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. E-mail MattPress-Telegram Subscribe to RSS feed
The Kings get a killer chance, when Kopitar drives in and passes over the Johnson at the last minute. But Johnson was skating the wrong way, as the Stars go on the attack.
Johnson holds on to the puck and tries top clear it out. But it's picked up by a Stars player. But Blake plays his man perfectly, causing him to cough up the puck.
Kopitar looks dead tired, as he skates across center ice. He passes it over, but doesn't quite have the speed to follow up with a pass back. He skates off with a minute left, handing it over to O'Sullivan.
Both teams are seriosuly fatigued as they skate for the shootout.
Kopitar scores!
Hagman misses!
Frolov misses!
Modano wrister saved by LaBarbera.
Brown wrister saved by Turco. Miettinen scores! O'Sullivan scores!!! Ribeiro wrister saved by LaBarbera!!!
The Kings get an early power play, as Miettinen was called for tripping as the second period expired. But the Stars have the top penalty kill in the league, and they do just that.
Then Preissing gets two minutes in the sin bin, as the league's second-worst PK unit takes to the ice. Brown is able to wrangle the puck away for a short-handed attempt. But Turco cannot be fooled, as the Stars continue to be on the attack. Blake then gets sent to the box for cross-checking, giving the Stars a prime chance to tie the game.
L.A. kills the two-man advantage, but allow another bone-headed penalty, when Stuart gets two for delay of game, giving Dallas their third two-man advantage. The game is tied, when Modry is nailed by Niskanen's shot from the point, slowing the puck down, as it arcs over LaBarbera and into the net. The Stars still have the man-advantage.
LaBarbera makes a huge play on Halpern, as he shoots on a tight one-timer, and snaps the puck out of the air. The Staples Center crowd gives Jason a rousing roar of approval, as they show the replay. He extended fully, and made a beautiful save to keep the game knotted at 3.
The Kings are playing with some steam, trying to capitilze on the seemingly tired Stars.
L.A. gets another power play, when Ott gets a deuce for hooking Nagy. But the Stars seemingly stymie the Kings with one fewer player on the ice. Dallas kills the penalty, as both teams are slowing down now. As we head to overtime!
The Kings and Stars are now hitting hard. Brown is just a monster. As was noted on the telecast, Brown's hits aren't just lethal, they're also legal. He rarely gets a penalty for them, because they're clean. But he's not even leading the Kings in hits today. Stuart with throwing around his body with wild abandon.
Both teams seemed to have cooled considerably as the second unfolds. Every time one teams seems to get the momentum, the other comes back. Case in point, the Stars are buzzing, cycling the puck and peppering the goal. But Morrow gets two minutes for interference, giving the fourth-ranked power play a shot with a man-advantage.
And L.A. comes right out and scores, as he throws the puck on net, and Kopitar skates in front of Turco, seemingly tripping him, as he gets his stick on Blake's shot. The puck trickles in, giving L.A. their first lead of the game. The All-Star Kopitar gets credit for the goal, as Blake gets the assist. Brown should've gotten credit for the second assist, since it was his forechecking that got that started.
L.A. almost gets another, when Nagy's shot surprises Turco. But he makes an acrobatic save to hold off the Kings. The shots are even again, with each club adding 6 shots. But L.A. keeps up their hit parade. Brown has found his stride, and Blake is playing inspired hockey this game.
Dallas gets a rare two-man advantage early, when both Johnson and Guilano get concurrent penalties, giving the Stars a two-man advantage for two minutes. LaBarbera makes some tremedous saves, but Halpern puts one in with three seconds left to put the Stars up by one.
Then, 16 seconds later, Dallas strikes again. Eriksson puts in a rebound from behind LaBarbera to make it 2-0. And here we go again.
O'Sullivan gets a penalty for tripping Halpern, but the Kings kill the penalty. Then as O'Sullivan leaves the box, the puck is fed to him and he skates in. He puts the puck on net, and the rebound finds it's way to Frolov, who scores to put L.A. on the board.
LaBarbera is showing more comfort handling the puck behind the net. I guess Ranford is giving Labs some good guidance when it comes to puck-handling.
