Can Kopitar still win the Calder Trophy?

It's basically down to himself and Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, with two Colorado boys Stastny and Wolski distant third-fourth.

There is a very insightful thread over at LetsGoKings.com about Kopi's chances, and I have recently added my thoughts about what the Slovenian sensation have to do during the upcoming East Coast trip in order to reverse the curse of the East Coast bias bitches ;), who vote based on what they see every day. And they don't get to see too much of Kopitar since they turn to bed too early.

Here's what I offered:

Just to refresh the topic after Kopi outscored Malkin during the Young Guns ASG, here's what needs to happen for Kopitar to chip into this East Coast bias in hopes to have a chance to beat Malkin in the Calder Trophy voting:

Following two games at the turn of January (@ Flames and vs. BlackHawks, is this the first time this season that we're facing them??), the Kings are off to an East Coast trip to Panthers, Lightning, Capitals and (after an away game in Nashville) Hurricanes (3-13 February).

It would be advisable if Kopi went on an absolute tear during these four EC games, while the Kings get some rebound on the road and win something like two out of four games (perhaps both in Florida?). If Kopi could get like 6-7 points in these four games, while showing off his "regular stuff" (for us, WC audience) for the first time on an extended EC road trip, I believe it would help him take some of the spotlight off Malkin.

By the way, Malkin have not been exactly tearing it up lately (apart from his 5 assists night): in his last 20 games, he's scored more than 2 points per game only twice, while NOT registering a point in six of them (including the last two the Pens played).

Chances are by 13 February, Kopi will close in on Malkin in the Calder race.

As of this moment the *point* race looks like this:

Malkin - 44 GP, 52 pts [24 g, 28 a]
Kopitar - 52 GP, 44 pts [13g, 31 a].

Kings Three Stars for Games 41-50

Here is my next selection of Kings Three Stars for the period covering Games 41 through 50. It's noticeable it was one of the worse runs by the team, as LA went 2-7-1 in these ten games.

*** Michael Cammalleri - Five goals and seven assists [though usually in losing causes] brings Cammy a No1 star honours. What is even more important, he has not been a minus point player in a single game in the entire period in question, regardless of the Kings slide. According to the TSN player page, if he continues scoring at this pace, he will end up at 30 goals and 41 assists for the season [would have been his first scoring 30]. There is talk among Kings faithful that Cammalleri's agent will ask for a considerably higher salary at the end of the year than the team is willing to pay. Will he get traded before the deadline?

** Anze Kopitar - even if he does not produce at his amazing pace [over 0.8 point per game], he continues to dazzle. The thing is - produce he did: 2 goals and 5 assists is nothing to be ashamed of. In periods like these, when he can't shoulder the offence on his own, you almost tend to forget that he's only 19...

* Tom Kostopoulos - two goals [against St. Louis and Atlanta, both on the road] and overall solid physical presence in time Dustin Brown did not seem to bring it to the rink every night, get Kosto the No3 star recognition. He's a paragon of a team player, leaving everything out on the ice and part of the energy/fourth line [with Ivanans and Conroy] that held the opponents honest.

Honorable mentions: Lubo Visnovsky (2g, 4a and the only All-Star on the Kings), Yutaka Fukufuji (for his debut in the NHL, even if he never starts another game in his life).

Games 49-50: Kings vs St. Louis Blues 1:3, Kings vs Phoenix Coyotes 2:3

Kings lose against former coach. Again.

LA goal from: Raitis Ivanans

STL goals from: Drake (2), Guerin

Pros: I admit I have not managed to see the game first hand. A scan of the extended boxscore and Kat's blog entry (sic!) do not enlighten me nearly well enough to venture any pros from this game. Has anyone seen anything of value from the Kings that night at Staples? Let me know.

Cons: The end of the Brust-Fukufuji two-headed inadequate phenomenon was abrupt and painful. Given the overhauling changes that the Kings underwent since the last time Andy Murray saw them, it is amazing how easily he still manages to beat LA with his new team.

How much lower can you fall? Kings drop one on Luuuc night...

LA goals from: Alexander Frolov, Anze Kopitar

PHO goals from: Gratton, Nagy, Roche

Pros: Obviously, the Luuuc night itself was a huge event. Really, the Kings front office came up with a class act to honor the greatest LW of the most recent history. The game had a plus from the opposite end of the ice-rink though: a very good debut from Sean Burke. Overall in his career nothing more than an adequate goalie, he came out big and strong as opposed to what the Kings used to see between the pipes earlier on this season. There is some promise in goal - too bad I'm saying that about a 40-year old journeyman...

