The Kings hope to continue their winning ways tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. The drive for .500 will occur tonight at Staples, where the Kings are 3-3 at home. Jason LaBarbara gets the nod once again in goal for the Kings, who has been very impressive in goal since coming in relief for Aubin back on Oct. 18. He has a 2.26 GGA, which is in the top ten for the NHL.

The DAM line starts off the game, and early in the first, the Kings put some immediate pressure, cycling through the players, and getting every player involved. They looked focused.

Play is stopped, as the refs confer about a possible lineup goof-up by the Oilers. But after five minutes play is started once again. Curious, I have never witnessed a problem like that. If the Oilers were found to have an ineligible player, he would have to leave the game and not come in.

The Kings got a power play, when Raffi Torres gets called for interference. Coming into the game tonight, the Kings are ranked third in the NHL on the power play. They are second in power play goals, behind Montreal. Visnovsky is out on defense with Rob Blake, Johnson with Modry, and Preissing with Stuart.

The penalty is over and O'Sullivan takes to the ice, this time with Willsie and Armstrong. O'Sullivan is still wearing his protective visor to ensure he doesn't lose those teeth. I'm convinced it has made him fearless, because he's just skating with reckless abondon.

John Zeiler gets called for slashing, and the Kings go down a man. Handzus and O'Sullivan play most of the PK, and are, as usual, effective. Frolov, Cammalleri and Armstrong get another shift together after the penalty is killed, but look out of sync.

Patrick O'Sullivan draws a penalty when Marc-Antoine Pouliot trips him, and Jack Johnson holds onto the puck behind the goal to allow the Kings to change up to their PP line, then follows LaBarbera as he skates off to get the extra attacker. Kopitar takes the puck at mid-ice and skates in with speed, drawing defenders to him After Kopitar skates far enough, Johnson comes flying into the crease. He receives a quick pass from Kopitar, and tries to jam it in, but Roloson touches the puck, and play is whistled dead. You always have instances where the goalie skates off for the extra attacker, but rarely do you see a bang-bang play like that, when a good shot is registered.

The DAM line is, for once, outplayed by the PP unit of Calder, Frolov and Nagy, who get several decent looks, including a Calder pass, which somehow found its way through two diving defenders and within spitting distance of the crease, but is unable to find a charging Nagy stick, who misses the golden chance.

Pouliot gets out of the box, and gets the puck and skates in unhindered on LaBarbera. Jason gets a great look at it, and is able to halt Pouliot's wrister. The defense should have realized when Pouliot was coming out, because that was close. But thanks to LaBarbera, the game is still scoreless.

The Oilers get a power play, when Dustin Penner draws a holding call from Handzus. And Jarret Stoll gets a goal, when he smacks a slapshot from the left side. O'Sullivan tried to clear it, but Ales Hemsky intercepted it, and fed Stoll a nice pass to put the Oilers up, 1-0.

The Oilers now have momentum, as the speedy team keeps pressing. Compared to the Dallas game, this game is like it's on fast-forward.

Faceoff deep in Los Angeles terrority, the Oilers win the drop, but the pass back to former King Denis Grebeshkov is tipped away by Patrick O'Sullivan, who skates in and puts one past Roloson, unassisted, to tie the game. A great shot, which hit the goalie, trickled in for O'Sullivan's second goal of the year.

The Kings had 11 shots in the first, and looks to have a slight edge in momentum, going into the locker room on O'Sullivan's goal. The Kings had two chances on the power play, but came up empty. They also had two penalties that period, allowing one goal. They have killed 18 out of their last 21 penalties, which is a nice improvement from earlier in the season. The one thing that strikes me is the Oilers outhit the Kings, 8-2. The Kings may be a speedy team, but are also known as a good-hitting team, with Blake, Brown and Johnson. But against a seemingly faster team, the Kings have let the hits go on the wayside in the first. We'll see how that pans out laster in the game, when the players get more tired.

First period: Kings 1, Oilers 1

The Oilers have come out swinging in the first, putting pressure on LaBarbera early. But fatre a few shifts, the team go back to that wide-open game, with lots of skating and scoring chances.

The thing that I notice is when the Oilers have the puck, the Kings immediately skates back and skates back and plays defensively, a far cry from last season when players would sort of hover around on D. Every line has a very good defensive forward on it, some have two. It's something that doesn't receive a lot of attention, but it's apparent once you notice it.

Johnson tees up a huge shot from the point, but the puck hits a defender's stick, which slows down considerably. Expecting a laser beam, Roloson is stuck in mid-air and is able to snap it out of the air. In regular speed, all you can see if Roloson jumping out and hanging, Matrix-style, waiting for the puck to get to him.

It's fun to see players try to figure out Kopitar when they play him. Some give him too much leeway, others play him super-tight. Anze is so adept at changing his game, it keeps the other team off-balance. he plays well on defense, he's got good ice vision, and he can get his hands dirty and get a little physical. It sure is a treat to see this kid evolve for the Kings, especially with young linemmates like Cammalleri and Brown, a line that hopefully is around for a long time.

The Kings look to get another shot at a power play, when Pouliot is called again for tripping. But L.A. gets a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Not too sure how that happened, but the result is a four-on-four. And on the ice is Nagy and Frolov, with Johnson and Modry. With more open-ice, it'll be interesting to see how this lineup goes.

Frolov battles for the puck behind the net, and it squirts out to Tom Gilbert, who is immediately checked by Nagy. Nagy picks up the puck and skates back toward Roloson, flipping a backhand past him for his second goal in three games. If Nagy can find his scoring touch, the Kings will be a very dangerous team.

Even with the goal, the teams are skating four man a piece, until Blake gets whistled for hooking. So now the Kings are down another man. But the Kings are able to kill the 4-on-3 and then the 5-on-4. LaBarbera is able to keep the puck after several real good pushes by Edmonton.

Kopitar takes the puck after winning the faceoff from Visnovsky behind the Kings net, skates through two Oiler defenders and goes down low, throwing the puck toward the net with a backhand, in hopes of getting a rebound for either Brown or Cammalleri. But the puck goes in after bouncing off the side of the net. It hits Roloson's skate and underneath him for his fifth goal. Visnovsky gets the only assist for the Kings. The Kings have had three goals and one assist tonight, which is pretty remarkable.

The Kings continue the fire the puck at Roloson, with 11 shots again. Only this time, the Kings come away with two goals. LaBarbera is having another great game, getting help from his forwards and defenseman.

Second period: Kings 3, Oilers 1

For such a speedy team, I'm surprised to learn that the Oilers have the worst power play in the entire league. They only have three PP goals, including the one from Stoll tonight. Meanwhile, the Kings have 14.

The Kings are playing with a sizable lead, so the period is flying past. LaBarbera comes up huge, making several big stops for Los Angeles, when they can't, for the life of them, clear the puck.

It's interesting to note that Jason has two portraits on his helmet, including one of Hollywood Hogan, who co-founded the New World Order when he was wrestling at World Championship Wrestling. It's fitting that the Kings have their own version of the nWo, with key players from Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Canada and the U.S.

Johnson has opened up his shooting from the point more. He has slowly picking his spots to unload his cannon this season, and tonight, he has fired three hard shots from the blueline. As it's pointed out everywhere, Johnson is slowing signs of improvement with every game. So unless he drops off in production, I'm not bringing it up again.

