Kings ice a lineup that’s mostly prospect laden, Ducks ice essentially what will be their NHL roster this season. Still took a questionable too many men on the ice call for Teemu “I’m invisible unless it’s the power play!” Selanne to get the power play winner in OT.

Since, as previously discussed, there was no video, there really isn’t much to analyze, except that the Kings’ B-team essentially came from two goals down to tie it in the third against the lineup the Ducks’ will likely have on the ice opening day. Lots of character. Based on reading some comments online from attendees of the game and comments Nick and Daryl made on the radio broadcast, most of the kids save Drewiske and Harrold played very well. The hockey illiterate Duck fans probably think they’ve conquered the world for beating the Kings’ B-team tonight. From the sounds of the radio feed, there were only a couple hundred of them there anyway. Can’t say I blame them, I wouldn’t want to be at Honda Center either!

Some observations solely based on hearsay (your results may vary):

• Justin Williams appears to be back in a big way. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
• The battle for roster spot between Schenn, Loktionov, Lewis, et all is an extremely close race.
• Drewiske has simply not been the same player since he returned from injury last season. We’ve seen what the kid is capable of, but he’s gotta shake whatever is stopping him between the ears. Hopefully that happens soon. At this point, if it’s opening night, I’m dressing Muzzin for the third pair and making Drewiske a healthy scratch.
• The power play was absolutely terrible tonight, going 0 for 8.
• If Scott Parse doesn’t recover in time to start the season, Dean Lombardi should think about picking up the phone and finding out what it would take to pry Ryan Malone away from Tampa. He’d be a perfect fit for this Kings’ team and he’s battle tested. Having a Malone/Smyth/Ponikarovsky at LW on the first three lines would be outstanding as long as the asking price for Malone isn’t too high – and provided he’d waive his no trade clause to come to LA. Given that Tampa’s in rebuild mode and the Kings are primed for contention, the latter part of that equation should be a no brainer.
• Where does Peter Harrold fit in on this Kings’ team? He’s versatile enough to play both as a 4th line wing and on D, but he’s not particularly stellar in either place. He’s a great team guy but I have a feeling he might be one of the players cut this week.

I’ll have some more commentary on tomorrow’s expected roster cuts when they happen, and of course, a season preview in the next several days.

It’s that time again folks. The 2010-11 regular season opens for the Kings next Saturday night in Vancouver.

Go Kings!

JS

No surprise, Terry Murray told Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider today that Jonathan Bernier has won the #2 job in LA. He is slated to play the full 60 minutes of the team’s final preseason game in Anaheim tonight. Tonight’s game was due to be streamed live by Fox Sports Net West but according to Hammond, the Ducks’ organization had them kill plans to stream. Is it just me, or does it sound like the Ducks are afraid of getting humiliated by a lineup mostly consisting of kids? Typical of that organization, who is either completely out of touch with the fact that they’ve never had a majority among Southern California hockey fans, and never will; that or they know it and don’t want to use up their bandwidth essentially streaming the game for Kings’ fans. Classy all the way Anaheim! Luckily we have Nick & Daryl on Radio for the game.

So topic back on the table becomes “What do we do with Ersberg?”. The team elected not to put him on waivers today. It’s hard to believe he would get much playing time in Manchester with the Kings vested interest in developing Jeff Zatkoff and Martin Jones. Purely speculation, but I think the coaching staff and organization had to have known this was coming. With Minnesota’s signing of Jose Theodore for 1 year, $1.1 million, one has to wonder why Dean Lombardi couldn’t have dealt the cheaper – and better – Ersberg to the Wild for a pick. Theodore at $1.1 million is a waste for Minnesota, who has a number one goalie in Backstrom who will play 60+ games. Water under the bridge now. There look to be few options at the NHL level for Ersberg at this point. Europe seems to be his likely destination – my guess is his agent is talking to teams over there as we speak.

At any rate, Ersberg has been a good soldier for the Kings’ organization. His personality and work ethic will be missed. I hope the best for him, wherever his next gig may be (unless it’s in Anaheim of course).

Kings face off against the Quack pack at that cesspool known as Honda Center in less than 3 hours.

Go Kings!

JS

Kings made two roster cuts today, sending 2007 first round pick Thomas Hockey to Manchester and placing John Zeiler on waivers.

