Los Angeles Kings

Strong Start Proves Futile as Kings Fall in Shootout, 2-1

January 3, 2012

Justin Williams handles the puck along the boards, in what probably led to one of his five shots on goal. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

For the way the way tonight’s contest between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche ended, one might think neither team had a clear advantage at any point in the game. However, the Kings did—outshooting the opposition twelve to five, notching one goal and watching another get disallowed all in the first period. The Kings also spent over eight minutes on the power play before Colorado even had a crack at their own man-advantage. So what happened?

Well, missed opport...

Kings Ring in New Year with Decisive 4-1 Victory

January 1, 2012

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

Brad Richardson (15) and Andrei Loktionov (48) celebrate a first period goal. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

Prior to tonight’s game, head coach Darryl Sutter boasted that his team’s power play was “awesome.” Yes, the same power play unit that has capitalized on two of the previous forty-two chances. But 9:03 into the third period of tonight’s tilt with the Vancouver Canucks, Sutter’s high praise looked like it may have been spot on.

When presented with their fifth man-advantage of the evening, Justin Williams deflected a perfect wrist shot from Slava Voynov into the Vancouver net, ...

Kings Take Scoreless Game to Brink, But Fall in OT

December 30, 2011

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

Jack Johnson (3) skates away as Evander Kane (9) and Blake Wheeler (26) celebrate their OT winner. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

There is an old hockey adage which maintains that one of the strongest yardsticks of a team’s performance and potential lies in how they compete in back-to-back games. Tonight marked the second time in eight days and the sixth time this season in which the Kings have found themselves in such a circumstance. They had previously gained a knack for coming up just a tad short in the second game, and that trend continued tonight in Winnipeg.

The Kings failed to score in the allotted sixty ...

Blackhawks Can't Solve Quick in 2-0 Loss to Kings

December 29, 2011

Matt Cefalu

0 Comments

It was the kind of game Blackhawks fans knew they could win if Chicago could just break through with a goal before the start of the third period.

Didn't happen.

Jonathan Quick stopped all 38 shots by the Chicago Blackhawks and Trent Hunter and Jarret Stoll scored a dirty goal each en route to their 2-0 victory over Chicago last night. Los Angeles Kings won their second straight and improve to 5-4-1 in their last ten games.

Patrick Sharp had a team-high eight shots on net for Chicago, but the Hawks couldn't find a way to breach the U.S. born Kings' netminder, despite several good scoring chances.

The Blackhawks, on the whole, played a good game. Their 38...

Kings, Quick Stun Blackhawks 2-0

December 29, 2011

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

Jonathan Quick makes 1 of his 38 saves. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

On paper, this contest looked like a mismatch. The Blackhawks sported the league’s best record at 23-9-4, and had won five straight on home ice and carried a 6-0-1 record at home this month. Chicago also possessed the league’s best offense—which when compared to L.A.’s worst only helped more to make this game look like a lost cause. However, none of this accounts for Jonathan Quick.

The Kings defeated the Blackhawks 2-0 behind Quick, who stopped all 38 shots he faced (including 18 in the third period alone) and recorded his ...

Kings Break Out, Score 4 (!) in Win

December 27, 2011

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

For the first time since before Thanksgiving, the Kings scored more than 2 goals in regulation. Happiness is abound. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

The Kings were still receiving gifts one full day after Christmas had passed. Some were in the form of goals from the unlikeliest of players, while others simply came from the lackluster play of Phoenix goalie Jason LaBarbera, who was given a third straight start with the injury to lead goaltender Mike Smith. Nonetheless, the Kings took the offensive bump in stride and defeated the Coyotes by a score of 4-3.

Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, and Brad Richardson scored the firs...

Kings Dealt Loss in Shootout, 2-1

December 24, 2011

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

Jonathan Quick allows the eventual game winner from Ryan Clowe. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

For the first time in a month, the Kings played on back-to-back nights. And after a solid performance two days ago against the Ducks, they earned a point, yet were dealt an overtime loss at the hands of the division-leading San Jose Sharks.

The first period saw a flurry of chances for the Kings’ offense, which suddenly appeared to be well on their way to busting out of the past month’s offensive funk. Trent Hunter fed a wide-open Dustin Brown in front of the net, but Brown was unable to lift the puck over the out...

Sutter Wins First with Kings

December 23, 2011

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

Newly-appointed head coach Darryl Sutter looks on. (photo courtesy of NHL.com)

It’s hard to measure exactly how much of an impact Darryl Sutter had on his new team earlier tonight, but one thing is for sure, he’s already off to a good start. The Kings defeated the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout 3-2, with help from Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll, who notched the extra-time goals.

During the game’s initial 65 minutes, the Kings played with a tenacity (evidenced mostly by Colin Fraser’s scrap with Anaheim’s Matt Belesky in the first period) that served them well in this game and will certainl...

Kings End Road-Trip with 3-2 Shootout Victory

December 20, 2011

Ty Fisher

2 Comments

Captain Dustin Brown celebrates his 2nd period goal.

As tempting as it may be count Dustin Brown’s shootout winner as the Kings’ third goal of the evening and the first time in twelve games they have reached that mark…well, you can’t really do that. Nonetheless, the captain’s final tally gave his team the 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier tonight.

The Kings outshot Toronto 42-33, including a dominating second period which saw the Kings get four times as many shots as their opponents (16-4). Goals were provided by Justin Williams, his fifth of the year, and Brown, who fi...

Roy's Next Move

December 19, 2011

Brian Raiger

4 Comments

Though I write about the Canucks, I could not get enough of this story. Former Canadiens goaltender and NHL Hall of famer, Patrick Roy, has told reporters that if any proposals came up for a coaching job, he would listen to the offers. Brian Raiger takes a look at a few teams where the great #33 could possibly go, and could make a positive impact.

Montreal Canadiens - This is going to be my number one choice for a few reasons. We all know that Jacques Martin was fired by the Habs, making Randy Cunneyworth the interim head coach. Let’s say we let Cunneyworth play out this season, and at the end of the year Pierre Gauthier calls up Patty Roy. Roy has told reporters ...