Then, less than a minute later, Armstrong scores to tie the game. As I'm listening to Jimmy Fox on FSN West, he notes that in the last 17 shots faced by Turco, he has let in 8 goals. I guess that's good for Los Angeles. Another good sign: the home team has won each game in this series. Dallas is 2-0 at home, while L.A. is 3-0 at Staples.
The shots were even, (12 a piece) but the hits were not (17-9 in favor of the Kings). It was great to see the Kings come back after being down by two goals. Not something you can count on every night. But they have made it a game again.
The Kings were unable to build off the power play to start the third. Since Toskala has come in, he has been solid in goal, settling down the visiting Maple Leafs.
Johnson gets two for slashing, as the Leafs try to get something going. But L.A. kills the Johnson penalty, as it seems they are content with sitting back and playing defensively. Not a bad idea, since this is Los Angeles, and they lose big leads like Pam Anderson loses husbands.
LaBarbera has played awesome tonight, really making difficult saves, and looking like the LaBarbera of old.
O'Sullivan had a beautiful chance, but was stonewalled by Toskala. The Leafs' Kubina gets called for holding, as the Kings take the PP-mobile out for a spin. But they barely get a chance to take it out for a spin, before they have to put it back in the garage.
The Leafs score another, when Tucker scores from between the circles to give them two goals. The Kings are still playing conservatively, unless the top line is out there. The Leafs are outshooting the Kings, but aren't getting many good looks at the net.
Kilger gets two minutes for hooking, as the Kings gets yet another chance on the power play. Brown has a golden chance to get a hat trick, but shoots wide.
Kopitar gets a rare penalty, a hooking penalty, his sixth of the season. The Leafs are attacking the goal with wild abondon. But LaBarbera makes save after save. he is a man possessed tonight. He even slides out of the crease and winds up sitting on the puck to stop play.
The Leafs pull Toskala with 1:40 left in the game, and go with six players with the puck dropped deep in the Kings zone. Blake just hip-hammers a Leaf into the boards, much to the delight of the Kings fans in attendance. Johnson shoots wide of the crease, missing his bid to score tonight.
Vesa Toskala is now in goal for Toronto, replacing Raycroft. Can you believe there were reports of Raycroft to L.A.? I don't believe in internet rumors, so it doesn't surprise me. He stunk up the joint, worse than the burned popcorn in the break room.
Ponikarovsky (Man, I love that name) sends Handzus into the boards and gets a penalty. LA. gets several chances, including Brown, who has two PP goals so far this game. But Toronto stands firm, and L.A. is denied.
Blake fires one from way downtown, putting the Kings up 5-0. The Kings have been cycling and circulating the puck, and one finally makes it through. It's Blake's fourth of the year, and his first in seven games.
The Leafs have a quick two-on-one, but they are shut down by LaBarbera. Although the Leafs have 9 shots so far, he's playing well. The defense is also blocking shots, so he doesn't have to stand on his head.
Kopitar is announced to the Staples Center as the sole representer of Los Angeles, and he is greeted by a warm round of applause. The kid deserves a trip, he's been the Kings best player this season.
The glass is shattered in the corner, as play stops. I've never really noticed that it takes 10 people to change on of those huge panes of glass. It takes a little time, because it's on the corner where the net is tethered to. Usually, the glass just has a straight crack in it. But it looks like the time I threw a hammer through my bedroom window, back in 1984. I wanted to try the Hammer Throw I had seen in the Olympics. Oops.
Guilano gets whistled for hooking, and the Leafs finally get on the board. Antropov beats LaBarbera for his 16th goal of the season. The Toronto crowd cheers much louder than the Kings, which sounds more like a sigh of relief than an actual celebration.
Johnson gets two for interfering with Sundin, and gives him a little shove after the veteran dove to the ice. I can't say I blame Johnson for being a little mad. Then Sundin draws Blake into the sin bin, giving Toronto a two-man advantage.
So Modry, Stuart and O'Sullivan are out there to stem the tide. LaBarbera has a sweet save, spreading wide to halt a Leaf scoring drive. He does it again, this time with his pads, kicking away a shot with authority. He then absorbs a cannon shot from the blueline.
The Kings kill the Johnson penalty, as LaBarbera is being called on to make some heady saves. Johnson, Visnovsky, Handzus and Calder kill the Blake penalty. And with 21 seconds left in the second, Ponikarovsky (I love that name!!) gets called for tripping. So the Kings will have the power play to start the third.
