night, when we gathered up all the athletes, we didn’t know each other, we didn’t even know what sport each other played,” he explained. “But, instantly, you’ve got that bond and connection because you’re all representing the USA.”

“It was the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life, it’s something I’ll never forget. It was something that meant a lot to me to get the full Olympic experience.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

As the Los Angeles Kings take a break from NHL play in respect to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, let’s take a look at the status of the prospects and the team that develops the future of the LA Kings. The Manchester Monarchs are having a season that provides plenty of optimism to the development of this organization’s future, as if we didn’t have that already. Manchester, as of February 15th, has posted 79 points through 56 games of play in the American Hockey League. The Monarchs stand 3rd overall in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Atlantic Division. Take a look at the major club in this family, and the Kings are stacked with young talent. And how does it get better? The young talent in our minor league system is proving themselves as well. It’s almost getting to the point; And I don’t want to get over my head here, but that we may have too much young talent. Look, AHL clubs can have a great campaign and then completely flop the year after. The AHL is a very difficult league to analyze. So many aspects of this league are unstable. The rosters, mainly full of young, inexperienced professional hockey players, change on a daily basis. You’ve got coaches coming and going, management directing players to various leagues, just a tough situation to maintain stability to make it to the next level. However, a fair test to those AHL’ers who eventually do get the call to the NHL.
So, if we are to assess Kings prospects solely based on Manchester’s success this season, I’d say we’re in good company. Will some of these players make an impact in Los Angeles in the near future? Yes. Will some of these players make an impact in Los Angeles via trade? Yes, and that’s the key importance I’m seeing in this Manchester lineup. The Kings are built right now for long-term success. Where I think Manchester will really come into play is a trade at this year’s deadline, sometime this off-season, or next season. The fact that Dean Lombardi has done such a wonderful job in constructing such a young, solid core of players gives us a little more comfort when it comes to including prospects in a trade. There are already a handful of players on Manchester’s roster that have NHL experience. Not to say they weren’t NHL savvy, but let’s be honest, the Kings are on the verge of being an elite team. There is so much competition at every position, we’re feeding Manchester players that could very well be starters on other NHL clubs. Could this have something to do with Manchester’s success this season?

Let’s take a closer look at the players excelling in Manchester. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier is having quite the season with the Monarchs, and is quite possibly the hottest Kings prospect. I think it’s too early to tell what Bernier may bring to the Kings. Whatever the future may hold for Erik Ersberg may provide a clearer picture. There are so many variables in Bernier’s future I don’t even know what to say. With Quick’s success thus far, could we gain more by dealing Bernier? Will it disturb Quick’s confidence next season if Bernier’s on the roster? Remember now folks, Quick is having a stellar season knowing he’s the number 1, not with some youngster breathing down his back. This is a GOOD problem to have, remember that. What about winger Corey Elkins? The Kings draftee, fresh off of a 41 point season at The Ohio State University has recorded 36 points for the Monarchs. Here’s a late bloomer, Bud Holloway. Drafted in 2006 by Los Angeles, he leads the Monarchs in points. Still very young though at the age of 22. I could go on for pages and pages about this team, but let’s get one thing straight. If you feel content with the Kings roster now, take a minute to look at what Manchester is developing. To say this franchise is in good hands is an understatement. Whether the Monarchs provide solid players to add to the Kings roster, or provide the key to a big trade in the future, there’s a lot of up-side to this squad in New Hampshire.

The Los Angeles Kings closed out February with a nice win over the Colorado Avalanche and some of the team can enjoy a nice break during the Olympics. In this episode we talk about the Kings play going into the Olympic break as well as the game against the Avs. Question of the Day: What LA King will have the biggest impact on their Olympic Roster?

The Colorado Avalanche came into Staples Center tonight tied with the Kings in the Western Conference standings with 76 points. Colorado, a team that committed to rebuilding after a fire-sale last season, is maybe the most surprising team in the NHL this year. The term “Rebuild” is not a fitting term to describe a team that sits 6th place in the Conference this late in the season. To say their play this season is surprising is an understatement. Colorado coach Joe Sacco, fresh off of two seasons in Cleveland heading the operations of Colorado’s AHL affiliate has utilized a roster full of young, un-proven players to squeeze great results from a mediocre lineup. Tonight, the Kings clearly separated themselves from the team trailing them in the standings with a shut-down performance all around. The Kings came out with a presence, and refused to let down throughout the entire 60 minutes. Great play all around as the Kings dominated on both ends of the ice, which contributed to goaltender Jonathan Quick’s second shutout of the season.

Thoughts on the game:
– Rob Scuderi took a 5-minute major penalty on a boarding call against Colorado’s Chris Durno. Los Angeles was successful in killing off the major penalty which ultimately resulted as being a huge momentum shift in the game.
– Less than two minutes off of the major penalty kill, Rob Scuderi made up for his infraction with a rocket from the point. Just as we saw on Thursday night, Scuds utilized the traffic in front of Colorado’s net by simply putting the puck on net. The key to this goal? Brad Richardson. Immediately after feeding Scuderi at the point, Richardson went straight to the net. Scuderi reacted by shooting and Richardson put himself in perfect position to deflect the puck past Colorado’s Craig Anderson.
– Anze Kopitar tallied LA’s second goal from the sideboards on a 3rd period power-play. The shot was impressive, but Kopitar made it happen with his quick release off of movement to change the angle of the shot. Immediately after receiving the puck, Kopitar moved lateral with a couple of moves to keep Anderson on his feet. The quick release through traffic in front of Anderson was the key to the goal.
– Oscar! The youngster from Sweden tallied his fourth of the season streaking through the neutral zone off of a feed from Richard Clune. Moller’s wobbly shot handcuffed Craig Anderson and finished off great puck movement that rooted from Jack Johnson’s defensive zone awareness.

Record Books:
With tonight’s victory, Jonathan Quick has tied the record for most wins in a single season for a Los Angeles Kings goaltender. Mario Lessard previously held the record when he won 35 games as a Kings goaltender during the 1980-1981 season.

Off to Vancouver:
The Los Angeles Kings will be sending five players to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Team USA:
– Goaltender Jonathan Quick
– Defenseman Jack Johnson
– Forward Dustin Brown
Team Canada:
– Defenseman Drew Doughty
Team Slovakia
– Forward Michal Handzus

Olympic Break Status:
With their final game before the Olympic break tonight against Colorado, here’s where the Los Angeles Kings stand as the NHL takes a 3-week hiatus in respect to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
– 5th Place in the Western Conference with 78 points. 1 Point behind the Phoenix Coyotes for 4th place. The Kings next game will be on March 2nd in Texas to face the Pacific Division-foe Dallas Stars.
– Until then, stay tuned on Kingscast.net for updates on the five Los Angeles Kings players playing for the respective countries in the Olympics.
– Also, with the “trade-freeze” on during the break, look out for thoughts and rumors surrounding the Kings as the trade deadline quickly approaches in early March.

The Ottawa Senators announced earlier today that they had placed Jonathan Cheechoo on waivers. As the Kings look to add more depth to their roster for the playoff push, is this a possibility? Since Justin Williams went down with a broken leg, the Kings have been sniffing around for a replacement winger. Cheechoo is signed through next season and would be a cap hit of 3 million to any team that desired to pick him up. However, taking a risk on Cheechoo would allow the Kings to not give up any current players, as would be the case if a trade was made. Cheechoo’s statistics have taken a steep downfall since his 56-goal season in 05-06. He flourished in his early years with San Jose, as he and Joe Thornton were one of the most impressive tandems in the league. Yes, Cheechoo has had a miserable season with Ottawa, but didn’t have the surroundings he had in San Jose that made him an offensive threat. But can it work in Los Angeles? It’s pretty safe to say that there aren’t “solidified” lines up front for the Kings as Terry Murray has shown his knack for consistently switching things up. Could this be a solid fit? Would Cheechoo be somewhat rejuvenated to play Winger on the 3rd or 4th line for such a young team in the heart of a playoff race? I question not only what he could bring to the team, but how he could effect the play of others. Cheechoo had plenty of success surrounded by the play-makers in San Jose, is this a possible option for the Kings?

In what looked to be a potential blowout for the Los Angeles Kings playing the bottom-feeder Edmonton Oilers, turned out to be a flat and uninspired effort from a team recently on a 9 game winning streak. Down 2-0 in the 3rd period and hearing the boo-birds at Staples Center, the Kings battled back with goals from Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth and took the game into the 10th Round of a Shootout, only to lose the bonus point to none other than former King Lubomir Visnovsky.

The lowly Edmonton Oilers came into Staples Center tonight in an effort to tame the excitement surrounding the surging Kings on Wayne Simmonds Bobblehead night. The Oilers, with the two points gained tonight, still stand as the worst team in the NHL. Edmonton pulled off a 3-2 victory after a shootout that extended to 10 rounds. Yes, the Kings surrendered 2 points to a Western Conference opponent, but to a team that will have nothing to do with the outcome of playoff implications come April. Although we lost to the worst team in the league, we gained a point in the process, and any point earned in this stage of the season is crucial. So, do I actually consider it a loss? Not completely. A team such as Edmonton, with playoff hopes already crushed, earned the victory tonight. Does a shootout loss to the worst team in the league mean panic mode? No. Far from it. That’s what’s great about this league, as a sub-par team such as Edmonton is capable of competing, and beating any team in the league on any given night.