Dustin Brown hammers Dick Tarnstrom to the boards behind LaBarbera, and the crowd roars.

Calder gets the puck and skates in with O'Sullivan. Patrick slaps his stick down, and Calder whistles a pass through a defender, but the puck hits Roloson. O'Sullivan does get the rebound, and while skating behind the red line, flicks a backhard shot toward a wide-open net, catching Roloson unaware, for his second goal of the game. It was a beautiful shot for Patrick, who had the presense of mind to try to get the puck back in front of the net for either Calder or Willsie to jump on it. It's a helluva goal, and if you don't believe me, check it put:

The Kings are now tied with Dallas for the lead in the Pacific division. They are the best scoring club in the West, with 39 goals. Dallas is second with 28. LaBarbera has four wins in a row, and has made 117 out of 121 saves over the past five games. And he is rewarded, for the third straight game, with the first star of the game.

Final score: Kings 4, Oilers 1

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nine games. That's how long it's been since the Kings have defeated the Dallas Stars. They didn't beat them at all last season. And the last time L.A. has defeated Dallas was on April 1, 2006. And if there's as good a chance to beat the Stars, it should be tonight.

Michael Cammalleri is riding a remarkable wave of offense, scoring 10 goals in 10 games. He leads the NHL in goals scored, and is tied for the Kings points lead with Anze Kopitar. Kopitar centers the DAM line with Cammalleri and Dustin Brown, and has been a monster in his sophomore season.

Both teams are looking to extend their winning ways for a third straight game. L.A. has defeated Vancouver and Nashville, while Dallas has topped Columbus and the defending Stanley Cup champions Anaheim Ducks.

Dallas is lead by Larry Hagman. No, not the actor who starred in Dallas, but the 27-year winger from Finland. But the real King Killer is Mike Modano, who has scored 35 goals in 74 games. But he hasn't scored a point in four games. Let's hope he doesn't find his scoring touch tonight.

Starting lineup: Jack Johnson and Modry on Defense. Nagy, Kopitar and Frolov start the game. LaBarbera is making his second consecutive start for L.A. The Kings are playing with the road whites, since Dallas' uniforms are dark. I've always preferred the white unis to the darks anyway. Former Kings Mattias Norstrom gets the starting nod for Dallas on defense.

O'Sullivan goes back to centering Nagy and Frolov. Brown takes Niskanen into the boards, finishing his check to applause. Turco is taking chances, skating out of the crease to stop the puck. It seems he isn't very intimidated by the L.A. wingers.

Lubo gets called for highsticking, and Dallas gets their first chance on the power play. Los Angeles kills it easily. Frolov makes a wide-turn and backhands toward Turco, who gives up a little rebound, and O'Sullivan is right there to tap it into Turco's glove.

Johnson out there with Lubo and makes a break a little too early for Zeiler's pass. Ott takes down Stuart, and stands over him, waiting for something to happen. The Kings are dialed in on defense, clogging the middle and not allowing any clear shots to LaBarbera. Trevor Daley tries to put the wood to Kopitar, who deftly steps away from the Star.

Frolov uses his size to ward off any poke checks from his puck. Looks like his groin injury is fully mended. O'Sullivan continues to impress, as he is everywhere the puck is. He's still sporting the shield for his teeth. Maybe it makes him invulnerable, because he plays like it.

The referee gets knocked down, much to the delight of the Kings fans at Staples.

A pass from behind the net from Brenden Morrow finds Jere Lehtinen's stick in front of LaBarbera, and he knocks it off the post to put Dallas on the board. Mike Ribeiro with the other assist. There was pressure in front placed by the Kings, and Lehtinen threaded the needle for his second goal of the season. It was a nice goal, but it didn't seem to slow L.A. down.

LaBarbera has faced 11 shots, and, for the most part, has his rebounds go to the safer areas off to the side, so his defense can clear them or start something. But the defense looks tentative.

First period: Stars 1, Kings 0

Preissing puts the puck on net, and the puck goes between Turco's pads. He doesn't know where it is, and Zeiler skates in to try and knock it in, and a scuffle breaks out when the whistle blows. It sounds like a penalty will happen, but nothing occurs.

Kopitar, Brown and Cammalleri have a nice exchange deep in Dallas' zone, cycling tight on the attack. But the puck is knocked away by a defender. The only real offensive threat L.A. has had this period.

Michal Handzus is on the line with Zeiler and Raitis Ivanans. Modry gets called for high-sticking, as the fourth ranked power play takes to the ice. After a sketchy penalty kill, L.A. stops them again. The Kings have the 23rd-ranked PK.

A falling Brian Willsie puts it past Turco for his first of the season. Calder has the puck behind the goal, and passes out to Cammalleri, who puts it on net. The rebound finds its way to Willsie's stick, who is knocked down. But as he falls to the ice, he directs the puck past Turco's sprawled pads to tie the game.

Armstrong is centering the line of Nagy and Frolov now, with O'Sullivan there with Willsie and Calder. A little in-game tinkering by Crawford. Brown gets tripped by Norstrom, and Johnson gets called for slashing, so we're skating 4-on-4.

Willsie and O'Sullivan seem to be in sync. Early in their shift, O'Sully tattoos a pass to Willsie, who puts the puck on Turco for a solid chance. Later, Willsie returns the favor by sending a pass to a trailing O'Sullivan, who puts it on net, only to be turned away by Turco.

The Kings are pumping the puck on goal this period, 13-3 in favor for Los Angeles. Zeiler has a nice wraparound attempt, that caught Turco unaware, and almost scored.

Nagy gets a stick to the mouth by a falling Daley, but continues to throw him to the ice.

When Ott gets called for holding, the number one power play in the league takes to the ice. The DAM is out most of the PP, and get a number of chances. But the period ends with the score tied. The Kings had a blistering 19 shots in the second, limiting the Stars to six. And we're all tied up as we go to break.

Second period: Kings 1, Stars 1

Frolov scores his third goal in his third game, when he takes the puck across the zone and pops it in to lift the Kings, 2-1. Armstrong fed Fro the puck from behind the goal, and Alexander skated through pressure to put it on net. Blake is given the second assist.

Immediately, Dallas comes back to put pressure on LaBarbera. The Stars gets several good looks, but is turned away. LaBarbera is given a nice ovation every time he scoops up the puck for a stop.

The third period goal has the fans into the game. Kopitar is taken down at mid-ice by Lehtenen. And L.A. takes to the ice with Fro, Nagy and O'Sullivan. They play the whole shift, and register several good shots on goal, but come away empty.

Dallas is looking sloppy, allowing the Kings to skate in their zone and cycle the puck without any defensive pressure. Johnson has a shot on the point, and the puck bounces to Kopitar, who looks to have an easy goal, but a Dallas defender gums up the works, and Anze skates past the crease without a shot.

O'Sullivan checks Daley in the corner. Johnson gets his second penalty of the game for slashing. With five minutes left, that's a bad penalty. The crowd applauds O'Sullivan's good forechecking as he skates off the ice. He was all over the puck carrier, who couldn't get the puck out of his zone.

Blake plows over Ribiero and gives Dallas a two-man advanatge for four seconds. Johnson's penalty was bad, Blake's was worse. That was a nice hit on Ribiero, though.