Every time a goalie makes a save, fans let out a smart-alecky cheer, since both tenders have seen better runs. I'd say there's quite a few Leaf fans at Staples, as fans' electric blue jerseys stand out from the black ones of the Kings.
Modry hits a laser beam, but it clanks off the post loudly, causing the fans to moan in unison.
The Kings score first, when Calder backhands a shot past Raycroft for his sixth of the season. Raycroft has been giving up some big rebounds, and he couldn't hold on to that one. It was the first time the Kings scored first in a long time. Usually, they spot the team a few before they get going.
The Leafs only have one shot so far, as the Kings look a little more focused than last game. LaBarbera makes two very nice saves when the Leafs finally register a few shots. I think fans are ready to jump all over LaBarbera again if he lets in another soft goal.
Antropov tries a wraparound, but LaBarbera is there. Dustin Brown draws a penalty when he's held by Kaberle, as the Kings go on the power play. And Dustin Brown knocks it in, when O'Sullivan's backhand toward the net and Raycroft fails to pull it in. Brown skates after it, and the puck dribbles in. O'Sullivan and Kopitar with the assists.
Frolov joins in on the fun, as he skates around the goaltender, turns wide and fires it past Raycroft. I guess three goals on seven shots is acceptable north of the border, because Raycroft is staying put. Nagy and Armstrong with the assists.
Wozniewski hits the puck over the glass and gets two for delay of game. And Brown scores his second of the period to give L.A. a 4-0 lead. The assists go to Visnovsky and Blake. The Kings have 11 shots in the first, and look dialed in.
It has been since 2003 that the Maple Leafs have made the trip to Staples Center. And if it wasn't for the sheer curiosity of having Toronto finally playing in L.A., this game should be a snorer.
Both clubs are last in their respective conference. The Leafs lost last night against the Ducks, 5-0, so I'm sure they're a little punchy. The Kings have lost three in a row, and after the team's last game... let's just say things are bleak in L.A., as far as hockey is concerned.
For a good article about the Leafs and the Kings, head over to the Globe and Mail website.
Linemates Kopitar and O'Sullivan are leading the Kings on ice time. But both have a shot each.
I'm starting to think this will be a case of payback for Nashville. Back on October 23, the Kings shut out Mason and the Predators, 6-0. That was an ugly game for Nashville, and I'm sure they remember that.
Bailey the mascot is parked below the press box, and I've now lost interest in the game. The Kings could be out-hitting the Predators, and causing blood to spill across the ice. And I'd still be watching that stupid lion. It's been half a season, and he's starting to grow on some of the fans. And if he'd stop stirring up the fans directly beneath me, I could concentrate on the game. Then again, the outcome to this game is already predetermined. I might as well try and get a t-shirt from one of the Kings Crew.
The Kings have 15 shots so far, but none real good chances past Mason. Guess his bid for a shutout will remain. (Yes, I am trying to jinx Mason. Why not? I'm not cheering in the press box)
Ivanans tries to stir something up, but no one was biting, and he heads to the box for two minutes to think about what he's done. The Preds then come out and Dumont scores to make it 6-0. That's right, the exact score back in October. Then, they come right back and put one past Aubin, this time by Ortmeyer.
I'm half expecting the Kings to start an all-out brawl. But it seems they just don't have their A-game tonight. I can already hear the callers tonight. Maybe I'll stick to jazz or classical music on the ride home. Honestly, this is quite possibly the worst I've seen the Kings play.
Aubin skates out to play the puck and try to help the Kings get going. But his pass goes awry, and Nichol skates in and beats Aubin glove-side for his second of the season.
After that, Crawford juggles the line, putting Kopitar on a line with Frolov and Nagy for a shift. Armstrong is paired with Willsie and Calder. Crawford's trying everything he can to jump-start L.A.
De Vrie gets whistled for interference, as the Kings only bright spot takes to the ice. However, they can't get anything going.
Nashville scores again, illiciting more boo-birds from the crowd. Aubin fails to cover up the puck from Erat. There is a rush around the goal, and it looks like it was kicked in. But it's by Blake. The Kings protest, but it stands.
