March 2008 Archives
From Don:
Brady Murray scored two goals, Teddy Purcell, Brian Boyle and David Meckler added one goal each, and the Monarchs increased their hold on the final playoff spot in the AHL's Eastern Conference by five points, as the team defeated the Hershey Bears last night 5-2. Goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 31 of 33 shots to improve his record to 8-8-0 on the season. The Monarchs currently have 79 points with only six games left to play - including the final three games of the season against the league's best team, the Providence Bruins (107 points). The Monarchs (35-30-5-4) look to maintain or extend their five point lead over the Springfield Falcons on Wednesday night at home against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Daniel Taylor has been recalled. I certainly hope they didn't put the poor guy on a plane yesterday. Safe to assume that Cloutier isn't ready to go, or at least that the Kings don't think so...
From Don:
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Peter Harrold went from being "the" guy on defense for the Manchester Monarchs, to adding some necessary depth on the Kings' blue line. The 24-year old says he has made the transition, but is still learning the NHL brand of hockey.
"It's a pretty big transition, I mean the game is so much faster here," Harrold said. "I think I'm fitting in pretty well and learning more and more every day. It's important to try and get better every day."
Still, it is kind of strange going from being the quarterback of the Monarchs' power play to suddenly being a depth player for the Kings.
"It's no problem for me. Obviously you want to get to the point where you can be on the power play at this level, but you have to crawl before you can walk," he said. "I'm trying to learn a little more each and every day and when you watch those guys on the power play and try to pick up on the little things that they do so that when I get my chance I know what to do."
Odds are that the depleted defensive unit at Manchester will get an infusion should Harrold be reassigned to the Monarchs following the conclusion of the Kings' season.
"They haven't talked to me about it yet, but I'd like to go back. I like playing in the playoffs and as soon as the season is done here, I hope they send me back," Harrold said. "I pay a lot of attention to what is going on in Manchester. They're my friends that played there all year and most of last year, so I'd love to go down there and help them in the playoffs."
Here's what went on in El Segundo today, courtesy of Don...
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Goalie Dan Cloutier returned to the ice today and pronounced himself fit to play. Cloutier faced shots and appeared to show no issues with mobility as a result of the groin strain that kept him out of action over the weekend. "I feel good, I'm just not sure if I'll be playing in San Jose," Cloutier said.
Coach Marc Crawford was unsure about the health of his beleaguered goaltender, and says it will be the training staff who ultimately makes the decision concerning Cloutier's availability.
"We're not 100% sure about Dan. He tried it today, but whether or not he can be a guy who is ready to play tomorrow, that's another question," he said.
Rookie Erik Ersberg who has started the last five games for the Kings is likely to be in net tomorrow in San Jose.
"I think we are definitely looking at playing Erik tomorrow regardless, because I just don't think Dan is ready, and we'll probably have a decision to make if Dan continues to improve," Crawford said. "The trainers are going to make the decision here now if they feel he is going to be at least good enough to be an option for us tomorrow and is capable of playing. We'll deal with that as it moves along. I guess you'll have your answer later on if we call someone up.''
And what about the possibility of not calling anyone up, declaring Cloutier fit to play and both goalies go down (hey, it could happen); who is the Kings' emergency back-up goalie?
"We don't have one," Crawford said. "The trainer Corey Osmak always plays in net when we need someone. He plays in Osmak-ian fashion," he joked.
Don Fulton talked to Michael Cammalleri at practice today...
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Forward Michael Cammalleri has had a difficult season, to say the least.
Following his much-publicized arbitration hearing and, ultimately, the ruling in favor of the Kings, the 25-year-old winger has struggled to regain his 2006-2007 numbers that saw him net career highs in goals (34) and points (80). This season he has tallied 19 goals and 27 assists in 60 games, and most of his drop-off can be attributed to missing the entire month of January with a nagging rib injury.
Cammalleri answered a few questions about his disappointing season today:
Q: There's a perception from some people that the arbitration process and ruling has negatively impacted your game.
Cammalleri: I don't think the actual hearing had any negative impact. It's obviously been a tough year for me personally for different reasons. I'm not going to sit here and say the arbitration process is the reason why.
Q: There's another perception that from last year to this year you have turned into a selfish player.
