So, the past week has been an off week for us here in Hockeywood. Apparently, some hacker decided to get cute and flood LANG's server, knocking all of insidesocal.com offline for a while. In that span of time, the hockey season has started back up, and a lot has happened in Hockeywood.

On the 26th, the Kings recalled Patrick O'Sullivan and Konstantin Pushkarev from Manchester to start the second half of the season on the big club's roster. Pushkarev was sent down prior to the All-Star break so that he could still remain in playing shape. O'Sullivan has been playing remarkable down in Manchester, firmly entrenched as the club's second-leading scorer. That night against the Vancouver Canucks, O'Sullivan shared the same line as Anze Kopitar, and he impressed everyone with a goal in his first game back. Alexander Frolov continues to pace the Kings in scoring with scoring twice, and Kopitar had two assists in the Kings' win, one assist on Patrick's goal.

But the Kings couldn't capitalize on their good start by dropping the next two games to Edmonton and Calgary. O'Sullivan scored again at Edmonton, and had some solid shifts against the Flames. The loss to Calgary hurt, because prior to the game, L.A. traded center Craig Conroy back to the Flames for Jamie Lundmark, a fourth-round pick in the 2007 draft, and two more draft picks. Conroy turned around and helped batter his former team, 4-1, by chipping in two goals.

The trade of Conroy opened the doors of speculations that L.A. was about to start a small fire sale, moving some expensive veterans in exchange for youth. Rumors started to float that Dean Lombardi was tired of Sean Avery's act, and was actively shopping him. But apparently the asking price for a first-round pick was too steep for everyone. Derek Armstrong, Brent Sopel and Mathieu Garon all have one year left in their contracts, making them viable candidates for trade talks.

It seems that the youth movement is underway in Los Angeles. The Kings are already suiting up three highly-touted rookies in Kopitar, O'Sullivan and Pushkarev, with a few more possibly on the way. Add to that the excitement that MIchigan defenseman Jack Johnson will bring to the club if he decides to join the Kings after the college season is over this season, and Kings fans may be getting a sneak peek of what to expect next season.

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anze Kopitar may have been on the losing team Tuesday, but he made his presence felt throughout the game. Let's make it totally clear right now, this game was nothing more than a exhibition, but I was looking forward to it, because Kopitar would be facing his arch nemesis from Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, who leads him in points for the Calder Trophy.

On his very first shot of his first shift, Kopitar shot the puck past Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen to lift the Western Youngstars to a 1-0 lead. Anze skated into the zone with the puck, then dropped it back to Dallas' Jussi Jokinen. Jokinen passed it over to Shea Weber, who touch-passed back over to Kopitar. Anze buried it and skated off the ice.

Down 2-1, Peter Budaj had stopped the puck, and was trying to handle the puck and pass it out of the zone under pressure. He floated a soft pass over to center ice behind Kopitar, and it looked to be a turnover. But Anze flipped around and picked up the puck skating backward then flipped back forward. He snapped a pass over to hometown entrant Jussi Jokinen, who one-timed it past Lehtonen to tie up the game.

Meanwhile, Evgeni Malkin hasn't figured into any scoring thus far, and he actually threw a check on Colorado's Wojtek Wolski, which illicited a response in the announcer booth. He then took his place cherry-picking, when he caught an outlet pass and skated in one-on-one against Budaj. It looked to be an easy goal, but Budaj stopped it and play continued. Malkin continued to just skate in the faceoff circle and got another outlet pass, and he skated in and tried to feed other Eastern players, but Budaj turned them all away.

The clock is running during this contest, so the three periods of 10 minute play is flying by.

Edmonton's Ladislav Smid was able to disrupt the Eastern team's flow, and kncoked the puck out to a waiting Kopitar, who skated in on Lehtonen. He faked like he was going to snap a wrister, causing Lehtonen to bounce up a bit. Anze then tucked it in and backhanded it under his pads for his second goal of the game.

With the next four goals scored by the East, three of them assisted by New Jersey's Zach Parise, the game was figuring to be a blowout. However, Malkin still hasn't figured in any scoring, hovering around mid-ice and waiting for a pass. Meanwhile, Kopitar was skating in, and trying to feed his linemates, which he pretty much does for the Kings.

He assisted on Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf's two goals of the game, and would have assisted on a third goal by San Jose's Matt Carle wide-open shot, if Carle didn't shoot it wide. Meanwhile, the cherry-picking Malkin had another breakaway, and he attempted to skate in a fake out Budaj. The only person he faked out was himself, as he mishandled the puck into the corner.

So at the end of the game, the final score read 9-8, but the only score I was paying attention to was 5 points (2G, 3A) for Kopitar to zero points for Malkin. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. Like I said, this game was nothing more than an exhibition. But as a Kings fan trapped in a season of dispair, you have to find your victories where you can get them.

Posted by Matt Murray at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The NHL unveiled their new uniform design today, which was met with great anticipation and hullabaloo.

Well, not really.

The announcement kicked off the festivities for All-Star... uh, Midweek? What's the deal with that? Why is the All-Star game on a Wednesday? Who are the wizards that came up with that? But I digress.

NHL commish Gary Bettman took to an elaborate stage to announce the next generation of hockey jerseys designed by the NHL and Reebok. "This is evolution, not revolution," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "It took three years to get this right." According to NHL.com, close to 100 different versions were created in tweaking the jerseys to make it just right. I guess there's saying something in planning. Apparently four different fabrics are used in the new jerseys, which will make the new jerseys lighter, drier, and provide more protection.