Thoughts on the game:
– Edmonton’s two regulation goals were results of the Oilers capitalizing on failed attempts by the Kings to clear the puck out of their own zone.
– Denis Grebeshkov, who arguably had the best game tonight between both clubs, took advantage of a stick-less Jarret Stoll, who was the high defender on the penalty kill. Grebeshkov, who will be donning the Russian sweater in the Olympics, utilized lateral movement on the point against a helpless Stoll. Seeing an opening, Grebeshkov snapped a low shot to the left corner and found the net after a deflection. Unfortunately, it was Matt Greene with the deflection, while he attempted to lift the stick of a screening Zack Stortini in front of Kings goalie Erik Ersberg.
– Dustin Penner tallied Edmonton’s second goal as he gobbled up an impressive hold on the blue-line from his fellow D-men and buried a tough angle shot past Erik Ersberg. Yes, an NHL goalie needs to stop this shot. Yes, the Kings need to clear this puck. Yes, let’s post the blame 50-50 on this one.
– The Kings tallied two late 3rd period goals to send this contest into extra innings. Both goals came due to great presence in front of Edmonton’s net. If anything was going to get past Edmonton’s Jeff Deslauriers tonight, it had to come with grit.
– Dustin Brown set up shop in front of Deslauriers in time for Rob Scuderi’s slinger from the point. Scuds cannoned a shot on-net and low. And why? For a goal? No. A rebound. Smart. Fucking. Shot. Dustin Brown snatched the rebound and buried it upstairs to cut the deficit in half.
– I mentioned LA’s two regulation goals came with presence in front of the net. Now, who could take part in something like that? Yes, Ryan Smyth. Smyth, where he’s been all year, finished off a shot from Dustin Brown to tie the game with less than five minutes to go. How HUGE was this signing? HOW HUGE? Ryan Smyth has been anything and everything this team could’ve imagined after picking him up in July. Wow. Way to go Smytts. Atta Boy!
– Now, the shootout. I’m not going to get into it. It was 10 rounds, it was dramatic. One thing that stood out to me, however, was the play of Edmonton’s goalie Jeff Deslauriers. How many times did #38 stop LA shooters with the poke-check? Great showing in my opinion.
– It was unfortunate a former King in Lubomir Visnovsky had to clinch the game in the SO. However, how great was it to see former King Patrick O’Sullivan get X’d in the shootout, and robbed late in the 3rd period by Ersberg as well? Especially when the guy talks dirt on LA fans. How’s that 15th spot in the West treatin’ you Sully?

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty’s exclusive sit-down with Dean Lombardi continues on with some excellent commentary on LA Kings prospects Colten Teubert and Brandon Kozun. Check it!

LOS ANGELES — For any National Hockey League team, drafting and development of young prospects is crucial to their long-term success. But for the majority of their 42-year history, the Los Angeles Kings generally resorted to foolishly trading away their first round draft picks and their best young players for NHL veterans—some had been star players—who were little more than washed-up has-beens.

That started to change under former general manager Dave Taylor, but the great emphasis on drafting and development has come under current Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, who has built the team’s drafting and player development infrastructure up to what is now regarded as one of the best scouting and development staffs in the league.

Last month, four Kings prospects represented Canada in the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Center Brayden Schenn (Brandon Wheat Kings, Western Hockey League), defenseman Colten Teubert (Regina Pats, WHL), right wing Brandon Kozun (Calgary Hitmen, WHL) and goaltender Martin Jones (Calgary Hitmen) helped lead Canada to the Silver Medal, losing to the United States in the championship game.

Lombardi expressed a great deal of pride that four of his team’s young prospects made Team Canada and he spoke with Frozen Royalty about Teubert’s and Kozun’s development.

“[Teubert has] made a lot of progress, but he still has a lot to learn,” said Lombardi. “The whole thing about his physical game still has to be channelled in the right direction. You can’t play like the Flyers of the Seventies, so you have to channel that type of aggression. You can’t get away with just running around being physical.”

Indeed, the 19-year-old native of White Rock, British Columbia, who is the captain of the Pats and was one of two Kings’ prospects (Thomas Hickey) to win a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors, is a rather imposing physical force, but tends to get caught up in trying to make the big hit too often, taking himself out of defensive position.

Although the 6-4, 194-pound Teubert has improved on that, he still has quite a ways to go.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Well, streaks are made to be broken. On a tough road game against the streaking-at-home Anaheim Ducks, the Kings went ahead first on a goal by Oscar Moller and proceeded to fall behind 3-1 before eventually losing 4-2, ending their franchise best winning streak at 9 games. Anze Kopitar scored his 27th goal of the season and the Kings lost their first game of the year against the Ducks. Next up, the lowly Oilers visit Staples Center.

A great story from Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty on the development of Brad Richardson and Wayne Simmonds with comments from LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi.

LOS ANGELES — During the Los Angeles Kings’ recent run to fourth place in both the Western Conference standings and in the overall National Hockey League standings (through games played on February 7), two role players have contributed a lot more than what has been expected of them. Indeed, forwards Brad Richardson and Wayne Simmonds have surprised most by playing key roles in the Kings’ surge in the standings.

Last season, injuries and uneven play limited Richardson, 24, to just five assists in 31 games. He was unable to find his niche on the team, after being acquired by the Kings on June 21, 2008 from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a second round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

After Richardson’s poor showing last season, expectations for the 5-11, 195-pound native of Belleville, Ontario were low, and he found himself on the Kings’ fourth line to start the 2009-10 season. Despite that, he was not going to be denied.

Indeed, he worked hard and played with grit not seen from him before, and, as a result, Richardson started to gain the trust of head coach Terry Murray starting in mid-November. His ice time started to creep up, and he moved up from the fourth line to the third line and now, Richardson is playing on the Kings top two lines, alongside Simmonds and center Anze Kopitar.

Richardson, who has scored seven goals and has added thirteen assists for twenty points in 57 games this season, has also made an impression on his general manager.

“He’s come up the old-fashioned way, kind of like [former Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs center] Doug Gilmour,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi. “That’s the way guys used to break in. They used to be big scorers in junior. They all had to break in on the fourth line because they had to learn to check and play defense.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Another excellent piece from Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty’s recent interview with Dean Lombardi. Here, Lombardi talks positively about quite a few things but admits we still have some more to go to be Cup contenders.

LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles Kings flying high, having won nine straight games, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Red Wings on February 6, many have probably forgotten one important thing.

The Kings are still in rebuild mode.

Indeed, even with the Kings currently living in the rarefied air of fourth place in the Western Conference, they are still not where they want or need to be.

“It clearly shows that we’re [going] in the right direction,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi. “In terms of what you’re pleased with, it’s always been about getting better every year, having a nucleus start to form and to become a contender. So what that record represents to me right now is that we’re clearly headed in the right direction.”

“I don’t doubt that we’re [going] in the right direction, but we’re not going to be ultimately pleased until we get to where we feel we’re at Chicago’s level or San Jose’s level,” added Lombardi. “That’s where we’re going. So I’m pleased in terms of the right direction, but [we’re not] kidding ourselves]. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

Before this season began, Lombardi said that his young core of players had to get better if the Kings were going to reach new heights and, at least to this point in the season—58 games in, the core has improved.

“I said, at the beginning of the year, there were a couple of key indications,” Lombardi explained. “Number one, the kids had to get better. No matter who we added, the most important thing was that Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick all get better. That was number one.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

With a winning streak of 9 games in a row, there’s plenty to celebrate in LA Kings nation. Together with special guest Alex Kinkopf of ‘Dancing in the Reign,’ we cover the Saturday game against Detroit, discuss missing pieces and present a brand new Fan of the Game. Our question to you, Where does Jonathan Quick rank amongst all time Kings goaltenders?

When you talk of the Los Angeles Kings, you no longer have to utter the words “Wayne Gretzky” in the same sentence. Despite a horrendous first period, the Kings beat the Detroit Red Wings at another 1PM’er to break the franchise record of consecutive wins with 9 in a row. Jonathan Quick is one win away from breaking Mario Lessard’s all-time wins in a season by a Kings goaltender. The Kings now sit alone as fourth in the Western Conference with 75 points.

Gann Matsuda continues his interview with Dean Lombardi and talks a little goaltending. via Frozen Royalty

Is Anze Kopitar an elite player? via View From My Seats

Everybody’s favorite LA Kings reporter has an open forum. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 & Part 7. Part 7. via LA Kings Insider

Was Don Waddell in New Jersey to talk with Dean Lombardi or just to scout opponents? via Jewels From the Crown

Breakdown of the Kings/Ducks game on Thursday night. via Jewels from the Crown

The one blog whose game day previews actually crack me up. via Battle of California

A lot of talk going on about Anze Kopitar. Is Kopi’s “resurgence” the reason why we’re in a really good place right now? via NHL.com

Who do you trust when it comes to the rumor mill? via Jewels from the Crown

Your favorite vloggers are back in action talking about the latest in Kings hockey. via KingsCast

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty continues his interview with Dean Lombardi. There is some great stuff on the goaltending stable. Check it out!

LOS ANGELES — With the exception of should-be-a-Hall-of-Famer Rogie Vachon, Mario Lessard and Felix Potvin (for about one season), “goaltending” and “Los Angeles Kings” should not be used in the same sentence unless the idea is to cause uncontrollable laughter or crushing despair, depending on who you might be talking to.

But all indications are that the old joke that has been Los Angeles Kings’ goaltending is about to be put to rest, perhaps for the long-term.

Although it is way too early in his career to compare him to Vachon, Jonathan Quick could be the solid, number one goaltender the Kings have lacked for what seems like an eternity.

Quick, who was selected by the Kings in the third round (72nd overall) in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft, was called up by the Kings after Jason LaBarbera proved to be a sieve to start the 2009-09 season. Quick stepped right in and played so well that not only did he become the team’s number one goaltender last season, but he also allowed Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi to dump LaBarbera onto the Vancouver Canucks for a seventh round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (this pick, along with an additional fourth round pick and a seventh round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers on June 27, 2009 for a fourth round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The used that pick to select goaltender Jean-Francois Berube).

Indeed, the 6-1 223-pound native of Milford, Connecticut performed well last season, earning a 21-18-3 record with a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA), a .914 save percentage and two shutouts in 44 games.

