Up and down after the first two

Much like cross-town LA Dodgers do on regular basis, the Kings split their first two games of the preseason. While the 7-1 route of the Ducks certainly left some heads shaking around the league, yesterday's 1-3 loss to the Sharks cooled things down quite a bit.

Newcoming defensman Kevin Dallman, former Bruin and Blue was the outstanding player of the game in Anaheim. Apart from positioning well on defence, he does not mind chipping in on offence from time to time:

"That's my game, just getting into the play like a fourth forward out there," Dallman said. "Finding the openings, making the pass and getting shots through."

Many believe Dallman might challenge Mike Weaver for a seventh d-man spot on the Kings blueline this season. Coach Marc Crawford is certainly paying attention:

"The difference tonight was that Dallman was really good on the point," said Kings coach Crawford. "So was (Lubomir) Visnovsky. When you have guys that can play the point like that on the power play, you can make things happen."

The Staples debut of the Kings featured the returned of the much-booed former fan-favorite Rob Blake. He scored the shutout-breaking goal and had some key plays on offense, while he's defensive efforts left something to be worked on. While not rusty by any means, Blake is showing signs of his age against the quicker forwards. The Kings have a game-break until Saturday, October 23 when they face the Colorado Avalanche in Las Vegas' MGM in a Frozen Fury contest.