To me, it seemed less like an official NHL press conference, and more like a commercial for Reebok. Back in 2004, when Reebok bought Hockey Company Holdings Inc., it provided the athletic shoe company a sort of a hat trick of three of the major sports. They also have deals to provide the NHL and NBA with game jerseys and sell licensed apparel. Ever since I heard Reebok was going to provide the NHL with new uniforms, I knew that they were going to change up the jerseys. They did the same thing with football and basketball.

Not that I had a problem with new jerseys. The current Kings jerseys struck me as weird when I first saw them, with silver-flecked thread and the odd placement of "Los Angeles" at the bottom. The color selction was weird, too. Black and purple? That's the color of bruises, which is appropriate in hockey, I suppose.

Monday's press conference touted the new generation jerseys as a way to bring the sport into the "new era." They even brought out NHL Heir Apparent Sidney Crosby to pump up the new uniform. "I'm pretty picky about my equipment, so I'm probably a good one to test it on." But what else is Sid the Kid going to say? He's been the official spokesman for Reebok hockey since before he strapped on the skates for Pittsburgh.

Don't get me wrong: there's nothing wrong with the NHL updating their uniforms. They should have the best equipment they can to play at the highest possible level. But all this talk of the uniforms being "a system" and making players "quicker" seems hollow. At the press conference, they described the jerseys as "14 percent lighter." A whole 14 percent? You mean it can't get any lighter? Couldn't they find one percent somewhere to round it up to 15? They also said the new jerseys have a nine percent reduction in drag. I'm sorry, but does a jersey that's 14 percent lighter and have nine percent less wind resistance seem pretty minute?

The jerseys are apparently water resistant, which will make the jerseys lighter at the end of the game, because they won't be bogged down in sweat. I just hope that blood will still stay on the jersey. The socks are different, too. According to the snazzy new Reebok site, tape will become a thing of the past, because the new socks are tighter, hugging the pads tighter. Whatever. I never heard any complaints of players upset about having to tape up their socks.

The real excitement will be when they actually unveil the new jersey designs for the clubs. There has been plenty of speculation that fans of the Original Six will rise up if the unis of their favorite team is drastically changed. Already, several teams have been forward-thinking enough to design jerseys that will be incorporated into the new uniform design. Just last Friday, the Blue Jackets announced that they will be changing the logo on the front of the home and away jerseys next season. What will the Kings do? You've seen my proposed designs. I imagine that they won't be too far off of that.

Whatever happens, Reebok looks to make a mint off of this deal. For a fan to purchase an authentic RBK Edge personalized jersey, it will run them $425, as opposed to $280 now being charged for an authentic personalized jersey from NHL.com. Personally, I may pick up a replica. But truth be told, I'm going to wait until the current jerseys go on sale, then go on a little spending spree. Can you say Kopitar authentic?

Posted by Matt Murray at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All of Staples was abuzz with the real reason a capacity crowd came out for two bottom-dwelling teams. As far as you could see were fans donning Robitaille jerseys. Old school forum gold and purple jerseys, the black and white Gretzky-era jerseys, and current Crown and Shield jerseys. I even spotted an old school Campbell Conference All-Star jersey during warmups. It was appropriate to see all the jerseys, because Luc was the only player in Kings history to play in the most variations of the Kings jersey.

During warmups, every King player was wearing a number 20 jersey. His number was behind both goals, banners stretched across several sections, and a big Thank You Luc was placed under the Kings bench. The giveaway tonight were little Luc banners, and Team LA had special items commemorating the event.

At center ice, a big stage was placed with his name and number, where the Master of Ceremonies Bob Miller stood. As soon as the lights went out to show the video montage of Luc's career, the fans were calling out "LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC!" Season Ticket holders lined the red carpet running out to center ice, all wearing different Luc jerseys. As names from the past came strolling down the carpet, the fans lustifully cheered (in some cases booed). Wayne Gretzky got the loudest response. Luc's dad fell to the ice, but was O.K. Miller made the comment that "They say Luc couldn't skate either."

As the second video montage ended, Miller introduced Luc to the throngs, and the place exploded with "LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC." Derek Armstrong said he could still hear Luc's two favorite words: "I'm open!" Matty Norstrom skated over from the bench and stated that even though he was known as "Lucky Luc," there was nothing lucky about him. Jim Fox recalled Luc's first training camp, and how he knew Luc was something special. He also spoke of Luc's love for the game, and how it transcended fellow players, coaches, and fans. Barry Melrose recalled a story about Luc and some other Kings taking out Alexei Zhitnik from Russia out to a gentlemen's establishment. Luc was "thoughtful enough" to bring a camera so he could send pictures to his mother back in Russia. He also spoke about Luc's loyalty to his team and friends. He also said that when fans came to see Luc, they never felt cheated. "Every time I watched Luc Robitaille play, he reminded me of why I love this game so much," he said.

The Kings presented Luc with a Steve Holland painting. Holland's art regularly appears on the covers of the King's “Game Night‿ magazine. Also the Kings' private offices at the Staples Center look like a one man gallery of his work. He was the artist who painted the picture for Wayne Gretzky when he retired. Luc also got a 2007 Toyota Tundra truck for his home in Park City, Utah. He also received two Polaris snowmobiles custom designed by West Coast Choppers' Jesse James. Noticed the excitement on Luc's sons' faces, Miller cracked that they might be more excited for the snowmobiles than him.

After a third video montage, Luc took the microphone. Luc said that it wasn't about scoring or winning trophys. It was just about playing hockey. Ever the gentleman, Luc went down the line and thanked every friend who came out. It took quite a bit, as there were close to 30 past players. He recalled many funny stories involving former players. He commented how he was scared to death of Marty McSorley, because he wasn't so sure what he was going to do.