Cons: For the second consecutive night (and loss) the Kings PP comes up empty-handed (0-for-8 against the Coyotes at home??). Losing two goal first period leads (in fact less than six minutes into the game) to a fellow cellar-dweller would kill momentum of better teams.

Sean Burke is making a difference

It's been a relatively short stint with the Kings, but after months of piss-poor through incompetently average goaltending, veteran Sean Burke is making a huge difference.

Funny thing - he's not doing anything we did not see him do throughout almost twenty years of his NHL career. He stands tall, covers quite a lot of space between the pipes, does not commit too soon to the shooters and clear the rebounds out of the way.

Funnier still - *this* has Kings fans jumping for joy :)

So far Burke has appeared in better part of one game and two full games for Los Angeles and every time out he gave the team a chance to win [even though the Kings have a 1-2 record with him in goal]. First, he almost had a win for his new rebuilding team [LA lost to Phoenix on Luc Robitaille night, when only dehydration cramps held him out in the third period], then he outperformed [well, won against] Roberto Luongo in Vancouver and came just one goal against from at least tying Edmonton on the road last night.

[all game reports pending on weeknights Central European Time later this week]

Right now, he sits at GAA 2.56 and .926 SV%, which has not been seen in the LA-LA land this deep into the season since Kelly Hrudey was around ;). In all likeliness, his bound to lose these numbers rather quickly, but in the meantime, he's given the Kings a double-take of much needed adrenaline.

And a thought of what might have happened this season, had they have only average to decent goaltending all the way.

Game 48: Kings @ Atlanta Thrashers 2:6

Road woes continue against fleet-footed Thrashers

Yutaka Fukufuji looks on in disgust? Disbelief?

(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Alex Frolov, Tom Kostopoulos
ATL goals from: Hossa (3), Hnidy, Slater, Metropolit

Pros: Good thing the Kings did not spend more time in the sin bin, since with that PK efficiency, some better *AHL* team would be beating us like dandy. I know we're in a fight for a top pick this year, but really, it hurts when you're so exposed to a good, but not necessarily great home team.

Cons: The two-headed reserve goalie drama took another turn in Georgia, as the Kings were unable to either provide solid NHL goaltending from Fukufuji and Barry Brust, or, in the absence of it, contain the fleet-footed Atlanta snipers (Hossa, Kovalchuk, Kozlov). The PK was 1-for-3 only... Says Craig Conroy:

"That's just the way it's been going. We give up a lot of goals ... and there's nothing we can do about it. We just have to try to get better defensively and help our goaltenders. They've been under a lot of pressure."

Well put, but so what (at this point). And - Kings will be playing a lot more games on the road after the ASG break, so suit yourselves...

Games 47: Kings @ Dallas Stars 1:3

Injuries or not, Stars just too much for the Kings

Close, but no cigar - the story against Dallas so far this season

(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Michael Cammalleri
DAL goals from: Barnes, Hagman, Daley

Pros: Cammy has definitely found his scoring touch and threatens for the first star of the ten-game period (the results will hit the net soon). Too bad it coincides with an overall team slump.

Cons: I was thinking a Stars team that lost Modano, Morrow, Zubov and Barnaby (plus 2-3 other second tier guys) would be beatable. Think again, Hartman... You can't do too much when your team spends a better part of the third period in the sin bin. Off-hand, I don't remember too many games when the Kings did not put double figures in shots on goal in ANY of the three periods of play.

The Luc Robitaille Day!

It's tonight. Before the game against the Coyotes. The great Luc Robitaille career will find its honorary ending with a jersey retirement ceremony at Staples Center. So many memories, so much dedication, and Helen Elliot does get it right in today's LA Times great Luuuc story:

"...after the requisite three-season waiting period, he will be voted into hockey's Hall of Fame." Right away, on the first ballot. Unanimously.

There is more on his outstanding affection for LA and its fans, who stood behind him in an exceptional way, even when Luc had to leave for Detroit to get his well-deserved ring:

"Robitaille's bond with Kings fans is like no other. They revered Wayne Gretzky, but his talent was too otherworldly to relate to. They cherished Robitaille as one of their own, the kid who grew up here and became a star but never forgot them on his way up.