For Zeiler, this was expected. “Z” was penciled in as the Kings’ agitator to be several years back, but has never proven to have any NHL level skill in his handful of NHL games. He’s best known for taking bad penalties and completely missing checks. The best the Kings’ brass could hope for is that someone claims him off waivers in the next 24 hours, but I’d say the probability of that happening is infinitesimally small. Zeiler will remain in Manchester barring an influx of injuries, until his contract expires on July first of next year.

For Hickey, this is a bit more of a disappointment. He was selected 4th overall in 2007, and considered by many to be a reach at that point. The Kings passed on players like Karl Alzner (Washington) and Jakub Voracek (Columbus) to take Hickey. It would be fair to say that Hickey’s development is a bit behind the curve at this point. Injuries limited him to 19 games in Manchester last year after having a pretty good camp with the Kings’. This year, he hasn’t turned as many heads in camp. It came down to a battle between Hickey and fellow 21 year old Jake Muzzin for the last defensive spot on the Kings’ opening day roster – many felt Hickey was ready for the jump this season. Fact of the matter is, it takes NHL defensemen time to develop, and at 21 Hickey is still a long way from being considered a bust. He will be on the short list for callups in the event of any injury.

Now to Jake Muzzin. This is a huge victory for him. A 2007 draftee of the Pittsburgh Penguins who was never signed, Muzzin won the OHL’s Max Kaminsky Trophy for outstanding defenseman last season, and was signed by the Kings to a 3 year entry level contract. Muzzin’s added maturity may have helped him get the edge competing for a roster spot this season. In Tuesday’s preseason rout of Anaheim, I thought Muzzin was decidedly better than Hickey. Muzzin has earned the right to be in LA – now we can only hope he doesn’t look like Alec Martinez did on opening night last season.

Personally, I expected to see both guys play in Saturday’s game before a decision was made, apparently the organization had already made their decision.

Still to be decided – which of the young forwards battling for a spot will make the roster, and who wins the battle between Bernier and Ersberg for the right to back up Jon Quick. The former is tricky, the latter is but a formality it seems.

To those of you traveling to Vegas for Frozen Fury – have fun and be safe. I am at home sick and sadly wasn’t going anyway, but I’m there in spirit.

Go Kings!

JS

Goalies seem to be the subject of much intense debate every year when training camp opens for the Kings. This year is no different, although the reasons certainly are. The Kings enter camp with an incumbent, LEGITIMATE number one goalie in Jon Quick. The battle for number two is a little more complicated…

Veteran Erik Ersberg, who has been a good soldier for the Kings the past 2 seasons and change, comes trying to hold on to an NHL roster spot, while the Kings’ most prized prospect, 2006 first round pick Jonathan Bernier is looking to earn his first full time NHL job.

Coach Terry Murray has minced no words in saying that Quick is his guy. He’s already appeared in two full games in preseason, and is slated to play the full 60 minutes in Las Vegas Saturday. With only one preseason tilt remaining after that, the following evening in Anaheim, it seems as if the writing is already on the wall. Ersberg was scheduled to start the team’s first preseason game in Colorado but a hand/wrist injury prevented that, and Bernier stepped in and played very well in a victory. Bernier would also play two periods the following night in Phoenix and keep the Coyotes off the board for the duration of those.

So, we’re 2/3 of the way through the preseason schedule and Ersberg seems to be the odd man out. Murray hinted in an interview with Rich Hammond on LA Kings Insider that Ersberg might play a half a game Sunday in Anaheim. If this isn’t the writing on the wall, what is?

Bernier is a highly touted player who has already done everything asked of him at the AHL level. He was the AHL’s Goaltender of the Year this past season, and in the minds of many, that league’s MVP as well as it’s best player. There isn’t anyplace for Bernier to go except to assume the #2 job in LA, where he will most certainly push Quick as well.

Ersberg is a dependable backup, but at 28, he’s likely not going to turn into a #1 goalie in the NHL. He was a breath of fresh ait for the Kings’ organization and fans just a couple of seasons ago when Jason LaBarbera was considered the team’s starting goaltender (how much do we NOT miss those days?). Unfortunately, with a legit #1 and a red hot prospect, he’s clearly the odd man out.