A "Fire Crawford" starts up in the nosebleeds, but I'm not sure that's the answer. Then again, if I knew what the answer is, I'd head down to Toyota Sports Center tomorrow and tell someone. "Pssst, the reason why you guys are losing is because you are tying your skates up all wrong. Plus, you need to eat a half a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk before the game."
The Kings start pumping the puck on the net, and have almost caught up with them. Nashville is in a defensive bubble, so they are just playing safe.
Frolov and O'Sullivan are centered by Kopitar, who is getting a ton of ice time.
Ortmeyer gets called for a penalty, but once again, the Kings are empty. When Nashville kills the penalty, more boos are heard. As time winds down, the crowd is getting more and more bitter. This has been ugly.
The Kings come out aggressive to try and get another goal on Kiprusoff. And their hard work pays off, as Brad Stuart shoots on net through traffic and past Kipper to make it 3-2.
The Kings get their fifth power play with a lot of momentum on their side. But the top line isn't out there to start it off. Visnovsky hits it so hard that the rebound winds up on Frolov's stick, who tries to shoot it, but it gets deflected to Nagy, who knocks in his ninth goal of the season. He has been on fire the last seven games: he has eleven points, including his hat trick against the Hawks.
The Kings get a power play, when Sarich smacks Calder in the face with his stick, as L.A. takes to the ice for a double minor. Calder is shown getting stitches on the bench, which makes me wince. I'm sorry, but if I'm getting stitches, I want to be underground and away from anyone who would hear me scream like a schoolgirl.
The Kings get a goal, with a two-man advantage, when Blake shoots it on goal. Calder whacks at it, and the puck sneaks behind Kiprusoff, where Kopitar picks it up and puts the Kings up for the first time on the evening. Regehr checks Kopitar into the crossbar, but Anze shrugs it off. And to make things better, they still have the two-man advantage.
But to make things worse, Brown is reportedly not going to return to the game, after ramming into the board with his shoulder chasing a puck. Brown's willingness to muck it up in the corners has its disadvantages, and that's one of them. Not the first time he loses some ice time due to his shoulder.
Then the Kings start getting sloppy. Frolov gets a penalty, and Iginla finds Huselius in front of LaBarbera to tie it up at 4-4. Then Willsie gets two for tripping, and Langkow pops in a puck to put the Flames back up by one. It's Langkow's second of the game, and the Kings look like they might be spent.
Brown is now back out there, so reports of his demises have been exaggerated. (Way to go, Patrick O'Neal.) Brown has become the team's gritty goal-scoring leader, and to have him and Cammalleri out there may prompt a death knell for the Kings.
The Kings pull LaBarbera with less than two minutes to go, and the Kings fail to recapture the intensity earlier into the period. Huselius steals the puck from a reeling Visnovsky and pops it in to give the Flames their two-goal lead back.
It was exciting to see the Kings come out and score three goals in the third period, but it's frustrating to see the game slip away in such a fashion. The Flames were on the ropes, but, in typical Hollywood fashion, battled back against the odds to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Another maddening fact: the Kings outshoot the Flames, 14-4, in the third. But they score on three out of four shots for the victory. Had the Kings been able to lock up the Flames in the first, and not miss some defensive assignments, we may have taken them to overtime or even skate out of Staples with a hard-fought win.
Hopefully Brown isn't too dinged up after this game, because that would have serious reprecussions later on.
Kiprusoff has been a workhouse for coach Mike Keenan. He's only missed five games all season long, and has been the goalie of record for every single Flames victory. What would it be like to have a reliable goaltender like that?
Well, maybe I spoke too soon. Kipper skates behind the goal to play the puck, and Frolov is there to pick up the puck and wrap it around and in to get the Kings on the board. Maybe all those games made Kiprusoff a little loopy. The Kings, although in last place in the West, aren't slouches when it comes to scoring. There are tied with the Maple Leafs and the Sabres for seventh in the entire league. I am salivating thinking about the Maple Leafs game coming on next week.
The goal seems to have the Kings re-energized, as they start playing the Flames closer. Nagy has replaced O'Sullivan on the top line. But here's the problem: The top line has failed to register a shot thus far in the game.