"He was embraced by the people of California. He was truly the people's favorite," said Gretzky, who will coach the Phoenix Coyotes against the Kings tonight. "He not only played for the Kings, he tried to sell the Kings and the sport of hockey."

Says his former coach - the memorable one in his own right: Barry Melrose:

"He loved L.A., and the fans loved him back. He was Mr. King."

In Luc's own words, his career has been even more than a dream come true:

"I was a little kid wanting to play a game," he said. "I remember coming into the Forum for the first time and looking at the ceiling and everything and thinking, 'Wow.' Now my name and number will be there for as long as" Staples Center exists.

"It's not something you set out to play for, when it happens and you see that, to me, it's an amazing accomplishment. I can take my grandkids and show them that."

Thank you, for all the great moments, Luc! And see you around as you continue to build the future of the Kings - off the ice this time round.

How Hexy got his way with Push

There a funny little tidbit in LA Times online edition about how Manchester Monarchs GM and Kings assistant GM, Ron Hextall, got his way around Dean Lombardi with promising younster Konstantin Pushkarev. By far the best bit is a wrap-up of how a telephone conversation between Lombardi and Hextall went after Pushkarev wanted promotion to NHL and more playing time. This happened when Hexy went to Manchester to "fix" the Kazach player:

"Hex is down there and I call him and I'm losing my patience," Lombardi said. "I'm in Western Canada, waiting in this huge line to cross the border and I'm yelling into the phone, 'Get him out of here. I don't want him around our players anymore.'

"I'm out of my car and I'm just screaming. The border guard is looking at me and wants to go through my trunk now. He was ready to frisk me, people are beeping their horns behind me and all I hear in my ear is Hex saying, 'Calm down, I'll take care of this.' … I'm yelling at him, 'He's going to tell every other player to try to go somewhere else to get their way.' Hex is just saying, 'Trust me, Dean, I can get to this guy.' These are the critical moments in the development of a player."

Be it "War and Peace" by Lombardi for Frolov, or "Critical Moments" by Hextall, both of the GMs seem to find a way to get their way with the young Euro players.

Burke on board

Not a bad deal, if you asked my opinion. Perhaps not as long-term as Robert Esche would have been, but it gives you two distinctive advantages to see Sean Burke in the Kings uniform:

1. It enables to send Yutaka Fukufuji back to the AHL first (eventually to the ECHL) right away for him to work on his mechanics and continue on the regular learning curve at his level. At the same time, as soon as Mathieu Garon comes back from the injured ring finger, it enables to send Barry Brust to the AHL to continue to back up Jason LaBarbera for the Monarchs. By that time, Burke will play every 5th game only.

2. Burke's contract is as low as you can get'em. Rounding off to full numbers LA will pay roughly 700K for the remainder of the season for his services and sparing the careers of Fukufuji and Brust. Not a steep price. Moreover, the contract is off the books after April.

Overall, while I would have liked to deal with Philly to get Esche, snatching up Burke while not giving away anything is probably second best Dean Lombardi could do.

Spread some "karma"!

I'd be pleased if the readers of this blog (hopefully there are some apart from casual passers-by in control of their "next blog" button feature) actually told me what you like (and dislike) in this piece of net-land.

I find it difficult to try to take every (any?) angle on all things Kings without the scarcest of feedbacks. So? Would you be so good as to let me know? :).

(Photo courtesy of www.all4humor.com)

Games 46: Kings @ St. Louis Blues 5:6

Kings come up short in front of national audience

Yutaka Fukufuji debuted in the third and saved 4-0f-5 shots

(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Rob Blake (2), Michael Cammalleri, Tom Kostopoulos, Matthias Norstrom
STL goals from: Rucinsky, McClement, Tkachuk, Stempniak, Weight, Wideman

Pros: Fukufuji's debut (covered elsewhere on this blog - like two or three notes down).

"I thought we played a heck of a game," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "We had 90 percent of our players who played their hearts out tonight. We were deserving of more than we got."

I know I know: the motto of this team is "Play hard!", but I can hardly watch them lose heart-breakers like this and lop-sided ones like the most recent one against SJS, but stil lose! Today's pros corner is hence taken up by the promise of future.

Cons: Kings had a lead *three* times on the road against no better Blues team and still came out empty-handed, as the STL timely power play scores sunk our PP unit even deeper (than the ground...)