LaBarbera has a nice save on a slap shot and the puck is cleared down the ice. Kopitar and Brown have been out there for a long time, and finally skate off. Ribiero turns around and gets a hooking call on O'Sullivan. L.A. has the power play for the rest of regulation. Nagy, Frolov and Calder out to take the PP faceoff deep in Dallas' zone.

The Kings didn't win three games in a row at all last season. They also didn't beat Dallas. Well, they have done both of those things this season, as the Kings hold on to defeat the Stars. Three games in a row, three goals from Alexander Frolov. Coincidence? Perhaps. Alex is a major cog of the Kings' offense, and his production is key if Los Angeles is to remain competitive this season.

Another factor was LaBarbera's strong play for the second straight game. He has allowed only one goal in 140 minutes of action. Looks like he's taken the reins of the goaltending duties for the Kings. IN the locker room, the mood was considerably lighter, as music was playing and players were chatting more. A remarkable turnaround from the last time I was there, when the mood was morose. Strange what winning your third in a row can do to your spirits.

Final score: Kings 2, Stars 1

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Playing the second of back-to-back games, the Kings are in Vancouver to play the Canucks, who have only won once at home this season. Thing is, the Kings have been horrid on the road. Tonight, they hope not to break a 38-year record of losing four straight road games.

The Canucks uniforms are just flat out U-G-L-Y, and they have no alibi. The blue and green are a nod to the old uniforms of the club. But those were ugly too. I liked the ones that had, with the black killer whale breaking through the ice. There's no such thing as a blue killer whale. That's just dumb.

In goal is Jason LaBarbera, who played well in relief of Aubin last night. He has a chance to really make a case for the starting job, if he plays well tonight. Aubin, coming off a groin injury, looked hampered last game, so Jason's shot is right now. Not that there's any pressure, but the Kings have been outscored 13-5 on the road.

Starting lineup has Derek Armstrong centering Dustin Brown and Michael Cammalleri. And Armstrong gets called for roughing with less than a minute gone in the first. Vancouver is currently fourth in the league on the power play. LaBarbera is tested early and often, and the Kings are able to kill the penalty. O'Sullivan looks comfortable wreaking havoc on the penalty kill.

Brown gets called for hooking, just as the DAM line gets on the ice. So the Kings PK is back out there, and Michal Handzus wins the faceoff and sends it into the Canucks zone.

It's something small, but doing something seemingly as small as winning a faceoff can really mess with the timing of the opposition. And Handzus is doing a stellar job this season winning his faceoffs. Not only that, but he's had three real good blocks so far in the game. Having a veteran like Handzus get down and take a puck to the midsection (or lower, as it appeared on the second block. He took it on the inside of his knee), it fires up the bench.

It's been all Canucks so far, but L.A. is playing very well defensively. Brown has a sweet no-look pass to Cammalleri, skating backward and dragging a Canuck defender into Luongo. Jaroslav Modry has an nice assist of LaBarbera, knocking away a Marcus Naslund shot.

But the Kings have been flirting with disaster all period, and Vancouver tallys a goal, when Matt Cooke hits a rebound off LaBarbera from Alex Burrows' shot to give Vancouver an early lead.

Jack Johnson brings a hard slapshot from the point, something we haven't seen. It's wicked fast, although a little high. The line of O'Sullivan, Frolov and Nagy gets a good shift in. That should be an interesting combo for the Kings. The Kings are showing more offensive pressure as the period goes on.

Raitis Ivanans hits one of the Sedin twins from behind, and Taylor Pyatt takes offense to that, and the two face off for a Gloves-Off Dance-Off. Ivanans is able to pop Pyatt's helmet off, but Pyatt holds his own. I would score that a draw.

Frolov gets in the way of a Canuck player, and gets called for interference. So far, the Canucks have had four power play chances, and the Kings have thwarted them all. LaBarbera has been solid in the first, turning away nine of ten shots from Vancouver. But this game has a good pace to it, with both teams showing speed in their opposing zone.

First period: Canucks 1, Kings 0

I mentioned it last game, it's been something every Kings fan has been waiting for: Jack Johnson scores his first NHL goal, with three minutes gone in the second. Kyle Calder skates the puck in, with Willsie and Johnson in a three-on-one. Calder makes a nice pass past a diving Aaron Miller to Johnson, and shoots it past Luongo. Miller was the last player to wear number 3 for the Kings, and he helps give Johnson, the current holder of the number, his first NHL goal.

Rick Rypian smacked Johnson accidentally with his stick, opening up a gash on Jack and giving the Kings a four-minute power play. Kopitar has the puck on the goalie's left side, and he catches Cammalleri in front, who whacks away at it right in front of the goalie, until the third shot popped over Luongo's shoulder, giving him eight goals and sole possession of the league lead. He has four goals in his last five games. Brown gets the other assist.

Another King player who was overdue to score a goal this season found the back of the net. Alexander Frolov finally scores his first of the 2007 season, when he deflects a faked shot by Lubomir Visnovsky past Luongo, to put the Kings up, 3-1. Nagy got the other assist, as he skated around up top, and fed Visnovsky with a picture perfect one-time pass, that Lubo made everyone bite on, who quickly passed it to Frolov.

The Kings then start playing very strong defense. Lubo kills a Sedin twin's (which one? Who cares?) chance for a shot, Modry keeps things movig, as he keeps clearing the puck, and Johnson is everywhere. It's also been a clean period for L.A., as they haven't committed any penalties after the first period, where they were whistled four times for penalties.

Second period: Kings 3, Canucks 1

The Sedin twins try to ram one past LaBarbera, but Jason is able to turn them away empty-handed. Frolov continues his strong forechecking, trying to keep the Canucks on their heels. Alex Burrows hits a second King in the face with his stick, this time the unlucky recipiant is Kopitar. However, there's no blood, so the Kings only get a two minute power play. But the Kings really don't set anything up, and we're back at even strength.

Frolov has a breakaway, and it appears he should get a free shot when he's hooked from behind. But it isn't called and play continues.

It seems the Kings are content to play defensively. They only register two shots to Vancouver's 13. The only real chance the 'Nucks get to closing the gap is a goal by Mattias Ohlund late in the third. When Luongo is pulled, Brown scores an empty-netter in this, his 200th game in a Kings uniform. The first one, he was pulled down and would normally have been given a penalty shot. But because it was an empty-netter, he was awarded the goal.

LaBarbera was solid in the crease for Los Angeles, turning away 27 out of 28 shots. He made key stops late in the game to ensure the victory for Los Angeles, who now take the lead in the franchise series between Vancouver, 87-86-32. The Kings and Canucks have played 205 times, the most times L.A. has played another franchise. Forget the Ducks, the real rivalry should be between these two clubs.

Final score: Kings , Canucks 2

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Flames haven't won a home game yet this season. The DAM line of Dustiin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Michael Cammalleri starts for Los Angeles, as Crawford looks to come out of the gates swinging. In goal for the second straight game is J.S. Aubin, who played well last game.

The Kings get a power play early, when David Hale gets whistled for hooking. L.A. is ninth in the league on the power play, but 0/9 away from home. Good thing is, Calgary is 29th in killing penalties. Looks like a match made in heaven to Kings fans.