He summed up his speech, which went about a half-hour longer than alloted: "I lived the dream. I heard your chants every time I touched the puck. And I'll take this until the day I die."

With that, the standing-room capacity of Staples gave Luc a roaring round of applause and more booming "LUUUUUUUUC" calls as he went and hugged his family. Then, he ushered his wife Stacia and their two sons over to the face-off circle. There, his two sons helped raise his jersey high into the rafters, as it was lifted from the ice high above Staples. There wasn't a seat in the house occupied.

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There was actually a game played Saturday night, after the hour-long retirement ceremony of Luc Robitaille.

Michael Cammallari fed Alexander Frolov early in the first to give the Kings an early lead. It was Frolov's 24th of the season, and brought all the butts out of the seats. Adding to his team-high 47 points, Frolov has settled on the line with Cammy and Armstrong, and that line has been very productive.

Anze Kopitar had one hell of a goal, when he scored short-handed to make it 2-0. Kopitar checked Travis Roche just as he was trying to get rid of the puck, and took it into the length of the ice, deking Mikael Tellqvist out of his skates for his 13th of his season. It was a tremendous goal that received a tremendous ovation from the sold-out Staples Center crowd.

A late goal by Josh Gratton brought the Coyotes to one. It was Gratton's first goal of the season.

First period: Kings 2, Coyotes 1

The Kings and Coyotes went back and forth to start the second. However, Lubomir Visnovsky was injured midway through the period, and hobbled over to the bench. The fans all held their collective breath, as he has been solid on the blueline. However, several shifts later, he returned to the ice.

During each stoppage of play, they showed a highlight from Luc's career. And there has been a lot of stoppage. Two times, the crew had to come out and fix the glass. Assorted scuffles and commercial breaks really dragged the game on. Considering the actual game didn't start until 8:30, The fans, all 18,346 of them, seemed to be in good form.

Second period: Kings 2, Coyotes 1

Whether it be the late start or each period found the Kings slower and slower, the Coyotes scored twice in the third period to put a downer on the evening's festivities.

SEan Burke had to be replaced by Yakuta Fukufuji midway through the period, due to dehydration. And the Coyotes feasted on the rookie's inexperience in the net at the NHL level.

Ladislav Nagy struck first when he snapped in a wrist shot from the top of the right circle to tie the game. Then Travis Roche got the game-winner from right above the right circle, when his shot ricocheted off defenseman Mattias Norstrom's skate with under two minutes to play.

Third period: Coyotes 3, Kings 2

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So today is the day that Luc Robitaille's jersey gets hoisted to the rafters of Staples Center. Technically, it's not really in the "rafters", but rather on the wall. But that doesn't sound very impressive. "Tonight, the Los Angeles Kings honored the greatest left winger of all time by putting his jersey... on the wall." Walls are for paintings, clocks, dart boards. Jerseys should hang in the middle of the arena. But this is a holdover from the Fabulous Forum, which doesn't make too much sense. There's nothing but room in the middle of Staples, minus the huge scoreboard.

But I digress. Luc's retirement ceremony has allowed sportswriters to wax poetic about the man, myth and legend. Here's a few that I found interesting:

First, Wes Goldstein from CBSSportsline.com wrote a nice piece on Luc's career, starting with how he got his nickname "Lucky."

"Tiger Williams started calling me that after (his first game)," recalled "Lucky Luc," who will have his No. 20 retired by the Kings on Saturday. "I was a kid, living in the biggest house at Marcel's (Dionne), driving his Mercedes and then I score a goal right away, so he thought I was lucky."

Sports Illustrated did a nice photo gallery spanning Luc's career over on SI.com, the hardest image is one of Luc hoisting the Stanley Cup... as a Red Wing.

At KingsRadio.net, over two hours of audio interviews with Luc and others talking about No. 20 can be heard. Jimmy Carson, Tom Webster, Pat Brisson, and Detroit play-by-play announcer Ken Kal are included. Also, Luc's most recent interview on KLAC with Money and Petros just yesterday.

TSN.ca has a nice write-up of Luc. In it, Luc recalls on some of the first celebrities he met:

"Chad Lowe came to see us after a game with his brother Rob," said Robitaille. "And Melissa Gilbert was with them. I was a big fan of Little House on the Prairie. She came in the dressing room with those guys, and she saw every guy walking around naked in the dressing room and I'll never forget, she stepped backward about five feet so fast. "We were like, 'Hey, that's the girl from Little House on the Prairie."

Someone uploaded a Luc retrospective over on YouTube.com from Fox Sports last season. Another notable entry was this photo flashback of Luc's career. Two nice bits of video that are a nice reminder of just how great Luc was.

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to the New York Post, the NHL will unveil the much-feared new Reebok jerseys at a press event on Wednesday. The jerseys are described as tighter, sleeker and way different than the sweater-type jerseys being worn today. It's made of a new-fangled material to draw moisture away, and allow for a greater range of motion.

But read what some Sharks players said about the new jerseys, when several of them didn't exactly blast the new jerseys, but didn't give them two thumbs up either. And the new unis aren't just limited to new jerseys. They are also redesigning the socks players wear.

Among the reasons cited as pros for the new duds: performance and protection. Protection in the way that the tighter fit will hold pads in place better than the looser CCM ones. Performance in that the new material is lighter and doesn't absorb water. But if the jersey doesn't absorb sweat, just where exactly is it going to go?

Since the new threads are described as a "Performance Fit Uniform System," I just have a vision of a small flask hidden somewhere in the waist of the hockey pants, connected to tubes under the armpits. Sweat is absorbed throughout the jersey and drawn into these tubes, where it gets collected into the flask. What to do with all the collected perspiration? Why not market a sports drink?