Cammalleri: I don't know where that comes from. I wouldn't give much credit to hearing that. The game is still fun, and obviously it has been a frustrating year, but I still have fun playing the game. It's been frustrating because we haven't been able to win as many games as I thought we could have, but I don't think by any means that it is a selfish moment or anything like that. I just wanted us to do a little bit better as a team.
Q: Has this been your most frustrating year ever in organized hockey?
Cammalleri: It has been a tough year, but you live and you learn, and I've kind of been able to analyze some things for myself and for the team. You just get better from the experience, so it doesn't worry me too much.
Q: Are you 100% back from your injury?
Cammalleri: I feel really good. It is one of those injuries that I don't think will heal all the way until I get a full summer off. It definitely feels a lot better than it did.
Q: If you had to wager a guess; are you a member of the Los Angeles Kings next season?
Cammalleri: I would think so. My contract says that I am and I haven't heard otherwise.
Q: Do you want to be back?
Cammalleri: I definitely want to be a King. It will be interesting to see what we do.
In response to the comment earlier, about ticket prices rising 10 percent next season, the Kings say it's not true and that ticket prices for next season have not yet been determined.
Has anyone else had a ticket rep say something different?
Don Fulton caught up with Kings prospect Oscar Moller, who recently completed his season with Chiliwack of the WHL. We'll also have a practice report this afternoon...
I've been out all day, but this afternoon the Kings assigned John Zeiler to Manchester and Daniel Taylor to Reading. Sounds safe to say that Dan Cloutier's groin/hip/whatever is better, but we'll get the whole scoop at practice tomorrow.
Here's the complete quotes and notes from this afternoon's game:
I'll just go ahead and submit this without comment...
Dallas with a touchdown, Kings with a safety, Erik Ersberg back to Earth. Here's the AP story, complete with quotes...
I'm not sure if we really resolved anything with the ``most outstanding defenseman'' debate -- which was kind of the point, right? That there's no obvious choice -- but it was a fun debate to read.
So what does everyone think about team MVP? I have a pretty solid idea on this one already, but I'm curious to know what everyone thinks. By the way, I'll let you know all my picks when I send them in. Tomorrow, I think...
OK, I've been invited to vote in the Kings' season-ending awards. One of the categories is ``outstanding defenseman,'' and these are the eligible choices: Rob Blake, Kevin Dallman, Peter Harrold, Jack Johnson, Jon Klemm, Tom Preissing, Lubomir Visnovsky. I'm really not trying to be sarcastic here...if anyone can give me a compelling reason why one of these guys is the clear choice, I'd really like to hear it...
The story that just won't go away...
Guess who got the shutout...and another boatload of saves... Ersberg is doing a tremendous job to help his cause. Here's the early AP game story:
Here's the Associated Press preview of tonight's Kings-Phoenix game:
I'm curious to know what people's thoughts are here. How upset are you about the Kings losing these days?
Here's the second half of Don's interview with Drew Doughty...
The Kings recalled goaltender Daniel Taylor from Manchester, on an emergency basis. Dan Cloutier has suffered a strained groin.
Don Fulton, who must be a part-time detective, tracked down Drew Doughty for an exclusive interview. it's fairly lengthy, so I'll break it into two parts. It's another look at a prospect who might well end up in the Kings organization next season. It's another good read...
Some quotes from last night's game, from Erik Ersberg, Patrick O'Sullivan and Marc Crawford...
For those inclined to attend, the Kings will not skate tomorrow morning in El Segundo. They'll instead meet a little earlier at Staples Center to discuss preparations for Phoenix.
Here's the AP game story from tonight...Quotes to come as they're available...
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Mathieu Schneider and Teemu Selanne scored for the Ducks during a shootout and the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Kings 2-1 Wednesday night to clinching a playoff berth.
Ducks rookie goaltender Jonas Hiller, filling in for the ailing Jean-Sebastien Giguere, ended the shootout at the end of six rounds when he blocked Brian Willsie's shot. Dustin Brown had the only shootout goal for the Kings.
The Ducks already has assured themselves a spot in the postseason when they were tied at the end of regulation, since they needed only one point to clinch.
Patrick O'Sullivan scored for the Kings in the first period, and Anaheim's Bobby Ryan tied it in the second.
The Ducks made the playoffs for the third year in a row, and the sixth time since they came into the league as an expansion franchise in 1993.
The Kings, already eliminated from the postseason, haven't made the playoffs since 2003.