As poorly as the Kings played last season, ending the season 14th in the fifteen-team Western Conference and way, way out of playoff contention, the fact that Quick had a winning record on a team that was 34-37-11 last year is impressive, to say the least.

Fast forward to the current season, Quick got off to a bit of an uneven start, but has settled down and especially in recent weeks, he has shined.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

The LA Kings are on fire. In this episode we talk about the Kings 8-game win streak, give our thoughts on the game against the Anaheim Ducks, interview a guy who didn’t have an NHL team to cheer for and discuss the Devils trade for Ilya Kovalchuk. Question of the Day: Who should the Los Angeles Kings trade for at the deadline?

John T. Meyer’s PickMyNHLTeam.com

It’s 8 games, folks! That’s right, the Los Angeles Kings have extended their winning streak against the Anaheim Ducks and now sit fourth in the Western Conference with 73 points. 73 points!? What a difference a year makes. We will not be sellers. This team is ready to contend. The playoffs will happen this year. Enjoy the video!

If I told you at the beginning of the season that the Los Angeles Kings would have 71 points just 56 games in you would have laughed, right? Last night at Staples Center the Kings increased their winning streak to 7 as they took down the Sean Avery and the New York Rangers. Kopitar had a clutch shorty and Smyth had a great goal off of a nice play by Brown. Enjoy the vid!

Matt Reitz, Editor at Large for View From My Seats recently asked me if Anze Kopitar is an elite player in his recent blog. Click the link to join the discussion.

Is Anze Kopitar an Elite Player?

Do you think he’s an elite player?

That’s right, folks, the weary Los Angeles Kings came into New Jersey to face the Devils and they didn’t lose. This team has heart. This team has a will to win. This team wants to take us out of years of disappointment and mediocrity. The Kings got a clutch goal from Wayne Simmonds to tie it up and Drew Doughty closed it out on the powerplay. Wow.

That’s right, folks, the Los Angeles Kings are on fire with a nice 5-game winning streak going on. The Kings were in Boston to face the Bruins again and Jonathan Quick one again showed up fellow Team USA Olympian Tim Thomas. Anze Kopitar continues his point tear, also getting a goal in the shootout. The Kings are now in 5th in the Western Conference with 67 points. Nice!

Back in studio to talk a little LA Kings hockey, and we just couldn’t think of an appropriate title. Why? The Los Angeles Kings have been doing some winning as of late and are playing like a solid NHL hockey team. In this show we talk about the overall play of the Los Angeles Kings, spend some time on the Ilya Kovalchuk situation and talk about Connie’s new blog. Sit back and enjoy!

Gann Matsuda releases part 5 of his interview with Dean Lombardi and it’s all about Teddy Purcell. I highly doubt that anyone will be too pissed off on this one. via HockeyTalk.biz

Puck Daddy has a new podcast he’s calling Puck Tracks. Here Matt Greene says he doesn’t trust anyone who doesn’t listen to Hall & Oates. via Puck Daddy

Speaking of podcasts, there’s a very popular Los Angeles Kings podcast out there that just put out their recent show. via KingsCast

Matt Barry asks what you would give up for Ilya Kovalchuk via HockeyBuzz

The Mayor of 119 wonders if Steve Ott could be a Los Angeles King. via Mayors Manor

Anze Kopitar’s first 101 goals. via Kukla’s Korner

Dancing in the Reign re-caps the Los Angeles Kings/Columbus Blue Jackets game and takes a look at the week ahead. via KingsCast

Standings in Points-Blown (post-Blue Jackets). via Jewels From the Crown

Not Kings related but a great discussion none the less. Is the game of hockey at a cross-roads? via The Hockey Zen

Your friendly-neighborhood vloggers Keith and Chris with Overtime Episode 39 – Maple Leaf’d. via KingsCast

The wins keep on coming, and a comfortable separation from the 8th and final Western Conference spot has begun to blossom. Yes, we’ve seen the Kings in the top 6 in the Conference earlier this season, but at this time of the year? It sends a stronger message, and one this team can continue to build off of. Holding on to the positioning and continuing to climb the Western can take a little tension off a young team in March and April. Fresh off of their fourth consecutive victory, with three on the road, the Kings are playing the way I envisioned them during their 7-game home stretch earlier this month. Proving they can win on the road, and proof of that (17-10-1) is a good asset to have in a young team; Especially when they own a winning mark at home as well. The Kings came out a bit sluggish in the first period but got under their feet after Jonathan Quick allowed them to mulligan the first 10 minutes.

Notes from tonight’s victory:
– Great performance from Jonathan Quick, but more importantly, great start. Columbus had a few golden opportunities to take a quick lead, and more, right off the bat. However, Quick’s strong presence allowed the Kings time to regain their composure. 29 saves for Quick, and only 9+ minutes from the shutout.
– Nice to see Matt Greene score, but the key to the play was brought to you by, what I feel, is Alexander Frolov’s greatest asset. If Frolov proves himself at one thing, it’s controlling the puck in the corner. His strength and positioning with the puck is always fun to watch when he has control down-low. This time, he utilized his skill of protection and positioning behind the goal-line to turn out of the corner and find Greene open at the point. Nice shot from Matt, better play by Fro.
– Two goals tonight from Mr. Kopitar, who may be regaining that early season dominance. Anze utilized Gretzky’s cross-slot maneuver to force Columbus’ goalie Steve Mason to move. Kopitar used the space given to spread out the defense which caused Mason to re-position himself. This allowed Kopitar to shoot across his body to hit the open far corner. Anze Kopitar netted his second of the game for the 100th goal of his career. This tally put the nail in the coffin, as #11 buried his own rebound on a 3rd period power-play. Congratulations, Anze.
– Ryan Smyth now has 16 goals after scoring in his second consecutive game. Don’t forget, he was sidelined for a month with an upper-body injury, so that stat is even more impressive. What a key addition to the team.

What’s Ahead:
Back-to-back games at Boston on Saturday and at New Jersey on Sunday. Boston has struggled offensively as of late, but expects Marc Savard to return this weekend when the Kings visit New England. New Jersey sits at 2nd in the Eastern Conference, so a tough match-up awaits Los Angeles on Sunday. My 3-1-1 prediction for the Road-trip is still a possibility, but with the 3-0-0 start, I only hope they surpass my expectations. Predictions for the weekend?

Another 4PM game to screw with my work schedule but, as always, I found a way to take this game in. Despite some excellent first period pressure by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the LA Kings got it together and out-worked them. Anze Kopitar got his 100th career goal and the Kings are now on a four game win streak.

Part 4 of Gann Matsuda’s interview with Dean Lombardi is now up on HockeyTalk.biz and this one talks about Teddy Purcell. The Los Angeles Kings are clearly still high on him. What do you think?

JANUARY 27, 2010 — LOS ANGELES — On June 27, 2009, during the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, then-Los Angeles Kings center prospect Brian Boyle was traded to the New York Rangers for a third round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Much was expected of Boyle, a 6-7, 248-pound center with a scoring touch who was selected by the Kings in the first round (26th overall) in 2003 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, former Kings General Manager Dave Taylor said that he would be a project, but in Boyle’s four years at Boston College, he excelled.

Even at the American Hockey League level, Boyle was a solid contributor offensively for the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, even though the Kings tried to convert him to a defenseman, an experiment that failed miserably.

But even with his great physical gifts, especially for a player with his size and strength, Boyle has still been unable to figure out, even with the Rangers, that he has to use his those gifts in order to succeed in the NHL, something the Kings tried to get him to learn.

Although Boyle showed flashes of the grit he will need to succeed at the NHL level, most of the time, he failed to win the physical battles along the boards and in the corners, or worse, was a spectator, just a few feet away.

Boyle’s four goals and two assists for six points in 51 games this season, along with his average ice time of just 8:26, indicate that he still has not learned that lesson.

Like Boyle, Kings right wing Teddy Purcell is facing the same challenges, even though he does not possess Boyle’s size and strength. But to this point in his NHL career, Purcell has been unable to add the necessary grit to his game and that begs the question:

If Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi could give up on Boyle because he could not play with enough grit, will he do the same with Purcell?

Probably not, at least, not as quickly.

Read the rest on HockeyTalk.biz

Could you ask for a better start to this 5-game road-trip? The two wins Los Angeles has pulled off are only reinforcing the proof that this young team is learning how to win, am I being clear? I mean, WIN. I’m talking coming from 2 goals down on the road in a playoff-position decisive game, and clearly outplaying a struggling team, which plenty of “good” teams commonly fail to do after a monumental victory. What happened Saturday night in Detroit is a rarity these days for the Kings. A 2-goal comeback victory, and on the road?!? What a wonderful performance LA pulled out, in a game that determined who would keep that 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. And Meat Train and Donuts’ homecoming? Completely outplayed Toronto. The 5-3 score does not do it justice. Let’s recap the past two games…

Saturday @ Detroit
Yes, its hard to believe. But the Red Wings, yes, Detroit, is trailing Los Angeles in the Western Conference standings. Take it easy fella, nothing to end your life over. A few notes I had from Saturday night’s affair:
– Kings caught standing around in their own zone allowing Vilterri Filpulla all of the time and space necessary to beat Quick for the first tally as he walked in alone patiently on the helpless goaltender.
– “RICHY HUSTLE” Man, does this guy go hard shift in and shift out. A puck many forwards would’ve allowed Jimmy Howard to cover, Richardson did not. Refusing to give up on the play, the last-second whack at the puck allowed Anze Kopitar to easily finish the job on an open net.
– Congratulations, Peter Harrold, no really. Yes, it was your first goal of the season, but jeez was it a dandy. Starting off from Kopitar’s rush into the zone, then Simmonds patience and puck control to find an open Harrold crashing from the point, it was a beauty. And a shot like this folks, is what they call seeing through the eyes of the puck. From that angle, and where he buried it, Harrold can’t see that opening himself. Yet, he used the “eyes of the puck” to hit the lower corner to sneak the game-tieing goal past Howard.
– Scott Parse’s giver to Brad Richardson for the game winner was a classic example of two players knowing where to be on the ice, and executing on their confidence in each other. Much like an NFL pass, Parse delivered the cross-slot back door feed to Richy before he turned around. Great positioning and a stick on the ice allowed Richardson to react in-time to finish off a superb play.
Tuesday @ Toronto
– No let-down here following that crucial win at Detroit. No one better could’ve tallied the first goal for the Kings than Drew Doughty, the 20-year old wonderboy from London, Ontario. Great puck movement on the pp led to this one-timer top-shelf goal.
– Captain in Canada: Dustin Brown controlled the game for the Kings, assisting on all three 2nd period goals for the Kings, including an impressive turnover caused by heavy forecheck leading to a back-door pass to Jarret Stoll.
– 5 different goal-scorers for the Kings. Nice to see Jack Johnson get on the board with a rifle from the point. A little refreshing to see #3 score after all of the drama surrounding him and Dean Lombardi this past week.