Whatever they look like, here's two things that are intriguing. According to Andy Strickland from ESPN 1380 in St. Louis: 1) home teams are going back to wearing white/light jerseys and 2) there will be no third jerseys. The home whites may take some of the pressure off the new jerseys, but the deletion of the third jersey is a little disappointing. I prefer the purple third jerseys the Kings wear now, as opposed to the black jerseys. Black and white jerseys are so boring. I would hope that the road jerseys... er, "Performance Fit Uniform System"... for the Kings is actually purple and not black.

Another concern is whether or not the NHL has decided to actually change the crest of some NHL clubs.
According to Strickland, the design of each club's logo hasn't been changed, only shrunk slightly. I think this isn't a bad thing, considering the Kings Crown on the jerseys now feel like a Kevlar vest. That may be a plus for hockey players, but it does feel a bit odd when I hop into the car to head to the store, and try to put a seatbelt on over this bullet-proof material.

Here's USA Today commenting on the new jerseys...

The NHL and Reebok have been designing and testing the new uniforms for 30 months. That quiet period has spawned several myths, Jennings told USA TODAY. No, NHL players won't wear form-fitting garb like Olympic speedskaters. No, the new uniforms won't eliminate horizontal stripes, although some clubs will experiment with vertical striping next season.[/quote]

The Toronto Star's story, which is accompanied by this pretty picture...

And the Sabres' new duds won't change too much (at the bottom of the article)

Many teams will be changing designs because horizontal stripes at the bottom of the jersey will either disappear or diminish. The Sabres were made aware of the upcoming changes, so their jersey does not have stripes at the bottom. The new sweaters will have different cuts and seams under the arms and along the sides.

Being a bit of an artist, I took some examples of the new RBK designs and applied what I think the new Kings jer... um, "Performance Fit Uniform System"... could look like. The basic design looks like the practice jerseys the team is selling down at team LA. They aren't horrible, but they are a far cry from the jerseys I've grown to love and collected, which has ballooned to 20 this season with the addition of a Luc Robitaille jersey I received from Santa Claus. I'm still debating picking up an Anze Kopitar jersey before they stop making them altogether.

What do you think of my proposed designs? I'd like to hear other opinions about the new jerseys.

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last 48 hours for the Los Angeles Kings has been a tough one. In one fell swoop, both starting goaltenders for the Kings have been rendered useless, thanks to injuries. Therefore, the dwindling playoff hopes fall on the shoulders of Barry Brust, whose last victory came against the Phoenix Coyotes on Nov. 30. Also added to the mix is Japanese netminder Yutaka Fukufuji, an emergency call-up from Manchester. Fukufuji only has 3 games under his belt in the AHL, and 12 games down in the ECHL.

Anze Kopitar has had some good luck against the Blues this season. He has scored a goal and three assists in two meetings with St. Louis, comes in with a three game scoring streak. Also announced today was the addition of Lubomir Visnovsky to the Western All-Star team as a reserve.

Michael Cammallari got the scoring started for the Kings, when he put one in past Manny Legace. Cammallari gets knocked down skating into the zone, but had the presense of mind to get the puck to Derek Armstrong. Armstrong holds on to the puck, as Cammy gets to his feet. Cammallari gets the puck back and skates out just a bit, putting the puck on goal, and it squeaks past Legace for Cammy's 17th goal of the season.

Michael Cammallari got the scoring started for the Kings, when he put one in past Manny Legace. Cammallari gets knocked down skating into the zone, but had the presense of mind to get the puck to Derek Armstrong. Armstrong holds on to the puck, as Cammy gets to his feet. Cammallari gets the puck back and skates out just a bit, putting the puck on goal, and it squeaks past Legace for Cammy's 17th goal of the season.

The Blues come right back, when Martin Rucinsky scores a power play goal to tie the game for the Blues. Raitis Ivanans got whistled for interfering with Doug Weight. And the Kings penalty kill proved lackluster again. Doug Weight fed Dennis Wideman a one-timer, which hit the post. Brust almost made the save, but Rucinsky was there for the rebound off the post for his 11th of the season.

The Kings came right back, as Craig Conroy took the puck and passed it to Ivanas. After taking the puck behind the goal line, he fed Tom Kostopoulos for a one-timer. TK beat Legace over the shoulder for his fifth goal of the season, and the Kings are up, 2-1.

Coming off both teams switching up lines, St. Louis' Barret Jackman flipped the puck out of St. Louis' zone, and it landed right in front of Dan Hinote. Hinote knocked it over to Jay McClement, who blasted it past Brust's glove to tie the game again. All this with one minute left in the period.

The Kings outshot the Blues in the first, 11-7, and won 14 faceoffs, to St. Louis' 4. But the score is tied as we go to intermission. This is NBC's first Game Of The Week telecast, and the announcers were from St. Louis. You never know what you have until you go without, and it was brutal trying to listen to new announcers. Not so much that they are homers for the Blues, but that they hardly called the game. Bob Miller, Jim Fox... I love you guys.

First period: Kings 2, Blues 2

Rob Blake was hit in the face by Lee Stempniak's skate in the first period, and went back into the locker room. He received 20 stitches to his face, and was out there for the second period. And not a moment too soon, as Blake's second shift of the period resulted in a goal. Konstantin Pushkarev got the puck on the right side of the rink, and fed it back to a waiting Blake, whose slapshot flew past Legace for the Kings' third lead of the game. It was Blake's second even strength goal of the season. Anze Kopitar and Pushkarev each got an assist on the play. Pushkarev now has 3 points in four games, and Kopitar has had an assist in four straight games.