Rexall Place like you've never seen before

Perhaps it's because I'm a graphic Clarence Butterfingers and can't tell an 'embedded object' from a 'gif resolution', but I really like these cool and geeky things the webmasters do to NHL teams' websites.

One of my most recent finds is a new look inside the Edmonton Oilers' Rexall Place - a virtual tour, they call it, I'm told :). Have a 360 degrees look around for yourself, you will be amazed what a little bit of technology can do to show the arena in a way you'll never see on TV.

Now, if only the lakings.com did something similar... Last time I checked, they replaced the graphic designer with a new one and most of their sub-pages were, well, under construction. Just like our hockey team. No wonder the Oilers are the Western Conference defending champions, while the Kings will hit the golfcourse in April...

Having said that - the Rexall is really worth taking a peep at.

Fukufuji debuts!

And so the day has arrived! Saturday, Janury 13th, 2007 will forever be remembered (excuse my pompousness) in the NHL annals as the day Yutaka Fukufuji, the first Japanese hockey player, took to the ice in a official NHL game.

His stats: one period of play [third], 19:17 minutes TOI, 5 shots faced, 1 GA, a ton of "you did great" cards, not only from Asian fans of his. In fact, here's a handful of quotes for you to enjoy:

"I was so nervous," the 24-year-old Fukufuji said. "This was my first time playing in the NHL. I was so nervous but I was excited, too."

"When the Japanese kid went into the net and he made that great save [against Weight]," Kings coach Marc Crawford said, "I thought we are really going to have something happen."

Kings to acquire Robert Esche?

From a multiple of sources, including LGK.com and less trustworthy Bruce Garrioch of Ottawa Sun. Here's a number of reasons why Robert Esche would not be that bad of a deal for the Kings:

1) We are not going anywhere this season [meaning playoffs], so struggling Esche (and he is struggling this season at almost the level of Dan Cloutier), even if the change of climate does not help him, is not going to ruin our chances;

2) Esche does not earn a lot - he sits at exactly 1 mln for this season, so given the fact that we are about 60% through, he's owed some 0.4 mln. Very affordable;

3) He's in the final year of his contract - clearly a stopgap solution for the Kings till the end of this season to find out what's cooking with DC. Should Esche play out of his mind in LA, and UFA Mathieu Garon walk and (potentially) Cloutier retire / be unable to perform, you could always sign Esche to an incentive-laden short-term contract to split the duties with Jason LaBarbera in fall of 2007. If he continues to disappoint in LA - it's not gonna cost much, so the gambling might pay off.

4) Currently Esche's asking prices from the Flyers is at all time low [he's been marred with groin problems throughout the year]. A fourth round draft pick should get the job done.

5) Barry Brust and Yutaka Fukufuji are much better suited for AHL (former) and ECHL (latter) duty. If the STL game was any indication, and it was, there was a reason why Brust was not very highly regarded as a star prospect. He's simply running out of gas. I believe a struggling Esche will be a better short-term solution.

And what's your take? Shoud/will the Kings go after "The bearded Robert"?

Games 44-45: Kings vs Edmonton Oilers 1:2 OT; Kings vs San Jose Sharks 2:5

Point streak continues even with OT loss

The Kings came this close to winning three straight

(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goal from: Konstantin Pushkarev
EDM goals from: Stoll, Hejda

Pros: A third-game in a row where the Kings continue to add points in the standings. The shots barrage seems to be back [especially in the first period]. For a change, LA puts their player on 'season's first' list as Pushkarev scores his first NHL career goal to tie the game.

Cons: A first three-game winning streak [at game 44] was within reach, however, it slipped through our fingertips as Hejda became another first-time scorer against the Kings. LA failed to score against the NHL's number one penalty killing unit on the road [0-for-5]. Had they done so, especially in the third, they might have gotten two much needed points rather than one.


Sharks teach Kings a lesson quickly and efficiently

LA will reach this level of talent in 2-3 years
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Michael Cammalleri, Anze Kopitar
SJS goals from: Bell, Michalek, Clowe, Marleau, Rissmiller [EN]

Pros: Like in three of the four decisive Shark wins this season, the major pros for the Kings was to have a first-hand experience of what a Lombardi-built team looks like. Efficient passing, timely scoring, killer-instincts and great goaltending. Trouble is, I am talking about the San Jose Sharks at the moment. The crystal ball says the Kings could be able to match this level of talent in 2-3 years' time, if Lombardi is given green light to reconstruct.