So where does Ersberg go? With a shrinking market for goalies in the NHL, trade partners would be limited. Minnesota might be willing to part with a late round pick for Eazy-E in the wake of Josh Harding’s potentially season ending injury. Outside of that it seems likely that he would clear waivers on his way to the AHL. But there lies another problem – Kings’ prospects Jeff Zatkoff and Martin Jones are slated for the Monarchs’ roster, and the organization will want both to play. The most likely destination for Ersberg would be Europe, as the Kings’ can loan him to the European club of their choosing and be off the hook for his salary cap hit (which is modest anyway).

My guess, for the 2010-2011 season is that Quick plays 55-60 games and Bernier (obviously) plays 22-27 games barring an injury to one or the other. This will allow Quick to avoid the burnout he experienced late last season and give Bernier a shot at showing what he’s made of in a reasonable amount of NHL games. Bernier will push Quick to be even better, and it’s quite possible, by this time in 2012-13 if not sooner, the Kings will have to make a decision on which potential star goalie to keep.

It’s a good problem to have!

Go Kings!

-JS

Blowout. Rout. Spanking. Ass-whooping. Shellacking. Complete and utter domination. Those are among some of the terms that could be used to describe the Kings’ 8-3 victory over the Ducks Tuesday night at Staples Center.

7 different King players had goals – Jack Johnson being the only player to tally twice, and Anze Kopitar had 4 assists. The Kings were 4-7 on the power play and were 3-3 on the Penalty Kill. Vying for opening day roster spots, rookies Andrei Loktionov and Kyle Clifford both had goals. The remaining King goals were scored by Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds, Ryan Smyth and Michal Handzus.

I’ll be honest every time: I loathe the Ducks. I am not fond of the vast majority of what’s left of their fans. Over at LetsGoKings.com, it’s become a game day tradition to post “What they’re saying” threads with comments taken from the opposing team’s various message boards. Every time time the Kings and Ducks play, these are pure hilarity, and Tuesday was no exception. Read for yourselves and enjoy.

Just as enjoyable to me as the Kings’ promise for the upcoming season, is the fact that the Ducks are utterly awful. They still play undisciplined goon hockey, resulting in a lot of dumb penalties. Their defense corps is atrocious. When Lubomir Visnovsky is your top defender, you know it’s going to be a long season. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lubo as a King, but those days are long gone, and Visnovsky is not the player he was in those days, and in general isn’t suited to be a top pair guy. He’s got plenty of heart but at the end of the day, his best assets are in the opposite zone. While the Kings may win the Pacific Division this season, the Ducks may well finish last. That would be the icing on the cake for most Kings’ fans. Whatever is left of the Ducks’ bandwagon from 2007 will inevitably be even smaller come mid-season. Kings trips to the Honda Center will feel like home games (they already mostly do, minus the annoying Duck call horn and the terrible, tractor pull style PA announcer the Ducks employ). And me? Oh, I won’t complain a bit.

Kings move on to Las Vegas next, for the annual tradition known as Frozen Fury against the Colorado Avalanche. I won’t be there in person, but like many I’m hoping they’ll at least offer some sort of video stream of the game.

Go Kings!

JS

It’s that time again. Hockey is upon us!

The Kings opened the 2010 preseason with a gritty comeback victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in Denver. The Avalanche scored the first two goals of the game (Dupuis and former King Kyle Quincey) before the Kings scored 4 unanswered goals to take the tilt.

Michal Handzus, John Zeilier, Brad Richardson and Justin Williams scored goals for the Kings. Thomas Hickey and Jaret Stoll each had a pair of assists. Jonathan Bernier stopped 21 of 23 shots.

The victory was a nice one for a Kings’ lineup consisting mostly of players who will find themselves on the Manchester Monarchs’ roster for the season, with a few exceptions; up against a veteran laden lineup for Colorado.

Sadly, since there was no TV feed for the game, there’s not much analysis to be provided.

Kings will play a split squad series with Phoenix today. The lineup that the Kings will ice at Jobing.com Arena will look much like last night’s lineup, and Jonathan Bernier will play at least two periods again tonight.

In LA at Staples, the Kings’ roster looks more like the regular season incarnation, and Jon Quick will go the distance in goal.

Those of you who will be at Staples tonight, I will see you there.

Go Kings!

-JS

I got up at 0 dark 30 this morning and headed up to El Segundo for the Kings’ second annual iteration of Hockey Fest at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. I saw nearly every giant in the Kings’ blogging community there, met a handful of people who knew of my tiny little blip on the Kings’ blogosphere. Pretty cool I think, considering I posted nothing from mid April until a week ago, and don’t have the exposure or the following that most of them do. Gives me something to aspire to, although realistically my real life job and the fact that I live two hours away in San Diego makes it difficult to provide the same type of content that the LA-based bloggers, especially those with media credentials, can give to you, the fans. Regardless I love doing this, and when someone says “hey, aren’t you the Throne Room guy?” it makes my day.