Conroy gets two minutes for interference, then 45 seconds later, Brian Willsie was whistled for tripping. So the Kings go down two men, handing the Blues a great opportunity. Keith Tkachuk took advantage of the power play, when he redirected a Wideman shot to tie the game a third time.

It was about this time when I realized that after a Blues goal, a bell tolls in the arena, signaling the number of goals St. Louis has in the goal. Everyone starts chanting the number with each toll. Couple that with the annoying "When The Saints Go Marhcing In" song on the organ, and I have to say that's about the most annoying goal celebration I have ever heard. Next to the Ducks, of course.

Lee Stempniak, who apparently only uses wood sticks, lift the Blues when he steals the puck away from a flailing Brent Sopel, skates in and puts one past Brust. The Blues now have their first lead in the game, and that annoying bell and resulting chants grow louder.

But then Mattias Norstrom ties the game when he gets a pretty pass from Anze Kopitar. Kopitar gets the puck mid-ice, and skates in, moving the puck deftly from side to side. As he turned the corner, he quickly sent the puck over to a charging Norstrom, who one-timed it past Legace to tie it up.

Doug Weight scored to break the tie, to give St. Louis five goals this game. He blasts one past Brust, which looked pretty weak. They was no one in front to screen him, and Brust looks dejected. So now, the attention turned to Fukufuji, who was an emergency call-up from Manchester when Mathieu Garon went down with a finger injury. After Brust's fifth goal, the cameras kept showing Fukufuji, who looked really nervous. And rightfully so, since he just arrived early today after being snowed in Cleveland on his way to St. Louis. He has only played in two AHL games and 10 ECHL games. I'd be nervous too.

The shots were even through two periods, but the Kings keep winning faceoffs, now at a two-to-one clip. But winning faceoffs are no good when you are down a man.

Second period: Blues 5, Kings 4

As expected, Fukufuji started the third period and made history as the first Japanese player to play in the NHL. HIs first save was a brilliant one against Eric Brewer, when he stopped him point blank.

The Kings didn't really do Fukufuji any favors, as they got whistled twice for penalties. On the second Blues' power play, Dennis Wideman scores a goal, giving him three points in the game.

But Blake brought the Kings within one, when he crashed the net and popped in his second goal of the game.

Crawford pulled Fukufuji with a minute to go, but was unable to get the tying goal, as the Blues continue their torrid pace. The Kings head to the locker room on the wrong end of scoring five goals. An exciting game to watch, as there were 11 goals scored.

The Kings managed to limit the Blues shots to five in the third, while putting the puck on net a dozen times. And the Kings soundly beat the Blues in the faceoff circle. But the defense was lax, as well as some soft goals given up by Brust. Not that it solely rests on any one player's shoulders. This team is a young one, and I wouldn't be surprised if the inevitable house cleaning takes place sooner rather than later.

Third period: Blues 6, Kings 5

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to reports, Dan Cloutier had season-ending surgery on his hip. Even though he ranked last in the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, it's still disheartening to see a player have his season, let alone his career, possibly end.

But then the news came down that Mathieu Garon was injured in the Kings loss to the Sharks Thursday. On Friday, it was announced that Garon would be placed on IR, and Kings prospect goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji from Manchester was brought up on an emergency basis. Garon, who was spotted wearing a splint on his right index finger at Meet The Players Tuesday, was asked how his injury was, he replied "Not well."

The news that the Kings are down to Barry Brust and Fukufuji made the news of Jason LaBarbera playing well just that much more frustrating. LaBarbera, who was sent down at the beginning of the NHL season, is having a stellar season for the Monarchs in the AHL. With 19 wins and 13 losses, Labs led the league in minutes played and number of saves made. On Jan. 9th, LaBarbera was tabbed to represent the Kings' farm club in the AHL All-Star team.

So now, the Kings are going into their three game road trip at St. Louis, Dallas and Atlanta with two relatively unproven goaltenders. Not that the Kings had a realistic chance of making the playoffs. Los Angeles is dead last in the West, allowing the most goals in the league. They are second to last in killing penalties. Things are not good for the immediate future for Kings fans.

At least, not at first glance. All hope is not lost. The arrival of Konstantin Pushkarev has been a pleasant surprise for Kings fans, where in three games, he already has a goal and an assist. He was put on the line of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, and that line has clicked. Add to that the soild play of Alexander Frolov, Michael Cammallari and Lubomir Visnovsky, and you can see the pieces falling in place for this club. In the wings, we have Jack Johnson, who is still playing for Michigan but could join the big club sometime after March 16 at the very soonest.

Patrick O'Sullivan, who started the season up in Los Angeles, is having a good year for Manchester. He's currently ranked second in points for the Monarchs, and was also announced as an All-Star for the AHL. He was sent down for some more seasoning i the minors, and it seems to be doing him good.

So, we're getting a sneak peak at the future for the Los Angeles Kings a little sooner than expected. And even though I'm a little disheartened at all the big news that has come out today, I'm encouraged that we're giving some of these younger players a chance to see if they are indeed ready to play at the NHL level.

Posted by Matt Murray at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings have played the Sharks 6 times already this season, with two of those games victories. Thing is, each victory was backstopped by a different goalie: Dan Cloutier beat them on Nov. 13, Barry Brust beat them nearly a month later on Dec. 14. Mathieu Garon lost his first matchup with Sam Jose on Nov. 9. Can he register his first win tonight at Staples?