Cons: I did not mention it any earlier because the evidence was scarce, but it looks much more likely with eveyr game that Sean Avery is starting to lose the composure he had started the season with. Stupid penalties, arguments with referees and overall nervousness seem to be taking its toll on him.

Senators blog in Polish goes English

There is a really good blog out there on the Ottawa Senators, written by a friend of mine, Krzysztof Sankiewicz.

I haven't mentioned it to you so far, folks, since... well, it used to be available only in Polish.

How many of you, read in Polish, raise your hand?

I thought so.

Well, it's your lucky day, Kings (and Sens, for that matter) Nation! Krzysztof just launched an English version of his blog, which will list most of his thought-provoking entries, cross-posted and translated from his Polish source blog. How cool is that?

Join me in congratulating him on hitting "the other side of the pond" by leaving a note in his comments section. You'll be very glad you did.

One goes up, another goes down

No, this is not a post about Konstantin Pushkarev's latest surge with the Kings, as he deserves one on his own. And might perhaps get one from me here, either later today or tomorrow. The title of this post, though, refers to two veteran new-coming Kings players, both at crucial positions, whose road with the team have been bumpy like... well... bumpy.

I mean Dan Cloutier, gradually going down, and Alyn McCauley, gradually going up.

Cloutier, who's been maligned by pretty much every mental ghost known to mankind on skates, learned yesterday that he would be away from the team for medical reasons, longer than expected. At the moment, the management and player are looking at their options, but it seems the choice is between extended rest and surgery. Both cases mean the Kings' fans and Dan's team-mates won't be seeing him any time soon. Given, his stats this year - it's good news. I wonder if the team could put Cloutier on the extended rest till the end of the season and then ask him, off the record, naturally, to pull a Malakhov. If my understanding is correct, by doing this, the Kings could get the league to classify Cloutier as "permanent IR" and lift his salary from the team's cap number. Long way before that happens, though.

Now, McCauley's "fault" is opposite to Cloutier's. He has not been around the ice-rink at all this season. The veteran center has not dressed for the first 39 games and is only trying to find his grove back from the knee(s) surgery. Coach Marc Crawford uses McCauley pretty cautiously, which is good, given the fact that Alyn's:

"[...] brain sees a play and reacts much quicker than [his] legs will."

One could see him as a dominant third-line center in the latter part of February - winning key face-offs, killing penalties, like he used to do throughout his career so far. I could imagine McCauley being gradually inserted into the lineup with more and more minutes and perhaps around quicker wingers, which could also provide some protection for him. Dustin Brown and Brian Willsie come to mind.

The show must go on, as some actors exit the stage to make room for those who enter.

I might be too exhuberant and poetic on this one, but the consus is there's been little harmony throughout the Kings' season to date.

One thing we did not know about Johan Holmqvist

There's probably more unless you're a die-hard Tampa Bay Lightning fan, but this one stands out the most: he has stopped all 10 skaters he has faced in shootouts this season, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Did I hear a "wow"?

The kid seems to be the defensive equivalent of Jussi Jokinen on shootouts last year with the Dallas Stars.

And Holmqvist's got a simple recipe for success:

"I just tried to give them nothing to shoot at"

It's definitely worth checking at the end of the regular season how he did. I bet he's gonna be in top3. Do you?

Games 42-43: Kings vs Columbus Blue Jackets 3:0; Kings vs Detroit Red Wings 4:2

A win's a win to start the year with a right foot

Tough battle with a positive ending
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Michael Cammalleri, Sean Avery, Lubo Visnovski
CLB goals from: none

Pros: Columbus is not as weak a team under Hitchcock as they used to in the first month and a half of the season. The good thing was LA was able to outshoot and outpressure the visitors right from the get-go (limiting Blue Jackets to two shots in the first half of the first period). Even though the game itself wasn't exactly very spectacular, the Kings managed to stay away from trouble and took the two points. Mathieu Garon did not have too many scoring chances against him, but still it's the shutout that counts.

Cons: Not a lot to write home about on the powerplay: 1-for-10 has been uncharacteristic for the recent PP surge.