Hiller, starting for the third game in a row, made 31 saves for the Ducks -- including a dramatic one with time running out in regulation.
The Kings' Alexander Frolov stole the puck from Schneider in the Kings' zone and skated off on a breakaway. He bore down on Hiller, feinted to his left then tried to slide the puck behind the sprawling goalie on the other side. Hiller blocked the shot with his left skate, with 17 seconds on the clock.
Kings goalie Erik Ersberg, like Hiller a 26-year-old from Sweden, had a fine outing, stopping 39 shots.
Ian Winwood, a reporter from The Guardian, recently hopped the pond to take in a game at Staples Center and didn't exactly find it impressive. But you might find his account of the evening pretty amusing...
The NHL experience that ended up putting me to sleep
Reader Drew passed that along, along with this USA Today story about the struggles of lower-payroll teams:
Here's the notes and quotes from this morning's (very brief) skate, courtesy of Don:
Here's Don's interview with Teddy Purcell. Morning-skate reports coming soon...
Don Fulton tracked down Brian Boyle in Manchester and got an exclusive interview. He also talked to Teddy Purcell, so I'll have that up later, along with a report from today's morning skate.
The stories about skating in Southern California are great. I learned to skate at the tiny little rink inside the mall in Palos Verdes. It's not even full-size, but it sure felt like it. The mall has changed, almost completely, but the little rink is still there.
Here's Boyle...
Here's another gem from the Sports Illustrated ``Vault.'' It's the ``They Said It'' entry from Nov. 21, 1988:
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•Jim Fox, Los Angeles Kings right wing, complaining about the skating surface at a Culver City, Calif., practice rink: "I've seen better ice on my windshield."
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I've never been in that arena, but I've driven past it many times and I can't believe an NHL team practiced there...
For those who haven't seen it, the ``Vault'' section on Sports Illustrated's website is fantastic. With enough interest and time, you can read any article that has ever run in the magazine. So here's a couple, for old times sake. The first one is from April 8, 1968, a story about how those expansion Kings might win the Stanley Cup! The second story is about a little trade with Edmonton. The third is from Nov. 30, 1992, about how a rookie coach named Barry Melrose seems to have the Kings on track.
Take it for what it's worth, but based on numbers from hockeyfights.com and nhl.com, the Kings have recorded the second-fewest fighting majors this season. They've had 21 fighting majors in games. The Ducks have the most fighting majors, with 67, and former Kings winger George Parros has the second-most fighting majors, with 23. What does it all mean, in terms of wins and losses? Probably not much. Of the top 10 most-fighting teams, seven would be headed to the playoffs if the season ended today. But the team with the fewest fighting majors this season (20)? The Detroit Red Wings.
Here's the other half of the Steven Stamkos interview, courtesy of Don Fulton...
Again, major thanks to Don for taking the initiative to get this interview with Steven Stamkos, who is considered the clear top prospect in the 2008 NHL Draft. Here's Don...
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There are a few things you need to know about Steven Stamkos.
First, he does prefer to be called Steven, but doesn't mind at all if you call him Steve. He just turned 18, but after talking with him you are left feeling like you just chatted with a 35 year-old NHL veteran.
Steven was kind enough to chat with me by phone from Sarnia, Ontario, where his team the Sarnia Sting currently leads its first round Ontario Hockey League playoff series against the Windsor Spitfires, two games to one.
He has scored five goals in the three games.
Steven discussed life in the OHL, the prospect of him likely being the number one pick in June's National Hockey League draft, and talked about the possibility of lacing them up in Hollywood and playing for the Los Angeles Kings.
A special thank you to Mark Glavin, the very helpful Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator for the Sting for setting up the phone interview.
Hope everyone had a good Easter Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll be posting the transcript of an exclusive interview Don did with Steven Stamkos. It's a great read, in which Stamkos talks about his season, his development, the Kings and whether he thinks he's NHL-ready (short answer: yes). So, thanks to Don for that great effort in tracking down Stamkos. It's no stretch to say that Don is our Erik Ersberg!
Here's the Associated Press game story:
J.S. Aubin has been called up by the Ducks, to (temporarily, at least) take the roster spot of J.S. Giguere (bad back). Aubin had been doing quite well with Portland in the AHL, with two shutouts in seven games and a 1.80 goals-against average since the Kings traded him to Anaheim for a seventh-round pick.