Patrick Marleau actually has a better chance of becoming the Sharks all-time leading goal scorer tonight. He is currently tied with Owen Nolan for most goals as a Shark. Early this season, he broke records for games played, assists and points.

Also, the goaltending of San Jose has been solid, thanks to the game-by-game switching of goalies. Vesa Toskola and Evgeni Nabakov have nearly the same stats, with Toskola the slight advantage. The Kings' goaltending woes are well-known, especially in this blog. Things got a little grimmer for Los Angeles, when it was reported that Dan Cloutier will have surgery on his hip on Friday, effectively ending his season.

There was no scoring in the first period, as the Kings only managed a paltry six shots in the first period. The Kings dodged two bullets, when Craig Conroy was called for tripping league MVP Joe Thornton and Sean Avery got two minutes for high-sticking. If L.A. keeps getting called, it will bite them in the rear.

First period: Kings 0, Sharks 0

MIchael Cammallari finally started the scoring the second period, when he batted an assist from Anze Kopitar to make it, 1-0. Sharks defensman Christian Ehrhoff was trying to clear the zone, but the puck was held in by Anze Kopitar held it in. He quickly passed it over to Dustin Brown, who wound up and took a shot. It went just left, and the puck bounced around in front of the crease. Kopitar got his stick on it, but not enough to control it, and it trickled to Cammallari, who knocked it in past Toskola.

However, the lead evaporated when Mark bell tied it up two minutes later. Just coming out of the penalty box for tripping, Bell was fed by Scott Hannan. He skated in, and was able to put one past Garon to tie it up. The goal quieted a hopeful Staples Center crowd.

The league's best power unit struck again when Milan Michalek scored a power play to break the tie, 2-1. Sean Avery had been called for slashing Mike Grier, so the league's second-worst penalty kill took to the ice. 15 seconds in, Jonathon Cheechoo takes the puck and tries to wrap it around the net and past Garon. The puck bounces to Michalek, who backhands it past Garon for his 12th goal.

Kopitar had a brilliant play when he took fellow 19-year-old rookie Marc-Edouard Vlasic into the boards.Both players were behind the Sharks goal, and Kopitar tattooed Vlasic into the boards, causing his helmet to pop off and slide around the ice. Giving up several incehs and about 25 pounds, Vlasic's face was visibly grimacing when he got to his skates. The Kings were able to sustain some pressure, but Toskola turned them away.

Joe Pavelski took a shot on Garon, but Garon was unable to keep the puck in his glove. It popped out, and went to Patrick Marleau, who backhanded it through traffic and into the Kings net to make it 3-1 Sharks. And with that goal, Patrick Marleau scored his 207th goal wearing the teal and white, becoming San Jose's all-time goal scorer.

The Kings were outshot for the second straight period, as the pricision of San Jose carved them up. Doesn't it seem many players either get their first NHL goal or achieve some milestone in their career against the Kings?

Second period: Sharks 3, Kings 1

Ryan Klowe continued the onslaught of Sharks goals seven minutes in the third. Marleau shoots on goal, as the rebound heads over to the far boards. There, Klowe fired a wrister toward the net and in to make it four unanswered goals for San Jose.

However, rookie phenom Kopitar halts the Sharks offensive juggernaut a bit, when he scored to make it a two goal game. San Jose's Ehrhoff once again turned the puck over in the zone, as Kopitar spun and skated toward the net. He quickly passed it over to fellow rookie Konstantin Pushkarev, who touch-passed it right back to Anze. Kopitar was able to get enough of his stick on the puck to redirect it on goal, off Toskola and in. The physical element of Kopitar's game has certainly come into focus this game, who now has 39 points on the season, and is two behind Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the leading rookie scorer.

The Kings pulled the goalie with less than two minutes to go, and the Sharks' Patrick Rissmiller scored an empty-netter to make it 5-2. The Kings drop their second game in a row, and start a three game road trip starting Saturday at St. Louis.

The game on Saturday is the first national game for Los Angeles this season. The matchup will also be the first against former head coach Andy Murray.

Third period:Sharks 5, Kings 2

Posted by Matt Murray at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Staples Center fans give Mathieu Garon a rousing round of applause when he's announced as the starter. Garon has been on fire, winning four out of his last five contests. Tonight, the Kings are going for their first three-game win streak. Dwayne Roloson gets the start.

In his first shift of the night, rookie Konstantin Pushkarev dumps Jan Hedja into the Edmonton bench. Pushkarev is playing in his second game this season, after being a minus-2 in the Kings' last game against the Red Wings. The check wound up being NHL.com's Frozen Moment for Monday.

The Kings get the first power play when Ryan Smth gets called for hooking. They manage only one shot on the power play, continuing a trend from last game. Meanwhile, the Oilers have had three breakaways in the game thus far.

Roloson gets a penalty for delay of game, when he plays the puck outside "the trapezoid" behind the net. Honestly, I never thought I would use "trapezoid" in a sentence since my ninth grade geometry class. I want to give my teach, Mrs. Haack, a shoutout for telling me that some people actually do use "trapezoid" in their lives. Now, I am one of them.

The Kings go down two men, when Oleg Tverdosky gets whistled for a penalty. But the Kings kill it off with authority, as Brown skates in and puts a shot on goal. To put an exclamation point on it, he checks an Oiler player behind the net, earning a loud cheer from Staples Center.

The Kings are putting so many shots, Roloson is getting frustrated. At one point, in an attempt to clear the zone, Roloson grabs the puck, and tries to clear it himself, by popping it out with his stick. But Frolov holds it in, and the Kings continue their assault.

The Kings have almost doubled the shots of Edmonton, and has looked very solid on the defensive end.

