When I started blogging about the Kings this season, I wanted to make sure I got to see certain teams in person. Being a SoCal native and a hockey fan has its disadvantages. Since I work nights designing front pages for the Press-Telegram Sports section, going to games is a bit hard.

However, I had a lot of vacation time that I have accrued this past year, so I picked several dates to would just happen to coincide with games I'd like to see. Asking time off for work was easy, convincing The Wife was another thing. A long-time Kings fan, she was a little jealous that I got to go to these games. But, I told her that this was going to be strictly business, and that I wouldn't really be enjoying it, as if I was watching as a fan.

After I got the green light, I was cleared to see four teams that I've been wanting to see in person: the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers and Devils. I had guys that I wanted to see on each team, such as Jagr on New York, Sid the Kid on Pittsburgh and Brodeur on NJ. Since there are so many displaced East Coasters out here, I know they would represent their clubs en masse.

After Anze Kopitar put a puck past Brodeur in the shootout Monday night, I realized this would be thge last time I'll probably get to see some of these guys at all. Jagr is on the backside of his career, and Brodeur is a legend. Lord knows how Crosby is going to be in three years. I feel lucky that I was able to witness Alexander Ovechkin last season, when I happened into the lower bowl seats against the Capitals.

I'll just come right out and say it. This "plan" hatched up by the NHL to focus exclusively on inter-divisional rivalries is stupid. Coming off a lockout, the league needs more chance to show off their product. The fact of the matter is, the East Coast teams are ultimately better than the ones out here. No West Coast team has won the Stanley Cup. Why is that? Could it be that teams west of the Colorado River are regarded as novelties? Could it be as soon as a player reaches the peak of their skill, they would rather play in a city where there is actually snow, instead of rolling blackouts.

Hell, even the Anaheim Ducks are shunned by major papers out here in Los Angeles, and they are among the creme of the crop this season. The Sharks have some great young players, but does anything think they could take an Eastern Conference team in seven games?

Today, as I was working some magic on the front page for Thursday's section, our esteemed columnist Bob Keisser made a rare evening appearance in Sports. After talking a few minutes about the Kings, he asked if Deano was going to make some moves this season. I told him what I figured: that we'll probably send Conroy off for some prospects, as well as any other reasonable player we could unload. He made this comment: "I think it's official that Kings fans can be considered 'long-suffering.'" And I couldn't argue that observation. It's true. We haven't been good enough to seriously contend for anything since No. 99 was skating around the Forum.

And like the Clippers of years past, the Kings' only marketing strategy that makes any sense is to promote other teams coming to town. How successful can they be when the best teams in the NHL are shuttled in here every three years? Cue Jerry Seinfeld: "Who were the ad wizards that came up with that one?"

I know I'm not the only person who thinks this "plan" is really weak. When I told some of my friends that I'll be going to some Kings games for free to blog, they were amazed at my luck. "Dude, that's totally awesome. You are so lucky." To which I replied: "Yeah, I'm lucky to go see Phoenix and Chicago." Which prompted them to say: "Oh yeah. That kinda sucks."

Don't get me wrong. I'd go watch the Kings play an over-80 team from Leisure World playing broom hockey wearing socks and party hats. I love hockey, in any form. But to have the billion-dollar owner cite the lame scheduling on saving money on "travel costs," it irks me as a hockey fan that they would fork out some extra coin to insure they show off just how good the league can be.

Instead, they want to stick it to the consumer to fork out $150 to be able to watch all the teams. But here's a news flash, Gary Bettman: you aren't the NFL. Each NHL team has 82 games a season, not 16 games like the NFL. Football games are events, hockey games have to compete against other stuff on the TV, like the NBA, CSI and infomercials.

Take this weekend... Which are you more apt to watch: The Kings taking on the Ducks or USC vs. UCLA? Back in the Press-Telegram's Sports Department, I don't think I have to tell you which is going to be on our screens.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New Jersey Devils are in town tonight to face the Los Angeles Kings. The Devils, currently third in the Atlantic, have dropped three straight games to Pacific Division teams. New Jersey is the last Atlantic Division club the Kings will face. So far, L.A. has split the decisions right down the middle. (Two wins came against the Rangers and Islanders, 2 losses against the Penguins and Flyers.) Overall, the Kings and Devils have played 85 times. The Kings have a 47-26-11 record against the Devils. In L.A., the Kings are 28-8-6.

L.A. has won three of their last four games, but haven't had back-to-back home victories since the first week of the season. Mathieu Garon gets the start tonight. He looked strong in the last game against the Flames, holding them to one goal on 23 shots. Frolov-Avery-Conroy get the start, with Frolov dealing the hot hand. He has 10 goals in his last ten games. Kopitar-Brown-Cammallari are on the other scoring line.

Garon gets lots of pressure early in the game, with the Devils outshooting the Kings. The Kings' first shot almost caught Brodeur off-guard, when Conroy's pass trickles to Avery, who puts it on net. But Brodeur slides over to stop Avery.

The Kings are continuing the trend the past few games of playing tight and forechecking. But the Devils are right there, limiting the Kings to two shots in the first half of the period. The Kings get their first power play of the evening, when Colin White gets called for hooking. The Kings get several whacks at it, but the Devils kill it off.

The Kings' second power play occurs when the Devils get called for too many men. But the Devils forecheck hard to eliminate the man advantage. Avery gets HAMMERED by White, which stops play, but no penalty is called.

The Kings do get called for a penalty at the end of the period, when Brian Willsie gets charged for hooking, to put the Devils on the power play to start the second.

First Period: Kings 0, Devils 0

16 seconds in, Brian Gionta scores a power play goal to make it 1-0 Devils. The assists go to Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez. Gionta hit the post on his next shift. Fortunately for L.A., they didn't allow a goal within two minutes of the first goal, which has been a problem plaging the Kings this season.

Dustin Brown redirects a tight pass from Lubomir Visnovsky through the crease to tie the game. Brodeur looked angry, as if to complain about his defensemen. But, the pass was pretty amazing, considering how tight the Devils have been playing. Brown now has a point in six of his last seven games.

The Kings get another power play, when the Jim Dowd gets called for interference. A flurry of shots had the Devils reeling, and when they finally cleared the puck, it went over the glass, resulting in another penalty. So the Kings get a two-man advantage for a minute. NJ kills both penalties, but a broken pane of glass delays the game while they replace it.

