Category Archives: Kings

Kempe’s First NHL Goal Helps Kings Beat Caps

March 11th,

Adrian Kempe scored his 1st NHL goal midway through the 3rd period, which helped give the Kings get a critical 2 points on Saturday vs the Capitals.  The Kings kept pace with the St. Louis Blues, and remained 3 points behind them in the race for the final playoff spot in the West.

Anze Kopitar also scored a goal and had an assist for LA, and Jonathan Quick made 17 saves to help the Kings win their 3rd game in the last 4 tries.  Marian Gaborik also scored, and Jeff Carter had an empty-netter.

This was the first time the Kings won back-to-back games since early February.  Kempe was excited to finally find the back of the net for LA.  “There was a lot of time left in the game,” he said, “[but] I think it was an important goal and it was a really great feeling to finally put it in.”

The Kings fell behind 1-0 and 2-1, but tied it at 2-2 heading into the 3rd period on the goal by Kopitar.  It was the Kings fifth straight game with a power play goal, and the 3rd in the last 4 games for LA captain.  Then Kempe put the Kings ahead for good by spinning away from Capitals forward Marcus Johansson, and beating Philipp Grubauer,

Jonathan Quick started for the 2nd straight game, but Darryl Sutter reassured everyone that Ben Bishop will still see some action.

“Quite honest, we are in a position where we’re fighting for a playoff spot because our goaltending, in February, hit the wall,” Sutter said.

The Kings will have a huge game against the Blues on Monday night at Staples Center, as both teams continue to fight for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Iginla Comes Through For Kings

March 9th, 2017

The Kings are desperate for every win they can get right now, and they got a big 3-2 overtime win against Nashville on Thursday night.  Jerome Iginla scored his first two goals as a King, including the game-winner in overtime.

“It was a hard-fought game for sure. Lots on the line,” Iginla said. “It feels good to be able to get that win as a group. “New team, to be able to find some way to contribute, it’s exciting to be out there at the end in a key situation.”

Nashville would strike first in this one.  Callie Jarnkrok beat Jonathan Quick in the slot, after Roman Josi knocked the puck off of Marian Gaborik’s stick while battling along the boards.  That was only the Predator’s 3rd shot of the game.

The Kings would strike back in the 2nd, when Iginla took a pass from Gaborik, and manuevered his way around Pekka Rinne for a power play goal.

Just 91 seconds into the 3rd period, the Predators would go ahead on a goal by Kevin Fiala.  He knocked in a rebound after a big scramble in front of the Kings net.

However 10 minutes later, Gaborik tied the game after knocking down a shot from Alec Martinez, and tucking it underneath Rinne.  It was Gaborik’s 8th goal of the season.

That’s when Iginla would send the Kings home as winners.  The win pulls LA within 1 points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, which is held by the St. Louis Blues.  The Kings are coming off a 5 day break, and have played 1 more game than the Blues.

LA has its work cut out for them just to make the playoffs, but Iginla likes the Kings chances.  “I’m positive. I’m very optimistic,” he said. “I know we’ve got a lot of work to do. But these guys, they’re winners. It’s a very tight-knit group. This time of year, they find ways.  “It’s going to be a last fun month of the regular season. Everyone believes we can get in.”

The Kings continue their home stand on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals.  Then they’ll have a big showdown on Monday night against St. Louis.

 

Kings Rally Falls Short Against Canucks


March 5th, 2017

Another game the Kings needed got away from them on Saturday night at Staples.  The Kings fell behind 4-0, but their rally fell short as they lost 4-3 to Vancouver.

Sven Baertschi scored twice, Ryan Miller made 41 saves and the Vancouver Canucks ended a four-game losing streak.

Trevor Lewis and Anze Kopitar each scored a power-play goal, Alec Martinez scored a short-handed goal and Ben Bishop made 17 saves in his home debut for Los Angeles, which missed out on a chance to move three points ahead of St. Louis for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

In typical Kings fashion, LA outshot their opponent 44-21, and dominated the possession numbers as well.  The Kings even won the special teams battle, scoring two power play goals, and not giving up any to Vancouver.

However, LA continued to have problems 5-on-5.  “On the score sheet, we may be close, but really the first two periods, it was nowhere near close enough to our game, and nowhere near close to being good enough,” Kopitar said.