Iginla has a quick release and fires it past LaBarbera to help the Flames regain their two-goal advantage. The goal comes off the rush, as Eriksson skates in, then passes it quickly to Iginla, who is simply the best player on the ice anytime he's out there.
The second period ends with the Kings again down by two. But there's some improvement. The Kings finally unleash their shots, finishing with 13 shots. They get more offensive chances, and seemingly have the Flames back on their heels several times.
Jack Johnson and Rob Blake are given credit on Frolov's goal during the second intermission. With the league's fourth best PP, it was just a matter of time before they connected.
Two goals in first four minutes sets pace for Calgary
The Kings are taking on the Flames tonight, who are winners of four straight. L.A. is hoping to halt Calgary's streak and start their own.
The Flames strike first, when Robyn Regehr scores past a confused-looking LaBarbera for his fourth of the season. The thing that makes this one sting is the fact that this was a battle of fourth lines. The Kings had Ivanans, Thornton and Guiliano out there, against Godard, Yelle and Conroy. Stuart was in position and as he held Regehr, and the puck appears to have gone off his stick and is redirected past LaBarbera.
The next goal comes under two minutes later, when Daymond Langkow receives a puck in front of LaBarbera in an unusual way. It comes from above. Owen Nolan pops it over the goaltender, a la Hit The Ice, in front of LaBarbera, where it gets knocked around, before Langkow tips it in.
The Kings do settle down, as they finally get the puck several times in the Flames zone. But they can't really sustain any real scoring threat. The Flames outshoot the Kings, 11-6, and are lacking in the faceoff circle. I imagine Crawford is giving them an earful in the locker room.
I counted three Brown hits in his first shift. That's the sign of Dustin trying to fire up his club.
Stuart gets tripped by Peca, putting the Kings back on the PP. Nagy wins his fourth faceoff of the game, but the Kings can't hold it in. It seems the Blue Jackets play in the nuetral zone has stymied the Kings, as they can't skate in. Brown had a beautiful chance, when he directed an O'Sullivan pass into Norrena's pads. But he stops it, and the BJs kill the penalty.
O'Sullivan skates with the puck, and heads behind the net. The puck gets hit by a Blue Jacket, and the puck bounces up off the top of the goal. The puck winds up on Sully's stick, as he knocks it in unassisted for an amazing goal. The goal is reviewed, but it stands. One of the most amazing goals I've witnessed live.
The game is tied as the Kings suddenly have a second wind. They have outshot the the Blue Jackets thus far, and have shown signs of getting faster. But the Blue Jackets are looking feisty. They are putting the wood on every dark jersey they see.
Johnson almost turns it over deep in the Kings zone, but LaBarbera picks it up and sends it right back out to Jack. He feeds it to Armstrong immediately, and the Kings catch the Blue Jackets in a line change. Nagy skates it in and almost gets a clear backhand, but Norrena covers it up.
Columbus scores their fourth, as Peca scores his second of the game. And now the Jackets seem content with playing keep away from the Kings. The LAD line comes out with 3 minutes left, but fail to get anything started. Brown lines up one BJ in the corner, and almost hammers another, but wisely sidesteps away.
The Kings pull LaBarbera from the net, then Peca gets whistled for hitting the puck over the glass. So now, the Kings have a two-man advantage. After an exciting exchange, the Kings fail to put the biscuit in the basket. Columbus outlast the Kings in a hard-fought battle.
The Kings tie the game in the first 13 seconds, when Willsie scores a nice deflection from Blake's shot from the point. I was in the bathroom when I heard the screeching horn, the second time that's happened the past week.
But the Jackets come right back, when Lindstrom pops one over Aubin's shoulder to put Columbus back on top. Fedorov gets the assist. It quickly quiets the half-filled arena, who were just screaming their heads off for Willsie.
The goals are coming once a minute now, as O'Sullivan backhands one toward Norrena, and Brown smacks it under the pads for his 20th goal of the season. O'Sullivan is so fluid, skating out of the corner and throwing it on net. Kopitar gets credit for the second assist.
Willsie gets called for a penalty, and Columbus' 24th-ranked power play unit takes to the ice. The Kings have the third-worst PK unit, so there's something for the Jackets.
Columbus goes back on top, when Peca scores on Columbus fourth shot of the period. Aubin is replaced by LaBarbera, after letting in 3 goals on 15 shots. Apparently Crawford has seen all he needs to see for tonight, as the book closes for Aubin.