First period: Kings 0, Oilers 0

After a quick jaunt down to the main concourse, I wandered into Team L.A., just to check out any new stuff. I just wanted to let everyone know that they have plenty of Rogie Vachon jerseys on sale for 10 bucks.

Garon makes a spectacular save on Shawn Horcoff, igniting the docile crowd. Sean Avery gets nailed by an Oiler player, but nothing gets called. However, Brian Willsie gets called for hooking. Avery skates around, trying to plead his case, but everyone leaves him alone. On the resulting power play, Jarret Stoll scores on a cross-ice pass from Ales Hemsky through traffic to make it 1-0.

The Oilers are buzzing, but Garon stays solid. They pass the two minute mark after the Stoll goal, which is good, since they have a knack of giving up quick goals. Roloson, challenged in the first period, hasn't had to make too many saves in the second, as the Oilers have outshot the Kings 9-3 with less than half a period to go.

Avery gets a holding penalty, and he just quietly skates over to the box. Marc-Andre Bergeron takes a weicked shot, but Garon snaps it out of the air. The Kings successfully kill the penalty, and Avery exits the box withg a full head of steam. He skates into the zone, and passes it over to Frolov, who had Roloson beat on the backhand. But he misses, much to the chagrin of the crowd.

The Kings get a power play in the last two minutes of the period, when Jason Smith gets two minutes for tripping. But the Kings can't get anything rolling, as the Oilers kill the penalty. A lone fan up in the nosebleeds yells out "Sopel, you suck!" which garners a few snickers from the press box.

The Oilers held the Kings to three shots, while unloading 15, as Edmonton goes to the locker room up a goal. It seems that the Kings got away from what was working in the first period, and maybe Crawford can light a fire under the team in the third.

Second period: Oilers 1, Kings 0

The ice around the Kings goal seems to be sloppy, as Garon flops to the ice as the Oilers take the puck in the zone. He is able to regain his balance well enough to stop a couple scoring chances.

Frolov had a brilliant chance, right smack dab in the crease, with no one to beat but Roloson. But Rolo came up huge on Frolov's backhand.

The Kings finally put one on the board as rookie Konstintin Pushakarev redirects a Visnovsky shot from the point for his first NHL goal. Anze Kopitar also gets an assist on the goal. The crowd erupts when Pushkarev's name is announced.

The Pushkarev goal wakes up the fans of Staples Center as they drop the puck, all tied up at 1-1. Push is on the same line as Brown and Kopitar, and he's looked good out there this game. If the Kings do decide to pull the trigger on some trades to bring in prospects, at least some of the players from the farm clubs look as if they can fill in.

The Kings go on the power play when Jason Smith gets called for hooking. Even after several great chances by Los Angeles, they are now 0-for-5 on the night. The Kings kill off a late penalty, with the Frolov line staying out the entire time. Toward the end of the extended shift, Frolov looked winded as he made his way to the bench. Garon smothers a puck to kill an Oiler rush, as time winds down.

And we're going to OVERTIME!

Third period: Kings 1, Oilers 1

Garon can only do so much, as Jan Hedja scores his first of the season on a redirection of a Ryan Smyth shot. The Staples Center files out, dejected, as the chance to win three in a row are dashed.

Overtime: Oilers 2, Kings 1

A "Hockeywood" sighting: Anthony Michael Hall made his way to watch the Kings take the ice for warmups before the game. Why is it that most Hollywood stars who go to the games never... NEVER wear a Kings jersey?

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings' chief nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings, are in town, and Staples Center is sold out. Not only do the fans come out to see the hated Wings, but it was also KROQ Tailgate, so fans were warmed up. Maybe they all felt they needed some libations to view the game, which, for all intensive purposes, should be a bloodbath. Detroit is coming off a 9-4 shellacking by the San Jose Sharks. The Kings haven't defeated the Red Wings since 2002.

The Red Wings score first, when Kris Draper walks in and has the puck hit him in the skate, then the stick, past Mathieu Garon for Detroit's first tally. The score seemed to really quiet the racous crowd. Maybe because they were all taking shots after that goal to numb the pain.

Surprisingly, the Kings didn't allow a goal within two minutes this time, as they lock down. Both teams have to work for shots, and at the end of the first, L.A. only has seven shots. But the score stands, as we head toward intermission.

First period: Red Wings 1, Kings 0

The start of the second period found the Kings down yet another goal. 14 seconds in, the Kings fail to clear their zone, and Mikael Samuelsson puts one past a stunned Garon to make it 2-0, Red Wings. One good thing about the play was Norstrom laying down, taking away a potential pass, causing Samuelsson to shoot. Unfortunately, the shot went in.

The Wings are peppering Garon with shots, but he keeps putting up solid saves. But the Kings start shooting the puck more as well. Armstrong fed Norstrom with a sweet between-the-legs passm but the Wings collapse down and take the play away.

Lubomir takes the puck in the Kings zone and skates hard into Detroit's end. He powers past Kronwell and looks like he's going to skate behind the goal. Instead, he takes a swipe at the last second, and puts the puck past Osgood for the Kigs first score. Visnovsky has scored five goals in his last five games, and is cementing himself as a lock to make the All-Star team if he continues to play like that.

Less than two minutes later, the Kings strike again. Brian Willsie battles in the corner with a Wing player, and seemingly passes over to Avery. Avery is charging the net, so the puck sort of bounces around. Sensing an opportunity, Blake decides to drive the net. He smacks it with a quick wrister to knot it all up at 2-2. The stars must be aligned for the Kings, because instead of giving up goals in bunches, they are now scoring them in bunches. Willsie gets the assist. The Kings are now energized with every shift. Visnovsky nearly scores again on the next shift, but narrowly misses the goal.