Calgary gets a delay of game penalty, putting the Kings up two men, which bodes even better for L.A. They are 2 of 6 with the 2-man advantage. And Michael Cammalleri makes it 3 out of 7, when he beats Kiprusoff on the stick side to make it 1-0. Anze Kopitar and Lubomir Visnovsky get the assists. And... L.A. still has a one-man advantage.

Kiprusoff has help to make a huge save against O'Sully, when his defenseman covers for him by tipping away a good shot. It seems Kiprusoff isn't very focused. Either that or the Kings are dialed in.

My guess is the latter, because Dustin Brown scores his third from the left side around Robyn Regehr, surprising Kiprusoff with his speed. Kopitar leads Brown with a nice pass, and Brown takes it all the way in, to make it 2-0. Kopitar gets his second assist of the game, and it's only halfway through the first.

L.A. gets another power play, when David Moss is called for holding. Then former Kings Craig Conroy get nailed with a hol;ding call on Kyle Calder, giving the Kings another 2-man advantage. This time, the Flames kill both penalties, but not after some good shifts by L.A. The Kings get called for too many men, which is just a sloppy penalty for the Kings, then jack Johnson get a holding call, giving calgary a two-man advantage.

With six seconds left, Kristian Huselius takes a shot right down the middle, past J.S. Aubin to put the Flames on the board. Alex Tanguay and Daymond Langkow with the assists. The Kings were thisclose to getting out of the period without giving up a goal, something they haven't down often this season.

The Kings outshot the Flames, 13-6. And the wily veteran Michal Handzus, who hasn't scored a goal yet, has made his presense known in other way. He is 67 percent in the faceoff circle.

First period: Kings 2, Flames 1

Kings get an early power play, when Cammalleri is crosschecked by Matthew Lombardi. The Kings fail to capitalize, but it's only a matter of time for the ninth=ranked power play squad to light the lamp.

Jaroslav Modry get whistled for hooking, and Crawford doesn't look very happy. On the penalty kill, Johnson is making himself known, anticipating when to jump into the play if there's an opportunity of offense.

The Flames score as the Modry penalty expires. It appears that Robyn Regehr has his stick over the bar and redirects the puck, which is a big no-no. After further review, the goal stands. Later, the goal is credited to Daymond Langkow, and Regehr and Moss receive credit for the assists. We are all tied up.

It seems to me that Frolov has stepped up his intensity, perhaps gripping a bit to try and score his first goal of the season. But it's not like he's loafing out there. He does has a three game point streak going, starting back in the Boston game on the 12th.

Former King Craig Conroy scores the Flames third unanswered goal, as the Kings are showing the tell-tale signs of fatigue that usually appear late in the game. Jerome Iginla and Robyn Regehr with the assists.

If there's any question just how good Johnson is, he has a beautiful pass, through traffic, right on the stick of Kopitar. Johnson isn't your typical collegiate player, he's ready for the NHL.

Modry serves a second penalty for high-sticking Alex Tanguay. And for the second time, it leads to a Flames goal, again scored by Daymond Langkow. A defensive lapse by the Kings led this goal, when Brad Stuart does know what to do with the puck behind the goal. He coughs it up, and fails to take his place back in front of the goal as Blake was chased it in. Langkow is left alone in front of Aubin, who scores easily.

Four unanswered goals leave L.A. scratching their heads for answers. They had another 13 shots, but no goals to show for it. The effort was there early, but after the Conroy goal, the game sort of sagged.

Second period: Flames 4, Kings 2

For reasons unbeknownst to me, Jason LaBarbera starts in goal for Aubin. Maybe Crawford felt this game is out of hand, and wants to keep LaBarbera in action. He hasn't seen action since Oct. 10, in a 5-1 loss at Dallas.

The Kings get an early PP, but the Flames are now playing in a defensive bubble. The only real chance came from Dustin Brown, who almost got a garbage goal. But Kipper poked it away, as play continues. One thing that is very apparent: the Kings need more from the second PP unit.

Dustin Brown finishes a wicked open-ice hit on Huselius, which Langkow takes exception to. He comes in and starts some static with brown, and they start to fight. Thing is, Brown wears a shield, so Langkow can't get any good shots in. Brown drops a few uppercuts on Langkow, they drop to the ice, and skate to the box. Calgary winds up with another man in the box, because Langkow is also called for roughing, giving L.A. a power play.

Then Calgary gets called for Delay of Game when Phaneuf clears the puck over the glass, giving L.A. a two-man advatage. They capitalize earlier with a two-man advantage, and they do so again. Kopitar takes a cross-ice pass from Frolov and lifts it over Kipper for his fourth on the year. They are now 4 out of 9 on the two-man advantage.

Handzus and Iginla come together on the boards, and as he skates by, Thornton puts a little mustard to the Flame star. Iginla takes offense, and skates from behind and sort of pushes at Thornton, who turns around and smacks him in the face. Iginla goes down like a cheap card table, and in comes Tanguay. A crowd appears, and there's some shoving. And when it's all over, Thornton and Iginla both get the box for roughing. But there was nothing rough about Iginla, who should win for Glass Jaw of the game. Thornton did punch him in the face, but not with enough force to cause Iginla to lose his balance. Besides, I'll take that trade-off every time. Thornton for Iginla? Absolutely. I guess Iginla has been perfecting his Forsberg Flop. How about the Iginla Incline?

So, in the ensuing four on four,we get to see something that we've been waiting for: a jack Johnson/Lubomir Visnovsky pairing on D. They were paired for a shift earlier. But it looks like they aren't on the same page, as both make missteps, expecting the other to stay back.

As time winds down, Crawford runs Frolov out with Kopitar and Cammalleri. This line makes the best sense to me, if they want to make a push for a goal. As time winds down, the Kings are putting pressure on the Flames. Crawford pulls LaBarbera out of the net, and the Kings have an extra attacker.

How's this for a lineup? Visnovsky and Johnson on the blueline, Kopitar, Cammalleri and Frolov with Calder as the extra man? Talk about youth movement.

But it's not enough, as the Kings fail to get anything going in the Flames zone, and the game ends with a whimper. The Kings spend a lot of time in calgary's end, and it seemed to me they were, for the majority of the time, the better team. However, instead of folding late in the game, the Kings faltered in the second period, when they gave up three unanswered goals.

Final score: Flames 4, Kings 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings play host to the third division leader they've played this season, Minnesota. The Wild are the last unbeaten team in the league.

Patrick O'Sullivan gets the start tonight against the team that used to own his rights. He's still wearing the facemask, so his teeth must still be in. One surprise is Ladislav Nagy, who is a healthy scratch for tonight. Apparently Crawford wants to grab his attention, since he's tried everything to get him started.

Former King Eric Belanger also plays for the Wild, and he's gotten himself off to a very good start. Coming into the game, his plus/minus ration is at +7. It would be nice to have another guy like tha, since the Kings only have two players in the plus side, Jaroslav Modry and Scott Thornton. Michael Cammalleri has points in five of the first six games. It's good to see him fired up and taking more of a leadership role.

J.S. Aubin gets his first start as a King, but it's his 200th start. Jonathan Bernier was sent down Monday, and I would've thought Jason LaBarbera would get the nod, as Aubin was coming off the IR. But it's apparent that Lombardi and Crawford want to see Aubin in action, especially with a little rest.