These two victories bump the Kings up to 6th place in the Western Conference with 63 points. Los Angeles continues the trip tomorrow night in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, following with a huge weekend at Boston and at New Jersey.

The Los Angeles Kings are on the road this week and playing very well of late. Keith and Chris break down the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs (with a guest video from a Leafs fan), give our thoughts on Gann Matsuda’s interview with Dean Lombardi and offer up a sacrifice to make the playoffs.

LeafsFanInBigD’s YouTube Page

The Los Angeles Kings were in Toronto tonight to face the slumping Maple Leafs and it wasn’t much of a match-up. The Leafs showed some life for a bit but the Kings shut it down nicely getting goals from three Canadians in Doughty, Stoll and Smyth. Brian Burke is building through trades, the Kings are building through the draft. Which works best for you?

The game happened a few days ago but the video highlights are still fresh. It’s rare that we get a come-from-behind victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. But that’s just what happened to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. What a night by Anze Kopitar and, wait for it, Peter Harrold!

With last night’s 2 points earned via shootout victory, the Kings kept themselves in the top 8 in the Western Conference, currently sitting in 7th place with 59 points. With the Western as tight as it is, there is very little room for error. With 5 teams within 7 points of Los Angeles’ 7th spot, it is critical that the Kings find a way to show up on the road for the remainder of the month. With Terry Murray changing up the lines on what seems to be a daily basis, it’ll be interesting to see if the Kings can stick with similar lines for the entire, if not most of the trip. I have yet to hear or read anything on Murray’s plans for tomorrow night against Detroit as far as line-up goes, but even I can’t provide a stable hypothesis. All we know so far is that Teddy Purcell will play in his 2nd consecutive game after being scratched for the previous 9. Let’s take a look at each of the five opponents Los Angeles faces to end the month of January.

January 23: @ Detroit Red Wings
Talk about a way to start off the road trip. Detroit has been heavy on our tails lately in the Western Conference playoff push. The Wings currently stand at 8th in the Western with 58 points. Obviously, the outcome of this game is huge. The Kings are 0-2 against Detroit this season. Tough opponent, even with their injuries. Very good team in the neutral zone who thrive on causing turnovers up the middle. Entering their zone beyond the top of faceoff circles is also a battle as well, as their forwards are some, if not the best in the league to backcheck. Once they cause the turnover, their transition game is quite impressive. Tomorrow night, the Kings need to establish an offensive presence down low utilizing the classic Dump ‘n Chase strategy. Use the boards, be smart with the puck, put pressure on the defense behind their goal-line. And, Fuck You, Todd Bertuzzi. Fact you’re still in the league is beyond me. Put Raitis back in tomorrow, Terry, so this cheap-fuck can get a taste of his own cheap-shit. I hate you.

January 26: @ Toronto Maple Laffs Leafs
Don’t have a whole lot to say about this match-up except…they’re 2nd to last in the Eastern. I said in an earlier post, there are two no-excuses games on this road trip. The game in T-dot and the game in a city which rhymes with rubumbus. Don’t want to give it away just yet!! But yes, I’m not going farther than to say if the Kings expect to prove themselves as playoff-caliber, games against teams with records like this are must-wins. Also, I’m sure a few ‘ol buddies of mine from New England wouldn’t mind us beating this guy.

January 28: @ Columbus Blue Jackets
C-Bus stands the same as Toronto, except in the Western as 2nd to last in the Conference. This will be the third time these two teams have met this season, taking one game apiece. Each team dominated on their home ice earning a win in their respective buildings. The last meeting between these teams was quite heated after Rob Scuderi was fined for a “cheap” hit on Jason Chimera.

January 30: @ Boston Bruins
Another team that has been hit hard by injuries this season, and find themselves in almost the exact same position as the Kings. They now stand at 7th in the Eastern Conference with 54 points. Boston and Detroit have felt the effects of losing players to the IR more so than the Kings this season, and have done a wonderful job of staying in the hunt. Everything points to this game as being a dandy. Both teams are hanging on the edge of the top 8 in their respective conferences, and are coming off of a thriller at Staples Center just 2 weeks prior to what will be the faceoff at the TD Banknorth Garden next Saturday.
January 31: @ New Jersey Devils

Yes, this happened last week…and, fuck…beat New Jersey, Please. I’m done. Wow.

Prediction: 3-1-1

In a recent interview with Kings GM Dean Lombardi, Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty got some inside thoughts on what Lombardi has seen on Jack Johnson’s three years with the Kings, along with his Collegiate career at Michigan. Many of the responses to Johnson’s play were particularly harsh.

“This guy has never had any coaching [at the University of Michigan],” Lombardi said. “Jack just did what he wanted.”

Lombardi harped on how Johnson was coached, or lack there of, while at Michigan. While still praising his incredible skill, Lombardi believed it allowed Johnson to “do what you want” on the ice. Lombardi feels the fact he was raised with such high acclaim and support, and with very little coaching, it has caused a setback in his breakthrough into the NHL.

“It was a big risk for us to trade for him,” said Lombardi. “There was all that hype and stuff because he’s just like a thoroughbred. It’s like looking at a horse and saying wow! But then he gets on the track and he has no clue how to run the race. He might even run in the wrong direction. That was Jack. [He was] really raw.”

I like how Lombardi approached his comments. I thought they were very honest, straight forward answers about a young player who has hit a speed bump in the early stages of his career.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Lombardi admitted. “I’ve had a lot of young defensemen. They’re always hard to break in anyway. He’s been unique because, like I said, he was a thoroughbred who just ran. I think his learning curve is going to continue to go up,” added Lombardi. “It hasn’t spiked. I think every area of his game has improved, but it has to continue.”

However, when asked about Lombardi’s comments, Johnson didn’t take them very lightly, taking direct shots at his General Manager publicly.

“For my general manager to rip me as a person and criticize me as a person and as a player and call me an awful hockey player is irresponsible and unprofessional.”

It’ll sure be interesting to see where things go from here. I expect to hear of some sort of meeting between Lombardi and Johnson sooner than later to patch things up momentarily. However, looking at Johnson’s play this year, does Lombardi have a point? He’s posted a plus/minus of -19 and -18 the past two seasons, and is working with another -18 so far this campaign. And where’s JMFJ? The physical play in his game this season has dwindled quite a bit, not seeing him step up on the top of the circles and blueline nearly as often. Does this all foreshadow to Jack-O enjoying his last month as a King? There have been a few rumors this year, as well as the infamous Pronger for Johnson and a Fifther offseason fabrication. From here on out, Johnson with the Kings will be under the microscope. Whether it blows up or works itself out, expect to see #3 swirling around the message boards as the trade deadline looms.

Tonight’s victory, much like Saturday’s, showed signs that this team is learning how to win close, hard-fought games. I was impressed with the Kings consistent intensity; both mentally and physically, as they were able to come back twice in the game. What does this all come down to? Maturity. This young roster, many of whom played together last season, looks as though they now know what it takes to play a full, solid 60 minutes. Twice they surrendered a goal less than two minutes into a period, but neither time did they let it set the tone for the rest of the frame. Both teams played a pretty even-keel type of game with a fast pace and excellent play on both ends of the ice.

Notes on the game:
- Great defensive game for the Kings tonight. First goal was an unfortunate bounce as O’Donnell made an attempt to break up a back-door pass. On Buffalo’s second goal, many would argue Thomas Vanek found himself alone in front of the net via interference, which left Doughty down and out of the play.
- Good, but not a great game by Quicker. Third goal was a bit soft. Craig Rivet took a shot (a nice one, at that) from a terrible angle and Jon wasn’t able to square his body in-time to position himself for Rivet’s blast. Bottom line, an NHL goaltender needs to be able to stop attempts from angles like that, no matter how good the shot.
- Second time this week Jonny Quick has beaten a fellow Team USA Olympian goaltender in a shootout.
- Ryan Smyth goes hard to the net (beautiful) once again for the game tying goal in the 3rd period. His presence with this offense allows his line-mates to throw the puck on net with a little more confidence knowing #94 is there.
- Alexander Frolov. I’m sick of you.

Five-game Roady:
The Kings will be in Detroit Saturday night to kick off a five game road trip that will continue with Toronto, Columbus, Boston, and New Jersey. Look out for a preview of this crucial stretch of games tomorrow night.

Part 4 of Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty’sinterview with Dean Lombardi. We’ve switched now from Frolov to Jack Johnson. Excellent insight here!

LOS ANGELES — This season, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson has wowed fans with end-to-end rushes, nifty shootout goals and better offensive play. But on defense, even though he has improved since his rookie season, he has blown coverages in the defensive zone and has gotten caught up ice on several occasions, giving up outnumbered attacks.

In other words, the 23-year-old native of Indianapolis, Indiana has been both breathtaking and aggravating to watch, all at the same time.