Ivanans has a teeth-rattling open ice hit on Chimera that sends ohhs and ahhs throughout the arena. Chimera comes up with his helmet all-cockeyed, and another Jacket comes to his defense. The organ plays music that sounds like the Kings will get a penalty, but it was clean as a whistle. And that whistling is coming from the gaping, bloody hole Ivanans left in Chimera's head.
Kings get a power play when Hejda gets whistled for hooking, but the Jackets manage to get it in the Kings Zone. After trying to cycle it out, Nash comes up and trips LaBarbera in the crease, illiciting some complaints from Kings fans. But play goes on.
Blake and Hainsey exchange diet tips, as Blake tries to smack home a loose puck, and the scuffle stops play and kills the Kings power play. That's the third PP tonight the Kings have missed on. Blake has picked up his game as of late, looking like he's at 100 percent. Which is good, because being paired with Johnson, he's the perfect compliment.
Brown just hammers Hejda with a trademark BrownTown hit. It was so nice, they showed it twice, and it got an equal response the second time.
The Kings kill a late Nagy penalty, and head to the locker room down by one goal. The Kings only muster 6 shots on goal, but showed signs of coming to life after the Ivanans hit. Brown tallied 5 hits in the second,
The Kings are riding a three-game win streak, their second of the season. The last one happened over two months ago. The last game against the Blackhawks left the team with a little breath of fresh air. The Hawks really didn't have their A-game in goal, as Khabibulin and Lalime must have had a nice New Year's Eve.
The LAD line of Ladislav Nagy, Alexander Frolov and Derek Armstrong had a stellar game against Chicago, with ten points between them. Lost in the excitement of the Kings' first hat trick since 2006 by Nagy, Frolov scored his 100th goal as a King. Dustin Brown also added a goal and an assist on the night.
LaBarbera is getting the night off, as Aubin starts in goal, opposite Columbus' Norrena. LeClaire played last night against the Ducks, in a 2-1 loss.
Three minutes in, and both teams haven't tallied a shot, but Modry gets the gate for hooking. L.A. is easily able to kill the penalty.
Westcott gets two for holding (more like clotheslining) Nagy, as the NHL's fourth best PP takes to the ice. Brown, Kopitar and O'Sullivan are paired once again, with Visnovsky and Blake on the blueline. Calder replaces Armstrong between Frolov and Nagy. L.A. gets some solid chances, but come up empty. The beautiful thing is L.A. has the second most power play opportunities, right behind Carolina. And it's the DAM line of Brown, Kopitar and Cammalleri leading the team in PP points.
Fedorov scores to put the Blue Jackets up, on a one-timer from Lindstrom. The shot was right in the slot, as it slid under Aubin for Federov's seventh of the season.
The Kings go on the PP when Malhotra gets called for hooking. But there's nothing there for the Kings to capitalize on.
I'm a big No Doubt fan, but I'm a little tired of hearing that B-A-N-A-N-A-S song they start to play, with the drum crops and deep base line. For some reason, it just doesn't fit for hockey. I'm sure it's cool for the Lakers or at USC games. But, it just has a whole "You-Got-Served" feel that makes me want to skip it on my iTunes.
Nagy joins Brown and Kopitar as time expires, and they get some opportunities.
Ladislav Nagy scored in the first minute to become the first King to score a hat trick since Jan. 1, 2006. Two years to the day! Amazing. Nagy has now tied his career record for points in a game with 5. In a stroke of genius, Team LA has offered all Kings fans a discount for hats to replace the ones that were thrown on the ice.
Ivanans is able to bait Koci again, when the teams are bunched up in front of Labs. Ivanans reaches over and gets Koci to swing at him, giving him a ten minute penalty.
Dustin Brown is able to poke the puck away from Byfuglien and skate in on Lalime and score an unassisted goal. The Kings now have scored 8 goals, the same amount as the last time I was here in December against the Sabres.
LaBarbera has shaken off his iffy start and has settled down. Several fights have broken out behind the crease. Calder throws someone down, Preissing is down on the ice. When it all shakes out, Burish gets 2 for roughing, 2 for high sticking, 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct. Kontiola then gets called for high-sticking.