But enough about me! On to the festivities. I’m sure my fellow bloggers and podcasters at Life in Hockeywood, KingsCast, Frozen Royalty, The Royal Half and Matthew Barry at Hockeybuzz will be able to provide plenty of quotes, maybe some audio andor video and interview content from the day’s events (and if there’s anyone I left out, forgive me). I’m going to focus on a few points and the fan experience of the event overall.

The doors opened just after 8AM and people began taking seats for the State of the Kings panel, featuring Dean Lombardi, Ron Hextall and Jeff Solomon. There were far less Kovalchuk questions than one would anticipate (a good thing), and we got to see a rather candid side of Dean Lombardi discussing his gripes about the current CBA. I’m hoping someone got some audio or video from this, as Dean got rather worked up about it, and I think the fans appreciated seeing that from Dean. Probably the most pressing question on every Kings fan’s mind was “are we going to bring in another skilled top 6 forward?”. This was asked of Lombardi in a couple of different ways. Dean shot down the idea of bringing back Patrick O’Sullivan, which isn’t any surprise to the rational among us. He also indicated that Scott Parse is going to get every chance to be the team’s second line Left Wing, and that there aren’t many sellers right now, but that the Kings realize they need to improve 5 on 5 scoring (without raising 5 on 5 goals against). I take this to mean that they’re looking but won’t be hasty to make a move. In the meantime, Parse (who showed up wearing #21, changed from last season’s #63) will get a chance to make some noise. Nothing new here, really.

Next up was the first Autograph session of the day, featuring Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Davis Drewiske, Jonathan Bernier, Scott Parse, Rich Clune and Michal Handzus. My only gripe about the day’s events in El Segundo was the condensed schedule (last year the event was spread over 2 days). It was impossible to get to every panel, every autograph session, etc in the day. Lines for autograph sessions began forming long before the sessions themselves started, and if you wanted to see the entirety of any of the Speaker Series panels, you were likely forgoing a chance to get autographs and pictures with your favorite Kings’ players and alumni. The first autograph session was the only one I was able to get into, and not only did you have to choose to leave State of the Kings’ a bit early to get in line, once you’re there, you had to choose which group of players whose autographs you wanted. So, if like me, you wanted to get both Jon Quick and Jon Bernier’s autograph, you were SOL unless you had somebody in the other players’ line who you could pass off your memorabilia too – and even then, staff was limiting guests to one signature from each player. I get that we have Meet the Players (if you’re a season ticket holder) and Tip-A-King, but not everyone gets to go to those and while I give the Kings’ organization high marks for the event as a whole, the autograph sessions were kind of a sore spot I thought.

The Speaker Series panels, I thought, were excellent in contrast. The Kids Press Conference with Matt Greene, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Johnson and Brad Richardson was very well done. Matt Greene might be the funniest guy in all of hockey. He had the whole crowd in stitches with his wisecracking antics, and one can’t help but wonder if he couldn’t make a career in stand-up for himself once his hockey playing days are over. This panel was great for kids and grown-ups alike. The “Life of a King” panel with Luc Robitaille, Jay Wells and Marty McSorley was awesome; and while the “Winning Ways” panel with Jaret Stoll, Ryan Smyth, Justin Williams and Rob Scuderi was perhaps a bit more dull, it was certainly entertaining.

The day ended with a pep rally, hosted by Kings TV analyst Jim Fox, where the Kings’ broadcast crews, coaching staff and management were all introduced to the public, as was the team: First a group of alumni, some prospects, and then the veterans; including the officials introductions of Alexei Ponikarovsky and Willie Mitchell as Kings.

HockeyFest also coincided with the first day of rookie camp for the Kings’ prospects, and those in attendance had a chance to see some future Kings at work. I didn’t get to spend as much time watching the rookies as I’d hoped, but I did take in some of their first ice session and almost the entire second session. Some quick thoughts: Thomas Hickey and Andrei Loktionov were the two best players on the ice Saturday, but Brandon Kozun and Corey Elkins were not far behind. Loktionov and Kozun were linemates and paired together in many of the drills, and they absolutely killed it I thought. With Brayden Schenn’s injury keeping him day to day right now, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Corey Elkins end up as the Kings’ 4th line center to start the season. He has all the makings of a solid, two-way NHL forward.