Now in his third full season in the National Hockey League, Johnson has shown the offensive skill and athletic ability that made him a first round pick (third overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. But his decisions in the defensive zone often leave people shaking their heads after he makes a bad read or blows a coverage.

During a recent interview, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi explained that Johnson is learning his craft…belatedly.

“This guy has never had any coaching [at the University of Michigan],” Lombardi said. “Jack just did what he wanted.”

“Michigan is the worst.” Lombardi added. “For hockey people, if you’ve got a choice between a kid—all things being equal—one’s going to Michigan and one’s going to Boston University, you all want your player [going to Boston University]. Michigan’s players—[head coach] Red [Berenson] doesn’t coach. It’s ‘do what you want.’ He gets the best players in the country.”

During his two seasons at the University of Michigan, Johnson played as a rover, rather than as a defenseman, even though that was his official position.

“Jack was a thoroughbred out there,” Lombardi explained. “But he was all over the place. He was awful as a hockey player. As an athlete, you’re going, wow! Look at the way he skates, shoots, he can pass. But he had no idea where he was going.”

“At times, he was playing forward at Michigan,” Lombardi elaborated. “You had no idea what position he was playing. But he had always been the star and he always got his numbers. Then he turns pro and for the first time, we’re telling him ‘whoa, just make the first pass and learn to play in your own end.’ How about making a read in your own end about the right guy to pick up? He was awful.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

If you were at Staples Center last night, I’m sorry. The Los Angeles Kings didn’t come out to play. Instead the San Jose Sharks steamrolled the Midget Kings to take control of the NHL lead. Because Detroit also lost, the Kings remain 8th in the Western Conference. “Enjoy” the highlights.

When you sit-down with Dean Lombardi, you’re in store for a very sizable interview. And Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty knows that better than most. Here is part three of his exclusive sit-down with LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Check it out!

LOS ANGELES — Since the 2002-03 season, winger Alexander Frolov has been a top six forward for the Los Angeles Kings. A highly-skilled player, Frolov has a definite scoring touch, good hands, and he can pass the puck as well as anyone. The 27-year-old native of Moscow, Russia is also strong along the boards and in the corners and has an uncanny ability to protect the puck once he gets it.

The 6-3, 208-pound winger, who was selected by the Kings in the first round (twentieth overall) in the 2000 National Hockey League Entry Draft, had his best seasons in 2006-07 (35 goals, 36 assists for 71 points) and 2008-09 (32 goals, 27 assists for 59 points). In his six seasons in the NHL prior to the 2009-10 season, Frolov has scored twenty or more goal in each season, except for the 2002-03 season (fourteen goals), his rookie year.

Frolov has displayed flashes of brilliance, but has been an enigma throughout his career because it is evident that he is capable of reaching another level, but does not seem to have the mental makeup to play at that level, night in and night out.

But is Frolov really that good? Is he skilled enough to be a forty-goal scorer?

At this point in his career, Frolov’s aggravating knack to be the best player on the ice in several games only to completely disappear for another stretch of games indicates that the answer to that question is a fairly resounding “no.”

Indeed, expectations for Frolov were probably too high to begin with.

“I think the first premise, that he should be a forty-goal scorer—he had those thirty-goal years, but don’t forget, there’s a big difference between being a thirty-goal scorer on a contender and a thirty-goal scorer on a bad team,” Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi said during a recent interview. “That’s the first thing you want to be careful of.”

“When you’re building, you ask [yourself], where does he fit on a good team? When he’s young, yeah, he could be a forty-goal scorer,” Lombardi added. “But those thirty-goal years, I’m not sure they translate into forty [on a contender]. Actually, the guy who’s a 25-goal scorer on a contender, often times, is a better player than a thirty or 35-goal scorer on a bad team.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Forget the rivalry, it’s about the 2 points on Tuesday night:

Hmm...I wonder what will fade faster this year. Our playoff run or my "Just for Men"

Back on their feet after two solid victories, the Kings host San Jose tomorrow night at Staples Center. Now, I haven’t completely given up hope on a push for the Pacific Division; but 13 points out, it’s not something to worry about right now; and I’m sure I’m not alone. In fact, I could go as far as saying I don’t even care. Let San Jose run the table for 82 games and re-introduce Joe Choke and Patrick Marleu NoShow to a first-round farewell. It’s all about just keeping that 8th spot in the Western, climb up the standings and separate from the edge of the cliff. Two more games at Staples then Los Angeles heads out for the rest of the month for a 5 game roady; a very important 4 points faces the team this week.

Kings Ramblings:

It was a 1:00pm-er on Saturday so I fully expected a barrage of “hungover” shouts from the seats. Oh, jeez did I get my fill. “Hey Randy, what are you HUNGOVER OR SOMETHING?!?!” Looks over to his buddies for shit-talk approval. “Hey Fro, long night out at the bars? What are you HUNGOVER?!?!” Jesus. I’ll stop there. At least the guy showed some fire unlike the majority of the crowds at the matinees downtown. But if I were to rate Frolov’s play along the lines of the yap-show I sat near on Saturday, Fro was shit-cocked hammered. Now, I’m surprised how little spark there is to the Frolov trade rumors. Granted he has 30 points, but the strictly average intensity he brings every night coupled with the non-existing passion in his game-play is just not along the lines with where this young team is going. I just don’t see him fitting in with the future here. Plain and simple. I don’t have to rot your brains with hockey sense to figure this one out. Simple as that. You see it with the rest of the guys, and something’s not clicking here with #24.
The PP didn’t look bad, but nothing was produced offensively. The Kings seemed to stray away from trying to control the puck down low; behind the goal line. They rarely cycled the puck and heavily depended on utilizing the points and the man on the sideboards. Boston did a great job of cutting off the lanes from the top of the zone to prevent clear shots to the net and passes cross-ice through the slot. Jarret tee’d off from the point on the 5-3 advantage rapid-fire NHL skills comp. like, but no traffic in front of the net to disrupt or redirect the puck.
I’m in love with the Richardson-Stoll-Parse line. You’ve got a proven winner in the face-off circle along with two youngsters who just absolutely work their tails off on both ends of the ice. Rarely do you notice an NHL’ers effort as much as you do with Scott and Richy. I’d like to see Terry Murray keep Stolly leading these two for a little while longer.

Tongue Flop Fail:
Let’s change the pace a little here. If you’re about uniform aesthetics like I am, and love the game of hockey, you know that going tongues down is downright fucking animal status. Well, as I was watching the Bruins go through their skating lessons in warm-ups on Saturday, I couldn’t help but notice something odd about Daniel Paille. My eyes were fixated on something I’ve never seen before. Paille was going right-skate tongue flop, and left-skate shinny pad overlap with the heel out. WHAT?!? Never have I seen this before in my life. I snagged a few photos myself, but the camera has been acting up on the computer. So, I caught a photo of Paille in Boston’s most recent game against Ottawa, and whadd’ya know? FLOP FAIL confirmed. While we’re on the subject…

Mona Lisa who? This is what I call artwork, folks.

KingsCast invaded Staples Center for Tip a King 2010 and got interviews by Raitus Ivanans, Oscar Moller, Jim Fox, Scott Parse, Ice Captain Debbie and Bailey. It was a great day for the Los Angeles Kings fans. If you were there, what was your favorite experience? How many Kings autographs did you score?

It was a rough start for the Los Angeles Kings this afternoon. The Boston Bruins were in town and played some nice physical hockey. The Kings came from behind in the third period after being down 3-1 and it was enough to go to a shootout. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown both scored in the shootout and the Kings remain in playoff contention in the Western Conference.

The first ten minutes were great. The last ten minutes were even better. The 40 minutes in between? Talk about tough to watch. Boston had the Kings on their heels. Los Angeles was getting beat to every puck, surrendering numerous turnovers too often with passes up the middle, especially in the neutral zone. What else? The turnovers on the blue-lines. The Kings allowed Boston plenty of chances to hold the o-zone since the Kings decided to go with the “let me make stupid decisions and not utilize my teammates to clear the zone” strategy. Players decided to try to break the zone themselves too many times. Not to mention numerous failed opportunities to DUMP THE PUCK. I MEAN, COME ON. I had it when Dustin Brown tried to stick-handle through three Bruins’ on their own blue line…resulting in what? Yes! Come on down! A Turnover. If we got the two points, and allowed an Eastern Conference team a point (who cares) I’m willing to let it slide.

Dustin Brown celebrates 3rd period goal.

Thomas throws his usual fit after letting in the SO winner to Dustin Brown. Where's Rask with the milk crates?

I HATE BOSTON. This should be the clincher for my first sentence, but there’s so much more. Folks, a piece on this topic could go on forever. Only a few people who I know understand how much I hate the city, and how much I despise of the professional sports teams. So I won’t even begin to get into it. Anyway, thought I’d attempt to try to give the “hungover/not-drunk or not drunk enough yet hockey fans in Los Angeles during a perfect mid-70’s and sunny winter day who are indoors watching hockey” a little more incentive to enter Staples ready to fucking go.

LA Kings celebrate a goal at the TD Banknorth Garden on March 19th, 2009.

When the LA Kings play the Anaheim Ducks, you know it’s going to be a spirited game. In this episode we break down the game, give some thoughts on the fan atmosphere and crown a new Fan of the Game. Question of the Day: What would you re-name the Kings/Ducks rivalry to?

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty is right back at it with his exclusive sit-down with Los Angeles Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi. This is a great read to take you into the weekend!

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings started the 2009-10 season on fire, as did center Anze Kopitar.

The Kings were scoring goals in bunches, as the line of left wing Ryan Smyth, right wing Justin Williams and Kopitar were torching just about every opponent they faced.

Kopitar was largely responsible for that, as he opened the season on a serious tear with fourteen goals and seventeen assists for 31 points in the team’s first 21 games (October 3 – November 14, 2009).

Indeed, with Smyth going hard for loose pucks and consistently parking himself in front of the opposition’s net, Kopitar found himself with more room to maneuver in the offensive zone, giving him more scoring chances.