Willsie gets penalized again, this time for slashing, to put L.A. on the PK. Garon couldn't handle a rebound from Brian Rafalski, and Travis Zajac knocks it in to lift New Jersey, 2-1. Patrik Elias got his second assist of the game. Willsie's been in the box for both Devils power play goals.

The Kings gets another power play when Jaime Langenbrunner is called for hooking. L.A.'s power play seems smoother when Kopitar, Cammy and Brown are running it. Michael Cammallari scores his 100th goal as a King to tie the game. Kopitar and Brown get the assists.

Los Angeles has doubled the shots of New Jersey in the second period, 13-6.

Second Period: Kings 2, Devils 2

Kajac interferes with Garon to put the Kings on the power play. But strong defense by New Jersey turns them away again.

The Kings' Aaron Miller gets called for tripping, to put the Devils on the power play, where they have scored both their goals tonight. L.A. kills off the penalty, amid cheers from the fans in Staples Center. But Dustin Brown gets called for elbowing, and L.A. goes back on the penalty kill. After another successful PK, the fans give a rousing cheer.

Two successive hits on Avery and Brown illicited an angry response out of the crowd, but play continued. Great blocking by the Kings limiting the amount of shots on Garon. The Devils kept playing close through several Kings attacks. And we're going to OVERTIME!

Third period: Kings 2, Devils 2

In overtime, the Kings start Blake and Visnovsky, with Brown and Kopitar. Brown gets a gem of a chance, only to be twarted by Brodeur. Midway through the overtime period, Peter Harrold, a recent call-up from Manchester, gets called for hooking, to put NJ up on the man advantage. Avery makes several brilliant plays, slapping the puck out of the zone.

The Kings kill the penalty to harrold, who comes out of the box to pick up the puck and take it into Devils territory. But nothing comes of it, and we go to a SHOOTOUT!

Overtime: Kings 2, Devils 2

Kopitar deked Brodeur to score!
Elias is denied by Garon.
Brown tries to go tweeners, but misses.
Gionta takes a shot, but Garon glove saves.
Frolov dekes past Brodeur to score!

KINGS WIN!!!

Final score: Kings 3, Devils 2 (shootout)

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings, battered and bruised from last night's game against the Dallas Stars, endured a three-hour flight to play the Calgary Flames tonight.

The Flames eneter the Kings zone midway through the first, as Daymond Langkow shoots quickly from his backhand. Mathieu Garon, making his second straight start, slid over and make the save. But Alex Tanguay made a beeline for Garon's rebound, and the Flames are up, 1-0.

After playing sloppy in the first period last game, where they gave up three power play goals to the Stars, the Kings look more focused. Even after Sean Avery got whistled for hooking, L.A. killed the penalty effectively.

Kings rookie winger Anze Kopitar finally scored in Staples Center on a power play goal to tie the game at 1-1. Kopitar, who has 10 assists this season at home, hasn't scored a goal since the Kings defeated the Avalanche in Colorado, Nov. 7. He received a nice pass from Dustin Brown and buried it in the back of the net.

The Kings played real strong in the first period, moved the puck, played the body. Other than the Garon rebound, the Kings gave up no odd-numbered attacks. The mistakes that seemed to haunt them the past several games weren't seen in the first period.

But as is the case in games past, the Kings come out and look undisciplined. They give up four penalties throughout the period, but L.A. kills them all off. The Kings are playing much closer to the vest, in a tight-checking game. Dustin Brown has 4 hits in the game.

Lubomir Visnovsky picked up the puck in the high slot, decided he didn't have a shot, so he took it behind the net, and attempted a wraparound. Miikka Kiprusoff gets his stick down, but Alexander Frolov dives to knock it past him to help the Kings take the lead for the first time, 2-1. AFro has 10 goals in his last ten games, and leads the Kings in goals and points.

Early in the third, Dustin Brown draws an interference penalty from Jerome Iginla to put the Kings on the power play. Then Brown draws another one 17 seconds later, sending Rhett Warrener to the box for hooking, to give L.A. a two-man advantage. With 5-on-3, Michael Cammalleri put a rebound top-shelf off Kiprusoff to put the Kings up for good, 3-1. It was Cammy's eighth, and his first since Nov. 11. Kopitar and Blake get the assist. Blake now has two assists.

The Flames pulled their goalie, and the Kings had several shots at the empty net. But the score stands. Garon made 22 saves out of 23 shots.

Third period: Kings 3, Flames 1

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anyone who says the West has weak teams really doesn't play too close attention to how Western teams are playing. Last game against the Sharks, the Kings played against the league top power play unit. The Sharks are currently tops in the league with a 24.4 PP percentage.

On Friday, the Kings come into the American Airlines Center to take on the league's best defensive club. Through 22 games, the Dallas Stars have a 2.10 goals allowed average. Dallas has won three of their last four games.

The Stars come out of the gates, guns locked and loaded. They outplay the Kings, as L.A. seems to fall back into some bad habits. Anze Kopitar gets called for an early holding call, and Dallas goes on the man advantage. The Kings kill off the penalty, but Jeff Cowen goes to the box for roughing.

For the fourth time this season against the Kings, Dallas draw first blood. A Philippe Boucher shot from the point gets redirected to put the Stars up, 1-0. Eric Lindros and Stephane Robidas get the assists.

For the first time in his rookie campaign this season, Kopitar gets whistled for a second penalty, this time for hooking. Less than 40 seconds later, Aaron Miller gets called for slashing, giving the Stars a quick 5-on-3 opportunity.

Dallas takes advantage when a one-timer by Sergei Zubov makes it 2-0. And has been the unsettling trend by the Kings this season, Phillipe Boucher scored his second power play goal less than 60 seconds later to make it 3-0.

First period: Stars 3, Kings 0

Trevor Daley gets two minutes for hooking, and the Kings go on the power play. Dustin Brown scores a power play goal, assisted by Frolov and Kopitar. Brown scores a second power play to make it 3-2, Stars. Kopitar made a tremendous pass over to Blake through the slot, who tapped it back to Brown to score another power play goal.