Lubo scores with a two-man advantage to make it 9-2. Calder gets another assist, and the Kings are routing the Hawks.
The Kings are on their way for their third win in a row. Despite being outshot, the Kings posted a tremendous win.
Frolov scores his fifth of the season, when he redirects a Stuart shot from the point past Lalime for a Kings goal.
And in the Main Event, we have Ivanans and Koci squaring off right in front of the Kings goal. They go at it for some time, as both guys just hammer on each other, much to the delight of the entire Staples Center crowd. Both get some love from the benches as they skate off.
Ruutu gets two for tripping, as the Kings go back on the power play. They have already scored twice. Nagy gets several shots on the PP, since he's very close to something we don't talk about, lest we jinx it.
Both teams are settling down and playing decent hockey since the fight. The Kings have outshot the Hawks this period. Magnus Johannsson (I love the name Magnus. I'm gonna name my first-born Magnus, just because I like it so much) has been called for a penalty, giving L.A. another chance at a power play. Calder hooks up with Frolov to give L.A. another goal. Fro now has 2 goals, and Nagy adds to his point total with his second assist. He now has 4 points.
It looks as if Rene Bourque popped Jack Johnson in the mouth. JJ skates over to the bench, and keeps checking his lips. I sense something coming down the pike when those two meet again.
The Kings score two more this period, as we go to intermission.
The Kings are riding a four game win streak, and the Blue Jackets are coming in winners of three in a row. This being the 13th game of the season, how appropriate that it's on Halloween? Will tonight's game be a treat to watch, or have I been tricked into seeing a Kings' home loss, a rarity this season.
In goal for the Kings is Jason LaBarbera, coming off of being named the NHL's top star of last week. Pascal Leclaire is riding a huge wave of success, already pull ing out 4 shutouts. These two goaltenders meet for the first time.
Jack Johnson has a nice move on a Columbus forward as he tries to get the puck out. He fakes to go around the goal, then pivots the opposite way and skates past the bewildered player. He immediately passes up to Kopitar when he reaches mid-ice, and Kopitar takes it in and gets a shot on net. What a rookie.
Now about the veterans, Calder skates it up and passes to.... no one. He didn't even look where he was passing to when he flipped a backhand to the boards, resulting in a turnover in the nuetral zone.
The Kings seem one step slower tonight. Passes aren't as clean, and they are having a devil of a time clearing the zone. Visnovsky checks Boll into the corner, and seconds later, Boll returns the favor. But coming to Lubomir's defense is Ivanans, who bashed Boll after he cleared the puck. That was enough cause to give Columbus a penalty.
The Kings, aided by the excellent penalty-killing of Hanzus and O'Sullivan, kill the Ivanans penalty. But the Kings are far from getting out of the woods. The Blue Jackets are staying in the Kings zone for a long time. Modin, the former Long Beach Ice Dog, puts on some nifty moves, and is able to get the puck in front to his clamoring teammates. Finally, the Kings clear it, as Crawford, realizing the rough nature of tonight's game has Armstrong, Frolov and Cammalleri out for some strength. The line of O'Sullivan, Willsie and Nagy also playing well.
Kopitar does some fancy footwork of his own, getting Hejda to trip him up and draw a penalty. But the Blue Jackets won't go down without a fight. They are ranked number one in the NHL on killing penalties. And that's what they do this time as well.
The Kings have two long shifts from the O'Sullivan and Kopitar lines, so as they try to change on the fly, the Blue Jackets are able to collect a rebound and skate to a quick 3-on-2. And Chimera pops one over LaBarbera's glove hand for his second of the year. It was a bad angle, but a nice goal, hitting the top of the goal somehow over LaBarbera's big shoulders.
Kopitar and Cammalleri are joined by Willsie on their line, as Brown joins Calder and Handzus. Clearly, Crawford is trying to see how to get some different combinations out there to shake them up.
Going into the first intermission, L.A. has a slight advantage in shots, although it didn't seem like it. But something that does seem right: L.A. with 11 giveaways.
First period: Blue Jackets 1, Kings 0
Kopitar has a good chance to hit Cammalleri deep in the Jackets' zone, but Michael falls to the ice, and Anze's shot is stopped by Leclaire. The ice seems a little slushy.