The Kings were victimized by a few unfortunate deflections against them, but they have little room for error left.   LA continues game 3 of its 7 game home stand on Thursday against Nashville.

Kings Beat Leafs After Big Day


March 2nd, 2017

It was an emotional day for the Kings, who managed to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday night at Staples Center.  It was bittersweet for Kings fans after learning that Hall of Fame announcer, Bob Miller will be retiring at the end of the season.

The Kings trailed 2-0 after Toronto got goals from Tyler Bozak and Nikita Zaitsev in the 1st two periods.  However, LA battled back in the 3rd, sparked by Anze Kopitar’s power play goal 27 seconds in the period.

The goal was the first for the Kings captain in the last 13 games, and bounced off the head of Zaitsev in to the Toronto net.

Just 90 seconds later, Tanner Pearson tied the game at 2-2 after sliding the puck past Frederik Anderson.  It was his 22nd goal of the season.

After an exciting overtime session in which both teams had their chances, the game would go to a shootout.  That’s when Kopitar would score the only goal for either side, to help secure a big Kings win.

Jonathan Quick made 29 saves, and stopped all 3 Maple Leafs he faced in the shootout.  Quick’s final save was very acrobatic, where he even reached behind his back to stop the fin shot.

With the win, the Kings inch past St. Louis and back into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jerome Iginla made his debut as a King.  He knows he has work to do though,  “Personally, I can get better,” he said. “It was a fun game to be a part of. You could tell how important the points were, for them and for us. And to be able to come back and get that in the overtime, back and forth is pretty exciting.

As for Bob Miller, just hours earlier, he announced that this would be his final season with the Kings, after  44 years and 3,351 broadcasts.  Miller is 78, and coming off of a minor stroke he suffered in January.  It’s the 2nd straight season that Miller has had health problems.  In February of last year, he had a four-way heart-bypass operation.  Doctors had essentially made the decision for him, telling him to slow down.

“I said, ‘Well, in this sport, in my mind, there’s no taking it easy. When they drop the puck, you’re going. You’re on,’” he said. “And that’s what the fans expect from you and that’s the way you want to do the game.

Ralph Strangis has been filling in for Miller for the last month with play-by-play duties.  However, Miller said that he will call two finals games: April 8th vs Chicago, and April 9th at Anaheim.  That gives him and the Kings fans a final chance to say goodbye.

Miller’s retirement is the end of an era of great broadcasting in Los Angeles.  For nearly half a century, LA got to listen to three Hall of Fame announcers: Vin Scully, Chick Hearn, and Miller.  Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille summed it up best: “No one will ever replace Bob, just like you can’t replace the great people that worked for the Dodgers and the Lakers. He’s at that same level.”

Kings Get Iginla

March 1st, 2017

The Kings beat the trade deadline on Wednesday by acquiring Colorado Avalanche Right Wing Jerome Iginla.  In exchange, the Kings sent the Avalanche a conditional 4th round draft pick in 2018. Colorado will also retain 50% of Iginla’s remaining salary this season.  If the Kings make the playoffs and re-sign Iginla, who will be an unrestricted free agent, they convey the draft pick.

In order to create salary cap space for Iginla, the Kings also traded forward Dwight King to Montreal for a conditional 4th round pick in 2018.  That pick will be conveyed to the Kings if Dwight King re-signs with the Canadians.

Iginla is likely a future Hall of Famer, but is in the twilight of his career at 39-years old.  He has just 8 goals and 18 points in 61 games this season.  However, the Kings are hoping that his skill can help ignite the teams struggling offense, especially while playing on a line with Anze Kopitar.

The Kings are also hoping that a reunion with Coach Darryl Sutter will jump start Iginla.  Back in 2004, Iginla and Sutter led the Calgary Flames to the Stanley Cup Final.

Iginla was optimistic about the Kings chances, and happy about joining them.  “I think they’re a very competitive bunch. I think they play really hard,” he said. “They have a knack for, once they get down into the nitty-gritty, the big games, they find ways to be successful.

The Kings return home to play the Maple Leafs on Thursday.  It’s their first game of a seven game home stand.

Kings Get Burned By Flames In OT

February 28th, 2017

The Kings overtime luck is finally running out, and it’s happening at the worst time.  For the 2nd night in a row, LA lost in OT.  This time, it was a critical 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.