And for the first time in the game, things seem to be clicking for the Kings. Midway through the second period, L.A. has outshot the Stars, 8-4. They wound up with 12 shots as opposed to 6 Dallas shots in the second.

But Boucher scored a third power play goal this game for a hat trick. Boucher has now doubled his goal total for the year. His hat trick puts the Stars up, 4-2. According to ESPN.com, Boucher became the 11th defensemen to score a three power play goals in a game.

A play was reviewed, where it appeared a puck trickled under the Stars goaltender before the whistle blew for a faceo-ff. They reviewed it for a while, because it's wasn't clear if the play had stopped before it entered the goal. After many calls up top, they wave it off.

Second period: Stars 4, Kings 2

The third was pretty much a buildup for a letdown.

Eight minutes into the third, the Kings had a two-man advantage and Alexander Frolov crashed the net. The result was a power play goal, making it 4-3. The goal could have been reviewed, because it wasn't clear how it went in. But remarkably, they didn't review this goal, which is amazing since any Kings goal is reviewed for less than this one.

Crawford pulled Garon with a minute to go in the period, and Jere Lehtinen added an empty-netter for Dallas with 25 seconds left to make it 5-3.

Third period: Stars 5, Kings 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was that kind of night for the Kings. Alexander Frolov, the Kings' team leader in goals and points, missed an absolute gimme of a goal, whiffing past an open net midway through the second period. The Kings' power play, recently connecting 30 percent of the time, was held without a goal. And for the 11th time this season, their opponents have scored two goals in less than two minutes.

One day removed from being shut out by division-leading Anaheim Ducks, The San Jose Sharks asserted themselves with authority, as they scored three goals in under three minutes to distance themselves from the hapless Kings.

The Kings seemed very slow and sluggish tonight, but much of that may have to do with the long lay-off they had since their last game on Saturday. For the fourth game in a row, Dan Cloutier is in goal tonight. He is 2-1 in his previous three starts.

The Sharks don't have NHL scoring champion Jonathan Cheechoo or Milan Michalek in the lineup. Peter Harrold making his NHL debut, called up to replace Rob Blake, who is missing his first game this season. Harrold is teamed up with Lubo Visnovsky defensively.

L.A.'s Scott Thornton puts a Kevin Dallman rebound off Vesa Toskola to start the scoring off, 1-0. They reviewed the goal a long time. But there was no evidence to overturn it, so the goal stands. Derek Armstrong also got an assist on the play, however got called for a hooking penalty a half minute later.

San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored a power-play goal from the face-off circle to even the game. It was also the rookie's first NHL goal. Joe Thornton got the assist. Vlasic, a 19-year-old defenseman who made the club with a strong training camp, has the third-highest ice time of all the Shark defenseman so far this season. He also tallied an assist later in the contest.

Alexander Frolov was called for hooking late in the first, giving the Sharks a short power play to start the period.

First period: Kings 1, Sharks 1

After playing well and outshooting the Sharks in the first period, the Kings reverted to their old ways of giving up bunches of goals. L.A. gave up three goals in less than three minutes to start the second period. Steve Bernier scored on the Frolov penalty to make it 2-1. A minute later, Joe Thornton scored to make it 3-1. Thornton now has 3 points on the night, (he added a goal on the Bernier PP goal). Patrick Marleau then added a goal at the three minute mark to make it 4-1. Four of Marleau's 12 goals this season have come against L.A.

A fifth goal was added by Marcel Goc, a deflection from Scott Hannan and Mark Bell, was enough for Crawford to chase Cloutier from goal.

Second period: Sharks 5, Kings 1

The Kings came out more focused in the third. Six minutes in, Michael Cammallari appeared to redirect a Dustin Brown pass past Toskala to lift the Kings tally to 2 goals. A long review took place, since it wasn't clear in any replay whether or not the goal should stand. The refs, apparently realizing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, gave it to Brown.

Sharks rookie Joe Pavelski makes it 6-2, when he knocks a Scott Hannan pass by Garon. That's right, Kings fans, two Sharks rookies tallied their first NHL goals against the Kings tonight. Pavelski became the 12th Sharks player to score in hist first NHL game. The Kings are always willing to help out the kids, as long as they aren't on our team. Patrick Marleau now has 3 points on the night (1 G, 2 A), joining teammate Thorton.

Visnovsky jumped in Toskala's back door, smacking a shot to make it 6-3. Lubo has points in 8 of his last 9 games. Cammy got another assist on Lubo's goal. But it too little, too late for the Kings. Frolov was held without a point for the first time in three games.

Third period: Sharks 6, Kings 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to Manchester's website, Patrick O'Sullivan scored a natural hat trick against the Toronto Marlies Saturday afternoon. It was O'Sully's first natural hat trick of his career. He had three hat tricks in his rookie season with the Houston Aeros last season. So far this season, Patrick has 11 points in 9 games. Let's hope PO gets the call in December.

Noah Clarke also had a good game on Saturday, scoring twice, after being sent down by the Kings Friday. Jason LaBarbera notched his first shutout of the season for the Monarchs.

The Kings first round pick, Jonathan Bernier, playing for the Lewiston Maineiacs picked up two wins this weekend against the Halifax Mooseheads. He allowed one goal in each game. Bernier leads the QMJHL with 15 wins.

The Kings' other first round pick, Trevor Lewis, has one goal and three assists for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL.

In college, Michigan's Jack Johnson has been tearing it up for the Wolverines, with a point a game for Michigan (6 G, 5 A) and is a +17, leading his team. Boston College's Brian Boyle has has a point a game for the Eagles (6 G, 4 A). He scored a power play goal Saturday night against Northeastern.

Posted by Matt Murray at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alexander Frolov is the team leader in goals so far (10 G) this season. Frolov is truly the King of the Castle, as eight of those ten goals came at home. Dan Cloutier is in goal, surprising after letting in three goals in a period of three minutes in the third period last game against the Flyers. And even though some of those goals weren't his fault, I thought maybe Garon would get a shot. Derek Armstrong is back in the lineup today. The Coyotes are tied for the worst power play in the NHL. Dustin Brown is among the league leaders in hits so far.

For the second game in a row, the Kings come out flat, allowing their opponents more shots to start the period. The fans of Staples Center are raining boos down upon Phoenix winger/fading talent Jeremy Roenick whenever he takes to the ice.