But it was much more than Smyth that made Kopitar the scoring terror that he was early in the season.

Off-season conditioning and strength work added muscle and endurance to Kopitar’s 6-3, 222-pound frame. That gave him more speed and power to get past defenders and to help him win more loose puck battles.

But when Smyth went down with a rib injury and missed six weeks starting in mid-November, Kopitar went down, too, virtually disappearing from the scoresheet. In fact, from November 11 (a few games before Smyth was injured) to December 7, Kopitar did not score a goal—a thirteen-game goal-scoring drought.

Since November 16, the first game Smyth missed due to the injury, Kopitar has scored just four goals and has added ten assists for fourteen points in 26 games, way, way off the 1.48 points per game pace he set to begin the season.

Conventional wisdom has been that Smyth’s absence was the primary reason for Kopitar’s huge slump. But don’t try telling that to Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, even though he was scratching his head about the situation as well.

“I can’t deny that I’ve asked myself if one guy [could make that much of a difference],” Lombardi said during a recent interview. “I’ve got to admit I was a little confused by that myself. I did the same thing you did. I talked to hockey people and asked, ‘is it possible that one guy who was leading the league in scoring then gets six points in thirteen games, [could be because one player (Smyth) goes out of the lineup]?’”

Lombardi then went to an expert for help.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

The Freeway Faceoff was on tonight at Staples Center as the slumping Los Angeles Kings took on the surging Anaheim Ducks. The Kings started this game out 9th in the Western Conference and finished the game strongly. Jonathan Quick earned his first shutout of the season. Both teams played very physical. After a big hit on Oscar Moller, Drew Doughty and Brad Richardson dropped the gloves showing why this year’s Kings team has some character. Enjoy the highlights!

For the first time ever, I left a Kings game before the final horn. Thankfully, all I missed was a hoard of penalty minutes racked up in the final 10 minutes. Although, the intermissions on the Staples Center balcony made up for it. It’s not pretty when a Ducks fan hipchecks a table full of $10 beers belonging to Kings fans, but entertaining to say the least. Let’s just say Staples security does a little “home cooking” with the ejections. Nice to see.

As for the game itself, pretty solid. Los Angeles ended a difficult 3-game losing skid. Goals were provided by four different players including Dustin Brown who recorded his 100th in the NHL, and as an LA King. The Kings played pretty well overall. Even though they posted a donut in six power-play opportunities, a little consistency was finally developed in their offensive zone. Great defensive showing as well, as they absolutely shut-down Anaheim inside their own blue line, which helped Jonathan Quick earn his first shutout of the season.

The Gordie Howe Wayne Simmonds Hat-Trick.

1. Put the puck on net. Drop the gloves, Feed Ryan Getzlaf right fists.

2. Get awarded for a goal on that puck you put on net while wiping Getzlaf’s weakness off your knuckles. IN THE LOCKER ROOM! (That’s how fly it has to be)

3. Win fans a free McFlurry! Gahh!!

The Kings welcome the Boston Bruins to Staples Center for a Saturday matinee. The Bruins are ending a 3 game California road-trip with a loss to Anaheim and a shootout victory against San Jose. I expect Terry Murray to stick with the same lines we saw tonight. Good puck movement, good communication, and Simmonds looks like he can earn a permanent 1st line spot as he clearly took advantage of his second opportunity skating with Smyth and Kopitar. With tonight’s win, Los Angeles still holds the 8th spot in the Western conference with Detroit creeping 1 point behind.

On behalf of myself and Chris, KingsCast is proud to be partnering with ticket broker viagogo for Los Angeles Kings tickets. As you know, we have never partnered with anyone before and never endorse a company that we don’t believe in or personally use on a regular basis.

But, the good folks over at viagogo are a site that has a wide variety of sports and concert tickets at venues across the country at very low prices. In the past, we have personally used other services to get last-minute tickets on the cheap. However, it looks like viagogo is going to be one of the premier ticket brokers on the market as they are undercutting the competition.

So, if you need tickets to the Los Angeles Kings (or any other sports franchise, for that matter), click on the big purple box on the right and enjoy the event! Has anyone used viagogo before and, if so, how was your experience?

Disclaimer: A portion of ticket sales purchased through viagogo by way of KingsCast will go to our site.

In the middle of their longest home-stand of the season, Los Angeles finds themselves amidst a three game losing streak to three Western Conference opponents. The Kings, who applied heavy pressure last week to Detroit with unsatisfactory results, have shown very little offensive presence in the past two games.

Wayne Simmonds and the Kings have failed to establish control in their offensive zone the previous two games.

When I say presence, I’m not talking shots. There is no chemistry in our opponents’ zone.  I watched St. Louis and San Jose break the puck out with ease. I am not seeing any possession down low, no control on the sideboards, and there is little – if any communication between our forwards and d-men utilizing the point positions. Sure the shots are coming, but the players haven’t been in position to react in time to rebounds, resulting in open lanes for opponents to clear the puck, with very little pressure coming from the forecheck.
Is this possibly a result from the constant line-up changes we’re seeing from Terry Murray lately? This is the third consecutive game Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth will skate alongside a different line-mate. That of course, creates changes to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines. Has Murray over-reacted to the absence of Justin Williams by not giving lines the appropriate time to mesh?
I’ll see you at Staples Center Thursday night. Look out for a post-game blurb including personal photos from the game.

Put down the coffee and disconnect from your NSFW sites as Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has published Part 1 in his exclusive interview with LA Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi. Take a look and feel free to leave Gann Matsuda a comment to get further insight from him.

LOS ANGELES — Anyone who follows the National Hockey League knows that Atlanta Thrashers superstar left wing Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract expires on June 30, 2010, and that the Thrashers risk losing him if they are unable to sign him to a contract extension prior to that date.

To this point, the Thrashers have been unable to reach an agreement with Kovalchuk, who many believe is waiting to test the free agent waters in July, and rumor has it that Thrashers general manager Don Waddell is testing the trade waters to try to make sure that if Kovalchuk refuses to sign, that the Thrashers will, at least, get something in return.

That has led to furious, wild speculation in recent days regarding teams that may be in the running for Kovalchuk’s services, and the Los Angeles Kings, with their young, up-and-coming team with enough salary cap room to fit Kovalchuk into their plans, are rumored to be among the favorites.

Many Kings fans are drooling all over themselves, both figuratively and literally, at the thought of seeing Kovalchuk in a Kings jersey. But the question is:

Will Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi pull the trigger?

Before looking specifically at that question, it should be noted that, like any NHL general manager worth his salt, Lombardi always has his eyes and ears open for any deal that will improve his team.

“I’m always looking for the next piece,” Lombardi said in a recent interview. “We’re right on schedule. I met with the owner back in July. We talked about if he was happy with our record. This is the way I saw it, this is my projection on what we’re going to need to be a contender, if everything came together the way I thought. To get to the next level, these are the three things we need to have.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Well, it’s not like a top team in the league was in town last night but the Los Angeles Kings still managed to look like an unorganized beer league team. Jonathan Quick like Jason LaBarbera last night letting in four softies. Sure, the Kings managed to make some what of a game out of it by staging a late-game almost-comeback but, in typical 2008-2009 LA Kings fashion, they circle the bullseye and miss it completely. Enjoy the vid!

Desperately clinging onto a playoff spot, the Los Angeles Kings battle the surging and usually dominant Detroit Red Wings at Staples Center. A sellout crowd of Red vs. Black provides the suspense and timing…is everything. Question of the Day: Who has the worst fans in the NHL?

It was a frustrating night at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Kings had over 50 shots on goal against Jimmy Howard and the Detroit Red Wings but only Ryan Smyth could put the biscuit in the basket. The Kings played well but they just couldn’t get it done. They now sit 8th in the Western Conference and only 3 points out of ninth. The next games are important!

Jon Moncrief of the Los Angeles Kings Examiner stops by to talk Kings hockey. Tune in as he gives us an exclusive inside perspective on Frolov, Kopitar, Smyth, possible trades, team needs and much more. Great interview from a passionate and knowledgeable hockey journalist.

Read Jon Moncrief here.

You read the score correctly. The Los Angeles Kings came into the Shark Tank last night and were on the winning side of a bloodbath. The Sharks were coming off of an astounding 9-game win streak but the Kings were there to make sure it didn’t go into double-digits. The Kings got scoring from six different players. Drew Doughty had 4 assists and Jonathan Quick had over 40 save. Wow. Your thoughts?

Guest blogger Alex Kinkopf joins us again to give us his take on this very important week of Los Angeles Kings Hockey. You can friend Alex up on Facebook

On Attendance:
I’ve just about accepted the fact that section 325 will no longer be completely vacant for my pleasure for the remainder of the season. The days of scalping any ‘ol 300 level seat without care or concern about the 14th row corner section I just shelled out 10 bones for, an automatic ass-cushion in the three-two-five…are over. I noticed the sudden boost in attendance after the holidays last year, and likewise this year on the 28th against Minnesota. It’s gotta be the holiday ticket packages. It’s gotta be!

On Stolly’s Return:
Hammy said it, Jarret Stoll will be back in the lineup tomorrow night at the Pavilion. Good to hear, but don’t expect a full serving of Stoll right away. If there’s one player to feel comfortable with taking draws, its #28. I’d like to see him work his way back on the PP as well. There’s nothing like a Stoll-Doughty or Stoll-JMFJ tandem feeding each other juicy D to D passes across the blue-line resulting in absolute bombs from the point.

On Scuds:
Rob Scuderi has proven to be a great off-season acquisition for Los Angeles. Not a player that gets a whole lot of love from fans because of his style of play. He gets the job done in the defensive zone. Not a flashy player, and sticks to his priority of playing a defensive-minded game. This gives his defensive partner, whomever it may be, Doughty or Johnson, to step up in the offensive zone and take a couple of chances. Great example here from back in September.

