Category Archives: Kings

Kings Still Clinging To Hope


March 31, 2017

The Kings kept their slim playoff hopes alive on Friday night in Vancouver, as they defeated the Canucks 2-0.

Jarome Iginla continued his hot streak, scoring the 625th goal of his career, while Jonathan Quick made 35 saves for LA for his 2nd shutout of the season.

Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings, who are now 8 points behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have just five games left to play. That 2nd wild card spot is the only playoff spot remaining in the West, as 7 other West teams have clinched berths in this year’s postseason.

The Kings would need to go 5-0, while the Predators would have to go 1-4 for LA to pass them in the standings. Any combination of Nashville wins and Kings losses that total two will put the Predators in the postseason.

It was the 10th time this season the Canucks had been shutout, after they had been eliminated from postseason contention last week.

Iginla’s goal midway through the 2nd period put the Kings on the board, and proved to be the game-winner. The 40-year-old redirected a shot from Alec Martinez past Canucks goalie Ryan Miller.   The goal tied Iginla with Joe Sakic for 15th on the all-time NHL list.

Tyler Toffoli would extend the lead to 2-0 four minutes later. The goal was Toffoli’s 15th of the season, and came on a shot from the right circle, which finished off a 3-on-2 rush.

The Kings will now return to Staples Center for a four game homestand. The first will be Sunday against Arizona. Nashville on the other hand will have three of its final five games on the road, but two of those are against teams that aren’t in the playoffs.

“We’re not going to give up,” Jerome Iginla said. “We’ve got to make sure that we do our part. In one week things can happen. Teams can go cold. It happens. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves. So nobody’s quitting.”

Kings Spoil Flames Party

March 29, 2017

The Kings prevented the Flames from clinching a playoff spot on Wednesday night in Alberta, defeating Calgary 4-1.

Jerome Iginla led the way for LA, scoring his 100th career game-winning goal, picking up an assist, and decisively winning a fight against Deryk Engelland.  Trevor Lewis, Anze Kopitar, and Jeff Carter also scored for the Kings.

This game was all about revenge for the Kings.  When these two teams last met on March 19, Calgary rookie Matthew Tkachuk elbowed Drew Doughty in the face and picked up a two game suspension.  Even prior to the start of the game, Kyle Clifford approached Tkachuk near center ice and exchanged words with the Flames rookie, as did other members of both teams.

Tkachuk fought Kings’ defenseman Brayden McNabb in the 1st period, and Tkachuk was dropped to the ice after a good upper cut.  Iginla’s fight with Engelland resulted in a cut opening up on forehead of the Flames’ defenseman.

It was Iginla’s goal with 46 seconds left in the 2nd period that would be the decisive tally.  The goal came during a big scramble in front of Flames’ goalie Brian Elliott.  Iginla now has 5 goals in 13 games for LA.

Doug Hamilton scored the Flames only goal.  Calgary will have another chance to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night against the Sharks at home.

Ben Bishop made 29 saves for LA.  Bishop is now 2-2-2 since being acquired from Tampa at the trade deadline.

The Kings will try to keep their dim playoff hopes alive on Friday night in Vancouver, against the Canucks.

Oilers Edge Kings & Clinch

March 28, 2017

The Kings lost yet another opportunity to make up ground in the Western Conference playoff race, losing 2-1 to the Oilers on Tuesday night in Edmonton.  The loss meant the Oilers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2005.

Cam Talbot made 34 saves. while Connor McDavid and Eric Gryba scored for Edmonton.  The Kings’ goal came from Jerome Iginla.  The Oilers have won 7 of their last 8 games.

Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for LA, but the Kings have lost four of their last five games.  They trail St. Louis by 11 points with only 7 games left to play.

It looked like the Oilers scored 49 seconds into the game, but Oscar Klefbom’s goal was disallowed after the referee ruled that there was goaltender interference on the play.