Michal Handzus scored two goals. Not in the same month. Not in the same week. Not in the same game.
In the same period.
In one of those games that you look at and just kind of say, ``Huh?'', the Kings were pretty much stifled for 57 minutes, then scored three goals in a span of 1 minute, 42 seconds. And yes, Handzus scored two of them. And Visnovsky scored the other. Yes, really.
So the Kings pull ``even'' with Tampa Bay at 66 points, but Tampa plays later and also has another game in hand over the Kings.
Another solid game for Erik Ersberg, who made 25 saves and kept the Stars off the board in the third period. Game story to follow later...
Here's the Stats LLC preview of today's game, for those hanging around and not watching college basketball...
Here's the second part of Don's interview with Manchester coach Mark Morris...
Kyle Calder suffered a broken finger in last night's victory over Dallas. He's headed back to Los Angeles and John Zeiler will take his place on the roster for Saturday's game at Dallas.
Morning, everyone. Don Fulton did a great Q&A with Manchester coach Mark Morris, who answers questions extensively about the development of different prospects and the state of that team in general. I'll break it up into two parts since it's fairly lengthy...
Here's the game story. Sorry for the delay but AP was especially slow tonight.
Here's the Associated Press preview of tonight's Kings-Phoenix game:
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Wins against teams such as the Kings have helped the Phoenix Coyotes stay in the postseason race, but losses to teams ahead of them in the standings are keeping them from moving into playoff position.
After three straight defeats to teams in playoff contention in the Western Conference, the Coyotes look to continue their dominance of the Kings when the teams meet Thursday night.
Phoenix (36-33-5) has lost two games to 10th-place Edmonton and one to sixth-place Vancouver over the past week. The Coyotes, in 12th place in the West, are seven points behind three teams tied with 84 in the race for the conference's last three postseason spots.
After two straight road games, Phoenix is beginning a three-game homestand. The Coyotes are 5-7-1 at Jobing.com Arena since the start of February.
"It's looking dismal for the playoffs, but we have to leave this behind us up here and get back to Phoenix," Coyotes center Daniel Winnik said after Tuesday's 8-4 loss in Edmonton. "I don't think it's a lack of effort or intensity on anyone's behalf or a lack of caring. We're just having mental letdowns at the wrong times."
Phoenix has been able to stay in the race thanks partly to its outstanding play against the two worst teams in the West.
The Coyotes are 6-0-0 against league-worst Kings (28-40-6) this season, winning each of those games in regulation. They also are 4-0-0 against St. Louis, which is second-worst in the West with 71 points.
Phoenix's dominance at home versus the Kings extends to last season, having won six straight meetings with the Kings at Jobing.com Arena since a 4-0 loss on Oct. 19, 2006. The Coyotes are 17-2-1 with two ties at home against the Kings since the start of 2000.
Taking advantage of another matchup with the Kings is crucial for a Phoenix team that has eight games remaining. The Coyotes have lost five of their last seven.
A bright spot for Phoenix in Tuesday's loss was a one-goal, two-assist performance from Shane Doan, giving him 70 points through 74 games to surpass his previous career high of 68 points set in 2003-04.
The veteran winger has four goals and nine points in six games against the Kings this season, helping the Coyotes score four times in each of the last five meetings.
The Kings, meanwhile, have scored two goals or less in eight of its last nine games. The Kings have converted 9.5 percent (4-for-42) of their power-play opportunities in their last 11 games, going 2-6-3 in that span, and went 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to San Jose on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles' most productive players have stalled in recent games.
Anze Kopitar, who leads the team with 69 points (29 goals, 40 assists), has been held off the scoresheet in three straight games. Alexander Frolov hasn't tallied a point in four of his last five games, but is second on the team with 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists).
The Kings are beginning a three-game stretch on the road, where they are 1-6-1 after winning eight of their previous 12.
The CBS show ``60 Minutes'' is reporting this week that David Beckham has an option to buy a MLS team starting in 2011, after his contract with the Galaxy expires. Maybe AEG should keep the Galaxy and let Beckham buy the Kings. Beckham might not know how to run a hockey team, but, well...
Here's a story out of the Sun Journal, the Lewiston paper, about Jonathan Bernier...
Here's the second round of questions...
Here goes the first round of questions and answers, as we all begin to watch our NCAA Tournament brackets go up in flames...