The Kings get their first power play opportunity when an elbow by Owen Nolan was caught by the refs. Frolov scored on the power play, his 11th of the season on a feed from Conroy. He is, as ESPN's Dan Patrick would say, en fuego. The Lov now has seven goals in the month of November.

First period: Kings 1, Coyotes 0

The Kings, outshot in the first period 13-9, come out swinging in the second. Phoenix's Mike Zigomanis gets called for hooking Sean Avery. Avery comes back and helps set up Rob Blake's power play goal to lift the Kings, 2-0.

The Kings got called for two many men on the ice, and the Coyotes go on the power play. But Alexander Frolov takes the puck and carries it in the zone, shooting past LeNeveu for a short-handed goal, to make it 3-0 Los Angeles. That's his third straight home game that he's scored two goals in a game. According to the Associated Press , Frolov is the first Kings player with three consecutive multi-goal games since March 1993, when Luc Robitaille had a hat trick against Calgary and followed that with two-goal efforts against Ottawa and Edmonton.

The Kings are two out of three on the power play today. LeNeveu gets the hook, and in comes CuJo.

Things get a little heated when a scrum breaks out late in the period. Who gets called for unsportsmanlike conduct? Why, Sean Avery, of course. However it's an off-setting penalty with Nick Boynton, so there's no real penalty to the team.

The Coyotes get on the board, when Georges Laraque goes five-hole from the top of the blue line, past Cloutier to make it, 3-1. Less than a minute later, Yanic Perreault flips a shot past Cloutier to make it, 3-2. And the Kings continue their unsettling trend of giving up goals in bunches. It is the tenth time this season the Kings have given up two goals in a period of two minutes or less.

Second period: Kings 3, Coyotes 2

For some reason, Blake doesn't come out for the third period. According to a sharp-eared listener to Kings Talk after the game, Kings radio announcer Nick Nickson announced that Blake had suffered a pulled groin, and that he should be available for the Kings next game against the Sharks on Wednesday.

Cowan connects with a knee-on-knee hit on Roenick, which ellicited a loud response from Staples. Roenick does a mid-air twirl, and goes sprawling across the ice. That should be good for some highlights. It could've been a lot worse.

Cloutier allows one craptastic goal, when Oleg Saprykin lofts a high puck right over Cloutier's shoulder to tie the game at 3-3. Cloutier didn't even bother to look for it, and the Staples Center crowd boos him.

However, the Kings get an opportunity on the power play, as Ed Jovanovski gets the whistle for holding Frolov. The Kings respond by putting four forwards and Lubomir Visnovsky. The result? Craig Conroy rockets a shot from the point past Joseph with a power play goal to give the Kings a 4-3 lead. Sean Avery and Lubo both have two assists in the game.

The Kings start leaving three guys back late in the game, to help Cloutier on defense. Jeff Cowan, playing in his first game back from injury, has played strong today. Anze Kopitar almost lit the lamp late in the third, just missing on a shot, but draws a penalty.

The Kings fail on the extra man advantage, and the Coyotes pull CuJo with a minute to go in the game. Gretzky calls a timeout to give the 'Yotes a chance to catch their breath.

But Frolov pokes a stick, knocking the puck to Kopitar to give the Kings a two-on-none. Kopitar could've scored, but instead passed it to Scott Thornton for an empty-netter. Kopitar has yet to score a goal at Staples Center.

Third period: Kings 5, Coyotes 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Actor James Belushi was captured by cameras before the game Saturday between the Kings and Coyotes. Belushi, who grew up in Illinois, is a big hockey fan. According to press of his, he loves playing hockey in his spare time.

Posted by Matt Murray at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Flyers come into Staples Center sporting the worst record in the NHL (4-12-2), and allowing the most goals (72).

For those interested, Debbie Gibson is singing the national anthem.

Cloutier gets the nod tonight. He looked O.K. in goal against the Sharks, turning away 16 out of 18 shots. The Kings will be starting Kopitar, Brown and Murray. Lubo and Blake start on the blueline. Not as many boos for Cloutier when he was introduced to S.C.

Forsberg gets the start, after chipping in a goal and an assist against the Ducks on Wednesday. Blake makes a tremenodus save, point-blank, early in the period. The Kings get their first penalty when Cammy gets a duece for hooking. The Flyers PP unit looks sloppy, and can't set anything up. Kopitar has a brilliant opportunity with a short-handed breakaway, but is denied by Niittymaki. (That's a hard name to type.)

They kill the penalty and they get called for hooking again, this time to Tom Kostopolous. But another sloppy Philadelphia PP helped the Kings kill it off. The Kings have rolled out cartman again in between the action this season, and they debuted a new one tonight: Cartman checking Kenny wearing a Flyers jersey off screen.

A lot of time is being spent in the Kings zone, with occasional trips down the ice on the attack. Another Kings penalty, this time Visnovsky for tripping, puts the Kings on the PK again. The Flyers finally score a power-play goal, a pretty wrap-around by Geoff Sanderson.

The Flyers get a penalty with 24 seconds left in the period, giving the Kings a PP when they come back in the second.

First period: Flyers 1, Kings 0

The Kings don't do much with the PP. But Alexander Frolov pokes a shot past Niittymaki to even the score at 1-1. Frolov now has 8 points (4G, 4A) in the last 5 games.

Blake has made several tremendous defensive plays this game, showing the youngsters how to do it. It's nice to see him out there teaching the younger guys, especially Lubo, the right way to play, forechecking, blocking, jumping up in the play. Well, maybe not everything he does. Maybe it's more of a "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" lesson.

Late in the period, philly's Boyd Kane gets a high-sticking call, allowing the Kings a quick power play before the end of the period, but to no avail.

Second period: Kings 1, Flyers 1

Brian Willsie sends a wrister past Niittymaki to lift the Kings, 2-1, with the assists going to Lubo and Brown. Sean Avery appears to score seconds later, but the goal is reviewed and overturned, due to the fact Philly's Randy Robitaille was called for a high-stick.

The fans of Staples loudly disapprove of the call. The Kings get several choice shots on the PP at Niittymaki, but the penalty is killed by the Flyers.

Alexander Frolov scores his second of the game, off a feed from Craig Conroy, his second. Sean Avery also gets his second assist of the game. Avery now has seven points in his last five games. This line has been the best line on the ice tonight.