Four minutes in, there are no shots for either team. It looks like both teams are going to play very tight, and try to force the other to misstep. Anze Kopitar registers the first shot, between the legs of Kim Johnsson, and catching Niklas Backstrom off-guard, hitting him in the shoulder.

But the Wild score first, when Marian Gaborik fires a shot from outside, and the rebound finds its way to another former King Pavol Demitra, who taps it in for his second of the season. And the crowd at Staples groans, not only because the Wild scored, but because it was Demitra. Pavol was traded to the Wild for Patrick O'Sullivan and the pick in the 2006 Draft that turned out to be Trevor Lewis.

Jack Johnson continues to improve each game, he's now using his skill to force the speed players to the outside, and not let them set up shop in front of the crease. It's only a matter of time before he connects for his first NHL goal.

With less than a minute to go in the period, Scott Thornton can now put his name in the G column of the stat sheet. He scored when Brian Willsie passes the puck between traffic, and Thornton pops it over Backstrom's shoulder for his first of the year. Another goal in the waning minute of the period for the Kings, something they have done several times before.

The Kings have doubled up the Wild on shots, 8-4. And they have out-muscled them, outhitting them 9-5. But Minnesota has 5 blocked shots, and the game remains knotted at one.

First period: Kings 1, Wild 1

Aubin tries to handle a puck dumped in by the Wild, but can't and leaves it for Tom Preissing, who turns it over to Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who makes a perfect pass to Mikko Koivu, who shoots it in for his second of the year. The defensive lapse cost the Kings yet again, unable to follow through in doing something as simple as controlling a dumped-in puck. And just like that, the Kings are down by a goal.

Cammalleri gets pulled down by Brent Burns, so the Kings get a power play. It took four PPs. but finally L.A. scored on the power play this game, when Brad Stuart wound up and shot through a double screen on net. Kyle Calder is able to redirect it with his stick, and he gets his first goal of the young season. Alexander Frolov is alos credited with an assist. And the Kings are tied once more.

Zeiler once again is showing signs of hustle out there; he draws a penalty and gets the Kings another PP opportunity.

Aubin just snaps a puck out of the air from Belanger. This being his first start, he has played well.

The Wild outshot the Kings, 17-7, but at least the game is tied. Also, the Kings are still not committed as many penalties as they have during that Boston game. For the second straight game, the Kings have committed only one penalty in each of the first two periods. Looks like they are playing more disciplined.

Second period: Kings 2, Wild 2

Early in the second, a funny thing happened. Johnson checked Johnsson. I've been waiting for that al night. Brown has a sweet move between his legs, and passing over to Cammalleri, who was a step short for a one-timer. Cammy had backstrom beat if he had connected. Kyle Calder gets whistled for tripping Mark Parrish, as the Kings go on the penalty kill.

Kopitar is out on the PK with Brown and tips the puck past Demitra, and skates toward Backstrom, with Brown in tow. Brown works his way toward the middle, drawing two Wild players off Kopitar. Anze flicks a wrist shot through Backstrom's pads to finally give the Kings the lead in the game. I wish Kopitar would shoot more, he's got such a nice shot. But, at the same time, I like to see him set the table for the other Kings. Nice all-around offensive game from the phenom from Slovenia.

But then the Wild come back, and Brian Rolston shoots from the outside to tie it up. This one rests solely on Aubin, who has faced over 20 shots in the game. There was no one in front, he had a clear view of Rolston, and just got beat.

The Kings and Wild are tied at the end of the game, and with an uneventful overtime, go go to a shootout.

Third period: Kings 3, Wild 3

Dustin Brown is first up, and beats Backstrom with a wrister for a goal.

Petteri Nummelin attempts a backhand against Aubin and scores.

Cammalleri goes second for L.A., and the league leader in goals wrists one past Backstrom for his own shootout goal.

Aubin comes up huge against Demitra and turns him away.

So the game rests on the 19-year-old Anze Kopitar. Anze skates in, and attempts to go to his right, but then fakes Backstrom out with a reaching backhand. The 6-foot-4 Kopitar is just able to direct the puck past a sprawling Backstrom pad into the net for the game winner. Kopitar is mobbed by his teammates, as the Kings break their five game losing streak in a shootout.

Rightfully so, Kopitar is the number one player of the game. His goal is not to be missed, so check out ESPN's coverage of his goal. Check it out in slo-mo, and you can see just how close it was. One of the sweetest shootout goals I've ever seen.

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You wanna hear something depressing? Detroit has won 13 of the last 14 games against Los Angeles, including six of the last seven at Staples. A bright spot for the Kings: they have the same amount of goals as the high-octane Wing offense: 15.

This game is a particularly tough one for me. Not because I hate the Red Wings (which I do), but because I have both Dominic Hasek and Anze Kopitar playing for my fantasy hockey team, The Hockeywood All-Stars. Best case scenario: Anze scores the only goal for L.A. when the game goes to a shootout, after the game ends 0-0. Turns out Chris Osgood is in goal for Detroit, so now I want to see a hat trick from No. 11.

Starting lineup for L.A.: The MAD line of Cammalleri, Frolov and Armstrong, with Preissing and Stuart back on D. But more importantly, Bernier is back in goal, after letting in seven goals on Friday against the Bruins. Apparently, Crawford wants to see what the kid's got in reserve. The Only a Lad line of Nagy, Kopitar and Brown are together once again. And Johnson is back with Modry.

Bernier makes two good pad saves at point blank range. His positioning is great, as always. The Kings have spent a lot of time trying to clear the zone. When they do, they don't spend very much time setting anything up. O'Sullivan is able to get some wood on a Handzus shot, but it flies wide.

Brown registers a shot down low, and almost gets his own rebound. Bernier then turns away several good chances by the Red Wings, including a wraparound attempt and two shots from the point. Zeiler tries to get things moving, when he carries the puck in and starts several good chances. Zeiler's energy should reward him more ice time.

As Osgood snaps a puck out of the air, L.A. goes on the power play, when Niklas Kronwall for interference. L.A. gets a great shift with Nagy, Frolov and Calder. Kopitar had the best shot at a goal, but the puck was deflected by Osgood. Detroit was able to kill the penalty, but L.A. registers five shots on that power play.

After that power play, the Kings have opened the bomb bay doors, and have started shooting more. Kopitar has a great shot on goal, and Osgood gives up a juicy rebound. But Brown is unable to reach it in time.

When Brian Rafalski is called for tripping, L.A. is back on the power play. And the DAM line plays almost the whole shift, before Brown is called for interference. Patrick O'Sullivan gets introduced to the boards by Kronwell, and it's a good thing he's wearing his face shield.

The Kings are able to outshoot the Wings in the first, 14-10, but are woeful in the faceoff circle. Detroit's Kris Draper has been on fire, winning five out of seven. L.A. better get more aggressive in the faceoff circle if they hope to continue putting pressure on the Wings.

First period: Kings 0, Red Wings 0

With less than a minute gone in the second, Pavel Datsyuk puts the puck in for Detroit, Henrik Zetterberg gets the assist. The defense couldn't track down and clear the puck, and Detroit capitalizes. Staples Center groans as they wait to see how the Kings respond.

The Kings go on the power play as Rafalski gets another penalty for hooking. But Stuart loses the puck at the blue line, and Kris Draper skates in and easily dekes around Bernier for a short-handed goal. And to add insult to injury, the Kings have to kill another penalty, as Visnovsky gets two minutes for interference.

