You want LA Kings hockey? You’ve got it right here! In this show we talk about the games against the Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks. We also give a SEE YA to Ethan Moreau, talk t-shirts and more!

Drew Doughty for Norris? We kid. In this episode we talk about the Jack Johnson trade rumors, the search for the elusive left winger, Anze Kopitar’s scoring drought, Jonathan Quick for MVP, the surprising lack of Kings on the All Star lineup, and (of course) LA Kings hockey. Strap in, Episode 138 is live!

Take a break from those talking heads on the collective networks tracking the NHL‘s Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ve got eight local Los Angeles-based analysts and media members in this segment providing predictions to the outcome of the final series, which sees the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins getting together for a few dates.

Straight-cut here, with each member predicting the series winner, the number of games needed, and who they see as best fit to win the Conn Smythe trophy. We’re repping ESPN, The Fourth Period Magazine, INSIDE SPORTS, Hockeytalk.biz, Frozen Royalty, and NBC Sports – and it isn’t Pierre McGuire!

Series Outlook

These two clubs met just once during the regular season, the Boston Bruins coming out on top on February 26th in the Vancouver confines that houses one of the toughest atmospheres in the NHL. The Bruins won 3-1, overcoming an early one-goal deficit with a Milan Lucic go-ahead tally with under five minutes to play, and Patrice Bergeron shutting the door with some empty-net insurance. Roberto Luongo faced 24 Boston shots, with 22 saves. Tim Thomas took on a heavier load, facing 28 Vancouver shots with 27 saves. The Boston Bruins finished the campaign with 103 points, winning the Northeast Division and taking the third slot in the Eastern Conference. The Vancouver Canucks finished with 117 points, and not only won the Northwest Division and Western Conference, but took the NHL‘s Presidents’ Trophy. Predictions from some of the top Los Angeles hockey media and analysts are below, with mine included at the end.

Dennis Bernstein – Senior Writer/Director at The Fourth Period Magazine

Vancouver Canucks in 5 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“It’s the Canucks year, after slaying the Blackhawks dragon, they’ve gotten better with each round. Roberto Luongo, thought to be the weak link, put up his most impressive effort of the post season in the elimination game vs the Sharks. The Bruins were life and death against the East’s 5 and 6 seeds and are 2nd best in every facet of the game.”

Charles Smith – Executive Producer at INSIDE SPORTS

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“Roberto Luongo should have no problem being the equal of Tim Thomas between the pipes. Bruins are tough, but lack the mobility on defense to shut down the Sedins. Ryan Kesler has taken his game to a stratospheric level. Vancouver has been building up to this for the past several seasons, and finally, the team has achieved critical mass.”

Matt Reitz – Writer at Pro Hockey Talk for NBC Sports

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“If the Bruins thought the Lightning power play was tough, just wait until they see the Canucks who were the best with the man advantage this year. Then there’s the Bruins’ PP that has been absolutely anemic, which won’t get any easier against Vancouver who had one of the best PKs in the NHL. Tim Thomas is the kind of goaltender who can steal a few games in a series, but the Canucks are just too good in every facet of the game to be denied.”

Dave Joseph – Morning Sportscenter Anchor at 710 ESPN Los Angeles

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Roberto Luongo for Conn Smythe Trophy

“The Canucks’ offense will exploit a less-than-mobile Boston defense while Vancouver’s back line will neutralize the Bruins offense. Roberto Luongo will continue his stellar play this post-season and bring the Conn Smythe and the Cup back to Canada. Vancouver’s depth will prove too much for Boston.”

Gann Matsuda – Executive Publisher at FrozenRoyalty.Net

Vancouver Canucks in 5 or 6 Games – Ryan Kesler for Conn Smythe Trophy

“With the Sedins and Ryan Kesler leading the way, Boston won’t have the answers to what the Canucks will be throwing at them, not with the Canucks holding an advantage in terms of skill and speed, which should negate Boston’s ability to play a physical game. The Canucks also hold a huge advantage on special teams, which spells big, big trouble for the Bruins.”

- – - Predictions From KingsCast.net – - -

Chris Kaliszewski – Co-Editor and Producer at KingsCast.net

Vancouver Canucks in 6 Games – Roberto Luongo for Conn Smythe Trophy

The Los Angeles Kings continue their journey without Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. In this episode we talk a little about “true fans”, “faith” and winning the Cup as well as the Stars and Canucks games. Question of the Day: Will the LA Kings win a Stanley Cup THIS year?