Hickey and Nicolas Deslauriers were the most impressive of the defensemen. I didn’t think any of the three goalies looked particularly sharp on day one, but of the three, Jean-Francois Berube seemed sharpest. Berube did the best job absorbing pucks and controlling rebounds. Martin Jones seemed to be playing too deep in his net and got beat by several high shots. Garett Zemlak, in LA on a tryout from Prince Albert of the WHL, was least impressive of the group.

These are just first impressions, and day one of any camp is hardly indicative of which of the kids will get invited to skate with the vets next week. If I were a betting man though, Loktionov, Hickey and Elkins all look like they have realistic chances to at least skate with the vets until the final roster moves are made.

All in all, I enjoyed this year’s HockeyFest a lot. Other than the uber condensed schedule making it difficult to get all the player autographs/pictures, I thought the Kings did a fantastic job with the event this year, and are doing a great job by reaching out to the fans. Good fan relations and an exciting, up and coming team will make getting seats at Staples Center a bit more difficult.

Even if you’re not a Led Zeppelin fan (shame on you!), that song title is an appropriate descriptor for the Kings 2010 offseason. I’m approaching the analogy in reverse as it better reflects the chronological order of events here. Sit back, relax, pour your favorite beverage and enjoy.

What Should Never Be

Kings’ fans the world over are likely ill by now from all the drama involving Ilya Kovalchuk. What it boils down to is simply this: Dean Lombardi made his best offer to kovalchuk and agent Jay Grossman – reported to be 13 years, 84.5 million dollars, and they instead chose to pursue the path of riches by signing with New Jersey for a record 17 years, $102 million. Of course, as we all know, that deal was rejected by the NHL for circumvention of the CBA, a decision upheld by arbitrator Richard Bloch. After weeks of civil unrest, the NHL and NHLPA finally reached agreement in the wee hours of the morning Saturday on an Amendment to the CBA re: long term contracts and along with it, approved a second Kovalchuk contract – this one for 15 years, $100 million. Make no mistake about it, the NHL made concessions in approving that deal. Since this is a Kings’ blog, I’m not going to write an infinite number of paragraphs explaining my point, since at this point we’re talking water under the bridge. All I will say is that the second contract, which the league APPROVED, is in many ways worse than the first. Again, water under the bridge, but I’ll admit that there was a part of me hoping to see Kovalchuk bolt for Russia – which would prove once and for all that he is in it solely for financial gain. But, we already knew that, right?

Now, onto the pertinent part – how this effects the Kings. Let’s be honest here. We can all scream about how Kovalchuk has never been a team player, doesn’t come through under pressure, et cetera. The truth of the matter is, if he’d been willing to play for a reasonable contract, he’d have been a nice addition to the team. Since he wasn’t, he’s not – and New Jersey just went through a whole lot of trouble to re-sign a player who didn’t get them out of the first round last season.

Dean Lombardi isn’t dumb. He knows he has a current Norris Trophy nominee and future Norris winner, likely multiple times, to get signed to an extension. He’s got another young defenseman who seems to finally be living up to a bit of his potential (let’s see if he can finish with a + rating this season) to extend, as well as one of his young promising Wingers who has split time on the team’s top line and the team’s shutdown line with substantial results. Yes, Drew Doughty is more important to the Kings, now and tomorrow, than Ilya Kovalchuk ever would have been. Jack Johnson has made great strides since the Olympics, and while there are rumblings (mostly unsubstantiated) that he doesn’t want to stay in LA long term, he is not sue to be a UFA for some time yet. If Lombardi is unable to get Johnson signed to a multi year extension, he is at the very least a tradable asset with a lot of value. Wayne Simmonds will look to crack the 20 goal mark in his third full season in the NHL, and is one of the team’s best rounded forwards, as well as a fan favorite.

In order to sign Kovalchuk (and there are those who believe his visit to LA was all song and dance to get New Jersey to increase their offer) the Kings would certainly have had to part with one or more of the aforementioned three players. Lombardi made the biggest offer possible in order to retain his core players. In the end it didn’t happen. Some are still disappointed.

