L.A. Kings forward Justin Williams won’t play against the Islanders

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

Kings forward Justin Williams won’t play Thursday night against the New York Islanders at Staples Center after suffering an eye injury in the closing moments of Tuesday’s victory over the Dallas Stars. The stick of Dallas’ Brendan Dillon clipped Williams, who left the ice immediately to seek treatment.

“Get better every day and when he’s ready to play, he’s ready to play,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said after the team’s morning skate Thursday in El Segundo.

Jordan Nolan skated in Williams’ spot on a line with Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar during the Kings’ morning skate. Sutter also reunited That 70s Line after splitting up Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli in Dallas.

Stanley Cup moments (part 7: Justin Williams scores the winner in Game 1)

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

Justin Williams’ OT goal in Game 1 vs. New York, June 4. Only three days after Alec Martinez’s goal in overtime beat Chicago in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, Williams supplied the winner off a turnover only 4:36 into OT in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. “Mr. Game 7,” as Williams came to be known for his heroics in winner-take-all games, was instantly dubbed “Mr. Game 1,” by teammates and reporters after setting the Kings on course for a 1-0 series lead with another huge goal.

Stanley Cup moments (part 2: Justin Williams scores the first of his big goals)

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

Justin Williams’ tiebreaking goal in Game 4 vs. San Jose, April 24: Williams would go on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. He made one big play after another during the postseason, and this was no exception. His goal late in the second period gave the Kings a 3-2 lead en route to a 6-3 victory over the Sharks that ignited an improbable comeback in the first-round series. Williams finished the playoffs with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 26 games, including seven points (two goals, five assists) in the Stanley Cup Final against New York.

Kings looking ahead to Game 7 against the Ducks (in their own words, Part 2)

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

Here’s forward Justin Williams on playing fantasy Game 7s in his driveway or park or local rink when he was a youngster and whether that prepared him as an adult:

“Of course it’s Game 7. It’s usually the Stanley Cup finals, too. It’s the same thing in any other sport. It’s the last seconds of the game and the buzzer’s coming down. It’s the ninth inning and two outs. It’s football and it’s the fourth quarter. It’s everything. It’s you or them and that’s what you relish as a kid, coming out on top. I don’t think you can really prepare much for this. You just go out and trust your instincts and, hopefully, they’ll bring you to success.”

Kings center Anze Kopitar talks about clicking with linemate Marian Gaborik

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

It was no coincidence that Kings center Anze Kopitar began to heat up after the acquisition of forward Marian Gaborik from the Columbus Blue Jackets before the March 5 trade deadline. Kopitar had 18 points, including 10 goals, in the 19 games after Gaborik joined the Kings for a March 6 game against the Winnipeg Jets. Kopitar went on to lead the Kings with 70 points and 29 goals in 82 games. Gaborik finished the season with 30 points, including 11 goals, in 41 games. He had 16 points, including five goals, after he was dealt to the Kings.

“Once he came here, you try to get to know him as quick as you can and build some chemistry and I think me, Marian and Justin have done a pretty good job,” Kopitar said, referring to Justin Williams, the third member of the Kings’ top line. “It feels like we’ve jelled together pretty well. I think all three of us want to play a give and go game. He’s certainly the type of player who likes to do that. We’ve talked about it. The offensive zone time, we’ve tried to mix it around and get a lot of zone time.”

A look inside the Kings drought emergency (part 2)

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Elliott Teaford

When you look at the individual numbers, the facts are worse. The Kings’ leading scorer, Anze Kopitar, ranks only 34th in the NHL with 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists). Their leading goal-scorer, Jeff Carter, also ranks only 34th in the league with 20 goals. Kopitar is 56th with 17 goals. The Kings have only six players on their roster with 10 goals or more and only Carter and Kopitar have 15 or more.

Further, some of their best players have been mired in prolonged slumps. Mike Richards’ skid has received perhaps the most attention, but he’s not alone and he’s not the driest player on the roster. Richards’ last goal was Jan. 18 against Detroit. He has only two goals since Nov. 25. Overall, he has seven goals and 36 points.

Dustin Brown, the Kings’ team captain, hasn’t scored since Jan. 13. He has one point on the road this season, a goal against the Ducks on Dec. 13. Overall, he has 10 goals and 16 points. Justin Williams’ last goal was Jan. 9 against Boston. He has 14 goals and 29 points.

Looking forward to Saturday morning’s game against the Ottawa Senators

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Elliott Teaford

Reminder: Saturday’s game is early for us on the West Coast. Fox Sports West and KTLK-1150 will carry the game starting at 11 a.m. … The Kings appeared to be in trouble when No. 1 goaltender Jonathan Quick, the MVP of their Stanley Cup championship run in 2012, suffered a groin strain Nov. 12 against the Buffalo Sabres. Nothing could be further from the truth, however.

Continue reading “Looking forward to Saturday morning’s game against the Ottawa Senators” »

Looking forward to the Kings’ game Monday against the St. Louis Blues

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Elliott Teaford

The Kings’ bid for a franchise-record 12th consecutive game with at least one point came to a halt when they lost Saturday to the Calgary Flames. The prevailing thought in the dressing room was simply to “park it,” as defenseman Willie Mitchell phrased it Sunday. In other words, put it out by the curb and walk away from it. The Kings (16-7-4) have issues, starting with their faulty power play. They haven’t scored a man-advantage goal in the last five games, going 0 for 18. Right wing Justin Williams said the Kings need more shots from point-blank range instead of firing them from the perimeter while on the power play.

Williams scored the Kings’ lone goal Saturday, the 200th of his NHL career. Anze Kopitar had an assist for his 500th point. The teams meet for the first time since the Kings defeated the Blues in the first round of the playoffs last spring. The Blues are 18-4-3 and have the league’s second-best power play (22 for 89, 24.7 percent). Alexander Steen was tied with Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks for third in scoring with 31 points (20 goals, 11 assists), as of Sunday morning. Only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (21) had more goals than Steen. Each had played 20 games.

So, who kept the puck after a pair of Kings reached personal milestones?

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Elliott Teaford

Justin Williams said Sunday he didn’t have the puck he shot into the net for his 200th career goal. Anze Kopitar, whose assist on Williams’ goal Saturday was his 500th point, wasn’t available to talk because the Kings had an optional practice Sunday. Kings media relations czar Jeff Moeller also didn’t know who took possession of the potential keepsake. Moeller said someone on the Kings’ staff ends up with all the pucks that end up in the opponents’ nets at Staples Center. The whereabouts of this one remained a mystery as of Sunday afternoon, however.

Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams reach career milestones in loss to Calgary