LA reverses the tables on Detroit, stays unbeaten in 2007

Puck past the opposing goalie. Good.
(photo courtesy of ww.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Lubo Visnovsky, Rob Blake, Michael Cammalleri, Sean Avery
DET goals from: Draper, Samuellsson

Pros: ...and finally, after twelve straight games (and, was it?, four straight years), the Kings prevail against the Red Wings! Lubo seems to become a shot of adrenaline for this team. At this point there's no way Dean Lombardi might be thinking about trading him at the deadline. Good game for Brian Willsie. A season debut for Konstantin Pushkarev, who replaced IR-ed Scott Thornton (broken hand). Off-hand, it's the first time this season, that the Kings scored four unanswered goals and all of them in bunches (two and two, less than two minutes apart from each other).

Cons: Coming from behind again - even though there is light at the end of the tunnell (and it's not a head-on train :)). The Kings seemed angrier (from what I was able to discern) rather than apathetic once they got to 0-2.

The Chelios restaurant drama

Chris Chelios remains away from the Detroit Red Wings while the drama related to two-stabbings of his restaurant employees unfolds.

You can find more information about this tragic event here.

Interview with Todd Fedoruk

NHL.com's Shawn Roarke caught up with a former Duck and current Flyer enforcer, Todd Fedoruk. As most of you I was scanning the text for the most crucial question that I would have asked Todd, which is:

"How's your face, 'cause I can't see through the blue bruise?" or "What did you feel when Boogeyman landed the right hook on your cheekbone?"



Roarke took the polite way, though, and started off with "Is it nice to be in Philadelphia?" What kind of response did he think he was supposed to get for that??

Anyway - that's the reason perhaps why I'm not in journalism professionally. Being a blogger, I could ask all sorts of questions that might not see the light of day.

Tim Leiweke and AEG pave way for KC Penguins

According to the information from their website
Sprint Center opens up in exactly 278 days from today.
(photo courtesy of: www.sprintcenter.com)

The President of AEG Tim Leiweke (who own the Los Angeles Kings, if you did not know) made a very generous offer earlier today to Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team has 30 days to respond to a rent-free proposal to use the Sprint Center arena in Kansas City, should they choose to relocate from the Steel Town.

What's it gonna be, Mario?

Will the Pens preserve tradition with difficult present issues included or will they tread to the great unknown in hopes of being greeted with open hands? What do YOU think?

PS. Here's a link to the actual construction site webcam. If only we had one installed in the meeting room of Mario and his boys...

Importance of face-offs

While I do not necessarily agree with everything that has been said about the importance of face-offs, namely:

Winning a faceoff, or a "draw" in the language of the game, is like controlling the line of scrimmage and giving a quarterback another chance to survey the defensive backfield. Losing the draw is like throwing an interception or fumbling.

I do believe the Sporting News article from almost six years ago is still valid and well worth reading.

Kings Stars for games 31-40

I am about to hand out three stars for the ten games (31-40 of the season), which brings us to the conclusion of the first half (almost). Bear in mind that this has been a relatively poor season for the Kings goalies so far (most notably Dan Cloutier) and not a strong one for our defence. Therefore every time a defensman or goalie gets a star or is honored just out of the top three, it's a rare ocassion to celebrate ;).

Ok, you've patient enough - here they are:

*** Derek Armstrong, C - the sneaky second line center, has quite comfortably replaced Anze Kopitar on the first line (just to give the Slovienian youngster a breather). Planted between Frolov and Cammalleri will get you points, but Army has mostly caught my eye in the puck handling department, accurate passing and fighting in the corners. Apart from Kopitar, he's the best possession forward that we have. Not that the Kings really finish games with a lead... ;), but it's not Army's fault. At least not the last ten games.

** Lubo Visnovsky, D - Lubo has really taken it to another level in his last ten (he did miss two games, offhand, to minor injury, though). Scoring five goals and getting six assists gets him on pace for 66 points for a season, just one shy of his personal best from a year ago. In a contract year that Lubo finds himself in, it means he will, and rightfully, get big bucks either in LA (preferably) or on the open market. Keystone of power play, due to Lubo's assists from the point even Rob Blake's name started being a frequent show at the scoreboard.

* Alex Frolov, LW - even though he went on an eight game scoreless streak for most of the period, he did keep over one assist (on average) every other game and then finished the year 2006 (and the period in question) with the amazing four goals and four assists in the final three games. In the absence of consistent scoring from the likes of Michael Cammalleri (lately) and Craig Conroy (throughout), Frolov remains the only viable scoring option (apart from Kopitar), who's capable of hitting the net both at home and on the road. Suffice it to say, that Alex is on pace for 88 points now, which would have surpassed his previous career best by 34 points. Wow.

