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!

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.

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!

When the Kings decide to start Erik Ersberg against the San Jose Sharks, we never expect to compete, much less win. However, the Los Angeles Kings exceeded expectations last night as they delivered a win in overtime at the Shark Tank. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Teddy Purcell all broke their goal-less streaks last night. Did any of you expect this?

The Los Angeles Kings faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the second game of this 5-game road trip. They broke a 2-game losing streak by tweaking the lineup a touch and facing a team on its own 12-game losing streak. The 5-2 victory over the Canes was indicative of the latter’s play, which looked beyond rough and the Kings exploded out of the gate with a great first period. Ryan Smyth did his job getting his 9th goal of the season in front of the net, and that’s basically the bottom line. He’s playing his role to a T and I have zero criticism going his way. Jarret Stoll’s goal was a bit odd in that I’m not sure he could do it again if he tried. It seemed to be 90% luck and 10% skill. Either way it put the Kings up 2-0 and Randy Jones got his first point as a King. He then went and got his first goal in the third while looking very comfortable in the line up. I’m very pleased with this whole situation of Jones and am hoping it turns out to be a Kyle Quincey-like occurrence.

Of course Anze Kopitar had another good game. He didn’t notch a goal last night but did get two assists, so thumbs up to him and keep it going! Another roster tweak was that Erik Ersberg got his second start of the season with Jonathan Quick sitting on the bench. Ersberg got the solid win, and yes, he let in two “interesting” goals but I’d rather he shake off any in-game rust against Carolina than any other team right now.

As a team, the Kings had a great first period, began to falter in the second, but were able to finish in definite fashion in the third. Manny Legace was Carolina’s best player of the night and gave his team as many chances as he could to get back into the game. Unfortunately, the deal was essentially sealed after Wayne Simmond’s goal in the middle of the third period and Justin Williams capped of the night with an empty netter.

This was a good win for the Kings, which they will continue through the Southeast Division, but there was one slight blemish on the stats sheet from this game. Teddy Purcell. 4:02 of ice time and a -1. I’m in no way angry about how he has completely disappeared the farther into the season they go; rather, disappointment accompanied by raised eyebrows comes across my face every game when I look at his play. His production is almost nil and I’m not sure how much longer he’ll stay up with the team. Maybe he needs to be sent back to Manchester for a stint?

On the other side of this NHL/AHL coin, Scott Parse is making a point. He only had 11:44 of TOI but you noticed when he was on the ice. His spark on the forecheck is very noticeable and he’s slowly earning his ice time from the coaching staff every game. Parse is how one should make an NHL showing when you’re leading the AHL team in points. I’m not saying Purcell won’t get there, but for now, he seems to have been pushed to the background for a bit while the rest of the team continues to sort itself out.

The Los Angeles Kings traveled to Madison Square Garden to take on Brian Boyle and the New York Rangers. Erik Ersberg was in net and looked rusty with a couple of soft goals. On the other end, Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular, robbing the Kings a few time. Since Quick has joined the team going into last year, Ersberg has not won one game.

I have returned from Frozen Fury!! The game was… so-so, but they won 5-3 so it was a good ending for Kings fans. I will have a full recap in a day or two, so stay tuned!

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On the news front, according to TSN, all roster questions have been answered regarding who will make the lineup for the season opener.

• Brayden Schenn has been returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings
• Jonathan Bernier has been sent to the Manchester Monarchs along with Thomas Hickey and Kevin Westgarth

This means a few things. The first being the 4th line center position might possibly just go Peter Harrold. Secondly, Erik Ersberg will take the backup role on the bench while Jonathan Quick starts the season in net hopefully being just as awesome as he was at the end of last season. Thirdly, Raitis Ivanans is a better player than Westgarth, which is something I’ve thought from Day Uno.

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Another update from last week (23rd): Rich Hammond of the Daily News will be newly employed by the Los Angeles Kings to basically do the same exact thing he was doing before. The most important part of this news is he will be able to provide for Kings fans real coverage on the road. The lack of road coverage for almost all teams is pretty despicable so I see this as a GREAT THING. He reiterated that he will not be censored by the Kings and will have full editorial control over his content. Naive me will believe this until his content proves otherwise. I’m really excited for this venture the Kings have decided to take and am happy for Rich Hammond for being the first beat writer to gain this type of recognition, visibility, and clearance by the team.

When the story broke, Frozen Royalty gave immediate props, Jon Moncrief was quick to the draw, and James Mirtle of course took note. Today Puck Daddy wrote an interesting writeup of what this could mean for Kings fans and how they get their team news.

A nice tribute to LA Kings goaltender Erik Ersberg.