The Los Angeles Kings are, yet again, on a bit of a losing streak but still clinging to a playoff spot. In this episode we’ll talk about the games against the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars, say goodbye to Colten Teubert and our draft picks and try to figure out what’s wrong with the core.

Throughout the remainder of the NHL season, ‘Dancing in the Reign’ will be recapping each week in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Track the Kings’ push for a second consecutive playoff berth, see which teams are hot and who’s not, and note on key divisional and conference match-ups. This edition of Sunday Night Scoreboard Watch recaps the week of January 31 with a look ahead to the week of February 7.

The Week That Was: The Kings resumed play with a donut in Minnesota, but managed to snag five out of the six points on the board this week. Extra points were surrendered to Western Conference counterparts Minnesota and Calgary with shootout implications in each contest. After Niklas Backstrom blanked the Kings in 65 minutes of play and three rounds of a shootout, the Kings responded with six goals in their next two games, three of those goals coming on the powerplay. The offense has seemed to embrace a heavy-shooting approach since the drought in Minnesota. Jonathan Quick has two consecutive wins, and Jonathan Bernier is riding a shutout. Justin Williams was a factor in Calgary, and it’s been too long. Williams’ tallied three points in the game, equaling his total in his previous eight games. Dustin Brown decided to take part in Saturday night’s scoresheet as well, with a goal and an assist. Brown recorded his first goal since December 8th, and his two points in the game eclipsed his total in his previous eight games.

Pacific Division Standings

TEAM                   GP    W     L      OT    PTS

Dallas                  53     30   18     5        65
San Jose               53     28   19     6        62
Anaheim              54     29    21    4        62
Phoenix               54     26    19    9        61
Los Angeles      53     29    22    2       60

Pacific Division Notes: The San Jose Sharks were the story of the week, jumping from 4th place to 2nd in the division. San Jose knocked off Pacific Divison clubs in the Anaheim Ducks and Phoenix Coyotes to return from the break. The Sharks finished the week in Boston with a shutout victory over the Bruins, giving them a 2-0 start to their season-long seven game road trip. Just as notable, the top spot in the division remained idle, as the Dallas Stars failed to add to their 65 points with three consecutive regulation losses. Anaheim and Phoenix fell one spot in the division standings respectively. The Coyotes finished the week with a 1-2-0 record, and the Ducks split their two games going 1-1-0. What seemed far-fetched just a week ago suddenly becomes a realistic goal, a Pacific Division championship. The Kings, although still sitting in the basement, are only five points out of first place.

Western Conference Standings

TEAM                      GP    W      L     OT     PTS
4. Nashville              53    28    18      7        63
5. San Jose               53    28    19      6        62
6. Anaheim              54    29    21      4        62
7. Phoenix               54    26    19      9        61
8. Los Angeles      53    29    22     2        60
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9. Minnesota           52    27     20      5        59
10. Calgary              54   26     21      7        59
11. Chicago             52    27    21      4        58

Western Conference Notes: With the 5 points pocketed this week, the Kings find themselves back in the Western Conference‘s top eight. In a matter of three games, the Kings hopped three slots to improve from the 11th seed they held last week. This makes the Pacific Division the only grouping in the NHL to have all of it’s teams in the playoff picture. Breaking the top eight is no reason to sit satisfied, six teams are within six points of the Kings. 14 of the 15 teams in the conference are contending, the Edmonton Oilers have a furnished basement. You really can’t argue security unless you’re talking the Vancouver Canucks, who are undefeated out of the break, riding five consecutive wins and atop the Western Conference with 77 points. The Kings take a break on conference opponents this week, slated for contests with three teams that make up the Eastern Conference‘s top five.

The Week Ahead: The franchise-record 10 game road-swing continues with three games scheduled for the week. And boy, does it look difficult. The Kings visit Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for their only meetings with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals this season. Pittsburgh holds the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference, and Washington is in the shadows in 5th place. For the Penguins, they’ll be without Evgeni Malkin, who is out for the season with two torn ligaments in his right knee. Crosby has yet to return from his concussion syndromes, his status for Thursday night is unclear. Pittsburgh is 8-2-0 in their previous ten games. As for Washington, they’re slowly recovering from January with two consecutive victories and a 5-2-3 record in their previous ten games. Defenseman Mike Green, who took a puck to the head off of a Brooks Orpik shot earlier today, isn’t expected to miss any time. The Kings will cap off the week while finishing their back-to-back weekend matinee series in Philadelphia. The Flyers are atop the Eastern Conference with 75 points, and hold an 8-2-0 record in their last 10 games. The Philadelphia Flyers are 1-0-0 against the Kings this season with a 7-4 victory on December 30th in Los Angeles.