Sergei Federov puts the puck on net, and the resulting rebound is smacked in by Gilbert Brule. It's tghe type of play that should have either been controlled by LaBarbera or his defensemen. But neither could get possession of the puck long enough to clear the puck, and the Blue Jackets are up by two goals.
Nagy's unsportsmanlike conduct gives Columbus their second power play. The Kings are able to halt the power play, thanks to the steady LaBarbera.
But Jason has a lapse of judgement, as he turns the puck over on successive possessions when he leaves the puck behind his net for his defensemen. The first time, the Kings were able to clear the zone, but the second time cost them. Chimera intercepts LaBarbera's pass, and finds Nash on the wing, who slaps one on net. The rebound goes back to Nash, and he takes another shot. LaBarbera stops the second and clears it to the side, but it goes right to Chimera, who shoots it past Jason for his second of the game. The Kings are looking sloppy tonight, and their win streak will seemingly end tonight.
The Kings are already being outshot by Blue Jackets in the second, 13-2. They just seem out of sync, as the Jackets are capitalizing our their mistakes.
But the Kings finally get on the board, when Calder pops it over Leclair's pads for a power play goal. L.A. with the man advantage when Boll is whistled for hooking. Frolov skates the puck in, but gets it poke-checked away from him, and it goes to Stuart. Stuart soots on net, and the puck bounces around in front of Leclair, who cannot control it. Clader takes several whacks at it, and finally works it in to give the Kings a glimmer of hope. Nagy gets the assist along with Stuart.
The Kings get a two-man advantage, when Malhotra is called for interference, and then 20 seconds later, Foote gets the gate for tripping Nagy. The Kings go with four forwards on the ice: Frolov, Cammalleri, Kopitar and Calder. Visnovsky is the only defenseman on the ice. The Kings sustain good pressure, but the puck just doesn't bounce their way. Visnovsky hits the post, and the power play ends.
The period ends with only 8 shots for the Kings, the majority of which came on the two man advantage. Leclair is the difference in this game, who lost his bid for another shutout in the second. But the Blue Jackets are in the driver's seat as we head for the second intermission.
Second period: Blue Jackets 3, Kings 1
Chimera gets his name on the stat sheet again, this time for a holding the stick penalty. But the Blue Jackets keep the puck in L.A.'s end. That's why they are the league's best PK unit.
The damn doorbell keeps ringing with trick-or-treaters as I'm watching this game, so the third period is a blur. The Kings have several good chances, but come up empty. Rick Nash adds an open netter to make it 4-1. L.A.'s win streak is over, and they head into the weekend with a tough home-and-home matchup with the Sharks. The Kings were able to outshoot Columbus, who haven't had a win in Los Angeles in eight games.
Pascal Leclair now has the same amount of wins as he did last season. An interesting note about Leclair: his first start in the NHL was against the Kings, And guess what the result was? A 2-0 shutout.
So, Los Angeles gets the equivalent of a Mounds bar in their trick-or-treat pail on this Halloween night.
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.
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.
Cammalleri scores again, as L.A. defeats Vancouver
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.
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.
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.
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 f
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.
The Kings get a killer chance, when Kopitar drives in and passes over the Johnson at the last minute. But Johnson was skating the wrong way, as the Stars go on the attack.
The Kings are riding a four game win streak, and the Blue Jackets are coming in winners of three in a row. This being the 13th game of the season, how appropriate that it's on Halloween? Will tonight's game be a treat to watch, or have I been tricked into seeing a Kings' home loss, a rarity this season.
Kopitar has a good chance to hit Cammalleri deep in the Jackets' zone, but Michael falls to the ice, and Anze's shot is stopped by Leclaire. The ice seems a little slushy.
The Kings get a two-man advantage, when Malhotra is called for interference, and then 20 seconds later, Foote gets the gate for tripping Nagy. The Kings go with four forwards on the ice: Frolov, Cammalleri, Kopitar and Calder. Visnovsky is the only defenseman on the ice. The Kings sustain good pressure, but the puck just doesn't bounce their way. Visnovsky hits the post, and the power play ends.
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 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.
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.
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 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 play host to the third division leader they've played this season, Minnesota. The Wild are the last unbeaten team in the league. 
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.