FINAL: Kings 2, Oilers 1

A good bounce-back win for the Kings, probably exactly what Terry Murray had in mind. More importantly, it was a fun night for those of us at the Redondo Beach Cafe, where Jim Fox got the Chicken Noodle Soup named after him and a sizable crowd watched the game. For those in the area who might not have been able to make it by right before the holiday, it’s a great spot for some good food and hockey. The cafe’s menu is great and the service is even better.

On to the game…Anze Kopitar and Patrick O’Sullivan each had one goal and one assist and Jason LaBarbera stopped 22 of 23 shots. The Kings went scoreless on the power play again but also kept the Oilers’ power play off the board. In his return to Edmonton, Jarret Stoll was credited with three shots and four hits.

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Murray, on Tuesday’s penalty-fest

In Tuesday’s loss to Calgary, the Kings took 15 penalties. Of course, five of them came from one incident, the one involving Sean O’Donnell and Raitis Ivanans in the second period, but the Kings also took eight penalties of the hooking/holding/interference variety. Here’s what Terry Murray thought about the penalties, in particular the incident between O’Donnell and Dion Phaneuf that led to an O’Donnell instigator penalty…

MURRAY: “The puck over the glass (penalty) was one of those things that happen in a game. When O’Donnell was in there with the scrum and ended up with Phaneuf, I really liked what he did there. It showed a lot of experience and toughness for his team when he stood in there with Phaneuf. Quite honestly, I didn’t see it as an instigator penalty. It wasn’t as if he came in from the blue line and tapped the guy and said, `Let’s go.’ It just happened in relation to everything else that was going on. I didn’t think it was an instigator. There were a couple others we deserved We got into hooking and reaching from behind, and that’s going to get called.”

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Murray, on bouncing back

Here are Terry Murray’s thoughts about the Kings’ need to bounce back from last night’s dreadful 6-2 loss to Calgary…

“It was the first game, out of the 20 that we’ve played, that was well below par, way below the bar. I guess you could go back to the first game at San Jose as well. But we came away from that and while we weren’t pleased with what happened, at the end of the day we still had half the team where we said, `Hey, they did a pretty good job.’ Last night was one of those you wanted to move by quickly. I felt from the beginning that we didn’t have it. The passing, the receiving and the coordinated effort we’ve been seeing just wasn’t there. The key is, how do we respond against Edmonton? We want a good result, a good response to a subpar effort. That’s part of the growth process, the need for mental toughness and the attitude of, we need to come back with a solid team effort. We need to execute for the entire 60 minutes.”

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Murray, on the lineup changes

On Jason LaBarbera, who will make his first start in goal since Nov. 1…
“LaBarbera will play. I planned that before the road trip and I told him that he would be playing this game.”

On the insertion of Brad Richardson into the lineup. Richardson will play his sixth game of the season and his first since Oct. 27…
“We will take Boyle out of the lineup and put Richardson in. It’s his first game in a long time. He will center a line with Raitis Ivanans and Simmonds on the right side. He’s been waiting patiently and working hard in the practices. His game is a skating game and this team does have that kind of a team. I know it’s hard, when you’ve been out, to jump back in and be on top of things, but we’re looking for him to have a good game.”

On moving Wayne Simmonds down to a line with Richardson and Ivanans…
“It was something in (Simmonds’) game. I don’t want to get into a `number one’ or `number four’ line thing. I feel it’s very important that we have four lines that can go out and play on a regular basis. His game last night was good at times. He made a good play on the shorthanded goal with Frolov, and there were other good plays, but there were a couple other times when he tries to do a little too much with the puck and turned it over in the neutral zone. That’s a learning process. It’s not a punishment. He’s going to play and the line is going to play.”

On keeping Derek Armstrong in the lineup and moving him to center, with Handzus and Calder…
“Armstrong will be in the middle. I’m going to put him at center, which is his natural position and where he feels comfortable. He’s going to play minutes and an important part of the game. He’s been sitting and waiting patiently.”

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Tonight’s lineup changes

I just got off the phone with Terry Murray, who will make a couple lineup changes tonight:

— Jason LaBarbera starts in goal in place of Erik Ersberg. Murray said he planned for the goalies to split these two road games before the trip.

— Brad Richardson goes into the lineup in place of Brian Boyle.

— The traditional “top two lines” should remain the same, but then look for Derek Armstrong to center a line with Kyle Calder and Michal Handzus, and for Richardson to center a line with Raitis Ivanans and Wayne Simmonds.

I’ll have some quotes transcribed regarding these changes in a little bit…

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Quincey will get a ring

Steve MacFarlane of the Calgary Sun wrote a story today on Kings defenseman Kyle Quincey. Quincey seems to be picking up continent-wide attention, based on his play and the circumstances of his departure from Detroit. One interesting note is that while Quincey didn’t get his name on the Stanley Cup last season, the Red Wings allowed him to spend a day with the Cup and will give him a championship ring when the Kings visit on Dec. 20. Here’s the story…

Quincey what doctor ordered

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Jim Fox: Not a Soup Nazi

Looking for a place to watch tonight’s Kings-Edmonton game? The Redondo Beach Cafe will have it on the big screen, and before the game the cafe will honor Kings broadcaster Jim Fox and officially name its Chicken Noodle Soup after him. As I understand it, the owners of the cafe are big hockey fans and have invited everyone down for a viewing party, so I will be there to check this out, and I encourage everyone to come hang out and watch the game with Jim. (Plus it’s supposed to be a $2 draft beer night, I believe…)

The Redondo Beach Cafe is located at 1511 S. Pacific Coast Hwy in, you guessed it, Redondo Beach. It’s at the corner of PCH and Avenue H.

Redondo Beach Cafe

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