Other recognized: Barry Brust, AHL and NHL backup goaltender, who suddenly rose to the ocassion when called upon after Cloutier and Mathieu Garon had gone down his injuries. Though not spectacular and perhaps still not nearly a long term solution for the Kings, he did give the team a boost with his very solid play. Easily the rookie of the period, so to say.

Games 40-41: Kings @ Calgary Flames 4:6, Kings @ Detroit Red Wings 2:6

Sloppy games on the road continue

Lubo Visnovsky puts some hope on the tough year-end on the Kings
(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Lubo Visnovsky (2), Craig Conroy, Alexander Frolov
CGY goals from: Huselius (2), Iginla, Phaneuf, Langkow, Tanguay

Pros: The main pro was the fighting and biting back (it seemed). The third period from the Kings epitomized that kind of effort the management and fans had in mind when the "Play hard!" motto was first created in the beginning of the season. Visnovsky seems to hold the NHL record for point-per-dollar. It will raise some eyebrows how much this guy gets in the open market when he becomes UFA this summer...

Cons: Losing a goal in the first six minutes of the game. Again. Losing what little was left of the momentum from the EDM and PHO games very quickly. Derek Armstrong and Sean Avery given only about 13 mins of TOI each? What the?


Kings close out lackluster year with a 12th loss in a row in Motown

Zetterberg moves through swiftly the Kings defensive zone. Unfortunately...

(photo courtesy of ww.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Alex Frolov (2)
DET goals from: Holstrom, Flippula, Datsyuk, Draper, Samuelsson, Williams

Pros: Recognizing his hot streak (and likely Kings Star*** nomination) and moving Armstrong to man the first line center between Frolov and Cammy proves to pay off (two assists to Army on Frolov goals).

Cons: Twelve in a row against Detroit. Twelve losses that is? Why would the Hockeytown guys have our number of all teams? Losing goals in bunches (especially on the road) is what kills the Kings. This time round it was the secong period (goals 01:50 mins apart) and third period (01:01 mins apart). Which team would have survived that? None. That's why coach Marc Crawford and our defenders have to do a better job of preventing them.

On a separate note - is this me or have the Kings stopped to hustle to outshoot the opposition as of late? They used to get some 15% more shots per game (on average) on most nights in the beginning of the season. Fatigue? Disillusionment? Both?

Will Greg Hogeboom make it to the NHL?

It was one of the keyword google questions that lead one reader of this blog, from Toronto, Ontario to this place. The reader in question read the blog for 20:45 mins, or so it seems from the blog archive file. It was yesterday, five minutes before you seem to get off work (5 p.m.).

Well, what do you think, dear Torontonian? Will he make it? :) Let me know, what you think next time you're here. And thanks for coming back. And please bring your friends over next time :)

PS. Crazy how detailed this site tracker information is these days, huh? ;)

Favorite non-Kings

Here are my three favorite non-Kings in the NHL:

1. Jaret Stoll, Oilers
2. Kyle Wellwood, Maple Leafs
3. Martin Havlat, Blackhawks

Can you guess what quality they share apart from being forwards?

Also, please take a moment and use the comments section below, to let me know about your favorite non-Kings :), while I work on the overdue Kings game reports.

Tribute to Steve Yzerman

What a great ceremony... Congratulations on spectacular career - Stevie Y!!

I hope and pray the Kings give Luc Robitaille enough space and attention on January 20th on his jersey retirement night.

Games 38-39: Kings vs Phoenix Coyotes 4:3, Kings @ Edmonton Oilers 6:4

Shootout win is icing on the cake after a wild third period

Fighting to crawl out of the cellar

(photo courtesy of www.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Derek Armstrong, Rob Blake, Sean Avery
PHO goals from: Perrault, Sjostrom, Saprykin

Pros: Another good one from Alex Frolov (absent from the scoreboard lately, going scoreless for seven games in a row, including this one, if my memory serves me right) and Armstrong. The latter makes a case for himself in the Kings Stars*** which hits the net tomorrow (hopefully).

Cons: On most nights Kings seem to be so weak that a wild ride like this could only have a happy ending against a similarly hapless team like the Coyotes.