However, McDavid would score later in the period when his pass deflected off of Derek Forbort and past Quick.  It was his 27th goal of the season, and league-leading 89th point.

Iginla tied it up with 3 minutes left in the period, after firing a shot past Talbot on his glove side.  The goal was his 4th in 12 games since being acquired by the Kings just prior to the trade deadline.

The Oilers would score the game-winner at 7:03 of the 2nd period when Gryba’s long shot deflected past Quick.  The Kings even got a break when another Oiler goal was waived off when officials ruled they blew the whistle because of a delayed penalty prior to the puck entering the net.

The Kings had chances but couldn’t capitalize.  Jeff Carter had an opportunity short-handed that was stopped by the pad of Talbot.  “I thought I had some room low blocker. I think I just caught the top of his pad,” Carter said.

LA also had opportunities in the final minute, but Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin were stopped by Talbot.

The Kings will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive on Wednesday in Calgary.  Anze Kopitar knows things aren’t looking good.  “At the start of the year, I think if you looked at our roster, not a whole lot of people would have predicted that we’d be in the position we are right now,” Kopitar said.

 

Kings Shut Down Again

March 25, 2017

An all-too familiar scene went down at Staples Center on Saturday night.  The Kings not scoring a goal.  This time it was a 3-0 loss to the Rangers, all but officially sealing their fate of missing the playoffs.

Once again, the Kings would have their chances, but couldn’t finish.  Derek Stepan scored late in the 2nd period and Antii Raanta made 30 saves for his 8th career shutout.

The Rangers also got goals from Ryan McDonagh on the power-play, and an empty-netter from Rick Nash.  New York has won 8 of their last 10 road games.  They have the best road record in the NHL.

Jonathan Quick made 17 saves for the Kings.  He still hasn’t given up hope on making the playoffs though.  “We have to focus on the next game. Try to win the next game and go from there,” Quick said. “That’s it. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, that’s your mind-set. That’s what we’ll do.”

The Kings had a number of younger players in the lineup, who continued to gain experience.  That included rookie Jonny Brodzinski, who was making his NHL debut.  The 23-year-old nearly scored his first career goal, but was stopped on a breakaway in the 2nd period.

“I wish we had gotten the win. If I score on that breakaway I had then it’s a totally different game,” Brodzinski said.

Stepan scored at the 13:02 mark of the 2nd period, when he fired a shot past Quick after the puck bounced off the boards.

The lead became 2-0 when McDonagh scored four seconds into a double minor against Andy Andreoff for high sticking.  McDonagh blasted a shot that went through Quick’s legs.  Nash would add the empty-net goal with just over a minute left in the game, and that sealed the Kings fate.

The Kings will try their luck on the road against a few division foes starting Tuesday in Edmonton, followed by games on Wednesday and Friday at Calgary and Vancouver.

 

Kings Beat Jets But Time Running Out

March 23, 2017

The Kings kept their very slim playoff hopes alive on Thursday night with a 5-2 win over the Jets at Staples Center.

The Kings scored four power play goals on the night.  Drew Doughty, Marian Gaborik, and Anze Kopitar scored power play goals, while Tanner Pearson and Jake Muzzin also scored for LA.  The Kings still trail Nashville by 8 points with 9 games to play.

Gaborik scored at 2:01 of the 3rd period to give the Kings a 3-2 lead.  Almost 2 minutes later it was Doughty extending the LA lead by 2.  Then Pearson scored a short-handed goal with 10:38 left.

Patrick Laine and Mathieu Perreault each scored for the Jets.  Ben Bishp made 19 saves for the Kings.

The last time the Kings had four goals on special teams was when they scored four power-play goals against San Jose on April 5, 2012.

Kopitar has gotten hot but it is likely too little too late.  The Kings captain has scored 5 goals and 9 points in his last 10 games.