I’ll maintain my opinion that it’d have been nice to have him, but not at the risk of blowing up an already pretty good roster. I’ll be reminding people of that after New Jersey suffers another first round collapse in 2001 as well, particularly East Coast based bloggers who have used the whole Koval-Gate situation as an excuse to slag the people of Southern California and the LA Kings organization.

What Is

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff. Let’s be realistic for a second – the Kings didn’t need Kovalchuk to begin with. We’re talking about a team that scored the fifth most goals in the NHL in 2009-10. While the even strength scoring could use some improvement, the players already here are capable of that progression. If Anze Kopitar shows up to camp in even better shape than last season, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t exceed last season’s goal and point totals. Remember, Kopitar might’ve been the most dominant player in the entire NHL for the first third of 2009-10. What kept him from keeping up that level of performance? Some may point to Ryan Smyth’s injury, which was no doubt a factor. General consensus however seems to be that Kopitar’s conditioning, although improved, was not at it’s peak. I still believe that a well conditioned Kopitar with reliable linemates is potentially a 100 point player in this league.

Speaking about the forwards, the Kings lost Alexander Frolov as a free-agent to the Rangers, and opted not to re-sign Fredrik Modin or Jeff Halpern. Coming to the team this season is former Maple Leaf and Penguin Alexei Ponikarovsky. Poni may not have the offensive upside Frolov had, but he is a similar type player – a consistent 20 goal scorer who is by all accounts better defensively than Frolov and will be a PERFECT fit alongside Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds on the third, “checking” line.

Defensively, the Kings bid adieu to Sean O’Donnell and Randy Jones. OD is a great guy, and it would’ve been nice to see him finish his career where it started, but his game had obviously lost a step, and he heads off to Philadelphia for a season that is likely to be his last. Jones, who nobody in the stands at Staples is likely to miss, heads off to Tampa. For all the talk about Steve Yzerman being a genius GM, the Jones signing is enough to make everyone scratch their heads a bit. Incoming is veteran Willie Mitchell, a solid shutdown guy who will be a great addition to the Kings top 4. The season will start with 2 defensive rookies likely in the lineup while Matt Greene recovers from shoulder surgery.

While the additions of Ponikarovsky and Mitchell are solid ones, I don’t think Lombardi is done looking for a top 6 forward. If a deal can be made to benefit the Kings, Dean will make it. The name I’ve heard thrown about most is Tampa’s Ryan Malone – who I believe would be an absolute PERFECT fit with this team. Malone does have a no-trade clause however, so who knows if discussions will or have been taking place.

So now, the question I pose to you, the readers. Who is a realistic addition to the Kings’ roster, via trade, that you feel would help the Kings reach the next level?

Next up, I’ll talk about rookies hoping to make an impact during the 2010-2011 season.

Go Kings!

JS

The Kings, AEG and Staples Center know how to throw a party. The team’s first playoff game in 8 years was more than just a game, it was an event. The outside of Staples Center was decorated with balloons and banners, the arena’s iconic Magic Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya and Wayne Gretzky statues were all adorned with the Kings’ new home playoff sweaters – the “Back in Black” jersey as it’s become known. Live music was played, local radio stations had promotional booths set up, and Bailey and the Kings’ Ice Crew roamed the perimeter interacting with fans. Inside, the Kings pulled out all the stops too. Black light’s helped accent the white rally towels handed out at the gates (although I was a bit perplexed – they asked all fans to wear black – why were the towels white?). The inspirational video segment with Bob Miller played on the jumbotron, and the Kings’ welcome song “This Is LA” was played live in house by The Briggs. The crowd noise was deafening. Kings fans all look forward to PA Announcer David Courtney’s traditional “Ladies and gentlemen, YOUR Los Angeles Kings!” as the team takes the ice, but on Monday the crowd was so loud that Courtney could hardly be heard over them for team and player introductions. Everyone in the house was on their feet as the team took the ice with AC/DC’s “Back In Black” blaring on the loudspeakers.

The game itself, didn’t start the way the Kings and fans hoped. Early in the first period, the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler circled the Kings’ net and found Mason Raymond wide open on the far side. Raymond buried the puck and the Kings were in an early hole. The tide would turn after that though. The Kings’ special teams were magnificent – and Drew Doughty would score the first of 3 straight power play goals to tie the game at 1. Michal Handzus scored the next two power play goals, and Brad Richardson scored on a great play, hustling deep in the Canucks’ end on his own and stripping the puck away from a Vancouver defender and slipping the puck past Roberto Luongo. To the dismay of many Kings’ fans, that was the end of Luongo’s night.