James Caan is at the game tonight, which is worth noting. Caan, of course, starred in the 1975 movie Rollerball. But did you know that Kings announcer Bob Miller made his Hollywood debut in that movie, starring in an uncredited part as, what else, a game announcer.

The Red Wings may be outshooting the Kings, but the momentum has shifted to L.A. Instead of playing discouraged, the Kings have maintained a hard nose approach to the game, playing consistant and putting the puck on the net.

Second period: Kings 2, Red Wings 2

The action is pretty steady throughout the third. The game is heading toward overtime, when the Kings catch a break. The Kings go on the power play for the fifth time in the game, when Mathieu Schneider hooks Anze Kopitar, who was bsuy skating past Detroit player like they were CalTrans cones. The Kings set up, and start passing around the horn, when Cammallari, tired of passing, decides to shoot. Danny Markov gets his stick down to deflect it, but it winds up redirecting the puck past Osgood, to put the Kings up with less than three minutes to go in the game.

The Wings pull Osgood, to try and tie it up, but Sean Avery puts in an empty netter to put the Kings up two goals. A capacity Staples Center really starts to respond, as fans are standing on their feet, counting down the seconds. And as the horn sounds, the fans erupt.

Garon gets the win, his fifth out of six games. He has been brilliant in goal in place of Mike Cloutier. The Kings finally knock off Detroit for the first time in four years. And Staples Center is rocking like it was a playoff game. And since the Kings are way on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in, you have to choose your spots to get excited.

Another Hollywood star sighting: West Coast Choppers owner and L.B. original Jesse James is at the game with his lovely wife, Sandra Bullock. Sitting with them, the only guy who has put Steve Yzerman in a rap song, and uber Detroit fan, Kid Rock. Rock was sporting a black practice Wings jersey. At the end of the game, both James and Bullock were seen giving Rock a hard time about his team losing. Rock just tugs on a sweatshirt before exiting his seat.

Third period: Kings 4, Red Wings 2

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

What does that mean? I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot'? Does that mean that we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we happened to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot?

Well, with apologies to Billy Crystal (who stated that question back in 1989 in the movie When Harry Met Sally), the Kings are hoping to forget everything that has happened to them the past year. They have found the scoring touch in the early part of the season, but defensive lapses and suspect goaltending continues to plague the club. Another problem the Kings have is playing from behind. They have allowed the first goal in the last eight games.

Blue Jackets coming off best month in franchise's history, with nine wins in December. Their new coach, Ken Hitchcock, has the team believing in his system. Hired in November, Hitchcock has seemingly motivated the moody Sergei Federov, averaging a point a game the past month.

The line of Anze Kopitar, Mike Cammallari and Dustin Brown has a great shift, where Kopitar makes a nifty pass behind the back to start a Kings run. Several shots later, Columbus is whistled for a penalty. But the power play comes up flat.

A second power play is neutralized by a Craig Conroy hooking penalty, so they skate four-on-four. Lubomir Visnovsky passes the puck up to Derek Armstrong, who jets into the zone. He skates past Duvie Westcott, and puts the puck on goal, but Fredrik Norrena can't contain the puck. Cammallari coasts in and backhands the rebound past Norrena for the Kings' first goal of the game. Cammy's goal was the first time in nine games that the Kings have led to start the game.

The Blue Jackets has only 2 shots in the first 12 minutes of the period. They wind up with 7, but the Kings have clamped down on the Blue Jackets. Garon has been solid, although he didn't really face but a few real scoring chances.

First period: Kings 1, Blue Jackets 0

The second period, there is no scoring. Both teams take 10 shots. But the on-going story has to be the Kings' inability to score with the man-advantage. So far they are 0-for-5 on the power play, which is uncharacteristic of the team as of late. However, they are playing a tighter defensive game, which is something that they haven't been doing. I would gladly trade the Kings' lofty PP percentage ranking for a more complete defensive game. But it's still frustrating when your club has an extra man and they can't put it in, especially at home.

Second period: Kings 1, Blue Jackets 0

Kopitar almost redirects a Rob Blake pass past Norrena , but comes thisclose before Norrena plops down and stops the puck.

Brent Sopel clears out the puck during a Columbus barrage, and Sean Avery wins a foot race over Westcott. Avery immediately passes it to an open Frolov, for a quick two-on-one action. Frolov feeds the puck under the stick of a crouching Westcott to Avery, who one-times it past Norrena for his third goal in five games.

Late in the third, the Kings, after getting nine chances with the man-advantage, the Kings finally score a power play goal. Cammallari skates around the zone with the puck, and fake-passes to Blake. He shoots from the blue line, and the Norrena makes the save. But the puck is lost in the ensuing scuffle, and Visnovsky digs it out and pops it in for the score. Frolov actually gets his skate on the puck, shielding it from Norrena, and gets an assist on the play. With that assist, Frolov now has his fifth multi-point game in a row.

The Blue Jackets, now faced with a three-goal deficit, seemingly throw in the towel, and the Kings get the win. Mathieu Garon gets his second shutout of the season. Kopitar is shut out for the third straight game, matching his longest drought this season. But I wouldn't worry about Anze. After his last drought, he responded with scoring seven points (4 G, 3A) in the four games afterward.

Third period: Kings 3, Blue Jackets 0

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These jerseys are being worn by the Reading Royals, the L.A. Kings' ECHL affiliate, New Years Day against the Dayton Bombers. Yes, they are jerseys that are designed to look like tuxedos. But what is the deal with the arrow pointing down?

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)