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 down one early
The drummers are back. Ugh.
The Wings are without Zetterberg, which bodes well for L.A. Purcell and Moulson are on the same line with Handzus. Purcell has a nifty wrap-around attempt that almost goes in. Moulson has registered two shots so far. That line has been clicking the first two shifts they have been out there.
It's been all Kings the first three minutes, outshooting the Wings 7-1. Detroit looks a little slow out of the gate, much to the chagrin of the Detroit fans in the audience.
Detroit scores first when Datsyuk finds Holmstrom at the top of the crease to pop in his 19th of the season. Datsyuk used a Kings defender like a pylon, skating past him with ease.
For some unknown reason, LaBarbera's stick slips out of his hand. That boy needs Stick-Um on his gloves.
Moulson gets introduced into the NHL by Kronwell, as he gets hammered by the boards. Now the Kings are having a harder time skating into the Wings' zone.
The Kings get their first power play of the game, when Rafalski gets called for interference. Detroit does a great job stalling the Kings before L.A. gets a few chances on net. But there's not enough sustained pressure to get any more chances.
Blake and Stuart are paired up, as Johnson is back with Preissing for a shift. Stuart pummels Downey, as Detroit Fan grumbles.
L.A. outshoots the Wings, but are down one.
First period: Red Wings 1, Kings 0