Zeiler just cleans Knonwell's clock along the boards, eliciting a loud response from Staples Center. Crawford rolls the DAM line out there once again on equal strength, putting Nagy back on the Frolov/Armstrong line.

The Red Wings have an extended visit in the Kings zone, where they keep cycling and shooting the puck. The Kings are seemingly entranced by the white stripes on the Wings pants like I am. Seriously, I get sucked in every time my eye hits a Detroit player. It just looks odd, having a vertical stripe down the leg right above a horizontal line on their socks. Odd, I tell you.

Datsyuk has a huge open-ice collision with Kopitar, which the crowd roars their disapproval. Kopitar's helmet goes skittering across the ice, but he's O.K.

Draper gets called for boarding with ten seconds left in the period, so the Kings will have the man advantage when the third period starts. The Kings have apparently forgotten how to pull the trigger. They've only had five shots in the second. I guess the one good thing to come out of the second is that L.A. has been very disciplined, and not getting penalties. But they need to capitialize on the power play better.

Second period: Red Wings 2, Kings 0

In between periods, the fans at Staples were shown a movie trailer for the movie 30 Days Of Night across the ice, like a huge widescreen movie screen. Pretty cool, I thought. Until they placed several Kings clips in the trailer, like they were part of the movie. Talk about product placement.

Thornton takes a stick to the face from Andreas Lilja, and the Kings add to their power play with a quick two-man advantage. And Cammalleri shoots the puck from the top of the faceoff circle, from his knee again. Another wormburner from Cammy, as Visnovsky and Frolov get credited with the assists. And the Kings are still on the power play. Visnovsky hits the post, clearly beating Osgood. But there's a reason why the post is a goalie's best friend. It bounces out and Detroit kills the remaining penalty.

Tomas Holmstrom is the recipiant of a a tic-tac-toe passing play between Zetterberg and Datsyuk, and puts one past Bernier to make it 3-1. Zetterberg then adds another goal to put Detroit up 4-1.

Crawford wisely decides to burn a timeout to stop the bleeding. The defense had seemingly stepped back into their old habit of slacking in the third, and Crawford wants to nip that in the bud.

Jack Johnson has a wicked fake-out on Valterri Filppula, commanding a smattering of ohhs from the crowd.

Cammalleri gets his stick down to redirect the puck on Osgood, who snaps it out of the air. Kronwell gets whistled for his second penalty of the game, when he takes out Kopitar at center ice. It seems the Wings are putting the screws to the Kings young center.

Priessing is out on the power play, paired with Johnson. And what seems odder enough is Jack's patrolling the blueline, while Tom has jumped up in the play. Seems like that should be, at least, reversed. The penalty is killed, and the Kings go back to even strength.

The Staples Center crowd files out as the one minute mark is announced. Don't they know this is prime time for a Kings goal? Turns out there's no late game goal from L.A., as they now are in the hold of a nasty intercontinental losing streak. Is it jet lag? Is it lack of experience? Or is it the Kings have yet to gel?

Final score: Red Wings 4, Kings 1

Posted by Matt Murray at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Kings seem to have a hard time scoring, so coach Marc Crawford decided to juggle the line for tonight's game. The DAaaaaaaaaM line of Brown, Kopitar and Cammmalleri has been split up, and Ladislav Nagy has been elevated to the top line, in hopes to boost his scoring. Since I'm all about lines having nicknames for the lines, I'm calling the top line the Only a Lad line. Ladislav, Anze and Dustin? Get it?

And since Cammalleri has been dropped to the second line with Armstrong and Frolov, that'll be the MAD line. (Michael, Alex and Derek). I imagine Cammy's a little mad (get it) about being dropped off the top line with The Phenom and the Wrecking Ball. Handzus will center the line between Calder and O'Sullivan, which I really don't have a name yet. And rounding out the fourth line is the prickly combination of Ivanans, Murray and Thornton, which I'm dubbing the Thorn Line.

In goal is Jonathan Bernier, who last played in the home opener. Their opponents haven't been to Los Angeles since 2003, the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have one of the better re-designed Reebok jerseys this season. It also has that psuedo-tie at the top of the collar that the Kings had on their old third jerseys. Only, it's not as big as the Kings'. Looks like I might have to get another Bruins jersey. I actually have an old away Neely jersey. That's right, I got a SeaBass jersey...

Dropping the opening puck is a member of the Cirque de Soliel troupe, who is sponsoring tonight's game. She's all twisted with flowing fabric, and she drops to the ice, unwinding herself as she spinds. YThen she just daintily drops the puck between Rob Blake and Zdeno Chara. But as she steps on the ice, the carpet slides, and she falls right on her bum. Blake assisted the small woman over to the side. Funny how she didn't need a net when she was high in the air, but needed one when she stepped foot on the ice.

The Kings are putting the pressure on Manny Fernandez early. The Kings have outshot the Bruins early, 5-1. But Jack Johnson gets called for hooking, putting the third-ranked PP of Boston on the ice. Penalties killed the Kings last game, all season actually.

Raitis Ivanans just peppers Milan Lucic during a scrap. They showed it in slow-motion when they went to break. I can't help but say "Raitis Smash!" I guess that fight was for the girl I saw in Las Vegas.

You see, this girl was riding the Zamboni in the second period with her twin sister, and when she saw Ivanans, she went all cuckoo and called out to Raitis, "Get in a fight for me!" And then she sort of shadow-boxed a little before being driven on the ice. Ivanans sort of shrugged it off.

Bernier has looked solid, especially on the penalty kill for Michal Handzus's holding call. But just as time expired in the penalty, Phil Kessel, last season's Masterson Trophy winner, wheels around and takes a clear shot on goal to score his first of the season. Brady Murray seemed to have lost his stick on the play, so the Kings were effectively down two men. But that save should've been Bernier's.

Aaron Ward gets the call for hooking as time expires in the first period. And with 12 seconds left in the period, Brad Stuart scores to tie the game. Nagy and Frolov pass the puck around, as Calder and Dallman cause chaos in front of the goal. Frolov passes it to Stuart, who rockets the puck past Fernandez, for his first goal as a King.

The Bruins edges the Kings in shots, 11-10, but the Kings had more opportunities on the offensive end.

First period: Kings 1, Bruins 1

A silly penalty (too many men) caused the Kings to go on the penalty kill, and Boston capitalizes. Former King Glen Murray knocked a blocked shot past Bernier to put Boston up, 2-1. The puck hit Stuart, and dropped to the ice, and Murray chopped at it quickly for his first of the year.

Aaron Ward makes it 3-1, when he scores on a Milan Lucic pass from the point. Dustin Brown apparently has the same slippery gloves Murray had in the first, because he dropped his stick. Ward blasts a long distance shot, and snuck past Bernier on the far side for the goal. Kessel is credited with the second assist for his second point of the game.

The Kings have a double minor penalty about halfway through the period, and Phil Kessel gets his second of the game. The crowd groans, as the Kings go down 4-1. Apparently, the juggling of lines hasn't boosted scoring, and the Bruins have looked solid on the power play thus far.