Scuderi’s play is underrated, and I love it. When you can sign a veteran defenseman who can not only teach the youngsters in Doughty and Johnson, but give them the support to allow them to make an offensive presence, you have yourself a key player. One with a lot of playoff experience and a ring on his finger. Expect Scuds to be a gamebreaker later on this year.

On Tonight @ San Jose:
Huge game, no question about it. Like I said previously, the Kings need victories in at least two of the three meetings with San Jose this month in regulation to have any hopes of a shot for the Pacific Division Title. Jarret Stoll will be back with the 4th line centering Ivanans and Moller. Randy Jones is still out recovering from his concussion symptoms. Brown – Kopitar – Smyth leading the top line again. What do you expect to see from this game? Predictions? The win against Washington was huge, and following it with a victory against San Jose would be a shot in the arm for the Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings, enter the new decade with a 2 game winning streak and an Olympic sized boost of confidence. KingsCast, attends the game, has a run-in with Alexander Ovechkin and wreaks havoc at the Celebrities vs Alumni Game. So far 2010, so good! Question of the Day: Who is your favorite hockey player?

The Los Angeles Kings started off 2010 with a nice win against Alexander “the Douche” Ovechkin (more on that later on Overtime) and the Washington Capitals. As good as the Capitals are, they couldn’t get Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick to shake in net. The kid was outstanding as he lead the Kings to a win. Anze Kopitar remains snake-bitten on the goal sheet but Ryan Smyth and Handzuskept it alive for the Kings. Los Angeles remains in 8th place in the conference (4 point ahead of the Stars). Enjoy the clip!

Guest blogger Alex Kinkopf joins us again to break down the upcoming month of Kings Hockey.

January presents the Los Angeles Kings with 14 games; and, with a look at the schedule, the results will play a large factor in the outcome of the season as 9 games feature Western Conference opponents. Staples Center will play host to eight of the fourteen contests, a great opportunity for the Kings to take advantage of home ice. The Kings currently stand at 3rd in the Pacific and 8th in the Western Conference with 49 points.

Ovie and the Washington Capitals welcome 2010:
Los Angeles will kick off the new year as host to a team that sits in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. A tough opponent indeed, but all of the pieces are in place for a victory to inject a boost of momentum into this young, injury bugged club. Washington, led by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are coming off of losses to Carolina and San Jose. Expect the guys to come out hard in front of a home crowd in an effort to shut down the poster-boy of the NHL and start 2010, and more importantly, this month right.

Seven Game Home-stand:
Starting on the 7th against Detroit and ending on the 21st against Buffalo, the Kings have their longest home-stand of the season. A wonderful opportunity for the team to get back on their feet in the comfort of their home building. However, the opponents don’t provide Kings fans much comfort. We see the Western Conference leading Sharks twice, a Red Wings team that is close in the rear-view mirror standings-wise, and a team in Buffalo who is holding their own with a 3rd spot in the Eastern.

Five Game Road Trip:
This month ends with five consecutive matchups on the road. Tough opponents yet again including Detroit, Boston, and the Eastern leading New Jersey Devils with a couple of no-excuses stops in Toronto and Columbus against a couple of struggling teams.

Saturated with San Jose (left):
Arguably the most important three games the month of January has to offer for Los Angeles. Twice at home, once at the Pavilion, the Kings will be meeting a surging division-foe that is suddenly 10 points ahead of the Kings in the standings as well as current leaders of the Pacific Division and Western Conference. If Los Angeles wants to pose any threat as Pacific Division champs, two of these games must be regulation victories.

Erik Ersberg:
I’d like to see Erik Ersberg get a couple of starts in January, and expect him to get the call. As I mentioned in my last post, I think a key part to building his comfort and confidence is to put him in goal in front of the home crowd. Terry Murray was quoted as saying “Quick gives us the best chance to win at home” earlier in the year. That may be true, but I’m not completely on board with his statement. I could harp on this forever but here’s how I see it: Quick is a 2nd year goalie tied for the league lead in starts. Fatigue is bound to set in at some point, he’s tabbed to play in the Olympics (as a backup), and it’s vital to keep your starting goalie fresh. This may not be an issue to some, but developing your backup goaltender, and keeping your 1st stringer fresh throughout the season can eventually.. well, save your season.

Final Thoughts:
Jarret Stoll’s return from a groin injury is much anticipated, especially in the face-off circle. Will this be the month we find a winger who can mesh nicely with Kopitar and Smyth? I expect the Brown experiment to last a few more games to see how things work out. Purcell as their line-mate looks all but finished. I don’t expect Lombardi to make a trade in the near future to replace Williams’ absence, rather as a trade-deadline deal if the transaction is plausible. There’s no question we’re struggling to find a working option, but more time is needed to find the guy who can step up, and Dustin Brown may be that guy.

How do you Kings fans feel about the possibility of a trade to fill Williams’ hole? Sooner or later? Any possible transactions floating through your heads? Let’s hear it!

Guest blogger Alex Kinkopf chimes in with his thoughts on last night’s game in Alberta. Your thoughts on the game?

The Kings entered tonight with 8 consecutive losses to Calgary in Alberta. As many of you know, Canada named their official roster for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver this morning. What made me somewhat optimistic for a victory tonight? The last time Los Angeles pulled off a victory in the Saddledome was December 21st, 2005; the day Canada named their official roster for the 2006 Olympics. Let’s put that aside, just a fun fact, if you want to call it that.
This was the final time these two teams met in the regular season with Calgary taking the 4 game affair as Los Angeles could only earn a victory in one of the four contests. However, I’ve had a feeling for a while now these two clubs will be seeing each other again this season. More on that later..

Thoughts on the game:

What I Liked:

* Playoff Atmosphere: Immediately after Phaneuf’s hit on Kopitar, you could feel the electricity from the building through the broadcast. (Yes, even if you were struggling through an internet stream as I did. C’mon now FSW!!) The intensity was heightened above any level we’ve seen this year in a Kings game.
* Murray’s Intensity: I love the guy. All year we’ve seen him send the message to his players that it’s his way or you’re taking a seat. We’ve seen Fro and Randy as prime examples. From what I’ve seen, he’s not too fond of stupid retaliation, but knows there is a time and a place to stick up for your players. As Brent Sutter threw a tantrum after Phaneuf’s game misconduct, Murray let him hear about it. I felt this was similar to an MLB manager arguing until ejection, ultimately firing up the ballclub. Unfortunately, the Kings reacted with less passion than I had originally expected.
* Brad Richardson: Good performance all around. If you can back-track to the play when Dusty was awarded a penalty shot (god knows why) take a look at the hustle Richy utilized to clear that puck out of the zone. Beautiful. They guy backs it up with pure effort and intensity.
* Knee-jerk line to start the 2nd frame. Simmonds – Moller – Parse. Great hustle all around for that goal.
* Scotty Parse: GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU SHOOT THE PUCK. Second consecutive game Scotty wastes no time playing with the biscuit and buries it for a goal. Atta Boy!
* Parse – Simmonds – Richy: Liked the line in general. However, why did Moller get the call to start the 2nd with Scotty and Brad?
* Brandon Segal makes return: Boy, the adrenaline must’ve been pumping for Segal tonight. He made his first return to the arena that hosted him for four years as a member of the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Solid performance as well, great scoring chance.
* Smyth’s effort: The results haven’t been there since his return, but the effort has. Note the continuous foot movement and puck control in the offensive zone to draw a 2nd period hooking penalty on Robyn Regehr.

What made me swear:

* Teddy Purcell: Move your feet, terrible tripping penalty at the end of the 2nd.
* Lack of Poise: C’mon Drew, Calgary’s announcers associated your play with “great poise” multiple times tonight. Sorry, but throwing a punch in mid-play doesn’t show that.
* Stupid Retaliation: Haven’t I mentioned this already?
* Erik Ersberg: I take it back, unfair to judge this play. Disagree, as I feel many of you will. Give him a home start! Please! To have a confident backup goalie, you must present him with the opportunity to build it, Terry.
* Nystrom: Am I crazy? Was he not pulling on the back of Ersy’s Jersey/Pants during Calgary’s 2nd goal?
* Lack of puck possession in the final 3 minutes: Enough Said.

Final Thoughts:

For the past few months, I’ve had a weird feeling about these two clubs meeting in the 1st round of the playoffs. Both teams are playoff bound, but are both capable of ending up in the top, middle, or bottom of the 8 seeds in the Western. We’ll see, just a feeling. Off to Minny.

The Los Angeles Kings have done something they haven’t done all season long: lose four games in a row. The Kings were in Calgary to face the Flames and, again, they just couldn’t generate any offense. Dion Phaneuf had a brutal hit on Kings center Anze Kopitar that even had the coaches taking jabs at each other. It’s rare to see coach Terry Murray yelling but it was well deserved as Phaneuf’s hit was dirty.

Read Alex Kinkopf’s post-game blog: Lasso’ed at the Saddledome Again.

We love it when you guys send us email, Tweets and notes on Facebook but this one takes the cake. Recently, Chris Kaliszewski and I had the opportunity to do a little dance number with LA Kings Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. It was for the kids. But one of you out there must have had a hidden camera and captured this little ditty. Enjoy!

For Los Angeles Kings fans, today’s announcement of Drew Doughty being named to Team Canada in the Olympics was fantastic. Doughty was the under dog to get named to the Canadian roster with the likes of Mike Green, Jay Bouwmeester, and Dion Phaneuf possibly making the team. I am absolutely ecstatic and cannot wait for the Olympics to start!

GO DOUGHTY!!!!

The Holidays come to a close, the Kings are back in action and the injuries never stop mounting. That’s right, it’s the Los Angeles Kings. Here’s hoping the team can dig deep and figure out a way to win. Question of the Day: To help cope with the Williams injury, who would you trade and for what?