Beside the final score tonight in Calgary, is there much else to view in a negative fashion about the first two games? I’m finding it easier to look past tonight’s loss since it’s so early, and since the Kings have impressed in almost every aspect. How stellar has the defense been? Beside a couple of miscues, of course. Those top two pairings couldn’t be better, and Jake Muzzin has been a pleasant addition out of training camp. You couldn’t have asked much more out of the new tandem of goalies Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier. This has all intentions of the Kings putting together one of the lowest ‘goals allowed’ stat lines in the league. As for the offense, they haven’t been bad. Facing a Stanley Cup Favorite in the Vancouver Canucks, the Kings did everything but finish. Facing an expected Playoff team in the Calgary Flames, the Kings faced an angry defense coming off of an embarrassment in Edmonton, blocking a barrage of shots and exposing the Kings to working the outside all night. You’d be stubborn to not have to be pleased with the play the Kings are bringing home Tuesday night. Below I’ve got thoughts on the weekend trip to Canada, and what to look forward to Tuesday night.

Sweet Revenge: Man oh man. Not only were the Kings able to beat the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last year, but for you fellow USA Hockey fans, Jack Johnson sealed the win beating Roberto Luongo off the left post. Nothing like aiding pent-up frustration and sorrow from last year’s Winter Olympics and NHL Playoffs on one wrist-shot. How Sweet it is!

The Jonathan’s Impress: Our first look at the Jonathan Quick – Jonathan Bernier duo was awesome. Allowing a total of 3 goals on 55 shots in the two games combined is excellent. Both goalies were able to keep a Kings offense, which struggled to finish scoring opportunities, in both games. Jonathan Quick stabilized his label as the #1 goalie, and Jonathan Bernier did nothing but continue to exploit himself as a highly touted prospect. Quick stood on his head, plain and simple. The only goal Quick surrendered was due to Alexander Edler‘s presence in front of the net on a powerplay. Edler attracted Kings wingers to the top of the slot, and lost the interest of Kings defensemen to find an opening that left Quick hanging dry. Bernier played well, 29 saves against a playoff-caliber lineup. Bernier got beat on the penalty-kill by Curtis Glencross off of a turnover. Don’t blame Jack Johnson here, Anze Kopitar needs to shovel that puck into the corner. Craig Conroy, however, set the tone in what would ultimately result in a loss with a wrister from 15-20 feet out. Weak goal, but Bernier did have a couple of saves thereafter to keep it close. Jonathan Quick faces a highly underrated young Atlanta Thrashers offense on Tuesday night.

How About Those Rookies?: Brayden Schenn is already wearing out his name with broadcasters, having a big impact on our offensive zone presence on Saturday night, just missing on two scoring chances. Schenn was solid in the offensive zone tonight as well, just missing on another scoring opportunity. Really, Schenn is just inches away from having 2 or 3 goals. Kyle Clifford has shown promise as well, as that fourth line has gained early trust from Terry Murray, seeing ice time late in both games. Kevin Westgarth, the partner to those two on the fourth line has been alright. Nothing great, physical play, no fights, and a bad defensive zone turnover in Vancouver.

Where have the goals been?: The Kings haven’t been able to score, tallying just two goals in regulation this weekend. They’ve had little presence in front of the net, and when they have scored, that’s where they’ve been. The Kings have been forced to take a lot of wide shots with no rebound threat. The Canucks and Flames put a lot of pressure on Kings pointmen and cycling ability. Don’t make assumptions just yet, this offense was a break or two away from exploding this weekend.
Speaking of offense, here comes Atlanta: If you’re wondering what to look out for from the Thrashers on Tuesday, it’s their young offense. Atlanta, through trades and high draft picks, has developed a bright future. Forwards Evander Kane and Niclas Bergfors are just two key pieces to what could be an offensive force in two years. Yet another good test for our defense, and expect the Kings to face journeyman Chris Mason in goal for Atlanta. Here’s to wishing the best to Ondrej Pavelec in his recovery from his sudden collapse during Atlanta’s opener, the cause of which has yet to be determined. The Thrashers are coming off of a 5-3 loss to Southeast Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning, but opened eyes in Georgia with a shocking 4-2 win against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. You could argue that the Thrashers are where the Kings were two years ago. Thrashers’ GM Rick Dudley seems to be taking a very similar approach to Kings GM Dean Lombardi. Dump older, short term talent for draft picks and prospects. And that’s what they have. Young talent, not enough experience. A franchise that was supposed to crumble after losing Ilya Kovalchuk is suddenly posing as a contender in the near future.

