Kings and Maple Leafs swap minor league forwards

The Kings sent forward Brandon Kozun to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Andrew Crescenzi in a swap of minor-league players Wednesday. Kozun is expected to go from the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL to the Toronto Marlies. Crescenzi is expected to go the other way. Kozun had 29 points in 43 games this season with Manchester. Crescenzi, 20, had two points in 32 games with Toronto.

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Kings recall Toffoli, Schultz and send Pearson, Vey to Manchester

The Kings tweaked their roster Wednesday by recalling forward Tyler Toffoli and defenseman Jeff Schultz from their American Hockey League affiliate at Manchester, N.H. They also re-assigned forwards Tanner Pearson and Linden Vey to Manchester. Toffoli has 17 points, including nine goals, in 33 games with the Kings so far this season. Schultz has played 41 games with Manchester, recording seven points (one goal, six assists). Pearson has one goal in eight games with the Kings. Vey has five assists in 15 games so far with the Kings.

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Fans encouraged to buy parking passes early for Dodger Stadium game

The Kings-Ducks game at Dodger Stadium is Saturday, which should be just enough time to wire Zurich to have enough funds transferred to cover parking for the contest. As if ticket prices weren’t high enough and sight lines weren’t poor enough to keep fans away in droves, parking prices should be sufficiently outrageous to have everyone scrambling to sell their yachts to pay for it. Parking is $50 for premium spots, $35 for slightly less premium and $20 if you want general parking. Of course, you can always take Metro to Union Station and then hop aboard the shuttle that runs to Dodger Stadium. But if you feel you must take your own car, then go to www.nhlstadiumseriesparking.com to pre-purchase your pass.

 

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NHL names Kings goalie Jonathan Quick as its second star for last week

The NHL’s three stars for last week were:

1. Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Jonathan Quick of the Kings; 3. Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. St. Louis had four goals in a 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Quick was the recipient of some shoddy officiating in the Kings’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Crawford was in goal when the Blackhawks took a 4-2 win from the Ducks, ending their eight-game winning streak.

Actually, it really was that simple for each selection. Quick was 2-0-1, but might have been 3-0-0 if not for the fact that two referees and two linesmen missed a puck going off the protective netting and out of play before striking Quick in the back and falling into the net for the tying goal in the closing seconds of the Kings’ game against the Red Wings on Saturday. Hard to call it a real defeat for the Kings, who led 2-1 with only seconds left when Niklas Kronwall “scored” the “tying goal.” After a scoreless OT, the Kings lost in a shootout for their lone “defeat” last week.

Nice of the league to at least attempt to right a wrong.

 

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Kings recall Linden Vey from Manchester of the American Hockey League

The Kings recalled forward Linden Vey from their American Hockey League club in Manchester, N.H. He had five assists in 14 games earlier this season for the Kings. He also had 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 20 games for Manchester. The 22-year-old will join the Kings in St. Louis for their game Thursday against the Blues. It’s the first of eight games away from Staples Center for the Kings, which also includes the Jan. 25 game against the Ducks at Dodger Stadium.

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Links to Oilers coverage of trade of Ben Scrivens from Kings to Edmonton

Here’s a link to the Oilers’ website, which includes a radio interview with goaltender Ben Scrivens, who was traded Wednesday from the Kings to Edmonton: http://oilers.nhl.com/club/blog.htm?id=23&navid=DL|EDM|home

Among other things, Scrivens said he was “shocked” by the trade.

“It never occurred to me. I thought I’d be in L.A. for the rest of the season, heading into free agency, and that’s when the changes would come,” he said. “Definitely shocked, but that’s the nature of the business.”

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Kings trade goaltender Ben Scrivens, recall Martin Jones from Manchester

The Kings traded backup goaltender Ben Scrivens to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday for a third-round pick in the draft in June. They also recalled rookie goalie Martin Jones from their American Hockey League affiliate in Manchester, N.H.

Scrivens will have a chance to compete for the starting position with the lackluster Oilers, last in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference standings with a 15-29-5 record. Jones will serve as as Jonathan Quick’s backup with the Kings.

It figures to be a lonely job since Quick is expected to get the majority of the starts the rest of the regular season and during the playoffs. Quick is 13-6-1 with a 2.12 goals-against average and two shutouts in 21 games. He was sidelined for 24 games after suffering a groin strain Nov. 12.

Jones’ 8-0-0 start to his NHL career while filling in for Quick cast doubt on Scrivens’ future with the Kings. Jones tied a league record by winning his first eight starts and was 8-3-0 with a 1.41 goals-against average and three shutouts in 11 games before he was re-assigned to the minors.

Scrivens was 7-5-4 with a 1.97 goals-against average and three shutouts in 19 games. The 27-year-old was acquired with forward Matt Frattin in the deal that sent backup goalie Jonathan Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs last June 23.

Clearly, the Maple Leafs got the better end of the swap. Scrivens is no longer with the Kings and Frattin has scored only six points (two goals, four assists) in 32 games. Bernier is 15-14-4 with a 2.58 goals-against average and one shutout in 34 games for Toronto.

 

 

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Kings send struggling forward Tyler Toffoli to Manchester of the AHL

Sometimes the headline tells the whole story, sometimes it doesn’t. This is one time when it does. Tyler Toffoli wasn’t producing, so the Kings sent the 21-year-old forward to their minor-league affiliate at Manchester, N.H. Toffoli had 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 33 games for the Kings this season. But he also has an 11-game drought without a goal and he scored only once in his last 16 contests. He was the face of the Kings’ recent scoring woes. They haven’t had a goal from a third- or fourth-line player in about a month. They have scored only one goal in each of their last two games, a win over Vancouver and a loss to Detroit.

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