The Los Angeles Kings have played two games since Christmas and have zero points to show for it. They’ve lost to the Phoenix Coyotes (3-2) and Minnesota Wild (4-3); both were one-goal games and both were heart breakers. The Kings had a 6-on-3 to end the game against Phoenix with a flurry of pucks at Ilya Bryzgalov but the clock wound to 0:00 and my adrenaline died. The game last night against the Wild was played at a pace that I wish the Kings could maintain at all times. Alas, they were outmatched in the last few minutes of regulation as the Wild shut the door on them.

Drew Doughty showed up by attacking the offensive zone for a goal that the team desperately needed. The Kings have been taking one too many passes for their own good. (Scott Parse, when you’re in the slot with the puck, take the goddamn shot!) So I say “thank you” to Doughty for getting his behind to the net and putting the Kings on the scoreboard. The goal by Parse to tie the game at 3 apiece was great, except for the fact that Eric Belanger slapped them in the face 12 seconds later. The Wild got their go-ahead goal and gained two more points.

(LAKings.com)

You can’t deny the effort and drive is there for the Kings to get as far up the standing as possible. At the same time, they’re meeting teams just as hungry as them, which makes for high-paced drama at every turn. They could have been floundering at the bottom of the standings like in the past few seasons, but they’re fighting every game and I can’t fault them there. I think they’re doing as well as they can while trying to stem the injury floodgates at the same time.

How do I feel about Teddy Purcell being on the top line? I’d call it a work in progress. Having Justin Williams out of the lineup is bad, but losing him to a broken leg is worse than people realize. He was the solid player on the top line while Anze Kopitar was struggling to find his game after Ryan Smyth left the lineup. Now that Smyth is back and Williams is out, we’ll all be sitting on our hands waiting for Terry Murray’s next move. I’m not sure how this is all going to shake out, but check back in for more thoughts and opinions about this topic.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Michal Handzus has been names to the Slovakian team for the Olympics. Awesome. I’m looking forward to whom from the Kings is named to Team Canada and the US team.

The Minnesota Wild may be surging right not but the Los Angeles Kings still look a bit rusty. It was a very disappointing game for a sell-out crowd at Staples Center last night. The Kings tied it late but the Wild shut the loud crowd up quickly as they scored a few seconds later. David Courtney hadn’t finished announcing the Kings goal.

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty is busy over the holidays covering the Kings. Here’s his latest on Dustin Brown and Scott Parse. Enjoy!

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings finally emerge from the dark, wispy shadows of an eight-day hiatus in their schedule tonight at Phoenix, and all expectations are that they should be stronger with the return of left wing Ryan Smyth, right wing Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Jack Johnson, who all missed time with injuries in recent weeks.

If all goes according to their expectations, the Kings’ offense should be bolstered by the return of these players, especially with Smyth being reunited with center Anze Kopitar and right wing Justin Williams on the first line.

The Kings will have to shift some players around on all of their forward lines to accommodate Smyth and Simmonds, and they hope the juggling will help get right wing Dustin Brown untracked.

After scoring 33 goals and adding 27 assists for sixty points in 78 games in the 2007-08 season, followed by 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in eighty games last season, Brown has just eight goals with nineteen assists for 27 points in 37 games this season.

Despite ranking second on the team in overall scoring, Brown has scored just four goals in his last 26 games, and has had several goal scoring droughts this season including goal-less streaks lasting six, four and fourteen games.

Brown is currently on pace to score eighteen goals this season.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

No joke, Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty was up until 4:30AM on Christmas Eve writing this story for all of you to read. So, after the presents are unwrapped, the brunch has been consumed and you’re wondering what to do with yourself, take a look at Gann’s latest story.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With Christmas 2009 now upon us, the Los Angeles Kings are all away from the rink, spending time with family and friends, sharing the spirit of the season.

While those of us who celebrate the holiday season by exchanging gifts do so with loved ones and friends, the Kings received the gift they wanted most at this point in the 2009-10 season, the return of several key players from injury, including veteran left wing Ryan Smyth, right wing Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Jack Johnson.

Johnson missed just one game after taking a slap shot by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray off his foot, so the Kings did not miss him for long. But the return of Simmonds (out for four games) and Smyth (missed fifteen games) has been something the Kings have been waiting for with the proverbial bated breath.

“This is a good time for us,” said center Anze Kopitar, who will have Smyth back on left wing on his line with right with Justin Williams when the Kings return to action at Phoenix on December 26.

A big reason Kopitar was smiling all week in practice was because with Smyth’s presence in front of the opposition’s net, he was scoring goals and racking up points at a torrid pace. But without him, Kopitar scored just two goals.

“We have some banged up bodies from the last little while,” Kopitar noted. “Everybody’s going to get healthy and we’re going to come back strong.”

To be sure, there were a lot of smiles and excitement on the ice and in the Kings dressing room during three days of practice this week, much of it the result of the team getting healthier and the expectations among the players that their team just got a huge shot in the arm that should strengthen them and make things easier down the road.

But there is a potential pitfall here, as the Kings have to worry about the all too common let down after a team gets key players back from injury.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty.

Continuing with Hockeywood, LA’s “Figure Eight” promotion, we close it out with a Christmas Day treat giving you our reasons to be a Los Angeles Kings fan. What are yours?

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has been making good use of his holiday time and has cranked out another story on the Los Angeles Kings. As always, he’s got some great quotes for players. So grab an eggnog and enjoy!

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Like the rest of the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Kings are now in the midst of the two-day Christmas break. But unlike children the world over who might have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, the Kings are more likely to have visions of them reaching new heights with the return of veteran left wing Ryan Smyth to the lineup, along with right wings Wayne Simmonds and Brandon Segal, and defenseman Jack Johnson.

All four injured players were back on the ice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California this week as the team skated in three extended practices during an eight-day break in their schedule.

“It’s always good to get your regular players back, there’s no question,” said head coach Terry Murray. “The energy is always higher, there’s going to be an impact on performance.”

Smyth, 33, suffered an undisclosed upper body injury, which has been all but confirmed to be a rib injury, on November 14 at Florida and missed fifteen games before being activated from injured reserve on December 18.

“It felt good to be out there with the guys and knowing there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that Saturday [when the Kings skate at Phoenix] is coming right around the corner,” said Smyth. “So it’s exciting. Playing on a regular line and getting back to moving the puck again, it’s just a matter of getting into a game situation.”

Smyth was immediately reunited with center Anze Kopitar and right wing Justin Williams on the line that he started the season with, the most potent line in the league at the time.

After practice ended on December 21, the three remained on the ice, with Smyth feeding Kopitar and Williams for one-timers and then working on a couple of other drills.

“[We were] just getting connected again,” Smyth explained. “It’s been awhile. You’re just doing the little things. You’ve got to play to your strengths.”

Read the rest on HockeyTalk.biz

The Los Angeles Kings have been on a bit of a break but your friends at KingsCast have been working overtime to get you the latest and greatest on Kings hockey. In our 4th Annual Holiday Spectacular, Keith, Chris and Connie give out some gifts to the players, discuss the implications of the break, what healthy prospects to keep and take your questions from Twitter and Facebook. So settle back and enjoy! Feliz Navidad!

The Los Angeles Kings are on an 8-day break so we take the time to spread some holiday cheer. In this episode we show you some Christmas cards we received from players on the Kings, talk about the team’s performance and announce our give away on December 28th. Question of the Day: What gift do you give the Kings fan in your life?

What can I say, folks, we’re on a lot of mailing lists. And this year we received a few Christmas cards from some of the players on the Los Angeles Kings. That’s right, Teddy Purcell, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds and Justin Williams thought of us during the holiday season. We thought we’d spread the holiday cheer they sent us with you. Those of you that saw our Holiday Spectacular video and asked for stills of the cards, here you go. Enjoy!

Teddy Purcell sent us this:

Justin Williams sent us this:

Anze Kopitar sent us this:

Wayne Simmonds sent us this:

Finally, Drew Doughty sent us this:

Sweet gestures from these players. Which is your favorite?

Disclaimer: These holiday cards were not actually sent by players but are representations created solely by KingsCast. (Duh)

The Los Angeles Kings continue their “Figure Eight” promotion where they re-cap the best of the decade. Here, KingsCast breaks down the best (and worst) goalies of the 2000’s. What’s your best or worst LA Kings goaltender?

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has a new story up on HockeyTalk.biz and, as usual, he’s rocking the interviews and analysis of the Los Angeles Kings performance. It’s a must-read as I know we’re all anxiously awaiting the Kings return to the ice.

LOS ANGELES — Over the vast majority of their history, the Los Angeles Kings have traditionally played poorly in December, so often that many fans resign themselves to the inevitable “December Swoon.”

But this year’s Kings have been a big surprise. To be sure, they have done anything but swoon as their 7-2-1 record for this month (going into action on December 19), indicates. With four games left to play this month, the Kings are guaranteed to have a winning record in December, a rather shocking fact for many Kings fans.

Even more impressive, the Kings have earned a 9-5-1 record since veteran left wing Ryan Smyth went down with what is believed to be a rib injury on November 16. Compare that to recent seasons past when the loss of a key player would have sent them free-falling in the standings, it is rather apparent that there is something very different about the 2009-10 Kings.

“We’re doing all the little things and getting timely goals,” said goaltender Jonathan Quick.

“You could look at as some nights, we seem to be doing it with smoke and mirrors and other nights, it seems like it’s the mark of a good team, or a team that’s maturing and getting better—you don’t have to bring your best effort every night,” said defenseman Sean O’Donnell. “Just find a way to win. We’re starting to get confidence and learn to win the games that aren’t pretty. We’re starting to get on a nice little roll here.”

“Even though our penalty-killing hasn’t been great, when we’ve had to kill one, we’ve killed it,” added O’Donnell. “When Quick has had to make the save, he’s made the save.”

Check out Gann’s latest story on HockeyTalk.biz