TJ Brodie got loose on a breakaway just 1:47 into overtime, as the Flames spoiled goaltender Ben Bishop’s debut as a King.  Brodie got behind the LA defense, and received a long pass from Mikael Backlund before making a nice move to beat Bishop.  It was Brodie’s 5th goal of the season.

Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Kings were 10-2 in overtime games this season, and over the last two years had been the best team in the NHL in the extra session.   Despite LA’s offensive struggles the last few years, they have been excellent since the NHL implemented 3-on-3 during overtime.

Tanner Pearson scored the Kings only goal of the game, knocking in a power play goal at the 8:42 mark of the 1st period.  It was Pearson’s 21st of the season, and had to be reviewed by the officials to be sure that it had crossed the goal line before the whistle blew.

The Flames would tie things up in the 2nd period, when Michael Ferland slapped in a pass from Mark Giordano.  Ferland took advantage of the fact that Kings defenseman, Jake Muzzin, had fallen down on the play, which allowed him to get open in front of the LA net.

Ben Bishop was spectacular in his Kings debut, stopping 28 shots, including several big saves in the 2nd period.  As many feared though, Bishop was unable to help LA’s struggling offense.

Although the Kings did salvage a point in the standings, they remained 1 point behind St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  With the win, Calgary has now opened up a 6 point lead on the Kings.  The teams will meet three more times before the season is over, with two of them in Calgary.

It’s going to be an interesting next two days for the Kings before they begin a 7 game home stand on Thursday against Toronto.  Wednesday at 12 pm PST is the trade deadline.  It’s the last chance for Dean Lombardi to try and bring in some more help offensively before the season is over.  Then on Thursday, Kings play-by-play announcer Bob Miller will be holding a press conference regarding his future.  Miller has been home recuperating from a stroke he suffered in late January, and is expected to announce his retirement.

Minnesota Goes Wild Against Kings

February 27th, 2017

Only the Kings could score 4 goals in a game and find a way to lose a game they desperately needed.  Only the Kings could manage to have the lead 4 times in a game, yet manage to lose in OT.  Sure enough, that’s how it went down, as the Kings lost to Minnesota 5-4 in overtime on Monday night in St. Paul.

Mikael Granlund surprised the Kings with his speed 12 seconds into overtime, and wrapped a shot around Jonathan Quick to give the Wild the victory.  It was Granlund’s 20th goal of the season, which gave the Wild their 15th comeback win of the season.

The Kings got goals from Nick Shore, Tanner Pearson, Jake Muzzin, and Marian Gaborik in regulation.  However, the Wild answered each goal, one by one.  It was Jason Zucker’s spinning wrist shot midway through the 3rd period that tied the game.  Minnesota also got goals from Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Schroeder, and Ryan White.  White, along with Martin Hanzal, were playing their first game for the team after being acquired Sunday in a trade with Arizona.

Marian Gaborik responded nicely for the Kings, after being a healthy scratch in the teams’ previous game against Anaheim.  Gaborik had a goal and an assist, and was using his speed to create numerous opportunities for LA throughout the game.

Jonathan Quick stopped 30 of 35 shots, and although he made some big saves, he wasn’t quite a sharp as he was on Saturday against Anaheim.

The Kings already added one significant piece to their team before Wednesday’s trade deadline, acquiring Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop.  The move seems unusual with Jonathan Quick healthy again, but General Manager Dean Lombardi assured everyone that Bishop will see some playing time as Quick regains his form.  “You’re never sure how well a guy who’s been out this long, is he going to have his ‘A’ game?,” he said. “This is not an insurance policy. [Bishop] needs to play.”

Even more surprising was Lombardi’s insistence that the team is unlikely to add any more offensive help between now and Wednesday.  “The focus has to be on the players we have producing up to their capability. And then we can look at additions.”

The Kings managed to salvage a point in the standings, despite the loss.  Tuesday night they’ll be facing an even more critical game on the road at Calgary.  The Kings are 2 points behind St Louis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and now 5 points behind The Flames.   That will be the first of 4 more meetings between the Kings and Flames this season.

Quick Returns & Kings Rally

February 25th, 2017

For the first time in 59 games, Jonathan Quick was back in goal for the LA Kings.  He looked as sharp as he usually is, despite missing nearly the entire season with a groin injury.  Quick made 32 saves as the Kings got a much needed 3-2 win against the Ducks at Staples Center.

