Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Kings punk Ducks in season opener
The Kings and the Anaheim Ducks finally drop the puck on the 2007-08 season, as they meet up in the O2 Arena in London. The playing surface itself is three feet shorter, but it's the neutral zone that takes the hit.
19-year-old goaltender Jonathan Bernier makes the start for the Kings. Bernier has played extremely well all summer, playing in the Super Series for Team Canada, then in training camp. He looks to continue his quick start.
After a delay, thanks to some faulty lights, the game is underway. The two teams start off tentatively. Brad Staurt loses his helmet, thanks to new Duck Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi looked like he was giving Stuart a noogie.
As was the case in camp, the line of Anze Kopitar, Michael Cammalleri and Dustin Brown is the line to watch for L.A. Ladislav Nagy is paired with Michal Handzus and Patrick O'Sullivan. Kyle Calder, Alexander Frolov and Derek Armstrong anchor another line.
The Kings go on the penalty kill, where they were dead last in the league last season. And to make matters worse, they go down two men. Several shots are pumped on goal, but Bernier is able to turn them away. This is where I'm glad Teemu Selanne is not on the Ducks...
The Kings are the first to go on the board, as the Kings capitalize with a two-man advantage. Michael Cammalleri, the Kings' leading scorer last season, scores from his knees at the top of the faceoff circle to make it 1-0. Visnovsky and Frolov get the assists.
Calder has played awesome in the preseason, and is continuing to be the scrappy player he was signed to be. He stuck his rear right in front of Ilya Bryzgalov, helping screen Cammy's shot. I think he's going to be the best pickup in free agency for L.A.
The shots are even for both the Kings and the Ducks as we head into the first break. But it's also been a very sloppy first period, with each team tallying five penalties. I think the team that settles down and plays more controlled will take this game.
First period: Kings 1, Ducks 0
The Ducks seem to have calmed down and focused in the second. But every shot they shoot on bernier either gets tipped or stopped by the rookie. He's playing extremely well, considering his opponents are the defending Stanley Cup champions. With his helmet off, Bernier looks like Syler from the hit NBC show heroes.
The penalty parade has slowed, but the Ducks have increased the pressure. Bernier gets a test when Chris Kunitz, Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin all take whacks at the puck in quick succession on the young goaltender. But Bernier kept his cool, and turns them away.
The Kings are buzzing, when team captain Rob Blake scores his first goal on a rebound to make it 2-0. Anze Kopitar, the phenom center, and Dustin Brown get credit for the assists. The puck movement was smooth, and the puck popped past Bryzgalov.
Johnson is paired with Stuart, and that's probably the best matchup for him. Hopefully, those two will play off each other well.
The Ducks outshoot the Kings, 10-7, but it should be more, thanks to some deft puckblocking by the Kings defenders. The thing about Bernier is he doesn't give up as many rebounds. If that continues, we're going to see some great things from him.
Second period: Kings 2, Ducks 0
Early in the third, the Kings add another goal to their total, when Tom Preissing scores his second of the game on a power play. Kopitar feeds Tom Preissing at the point, and the free agent defenseman puts the puck on net to make it 3-0. After the game, the goal is credited to Cammalleri, and Preissing is awarded an assist, along with Kopitar, Anze's second of the game.
The camerawork in tonight's game is just horrific. It looks like it's being shot by high school kids for their ROP class. Then again, it's the first game of the season, so I'm sure their just as rusty as some of the players.
The frustration level on the Ducks has risen, as they try to get on the board. But the Kings have started to protect their lead, playing smart and not giving too much in their zone.
I really like the new look of the Reebok EDGE jerseys on the Kings. A lot of the other teams' duds are just that, duds. San Jose is just horrible, with that orange piping. The Ducks jerseys look weird too, because the logo was designed to be on the bigger jerseys. With the new cut of the front, the Ducks logo looks really small. Maybe they'll start using the webbed D for thier logo. It can be any worse than the word "Ducks". That just looks bad.
Patrick O'Sullivan has stepped up his game in the third period. He skated in with the puck, going one-on-one with the Ducks' captain, Chris Pronger, and he took a quick shot on goal. Then, showing no fear, he attempted to go in and get his own rebound, and was cleared out by Pronger. He just popped right back up, expecting Pronger to be whistled for a late hit. But he wasn't and O'Sullivan skated off.
His next shift, Patrick helped kill off the penalty, then was able to try to get something going for L.A., as he made a few moves in between three Ducks players, and managed to allow several Kings players to jump up in the play. He had several other great looks at the goal laster. If he keeps sticking his nose in like that, he'll be able to build off his strong second half last season.
Brady Murray and John Zeiler are two rookies who bring a lot of energy to the ice. Murray is so quick, and Zeiler just throws himself around with reckless abondon. I didn't know Murray was the son of former Kings head coach Andy Murray.
The Ducks finally get on the board, as Bobby Ryan breaks up Bernier's shutout bid with six minutes to go, on a backhand rebound shot over a sprawling Bernier. Mario Lessard was the only Kings to record a shutout in his debut, and will continue to be, as Bernier's chance was dashed.
The Ducks pull their goalie with 1:20 left, and the Kings' Brad Stuart is called for high-sticking. O'Sullivan is able to beat Pronger back and, while sliding on his side, passes the puck over to a wide-open Michal Handzus to lfit the Kings, 4-1. The pressure of O'Sullivan in the third period pays off, as his determination leads to a Kings score. Looks like Crawford has a lot of trust in him, if he's out there to kill a penalty late in the game.
It's all over as the Kings beat their cross-town rivals in a foriegn country in the season opener. Coach Crawford has had 18 goalies in his last seven years as a head coach. It appears that he might have a young one who can stick around for a while in Jonathan Bernier. Bernier made 26 saves on 27 shots, and looked very poised in goal.
Final score: Kings 4, Ducks 1