LA will be back in action on Saturday night against the Rangers at Staples Center.  Five of the Kings last nine games are at home, but they’ll have a three game road trip to Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver before the season ends.

Kings Get Shut Down In Edmonton

March 20, 2017

Just when you think things can’t get any worse for the Kings, they suffer a 2-0 loss to Edmonton on Monday night in Alberta.  At this point, the Kings chances of making the playoffs are about as good as me dating Mila Kunis.

Cam Talbot made 35 saves for his second consecutive shutout and 7th of the season, and the Kings lost their 2nd consecutive critical game.

Patrick Maroon scored 1 minute into the game, and former King Milan Lucic poked a rebound past Jonathan Quick about 11 minutes later, which accounted for both goals on the evening.  Lucic’s goal came on the power play, which ended a streak of 34 consecutive LA penalty kills on the road.

The Kings on the other hand were unable to convert on either of their two power play opportunities.  They also showed why they have only the 25th best offensive in the league all night, failing to capitalize on the scoring chances that would come their way.  The Kings were outshot 15-7 in the 1st period.  Although they would put up 28 shots the rest of the way, they couldn’t finish.

Jonathan Quick stopped 29 shots but the Kings have now lost four of their last five games.  They are six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the West with only 10 games remaining.

The Kings return home on Thursday to face the Winnipeg Jets.  They will need a Titanic like disaster from the teams in front of them, along with winning nearly all of their remaining games to have a chance at playing in the postseason.

 

 

Kings Get Trounced By Flames

March 19, 2017

The Kings continued to fall further out of the playoffs on Sunday night in Calgary, this time getting beaten by the Flames 5-2.

This night belonged to the Flames Johnny Gaudreau, who had a goal and two assists for Calgary.  “Johnny Hockey”  set up goals by Sean Monahan and Michael Stone to give the Flames an early lead, then scored the second of two Calgary goals 50 seconds apart early in the second period.

The Flames also got goals from Mark Giordano and Kris Versteeg, and Brian Elliott made 19 saves.  Anze Kopitar and Nic Dowd scored the Kings’ goals, but it was a rough night from the start.

Jonathan Quick started for LA, but was pulled after giving up two goals on seven shots.  Ben Bishop relieved him, and gave up 2 more goals on 16 shots.

LA’s usually stingy defense was nowhere to be found on Sunday.  The speed of the Flames created great scoring opportunities, and the Kings were never able to impose their heavy-hitting style of play.

The Kings are now six points behind Nashville for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Calgary on the other hand, has won 12 of their last 13 games, and moved into 3rd place in the Pacific Division.

With just 11 games left, the Kings will now travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers on Monday night.

Kings Keep Hope Alive With Win Over Sabres

March 17th, 2017

The Kings kept their fading playoff hopes alive on Thursday night at Staples Center with a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

The game was scoreless until the 3rd period when Jerome Iginla got the Kings on the board 36 seconds into the final frame.  It was Iginla’s 3rd goal since being traded to the Kings, which was set up by the hard work of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown.

About 14 minutes later, rookie Adrian Kempe scored his second goal as King with a beautiful wrist shot from the right circle.  Brown earned his second assist of the game on the play.

Jonathan Quick would slam the door after that.  The Kings netminder made 26 saves and earned his 1st shutout of the season.

The win helped the Kings keep pace with the St. Louis Blues, who defeated the Sharks on Thursday to remain 4 points ahead of LA in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Both teams have 12 games left.

“We need to win every game,” forward Tyler Toffoli said earlier this week. “We need to get rolling here and find a way to get two points in all these games coming up.”

LA finished their 7 game home stand with a 4-2-1 record, which sounds good, but not under the circumstances.  The Kings started the homestand just 2 points out of a playoff spot, and now they are 4 points back after critical losses to the Blues and Coyotes.