Brady Murray scores an unassisted goal to halve the score, 4-2. He picked up a loose puck in the corner and skated in front of the Bruin goal, and snapped it past Fernandez for his first NHL goal. So now, two Murrays have scored in tonight's game. No real reason why I mention that, except that it's my last name. You go, my brothers from some other mothers.

A late penalty by David Krejci puts the Kings back on the power play. Anze Kopitar scores in the last minute to bring the Kings within one goal, 4-3. Dustin Brown turns and fires on net, and the rebound is hacked at by Cammalleri. The puck squirts free to Number 11, and he pops it in for his first of the season, as the Staples Center horn wails overhead. And the beautiful thing? McFlurrys for everybody!

Second period: Bruins 4, Kings 3

The Kings seemingly like to score with time winding down in the period. perhaps they should institute a two-minute drill that they could use to get that controlled chaos that they seem to do well with. But early in the third, the Bruins regain the upper hand when Phil Kessel completes the hat trick when he scores from a pass by Marc Savard.

But then the Kings strike back three minutes later, when Michael Cammelleri bats down an Armstrong pass and wrists it past Fernandez to bring the Kings back to within one.

Then Glen Murray gets the gate for hooking, and the Kings go on the power play. Anze smacked Fernandez hard with a shot, which rung his bell. He tried to shrug it off, but Anze will not be denied. Anze winds up and fires another high shot at Fernandez's head. The puck bounces off and hits the post, then ricochets off the crossbar, then fernandez, before pinballing in to tie the game.

But then the Kings get sloppy later in the period. Kyle Calder gets called for hooking, and Marc Savard scores to lift the Bruins with a power play goal. Then Milan Lucic scored to make it 7-5. Calder gets whistled for abusing the referees.
The Kings pull Bernier with a few minutes left, and the Bruins' Chuck Kobasew scores to ice the cake. Patrick O'Sullivan does tack a goal late in the period, but this one is over.

The Kings have allowed 23 goals in four games, and the last time the Kings allowed eight in the game was 1999. The free agent pickups that the Kings brought in to help add to their defensive woes just aren't getting it done. Add to the mix Bernier, who seemed a little overmatched in goal tonight, may have cemented the fact they he'll be heading down to the juniors when Aubin is available to come off the IR.

Final score: Bruins 8, Kings 6

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

Here's Patrick O'Sullivan, who speaks about his solid start to the season, his play on the penalty kill, and how it felt to take a puck to the face for the second time.

Posted by Matt Murray at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Dallas Stars absolutely OWN the Kings. The Stars swept the Kings last season, and for some reason, Los Angeles just can't get anything going against against Dallas.

Ladislav Nagy is now on a line with Frolov and Armstrong. This pairs O'Sullivan and Handzus on the third line. They share a line on the penalty kill, so this should give Patrick some good offensive looks. Calder is on the third line as well.

Dallas is wearing their home blacks, with the name "Dallas" emblazoned across the front. I kinda liked the Stars old logo. It tied in the Cowboys and the Rangers.The Stars have the numbers on every side of their uniform: front, back, left and right. I don't like the DALLAS on the front. I also don't like the numbers on the front. You know who does? Photographers.

Early penalty on the Kings, puts Dallas on the power play, but Jason LaBarbera is able to turn them away. The Kings then get a quick two-man advantage a few minutes later. But the Stars score a short-hander when Niklas Hagman tips a pass away from Calder, and races down the ice and slides one under LaBarbera to make it 1-0.

Jack Johnson is paired with Brad Stuart this game, and it's nice to see Jack get more of a feel of setting up on D with another solid D-man, rather than carry one on his back. But that means Dallman is paired with Modry...

The Kings have had 10 shots already halfway through the period. Kings get a power play with 5 minutes left. The DAM line is out there the whole time, but Dallas kills the penalty. Dallas then turns up the heat on LaBarbera.

But Jason seems very comfortable out there, despite the earlier goal. Another Kings who is playing better this game is Ladislav Nagy, who is getting better looks.

The Kings and Stars have 11 shots a piece.

First period: Stars 1, Kings 1

Another good by-product of having Johnson on the same line with Stuart, is it allows him to play up and get some offensive opportunities. And early in the second, he gets into a foot race with Modano to the Dallas goal, and actually beats him. But the puck sent by Calder ricochets off the post.

Dallas gets on the board again, when the puck hops over Handzus' stick down low, and the puck is passed to Hagman by Brendan Morrow for his second goal of the game. Mike Ribeiro gets the second assist. Handzus' was positioned properly to intercept the puck from going behind to Morrow, but there's nothing you can do about an odd hop.

The Kings are getting more frustrated as the game goes on. Frolov gets the gate for hooking, and the Kings go back on the penalty kill. Stuart gets sent ot the box a minute later to go down two men. Johnson, Visnovsky and Handzus out on the ice. Handzus has been out there a long time. Frolov comes out of the box, and gets a breakaway. But Turco plops down on it to thwart the Kings winger.

The Kings do kill off the two-man penalty, and allow only one shot on goal. But the Stars have all the momentum. Antti Miettinen capitalizes a turnover in the nuetral zone, and shoots to the inside of LaBarbera, scoring his first goal of the season, making it 3-0. A goal like that is a goaltender's worst nightmare.

Dustin Brown gets chippy and gets called for holding. Then Johnson puts the Kings down two men for 28 seconds. The two-man is killed, but Mike Ribeiro scores his first goal, and second point of the game to make it 4-0 Stars. And this game is as good as over.

L.A. could only get three shots in the second, and penalties effectively killed the Kings' chances of coming back from this one. Although, stranger things have happened. Like the Ducks hoisting their Stanley Cup banner to the rafters on the other channel. Meh...

Second period: Stars 4, Kings 0

The third period barely started when Joel Lundqvist takes a neutral zone turnover and skates, awkwardly, into the Kings zone, with Rob Blake on his back, and surprises LaBarbera with a shot to add to the Stars' score, 5-0. Talk about coming out flat, not that being down down 4-0 is a rallying cry for any team.

The only highlight for the Kings was Kyle Calder's goal later in the period. And that's because it was Jack Johnson's first NHL point, as he assisted on the play.

But the Kings fell flat this game. As they did last game. Only this time, they did it in the second, instead of the first. How much do you wanna bet they go flat right from the opening face-off against the bruins Friday night?

Final score: Stars 5, Kings 1

Posted by Matt Murray at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stay tuned, faithful listeners...

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A nice introduction of the four King legends, Vachon, Dionne, McSorley and Deadmarsh. I'll post it later.

The whole ice is awash in video. They are showing a preview, complete with an orchestral score that would rival any Hollywood blockbuster. Funny thing is, no one in the press box is watching it. Everyone is too busy watching the USC Trojans lose to Stanford.

As they introduce the Kings staff, they are playing Teenage Wasteland by the Who. Fitting, considering the average age of the players. The starting lineup for the Kings: Blake and Visnovsky on D, Handzus centering Nagy and Willsie. But the player who got the biggest ovation was Bernier.

The Kings are having a hard time getting something set up in the Blues zone. The only real chance the Kings got was with the Kopitar line, when he peeled off and set up Cammalleri for a one-timer that sailed over the goal.

O'Sullivan is centering a line with the rookie Murray and Ivanans. From what I've seen, this kid's got wheels. Bernier has made some solid saves, including a beauty of a kick save that had Staples Center cheering.