The Kings give one right back, when Simon Gagne scores his 10th goal of the season. The Flyers are on the attack, when R.J. Umberger scores seconds later to tie the game at 3-3. Umberger then scores his second goal to lift the Flyers, 4-3. With each goal in the third, Cloutier looks shaky.

The Kings pull their goalie with a minute left in the game, and the Kings are attacking hard. Philadelphia gets a cross-checking penalty with 7 seconds to go. But it's not enough, as the Kings fail to register a shot. Philadelphia wins their second in a row.

Third period: Flyers 4, Kings 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This time in a more impressive list: The Forbes.com NHL Team Valuations.

Team Value $205 mil

The Los Angeles Kings are owned by Philip Anschutz (Net Worth: $7.8 billion) and Edward Roski Jr (Net Worth: $1.8 billion), who bought them in 1995 for $113 mil.

Not a bad investment on Anschutz's part. Much better than the Playstation3 scam I was going to attempt this week. I decided I'd rather sleep in a bed than throw my back out sleeping in a banana chair waiting to buy a $700 toy that I would turn around and sell on eBay. If my butt is going to stay outside for three days, I'm keeping the damn thing!

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Thursday, the Kings scored the first goal in each of the periods. However, the Sharks dominated after that, beating the Kings, 7-3. The newest King, Marty Murray is playing on the same line as Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Speaking of Kopitar, he still leads the rookies of the NHL with 16 points. Two players are tied for second, one of which is San Jose defenseman Matthew Carle.

The Kings are playing extremely tight. They haven't allowed a shot early in the period. The first shot of the night for the Sharks came ten minutes in the game, and it was a goal by Milan Michalek. Dan Cloutier got the start, after two games off.

The Kings evened the game in the last minute when Alexander Frolov knocked in a Visnovsky shot, with Sean Avery creating some traffic in front of Vesa Toskala. Avery and Lubo both got the assist on the play.

First period: Kings 1, Sharks 1

Not a lot of shots starting the second period. Both teams are playing extremely tight. Avery had a chance, but was denied by Toskala.

Dustin Brown just leveled Joe Thornton clean to the ice. Brown continuing his vicious ways, showing flashes of brilliance.

The Kings successfully killed their first penalty. Frolov showing a true strength on the PK, along with Kopitar. Frolov just eats up ice time, playing keep-away with opposing teams' power player units. It's not flashy or anything, just effective.

The Kings start pumping pucks at Toskala late in the period. The Kings have been swarming the net, and at several times, look like they are going to score. Frolov hit the post during one scrum. The Staples Center crowd was really into the game.

Raitis Ivanans brought down Thornton, but it was smart because he was going to have a clear shot at Cloutier. But the Kings successfully kill off the penalty, and they go into the locker room tied against the team that had a 6-2 lead going into the third period the last game they played.

Second period: Kings 1, Sharks 1

Early in the third, Thornton scored on an extremely bad angle. Cloutier gave up another soft goal, his second of the game. Last year's NHL scoring leader went 'tweeners on Cloutier, who looked pissed at himself. He should be. Thornton was only ten feet away!

But then the Kings went on the player play when Matt Carle got two minutes for hooking. Visnovsky then evened the score on a blast from the blueline. Frolov and Dallman got the assist. Both Fro and Lubo have a goal and an assist.

Brown already has six hits tonight. He's got 14 hits in the last two games. He's a maniac out there.

Cheechoo stops play when he gets caught by a high stick. It goes uncalled, but stops play just as the Kings were on the verge of scoring again. The puck was behind Toskola, and Avery was right there. But McLaren saved his goalie's butt and swatted it away.

The Kings continue to have ther quick triggers, outshooting the Sharks, 12-3 so far this period.

The Kings kill off another penalty, this time Craig Conroy's holding call. So far, the Kings have killed off every penalty. They have looked impressive against the league's best power play unit.

Speaking of power plays, the Kings lead the league in PP opportunities. Many teams take a chance that the Kings' PP won't score.

Steve Bernier holds onto Blake's stick to put the Kings on a power play. The Kings answer with a score by Dustin Brown to lift the Kings 3-2. The whole power play was awesome, with clean, crisp passes from Cammalleri and Kopitar. Kings are two out of three on the power play tonight.

The Sharks pull their goalie with a minute left, and Frolov backhands a shot into the empty net to ice it. Three straight goals in the third period lifts the Kings, as they have outshot the Sharks, 15-5. On the night, the Kings hold the advantage, 38-15. San Jose has allowed more than three goals only three times in its last 14 games.

Third period: Kings 4, Sharks 2

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unfortunately, it's a list compiled by CBS Sportline.com's Wes Goldstein of the Tepid 10. The Kings have two players on this list:

4. Rob Blake, Los Angeles: Entertainment value is important in Los Angeles, and with the Kings in the initial stages of a major transition, they needed someone with marquee value who could help them maintain a little credibility. Blake was a star here in his first go-round and a force with the Avs, but at 36, he's no longer a player to rally around, especially with a $6 million price tag. His individual numbers are disappointing, and his overall impact on the struggling Kings has been virtually nil.

8. Dan Cloutier, Los Angeles: The Kings felt they needed a No. 1 goalie, and their new coach Marc Crawford had a history with Cloutier in Vancouver, so they traded for him. Of course Crawford knows that Cloutier was effectively run out of town by fans there who blamed him for most of the team's ills. So he shouldn't be surprised things haven't been much better down the West Coast. Cloutier has some really ugly numbers and basically has lost the starting job to Mathieu Garon.

Posted by Matt Murray at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rookie phenom Anze Kopitar hasn't scored a goal in Staples Center yet. All five of his goals came on the road.

Three goals in the last six games for Alexander Frolov. The Kings are averaging four goals a game in their last five. The Kings were 0-for-17 on the PP against the Wild coming into this game. The Wild has the league's best PK unit. Garon is in goal for the Kings, regardless of letting 7 goals in against the Sharks.

Several minutes in the first, Brian Willsie won a faceoff and it went to Mattias Norstrom. Matty hammered the puck, and it got redirected by a Wild player past Manny Fernandez to lead the Kings to a 1-0 score. That was Norstrom's first goal of the season. Cammalleri and Willsie gets the assists.