Now the Kings hit the road for two more critical games.  The first comes Sunday night at Calgary, followed by Monday night in Edmonton.  Perhaps one of the few bright spots for LA in their chase for the final playoff spot is that they have a total of 6 games remaining against the Flames and Oilers, who can still be caught before the season is over.

 

Kings Dealt Another Crushing Loss

March 14, 2017

For the 2nd night in a row, the Kings were dealt another devastating blow to their playoff hopes.  This time, a 3-2 loss to Arizona in shootout at Staples Center.  The shootout took 11 rounds, but the Coyotes prevailed on a goal by Anthony DeAngelo.

Even though the Kings got 1 point in the standings, it’s not nearly enough with just 13 games left in the season, and 4 points out of a playoff spot.  LA would need to win 10 of their final 13 games, and that’s if St. Louis or Edmonton play .500 hockey the rest of the way.

The Kings actually had the lead twice in this one.  After a scoreless 1st period, Tyler Toffoli scored his 1st of two goals on the night at the 5:03 mark of the 2nd period.  The Coyotes would tie things up in the 3rd period on Max Domi’s 8th goal of the season.  It looked like the Kings we’re going to come away with 2 points when Toffoli struck again on the power play with 1:36 left.  His 14th of the season.  However, the Coyotes would answer.  Domi would take advantage of a broken play in front of Kings goalie Ben Bishop, to tie the game with 45 seconds left.

In overtime, both teams had their chances, but Bishop and Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue made some big saves.  Arizona even had a 4-on-3 power play in the final seconds of OT, but the Kings managed to get the game to a shootout.

That set the stage for the drama in shootout.  Jeff Carter got things started off nicely for the Kings with a goal on a beautiful wrist shot that beat Domingue.  Brandon Perlini answered for the Coyotes with a goal of his own.  10 rounds later, Bishop and Domingue continued to make save after save, until DeAngelo won it for Arizona in the 11th round.

Bishop made 30 saves and played a strong game, but he’s still winless since being traded to the Kings.  Once again, the LA dominated on the stat sheet, but not on the scoresheet.  The Kings outshot the Coyotes 46-32, and dominated the faceoff circle 49-29.

 

 

 

Kings Playoff Hopes On Thin Ice After Loss To Blues

March 13th, 2017

Well at least there’s good news for Bob Miller.  The Kings last two games of the season probably won’t be stressful when he’s calling the final two games of his career, because the games will likely be meaningless.  After the Kings lost 3-1 to the Blues on Monday at Staples Center, their playoff hopes are fading fast.

Magnus Paajarvi scored a power-play goal, and Jake Allen made 38 big saves as the Blues extended their lead over the Kings to 5 points for the final playoff spot in the West.  There are 14 games left to play, and that means that even if the Blues win half of their remaining games, the Kings would have to win 10 of their final 14 just to pass them in the standings.  LA hasn’t won 10 of 14 games during this entire season.

The game was scoreless after the 1st period, in a very cautious twenty minutes from both teams.  Then in the 2nd, David Perron dug the puck out from underneath Jonathan Quick, and pushed the puck into the net after the Kings goaltender made the initial save.

The Blues made it 2-0 just 1:10 into the 3rd period, when Paajarvi deflected in a shot from Patrick Berglund, after Quick once again made the initial save on the play.  It was a power play goal for St. Louis, which was just the 4th time the Kings have given up a power play goal in the last 55 penalty-kill opportunities.

Dustin Brown got the Kings on the board with just over 3 minutes left, putting home a rebound after a big scramble of bodies in front of the Blues net.

However, the Kings would get no closer.  Jake Allen continued to respond with big save after big save, and Alexander Steen closed the scoring with an empty-netter.  So how do the Kings approach the next 14 games?

“Just not pay attention to standings, not pay attention to what other the other teams did. And just worry about us and win every single game for the rest of the season,” defenseman Drew Doughty said.

The Kings face another must win game on Tuesday night against Phoenix at Staples Center.  LA is 5-5-2 in back-to-back games this season.