We’re just four days from the puck dropping on the 2010-2011 season. The Kings will stay on the West side, but head North for a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Vancouver Canucks. This will undoubtedly be a good test, and a tough one at that for a Kings roster icing a couple of new veterans and a handful of fresh prospects. You couple the seething anticipation surrounding this year’s club with an opening night match-up against the team who eliminated us from the playoffs, and you better expect the Kings to come out hard. Don’t think for a minute that playing Vancouver doesn’t add a little more intensity to the lineup. The Kings are looking to start a crucial season as their development into an elite NHL club continues to drive, and it starts against the team who sent us packing last year. As Saturday night’s opener approaches, I’ve got some last minute thoughts below:

This year’s opener will be more successful than the last. Yes, you remember that debacle against Phoenix. It would be difficult to play worse than the Kings did in the opener last year. The hype surrounding that team was a bit premature. They were in Los Angeles against a comfortable Phoenix Coyotes opponent, and were expected to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Media and public relations piled on extraneous pressure and pumped up egos that needed to be tamed. Most players were affected by it, but each in their own way. Escorting the players into Staples Center like it was the freakin’ Grammys while completely exposing them to the public just two hours before the game had disaster written all over it. I was looking over my shoulder in hesitant anticipation for the players to jump on floats into a parade down Figueroa. Good fanfare, but added unnecessary distractions to the team. Expectations continue to skyrocket leading up to this year’s opener, which is why starting on the road is a good thing. Better to have distractions of opposing fans than too much hype. Extra pressure is often built in front of the home fans after a long summer, playing with clear heads against an important opponent is an attractive fit.

Turn back the clock. Not literally, we’ve got another month or so of evening daylight. However, the Kings will be rocking the retro gold and purple uniforms that were worn by the franchise from their inception in 1967 until 1988. The uniforms were tweaked a few times during that 21-year period, but nothing substantial. The jersey piping and number borders were the only subtle changes, and I’m not sure which specific set the Kings are going to unveil. The Vancouver Canucks are celebrating their 40-year anniversary this season, and both teams will be donning vintage sweaters for all four match-ups this year. Too bad they’re not celebrating 20 years, I’d rather see the 90′s silver and black.

Roster Finalized to 23 Players today. The Kings announced the set roster they’ll be working with to start the season. Most notable are the prospects who survived training camp. Forwards Andrei Loktionov, Kyle Clifford, Brayden Schenn, and Trevor Lewis will be competing for long-term spots, and defenseman Jake Muzzin will get time on the blue line. Scott Parse, who was tabbed as the favorite to take the second-line left wing spot, looks to be starting the season on injured reserve as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Look for one of these forwards to be assigned to Manchester once Parse returns, unless that player is Kyle Clifford, who is qualified to return to the Barrie Colts of the OHL unless he plays in 9 games for the Kings. The competition between Brayden Schenn and Andrei Lotkionov for a 4th line centerman spot should continue to play itself out. Not to say this year’s results have any long-term impact on the two, but could ultimately pinpoint which player is ready to have a solid impact this season.

Bernier’s Extension. Smart move by Dean Lombardi here, not to say it wasn’t expected. Jonathan Bernier, who was slated to become a Restricted Free Agent at season’s end, is now locked up for the next three years. Granted a two year extension through 2013, Bernier is now allotted plenty of time to continue his growth at the NHL level. The best part about Bernier’s extension is the buffer zone now provided to Jonathan Quick. This is long-term, and this is Quick’s season. To have both goaltenders signed for the next three seasons gives ample time to decide on a franchise goalie. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up as a solid tandem and become a good rotation. They’re both just too good I think, no?

If you had resigned yourself to the fact that the Los Angeles Kings would play three rookies on defense this year, you can breathe a bit easier as Willie Mitchell has signed a 2-year contract with the team today. Mitchell spent most of last season with a concussion but he’s a solid defensive defenseman that will look great with Jack Johnson. Enjoy the vid!

With the 2009/2010 NHL season now officially complete, KingsCast continues it’s offseason programming with a brand new episode of collected material from the past year. Unreleased interviews with players, media, fans and colleagues, cut segments, behind the scenes looks and stuff too risque for prime time. Enjoy!