The Kings survive a late surge by the Wild to go into the locker room up a goal.

First Period: Kings 1, Wild 0

The Kings killed off two penalties early in the period to retain their lead. Garon looked sharper than he did last game, limiting rebounds. Against the Sharks, two of Garon's rebounds lead directly to San Jose scores. So he's tightened it up this game.

Dustin Brown claimed another victim: Kim Johnsson. Square in the chest. Ouch.

Norstrom got two minutes for holding Mark Parrish toward the end of the period. This was the third straight penalty the Kings gave up. The result? Brian Rolston scored his 11th of the season to tie the game. Four of those eleven have come against the Kings.

Second period: Kings 1, Wild 1

Early in the third, the Wild scored an even-strength goal by Kurtis Foster made it 2-1 Minnesota. The Staples Center quieted down, expecting another Kings loss.

But then Cammalleri scored a goal to energize the Staples Center crowd. Willsie has two assists on the night, as the Kings have tied the game, 2-2. After the Cammy goal, the crowd was totally into the game. Avery's tallied just over 18 minutes. Avery has six points in the last five games, but none tonight.

A furious finish by the Kings almost let L.A. sneak past Minnesota. But we're going to overtime!

Third period: Kings 2, Wild 2

The Kings are 0-and-3 this season in ovetime/shootouts.

A p-r-e-t-t-y move by Cammalleri almost won the game for the Kings. But Fernandez showed a lot of patience to stop him. The Kings have been putting the pressure on Fernandez all OT.

The Kings then got a penalty when, for the second time in the game, got caught for too many men on the ice, with two minutes to go in the overtime. The Kings were able to kill it, and the puck squirted to Cammy, who was serving the penalty. Within four seconds of the end of OT, he skated down and put a shot on goal in a bang-bang exchange that had Staples buzzing.

End of overtime: Kings 2, Wild 2

Minnesota Mikko Koivu SAVE!
Los Angeles Anze Kopitar GOAL! First in Staples Center!
Minnesota Brian Rolston GOAL!
Los Angeles Michael Cammalleri SAVE!
Minnesota Pierre-Marc Bouchard SAVE!
Los Angeles Brian Willsie shootout HIT THE POST!
Minnesota Petteri Nummelin GOAL!
Los Angeles Dustin Brown GOAL!
Minnesota Todd White GOAL!
Los Angeles Sean Avery SAVE!

End of game: Wild 3, Kings 2 (shootout)

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings start the game off like they have most games this season: shooting. An interference call by Kyle McLaren has the Kings on the power play. Thornton's back-handed shot was deflected, but it trickles past Toskola for his second of the season. The assists go to Tom Kostopoulos and Mattias Norstrom.

However, Mathieu Garon tripped Mike Grier, and the floodgates opened. The Sharks answered Garon's penalty with a power-play goal by Patrick Marleau. Three minutes later, Steve Bernier scored to make it 2-1. The Sharks started circling, as Garon turned the puck over in front of the goal, and Christian Ehrhoff quickly scored to put the Sharks up, 3-1. 16 seconds later, Jonathan Cheechoo scored his sixth of the season to make it 4-1. The Kings limp into the locker room, a little worse for wear. They had started the game strong, but Garon's penalty turned the tide, and sparked a San Jose feeding frenzy.

First period: Sharks 4, Kings 1

The Kings get a quick power play goal from Alexander Frolov to extend their power-play scoring streak to six games. Sean Avery assisted on the play. Avery has played well in the game so far. But then the Patrick Marleau show began.

Marleau is all alone when a rebound comes right to him. He easily puts one past Garon to make it 5-2, Milan Michalek gets his second assist of the game. Then Marleau scored an unassisted goal to complete the hat trick and to put the game effectively away. By then the Kings just wanted the game to be over. They played tighter though, and had no penalties in the second.

Second Period: Sharks 5, Kings 2

Avery may have scored in his second straight game, but this one was out of reach. Midway through the period, Cheechoo nailed a shot past Garon, who remained in goal all game. A painful game to watch, and even more painful to write about.

Final score: Sharks 7, Kings 3

In other news: Rob Blake was honored by the NHL for his playing in his 1,000th game. Congrats to you, Rob.

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First period, he sprays Jose Theodore with a mound of ice and he gets called for a penalty. The penalty leads to a two-goal spurt by Colorado to take the lead.

Later, he scores a short-hander on a give-and-go from Frolov to help lift the Kings.

In the third, he scores a goal to put the Kings up for good.

Avery is truly the Kings' version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We've been treated to many Avery meltdowns the past two seasons. Tonight, against the Avs, he proved to be a cataylst, not a distraction, for the Kings. This is the Sean Avery we need to see more of. He was everywhere: playing on the penalty kill, the power play, crashing the net and creating havoc in front of the net.

In an ESPN.com story, Avery told David Amber that his career is currently in a "transformation":

It might take a whole season to change how things go. It's frustrating. At times, I want to go back to some of the old things I used to do that got me in trouble with the refs, but you have to be careful and remember it's not worth it in the long run.

Many fans are already calling for his head. Has all his antics the past two seasons with L.A. been enough? If he plays more like he did last night, I think Avery may turn out to be a great player for the Kings.

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This game featured several rookies who have made a mark early in the season: Anze Kopitar (4 G, 10 A) for the Kings leads the NHL in rookie scoring. Colorado has Paul Stastny (3 G, 9 A) and Wojtek Wolski (4 G, 6 A). All three are in the top five of rookie scoring.

The Kings and Avs started slow, but the Kings soon got a power play. Not long after that, the Kings got a 5-on-3 power play, and Craig Conroy finally scored his first of the season to put the Kings up 1-0. The Kings are not a good team when they go down in a game. They have yet come from behind to win a game this season, so scoring first helps the cause.

So far, the Kings are continuing their pattern of outshooting their opponents. They are up 10 shots to 1 midway through the first. Former King Ian Laperriere butted heads with call-up Tim Jackman, who held his own against the veteran. But then, in the second half of the period, the Avs outshot the Kings 10-1.

Avery got a penalty by spraying ice at the goaltender. I hate that call. You play on ice, for Pete's sake. You're gonna get sprayed with ice. But Avery is on double-secret probation, so he'll get a penalty if he farts in the direction of the ref.