"Lord knows, we've been a tough team to love lately," coach Marc Crawford said after the game.

Well put.

I do not particulary enjoy writing about the Kings losing goals in bunches, so that's why this section ends here (two PHO goals less than 1:30 mins apart in the third. Grrrr...)


Come-back win a first for Garon against Edmonton

Garon and McCauley make long anticipated comebacks
(photo courtesy of ww.yahoo.com)

LA goals from: Dustin Brown, Brian Willsie, Rob Blake, Alex Frolov, Sean Avery, Lubomir Visnovsky, Alyn McCauley
EDM goals from: Pisani, Tjarnqvist, Smyth, Stoll

Pros: Every time you score seven times away from home, you have gotta be glad. Especially since so many players got involved in scoring. It was fun seein the Kings come back from a two-goal deficit (2-4) on the road. The game was the Kings debut of center McCauley, who was very competent (12-of-22) in the face-off circle.

Cons: Mathieu Garon's glove hand was very shaky (cost us at least two goals) in his first game back from the groin injury. While powerplay ruled (3-0f-7), the PK unit let the Kings down big time, losing three goals in eight chances (one 5-on-3, though). Kings are close to the bottom in penalty killing this year. This game proves why.

Why do this year's Kings (almost) always seem to start games a goal (or two) down?

It did happen in October and November, but the phenomenon culminated in December: out of 14 December games, the Kings started 13 a goal (and sometimes two) down, quite frequently in the first half of the first period.

If I'm correct, the only game when we took the 1-0 lead in December was the 4-2 win at San Jose.Not surprisingly, the overall Kings record for December was a measly 5W-8L-1OTL. There was not much difference between Staples (seven-out-of-seven going 0-1 down) and on the road (six-out-of-seven).

What do you think is the reason for it (please try to abstain from 'Cloutierisms' . I have not checked it, but offhand it seems the Kings are mostly playing catch-up regardless of the actual goaltender)? Is it lack of focus in the beginning of games? Lack of self-confidence (I don't suspect the reason to be too much self-confidence)? Anything else?

The 2006-07 Kings have not been a come-from-behind team so far. Why is it so difficult for the Kings not to dig a hole for themselves at the start of the games?

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts in the comments section. It might be worthwhile also to keep an eye on how this topic develops over at LGK.com.

Monarchs on top

Don't look now, but the Manchester Monarchs have climbed to the top of the standings of the AHL's Atlantic Division. As of today they enjoy a comfortable six point lead in the most competitive of the four divisions.

Major reasons for the heads-up play of the Monarchs are the team effort for coach Mark Morris and spectacular play of goaltender Jason LaBarbera. He's first in the league in games played (31), second in wins (17), second in shutouts (4), fifth in GAA (2.35) and in a class of his own in shots faced (has some 10% more than the runner-up in this category).

The offensive powerhouse for the Monarchs is provided by the likes of Noah Clarke (12g, 16a), Patrick O'Sullivan (11g, 12a), and rookies Matt Moulson (8g, 14a), John Zeiler (10g, 10a) and TJ Kemp (3g, 17a). The Monarchs are still waiting for the full emergence of two forwards that we heavily counted upon before the AHL season started: Konstantin Pushkarev is currently at the level of 15 points (only four goals, though) and Lauri Tukonen (12 points for six goals and assists apiece).

As long as the Monarchs don't get the belated gift of Dan Cloutier being sent down to New Hampshire on a conditioning assignement (which has not been ruled out by the Kings brass), they might get themselves into a good position for the Calder Cup playoffs.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, all Kings and Monarchs fans! (and for that matter all fans of the NHL, what the heck :)).

I know I have been a little behind schedule in terms of game reports (full four games back), but since I'm back in the huddle tomorrow morning, I promise to keep you entertained by the time those Columbus Blue Jackets roll into town on Wednesday evening.

In the meantime - I was trying to find a perfect spot for the first three game winning streak for the Kings this season. There are few better than the upcoming games (vs Oilers, vs Sharks and @Blues) January 8-13. Another stretch quite full of potential could be vs Blues, vs Coyotes and @Canucks January 18-26. There is also one at the beginning of February, where LA faces Blackhawks at home, followed by visits to the Panthers, Lightning and Capitals...

See, I'm trying to remain positive regarding whatever that could be saved from the memories of this, rather painful, season :)