Kopitar draws a foul when he is hooked by Doug Weight, giving the Kings a power play. Frolov is out there with Calder and Armstrong. A potential goal by Calder is waived off by the ref, because it was hit above the crossbar. The Weight penalty is over, but the Kings go right back on the PP when Lee Stempniak gets called for hooking.

L.A. sets up the powerplay. Kopitar, Brown and Cammalleri head the first line, Frolov is now paired with Nagy and Calder on the second PP line. They get a few chances but to no avail.

A new addition to Staples Center are the L.A. Kings Drummers, three guys pounding on plastic trash bins a la the Broadway musical Stomp. I guess it's better the Sweaty T-Shirt Guy.

Whoever had Dustin Brown in the pool for First Kings Goal, congratulations. Michael Cammalleri one-touch passes the puck from Jaroslav Modry to Anze Kopitar, who dekes his way through the Blues defense with speed and passes it over to a wide-open Brown for an easy score. The Kings also debuted a new horn! It sounds more like a train horn than anything. At least they kept Randy Newman's L.A. anthem.

Armstrong gets called for hooking late in the period, giving St. Louis their first look on the power play. During one torrid barrage of action, Bernier keeps his head on a swivel, turning away shot after shot. The Kings kill the penalty, and the crowd gives the club a huge cheer. I'm pretty sure people are focusing their love on Bernier.

Kopitar is showing a lot more agressiveness on offense. The Kings outshot the Blues in the first period. The Kings outshot the Blues, 12-8 in the first, and bernier has played solid once again.

First period: Kings 1 Blues 0

The period starts and L.A. is putting some pressure on the Blues early. Kopitar slides a pass over to a kneeling Cammalleri, who puts it past Legace for his fourth goal of the season. He scored a similar goal in the Kings first game. Cammy's not that tall to begin with, so for him to shoot from his knees... talk about a worm-burner.

4-on-3, Frolov is now paired with Cammalleri, and Willsie is out with Nagy.

The Blues score when Jamal Mayers fires a slapshot past Bernier to put St. Louis on the board. There was no one between Bernier and Mayers, it was just a laser beam. Martin Rucinsky and Steve Wagner get the assists.

Brown levels two Blues players in the span of three seconds, as they go sprawling across the ice. Brad Stuart also hammers David Backes into the Blues bench and halfway onto the team bus, much to the delight of Kings fans.

Midway through the period, the Kings are having a hard time clearing the zone, and the Blues are closing in on the shot total. Hannu Toivonen replaces Legace in goal, and is immediately tested by Kopitar and Brown shots.

The Kings score again, when Kopitar throws the puck in front of the net. Nagy gets his stick on it and redirects it to Brown as he throws some interference in front of Toivonen. Brown hammers it home for his second of the game.

The period ends with the Kings on top.

Second period: Kings 3, Blues 1

Patrick O’Sullivan comes out wearing a shield on his mask. I didn’t notice it before. Stuart gets whistled for a penalty early in the period, and the Kings are two men down. But the Kings hold out for Armstrong, whose penalty from the second spilled over into the third.

Bernier looks comfortable out there, especially with everything the Blues are throwing at him. Kings kill off the Stuart penalty , but Keith Tkachuk deposits the puck past Bernier, for his second of the season. Lee Stempniak and Paul McClement get the assists. With that two-man advantage, the Blues have surpassed the Kings in shots.

The Blues tie it when a weak shot from Backes sneaks under Bernier to tie the game up. , McClement and Stempniak get the assists. The Kings are looking sloppier and sloppier the longer the game goes on. And as the defense is looking more and more shaky, Bernier is perhaps overcompensating in net.

Sellout for the Kings, which is news, since other clubs have announced smaller crowds for their home openers.

After the Blues tie it up, the Kings look to be playing better defense. Cammy had a sweet shot on goal, kicking the puck to his skate before shooting it wide. Othwer than that, the Kings’ offensive opportunities are few and far between.

Modry gets called for a penalty, and the Blues score a power play goal when Eric Johnson rockets a shot from the point to make it 4-3. Paul Kariya and xxx with the assists.

Paul Kariya gets sent hard in the boards behind the net by Rob Blake, causing him to lie on the ice for a while before getting up. Fans cheer as Blake makes his way to the box. Bernier is able to stay focused

Claire the Cheerleader and Peter Patrelli from the NBC show Heroes are both on hand tonight. Cuba Gooding Jr. is also here, and is roundly cheered by Staples Center. I wonder if they forgot Gooding was last seen in Anaheim, wearing a Ducks jersey, cheering for the Ducks to win the Stanley Cup.

The Kings go on the PP when Martin Rucinsky gets the call for hooking.With under three minutes left, the Kings have a pp chance. The Kings pull bernier with a minute left to get a two-man advantage. But Mayers puts in the empty netter to make it 5-3.

Final score: Blues 5, Kings 3

Posted by Matt Murray at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey everybody... here live at Staples for the season opener.

Was out at the red carpet for the players earlier. The players seemed a little less than thrilled to run the gamut of fans leading into the VIP entrance. But the red carpet was maybe 20-25 feet, so many of the players politely waved and headed inside.

Saw Vic The Brick, wearing a huge crown and introducing the legends who are being honored tonight. Apparently the price of beer has gone up... again. Last season, it was eight bucks for a domestic brew. This season? $8.75. Yikes.

I was here reeeeeeeally early today. So early, I forgot to eat lunch. As I was setting my equipment up, they were testing the lights and sound system. And they were playing a Fox Sports commercial for the L.A. Kings. (Imagine that...)

It was your typical commercial, heralding the return of the team. They also referenced the new vets that the team has signed, but only showed Calder and Nagy. The voiceover was something to the effect of "with the additions of the new veterans, the Kings are close to returning to the playoffs..." So far, no problem.

But then it goes on to announce "If rookie goaltender Jonathan Bernier can man the pipes this season, the Kings can go all the way!" No pressure, right? Unbelieveable. I don't think Crawford and Lombardi are very happy about putting that kind of publicity on their young netminder.

Posted by Matt Murray at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My mother told me I had a face for radio. Being four years old, I didn't understand what she meant. Now that I'm older, I have to agree with her.

Here is the first in what should hopefully be a weekly podcast about the L.A. Kings, featuring myself and a fellow Kings fan,
Dr. Naysay. Doc was excited to come to the project. In fact, he showed up on my doorstep with reams of articles he printed online, cross-referenced and highlighted in purple and blue, ready to get his podcast on.

After seeing his pile of papers, I proceeded to take them and toss it out the third floor of Hockeywood Towers. Man, you should've seen the look on his face. We grabbed a couple Vitamin Waters, and charged head-first into the fray.

This is our first foray into the world of hockey podcasting. Eventually, it'll find it's way onto iTunes. But until then, it's right here, and ready for you to download to the media device of your choosing. Just promise you won't listen in the car, because this podcast might induce vomiting.

And let us know what you think!

Download Episode 1 of the Hockeywood Insider!

Posted by Matt Murray at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went out to practice on Wednesday, to see just how jet-lagged the Kings were. They skated for a little over an hour, and they seemed loose.

Afterwards I talked with Cammalleri, who had just come off the ice. He was nice enough to talk about the road trip and how the team responded flying halfway across the world.

Posted by Matt Murray at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)