Avery's penalty led to a goal by Marek Svatos. Then 25 seconds later, Wojtek Wolski put one past Dan Cloutier, who was pushed out of position by Dustin Brown. Just like that, the Kings are down.

First period: Avalanche 2, Kings 1

The second period started with a breakaway by Avery, who was denied by Theodore. An off-setting penalty between Norstrom and McLean brought some four-on-four action. Funny thing about that was McLean was whistled for tripping Norstrom, and Matty was whistled for diving. Huh? It should be either tripping or diving, not both. Visnovsky scored his fourth goal of the year to tie the game at 2-2.

The Kings continued the pressure through two line changes, which was encouraging. With the game tied, the Kings buckled down and started to shoot more again. A high-sticking penalty by Thornton caused the Kings to be on the penalty kill. But with a minute gone, Avery poked a pass to Frolov, who passed it back to Avery, who shot it past Theodore, to make it 3-2.

Then, Thornton came out of the box and jumped in the play. He then redirected a Cammalari pass to score his first goal of the season to make it, 4-2. Kopitar had an assist on the play. Colorado called a timeout to try and cool down the Kings. The Kings have scored a goal 5-on-3, 4-on-4, then shorthanded, then even strength.

Kings got a little sloppy toward the end of the second. Tom Kostopoulos got nailed into the boards by Cody McCormack, who didn't get called for the vicious hit. In payback, Dustin Brown took out John-Michael Liles on the boards on what appeared to be a clean check. However, the officials disagreed, and Brown was whistled for roughing.

Avery has been hammered several times this game, with no calls from the zebras on the ice. I guess he's paying for past wrongs.

Then, with two minutes left, Kopitar was fed a pretty pass by Frolov to score his fifth of the season, lifting the Kings, 5-2. The four goal outburst was the Kings largest in one period this season, as the Kings go into the locker room up on the scoreboard. They played with more focus and determination this period, and the score shows that.

Second period: Kings 5, Avalanche 2

The Kings are 4-0-2 when leading after two periods. Budaj came in to replace Theodore.

Brett McLean scored a weak goal early in the third to cut the lead to 5-3. Lappy had the assist, along with Patrice Breisbois. The Kings turned around and started pressuring Colorado, which was something they didn't do last game.

However, a holding penalty by Visnovsky led to a quick-wrister by Joe Sakic to make it a one-goal game. Then a penalty by McLean put the Kings back on the power play, and Avery slipped a puck past Budaj for Avery's second of the night. The refs reviewed the goal, probably because it was an Avery goal. Heaven forbid Avery turn over a new leaf this season. But the review was kicked back quickly, and Avery's goal stands. The Kings regained a two-goal lead, 6-4.

The Kings start to ease up off the throttle, as Colorado gets several good chances with less than 3 minutes left in the game. This resulted in a shot by Tyler Arnason going past Cloutier to make it 6-5. Lappy gets another assist.

Colorado pulled their goalie, and then Lappy drew a penalty against Norstrom, letting the Avs to have a power play late in the game. But smart penalty killing by the Kings killed any chance of a tying goal.

Third period: Kings 6, Avalanche 5

Cammalari and Frolov each had three assists. The Kings have outshot their opponents for five straight games. Stars of the game: Sakic, Kopitar and Frolov.

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taken from a screengrab from FOX

One of the illustrious posters over at letsgokings.com made a remarkable discovery on the October 30th episode of FOX's Prison Break. This screengrab shows the last names of four young promising NHL players: Kopitar, Ovechkin, Kotalik and Crosby. Apparently, someone over on the production side of Prison Break is a huge hockey fan.

Posted by Matt Murray at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last loss to the Coyotes left a bad taste in my mouth. Here, the Kings come into Phoenix, a little worse for the wear, but playing the worst team in the league right now. The Coyotes have allowed the most goals in the league, and just have stunk it up this season. This game should have been a good one to win, to go into the two-day break on a high.

And they did reel off a 3-1 lead in the first, causing Gretz to pull CuJo. Things were looking up. But then, as the city's name implies, Phoenix rose from the ashes to bury the Kings with a five goal barrage, leaving those of us watching to think, "What the heck?"

Posted by Matt Murray at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kings goalie Mathieu Garon got the nod against the Coyotes, the team that he shut out earlier this season. He let in an early shot from Shane Doan. That became a harbinger of things to come. Going into the night, he led all goaltenders in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average.

Rookie phenom Anze Kopitar scored a power-play goal on a pretty assist from Blake to tie the game. It was the Kings' first shot of the game. Blake may have lost a step this season, but he showed on the power play that he is still effective in other ways.

The Kings won a draw and the rebound from Kostopoulos trickled in under CuJo, to go up 2-1. Last season, Curtis Joseph just owned the Kings. He was 5-1 against L.A. But he was yanked early in the first by coach Wayne Gretzky. The 'Yotes seemed to be a team in disarray. Kostopoulos has made the most of his minutes lately. He has 6 points in 10 games, and he's averaging only 8 minutes a game. He's been a pleasant surprise.

Even after CuJo got pulled, the Kings kept peppering the new Phoenix goaltender, David LeNeveu with shots. Altogether, the Kings outshot the Coyotes, 43-27. Derek Armstrong added a goal midway through the first to go up 3-1, and the Jobing.com arena was silent. Cammalleri had two assists on the night.

Two quick goals by Phoenix brought some life to the Jobing.com arena. The first from Enver Lisin was reviewed but allowed. The second from Georges Laraque was no question. Sopel was out of position, and Laraque knocked it past Garon. Garon has looked a little shaky, considering he's facing the worst team in the league.

The Kings got a penalty, and Crawford sent out Frolov and Kopitar on the penalty kill. Both of them have been working together on the PK recently, and they seem to work well on killing the penalty. Brown drew another penalty (he has been exceptional at that this season) and guess who was out on the power play? The kid Kopitar.

First period: Kings 3, Coyotes 3

After squandering an early power play, the Kings were unable to clear the zone, and former King Yanic Perreault scored to take a 4-3 lead. A power-play goal from Jovanovski made it 5-3, and Crawford decided to yank Garon. He just wasn't focused tonight. Maybe it was those horrible Coyotes jerseys. Maybe it was the annoying Coyote howl after the 5 goals he let in.