Vancouver would score twice more to cut the Kings lead to one in the third period, and had a goal waved off that in some circles has been controversial. The NHL’s War Room in Toronto ruled that the puck was kicked in by Daniel Sedin. In defense of those that are unhappy with the call, the NHL’s wording in the rule book isn’t very concise, and I’ll agree that the rule needs an overhaul (my suggestion would be to completely disallow any goal that goes in of an offensive players skate, accidental or not. For safety reasons, we can’t have the rule go the other way and have a bunch of NHL players making like Pele around the net. The amount of injuries resulting from this would be catastrophic.), but based on the NHL’s explanation I think the call was correct. Sedin appeared to put his skate forward with the express intent of redirecting the puck into the net. While it may not mimic David Beckham, in my mind it’s still a kick. If the Kings are in the same situation and the goal is disallowed, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. Instead many Canuck fans are trying to suggest that the NHL has some sort of conspiracy theory against their team. Somebody in Vancouver is going to get rich selling tinfoil hats. If this group of Canuck fans wants to keep disrespecting the Kings and co-signing their team’s poor performance thus far in this series, if it makes them feel better taking the accountability out of the players’ hands by thinking the league is out to get them, so be it. Let me know what your conspiracy theory is when your golf game sucks too.

After the goal was waved off (Sedin would score the 3rd Canuck goal minutes later), Ryan Smyth, gassed at the end of a shift, skated into the Vancouver zone and blasted a slapshot that deflected off Vancouver defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and past Canucks’ backup Andrew Raycroft, who replaced Luongo after the Richardson goal.

Kings were 3 for 3 on the power play and perfect on the penalty kill. Special teams have been a big reason why the Kings lead in the series. Admittedly, the Kings need to play better 5 on 5. You can’t count on getting power play opportunities (especially with the inconsistency in officiating in the playoffs). The Kings were great 5 on 5 in game 2. They will have to be better if the Kings hope to make quick work (pun intended) of the Canucks.

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s biggest question mark still lies between the pipes. Luongo was shaky at best Monday night. He did what he does when he’s not on his game – he dove, he flopped, he tried to draw penalties, but he didn’t look comfortable in the net. His last two outings at Staples Center, Luongo has given up 12 goals in less than 5 periods. When he left the net Monday night, he looked completely mentally broken. He’s been outplayed by Jonathan Quick in every game in the series so far, and if Luongo doesn’t bounce back tonight in LA, the Canucks are in real danger of heading home for game 5 down 3 games to 1. The pressure is on Luongo to deliver tonight. If he doesn’t, the Canucks can start polishing up those golf clubs. They’ll need them soon.

Also not to be overlooked is the effect that the Kings’ cycle – particularly the Richardson-Handzus-Modin line is having on the already bruised up Canucks’ defense. As the series goes on, Vancouver’s backliners look more and more tired.

Meanwhile, if Drew Doughty isn’t the best defenseman in the NHL right NOW, he’s in the top 3. He may not win this year’s Norris Trophy, but he certainly deserves it. Jack Johnson has also emerged as a playoff beast. Unfortunately for the Kings, Peter Harrold looked like a fish out of water Monday night, prompting Terry Murray to re-insert Randy Jones into the lineup for Wednesday’s game. Not sure why Murray won’t play Davis Drewiske, who is much less mistake prone than Jones. Jones is almost to the Kings what Andrew Alberts has been to the Canucks in this series, and it’s troublesome that Murray seems to have some kind of unreasonable loyalty to him.

Speaking of scratches – Justin Williams, one of four Kings with a Stanley Cup ring to his credit, will sit again Wednesday.

Big game for both teams tonight. If the Kings do good work 5 on 5 (and hopefully get a couple more PP chances) and Luongo struggles again at Staples, the Kings will have a chance to put the Canucks out of their misery Friday in Vancouver. If Luongo and the Canucks rebound, it essentially becomes a best of 3 series.

Game 3, 7PM start time at Staples tonight.

GO KINGS!

-JS

I had intended to give my typical opinionated preview of all 8 playoff series, but since I waited until 3 game ones were in the books, I’ll stay close to home and preview the series that matters most to me. My beloved Los Angeles Kings against the Northwest Division Champion Vancouver Canucks.