When Cloutier came in, it didn't get any better. A quick score by Perreault made it 6-3, and you could hear television sets all over Southern California flipping over to the UCLA game. Ladislav Nagy had three assists on the game.

This game has been good for everyone on Phoenix who has yet to score this season: Lisin, Perreault and Seidenberg tallied their first goals of 2006-07. It was Lisin's first career goal. So far, they've scored five straight.

Frolov scored the Kings' fourth goal, and was the only tally for the Kings in the second.

Second period: Coyotes 6, Kings 4

The teams settled down starting the third, almost to a crawl. Crawford started to double-shift Kopitar midway through the third. Anze has really settled into his role on the ice. During the Kings PP, Kopitar had several looks, but shot wide. Kopitar led all forwards with 22 minutes and had the most shots out of everyone.

L.A. started pressuring Phoenix, who started to look a little tired. The Coyotes played the Ducks last night, so the Kings were relentess in their attack of the obviously winded opponents. But in their excitement, L.A. was caught with too many men on the ice with less than five minutes to go in the third. L.A. killed the penalty, but it was all for naught.

Final Score: Coyotes 6, Kings 4

Posted by Matt Murray at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to lakings.com, rookie Patrick O'Sullivan, who was touted at the beginning of the season as one of the most NHL-ready rookies, has been reassigned to Manchester.

Although it was no surprise to many, I'm still a little disappointed that he got the hook so soon. The Kings are really not going to contend for the playoffs this season, so this move serves no purpose other than to clear a roster spot for Ayln MacCauley, who should be coming off the DL pretty soon.

With the emergence of Kopitar, O'Sullivan has been relegated to playing on the fourth line. Despite his lack of ice time, he ranks sixth on the team in shots. But since training camp, he hasn't impressed anyone with his play. Many times he seemed out of his element during games.

Let's hope that this doesn't mess with O'Sullivan's head, seeing how the Kings traded their one offensive star, Pavol Demitra, to acquire him.

Posted by Matt Murray at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, as the fans of Staples Center rained down boos from the rafters last night on Cloutier, I started to think. One person shouldn't be getting all the blame. Yet, all I heard from the post-game show were callers ragging on Cloutier not being the best goalie on his team, about how Crawford signed him to a two-year extension and how good Garon has been playing.

I thought to myself, 'Are these callers actual fans? Am I taking crazy pills?'

Yes, Garon has played exceptional well... against teams currently at or under.500. The two times he faced a good team, Dallas, he was beaten both times. He took Anaheim to overtime, and got a point. But lost in the shootout.

Crawford didn't sign Cloutier, Lombardi did. I'm sure Crawdaddy had a say in it, but Deano writes the checks around here.

And Cloutier has played bad, because he's out of shape. He hasn't played full-time in two seasons, and I questioned the extension at the time. It seemed very risky at the time, and it still does. But, if he's done one thing, he's stepped up Garon's intensity. And let me say this: if Garon or LaBarbara had the defense last season that they do this season, we would've made the playoffs. In the past five games, the Kings have outshot their opponents by an avrage of ten shots. Not only that, they've held the opposition to under 30 shots a game. However, Cloutier and Garon still need to make the saves.

So, as I was driving home, collecting my thoughts, I started wondering why other players aren't getting harped on?

Where's Conroy? 0 goals and 3 assists in 15 games and is at -7.

Where's Thorton? 0 goals and 1 assist in 15 games, at -8.

Where's Willsie? 1 goal and 1 assist in 15 games, at -8.

Where's O'Sullivan? When he's not on the bench, 1 goal, 1 assist. He is even in plus/minus. And even playing in 12 games, he's currently sixth on the team in shots. He's taken more shots than Conroy, Thorton and Willsie, as well as Frolov and Armstrong. Honestly, if we're rebuilding.. ahem "reloading"... then let the kids play, for Pete Demers' sake.

If you're gonna pile on Cloutier, then, as Kings fans, you gotta share the blame with some of these other guys.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sid the Kid and The Russian Cub took to the ice at a sold-out Staples Center. There are plenty of supporters for Pittsburgh, as there always seems to be.

Wearing their third jerseys for the second game in a row, the Kings start off with the line that was so impressive last game against the Rangers, Cammalleri-Kopitar-Brown. And it paid off on the first shift: Cammy scored in the first minute to take an early lead.

However, the Staples Center crowd, who was mericless when Dan Cloutier's name was announced as the starter, immediately gave it to the Kings goalie, after he gave up a goal to Jordan Staal. To his credit, it was a tough shot.

Blake and Lubo were paired up once again on defense, although Miller and Norstrom started. I like this matchup, although some disagree.

After Malkin's record goal, loud chants of "We Want Garon" echoed through the arena. The game has been fluid, especially with Weaver and Ivanans scratched.

First period score: Pittsburgh 2, Kings 1

The Kopitar-Cammy-Brown line struck again early in the second, when Brown tied the game with an unassisted goal. Blake added one, set up by Lubo, and the Pens, who seemed to get stronger the longer the period went, showed chinks in the armor.

Both teams found their stride, and the remainder of the period was played pretty even, although the Kings had some great chances. Rob scored a power play goal, to put the Kings ahead. The Kings also did a good job, limiting the amount of shots Cloutier faced. The fewer he has to face, the better.

First period score: Kings 3, Pittsburgh 2

Patrick O'Sullivan has been spotted on the ice. He's actually had a little over 10 minutes, but he's been virtually invisible, as is the case when your on the fourth line. I have a better shot to make it on the ice before O'Sullivan does. He showed some hustle in the third.

An unfortunate bounce tied the game, off Nostrom's skate.

Malkin and Crosby had some sick moves midway through the period. Some tic-tac-toe passing and they almost had a goal. Saying they are good is an understatement. These kids are special.

Third period: Penguins 3, Kings 3

With Norstrom in the box on a questionable call, Crosby and Malkin took to the ice... Gonchar's shot from the point basically gift-wrapped the game to the Penguins, as Malkin slammed it home. So now, Malkin has seven goals in six games. Amazing.

Final score: Penguins 4, Kings 3 in overtime

If you made it down this far, and you liked what you read, drop me a comment. It always nice to know if anyone reads this stuff...

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)