If you look at the regular season series between the two teams, the Kings have managed only one victory against the Canucks (both at home) in each of the last two seasons. In the first 3 games between the two clubs this season, the Kings struggled to find offense, scoring only a goal in each tilt. The 4th and final meeting was another game entirely, an 8-3 Kings romp that saw all-world goalie Roberto Luongo struggle.

While both teams have had outstanding seasons (and are close to dead even in many statistical categories), both have questions heading into this series, and they both center around the men guarding the net. Both Vancouver’s Luongo and the Kings’ Jon Quick have been less than stellar since returning from the Olympic break. Having seen every Kings’ game since, and only a handful of Canucks’ games, I would say both players are suffering from the same issue – problems with focus. In Quick’s case, he hasn’t been in his pre-Olympic form, but he did post two shutouts and got little goal support in each of his 8 consecutive winless games to end the regular season. One thing is for certain – each of these men will need to be solid in order for their team to advance. For Quick, it’s his first kick at the playoff can. For Luongo, if he loses another series in the first two rounds, his reputation is starting to look like that of a playoff underachiever.

The Canucks strength is their offense. They have the NHL’s leading scorer in Henrik Sedin, and his brother Daniel – each scored 29 goals this season. Add Ryan Kesler, Mikeal Samuelsson, Mason Raymond and Alex Burrows – each eclipsing the 20 goal mark this season, and you’re talking about a lot of firepower (I have to admit, I always thought of Burrows as the consummate pest and it kind of shocked me just a bit that he scored 35 goals this season). Christian Ehrhoff and Sami Salo are both solid offensive contributors from the back end as well.

The Kings strength – defense. Drew Doughty at 20 years old is a legitimate candidate for the Norris trophy this year. Expect Doughty (who many thought was Canada’s best defenseman at the Olympic games) and defense partner Rob Scuderi to play major minutes against the Canucks’ top line of the Sedin twins and Burrows. Matt Greene is one of the league’s most underrated stay at home defenseman – a guy who makes smart plays and hits like a freight train. Jack Johnson has improved tremendously defensively this season. Veteran Sean O’Donnell can burn up some quality minutes. As a defensive corp, the Kings do a very good job in their own end (Doughty and Johnson can do a hell of a job in the offensive zone too), and they’ve got good support from their forwards as well. Anze Kopitar has developed into one of the league’s premiere two way centers, and the shutdown line anchored by veteran Michal Handzus and second year star Wayne Simmonds (their left winger to start the series will be Brad Richardson, a pretty capable guy defensively with great speed) has played a ton of minutes against opponents’ top lines all season. They’ve been effective in helping to shut down stars like Alex Ovechkin of Washington and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby in Kings’ wins this season. Coach Terry Murray has instilled a defense first system in the Kings’ players – and when they’re on they buy into it perfectly.

But the Kings are no scoring slouches either. Kopitar scored a career high 34 goals – and Dustin Brown, Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus all broke the 20 goal mark. Alexander Frolov (will be interesting to see if he finds the extra gear in postseason) potted 19, and Doughty, Simmonds and Jaret Stoll each scored 16. The Kings aren’t exactly slouches on offense either.

The series is going to be determined by goaltending – and the guy that can regain his pre-Olympic form will likely be moving on to round 2. If one or the other is unable to find form, it could potentially be a short series either way. If both goaltenders rise to the occasion, I believe the Kings’ defensive system will allow them to at least do a respectable job containing the Canucks’ potent offense. The Canucks’ defense is banged up – they’ll be without their top defenseman Willie Mitchell, and Aaron Rome and Sami Salo are both going to be playing at potentially less than 100%. The Kings’ cycle and puck possession down low over the course of the series may take it’s toll on the Canucks’ defense corps. It’s often said that you win with defense in the playoffs and the Kings have a decided advantage here in my opinion.

Another thing to keep in mind – the playoffs are a time for ugly goals – and the Kings have two guys in Ryan Smyth and Dustin Brown who have turned the ugly goal into an art form.

My prediction: The Kings’ D keeps the Canucks’ reasonably quiet, their forwards wreak havoc on the battered Vancouver D down low and generate enough offense to win a series of close games. Quick steps up when he’s needed, and the Kings win in game 6 at Staples Center.

Homer pick, I know.

Series starts tomorrow night at GM Place in Vancouver, 7PM on FSN.

It’s been a long time coming.

GO KINGS!

-JS