Quick was excellent throughout, making several big saves in the 1st period.  However, the Ducks still managed to get one by the Kings goaltender late in the 1st.  Andrew Cogliano tipped in a pass from Ryan Kessler for his 14th of the season, and Anaheim was in control at the 1st intermission.

Neither team scored in the 2nd period, and despite Quick’s efforts, it looked like another game where the Kings offense was going to come up empty.

Then in the 3rd period the Kings rallied.  Tyler Toffoli put LA on the board 3:37 into the period after poking the puck past a sprawling Jonathan Bernier.  Bernier was unable to cover the puck during a big scramble in front of the Ducks net.  A little over 4 minutes later, it was Toffoli again, scoring his 12th after tipping in a pass from Jeff Carter on a 2-on-1.  17 seconds later, Dustin Brown re-directed a shot by Kevin Gravel, which made it 3-1 Kings.

The Ducks would pressure the Kings in the final 12 minutes, but Quick continued to turn back Anaheim.  Finally, after the Ducks pulled their goaltender for the extra-attacker in the final two minutes, Jeff Carter scored his 30th goal of the season on an empty-netter.  Carter took a pass from Anze Kopitar, who picked up his 2nd assist of the game on the play.

The game was physical throughout, which is usually the case when these two cross-town rivals get together.  Things got especially chippy in the 2nd period, when a 10-man dog pile lead to a fight between Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb and Ducks Center Nate Thompson.  Later in the period, Jeff Carter and Ryan Kessler squared off, with Kessler landing a big blow to the face of the Kings leading scorer.  A fight involving either of those two skilled players is rare, but the blow may have woken the Kings up from their slump.

Patrick Eaves made his debut for the Ducks after being acquired from Dallas for a conditional second-round draft pick Friday. Slotted on a line with Corey Perryand Rickard Rakell, Eaves played 16:09.

For the Kings, Coach Darryl Sutter won his 216th game with LA, passing Andy Murray for most in franchise history.  Sutter also scratched right wing Marian Gaborik for just the second time this season, after Gaborik had failed to score a point in the last 9 games.  Gaborik was replace in the lineup by forward Jordan Nolan, who was activated from injured reserve after missing the last 9 games with a lower-body injury.

The win tied the season series between the Kings and Ducks at 2-2.  More importantly though, it kept the Kings in the playoff race.  LA now trails Nashville by 3 points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they are 4 points behind division rival Calgary.  The Kings will face the Flames on Tuesday night in Calgary, which will be the 2nd night of a back-to-back after playing at Minnesota on Monday.

As for the Ducks, they will now have their bye week, and do not play again until March 3rd against Toronto.  Anaheim is still tied for 2nd place in the Pacific Division with Edmonton, and only 3 points behind San Jose for 1st place.

Kings Still Can’t Find Their Game

February 23rd, 2017

The Kings are still trending in the wrong direction.  The Bruins came in to Staples Center on Thursday night and defeated the Kings 4-1, handing LA their 6th loss in their last 8 games.

LA is now 4 points behind Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 22 games left to play.  The Kings have two games in hand on Calgary, but it feels like they’ve been using that excuse to feel better about themselves for a few months now.

The Bruins scored four minutes into the game off a turnover from Jake Muzzin, which led to a 2-on-1.  Brad Marchand streaked down the right wing and beat Peter Budaj with a wrist shot on the short side.  The Kings answered with a goal from defenseman Kevin Gravel, the first of his NHL career, in the final two minutes of the 1st period.  Gravel’s goal was set up nicely by rookie Adrian Kempe, who collected his 2nd NHL point on the play.

Boston would answer in the 2nd period on a goal by David Pastrnak, who broke a tie with a power play goal five minutes into the period.  Patrnak broke his stick on a one-timer from the left side, which fluttered past Peter Budaj.  The Kings pressed in the final 90 seconds of the game, pulling Budaj for the extra attacker.  However, the Bruins would score two empty-net goals, which came from Dominic Moore and David Krejci, in the final 65 seconds.

Jeff Carter knows the Kings need to score more goals to get it done.  “We didn’t have it tonight,” Carter lamented. “You’ve got to score goals to win. There were games … where we weren’t good enough to win.  And games where we were good enough but we didn’t score enough goals.”

As well as Peter Budaj has played this season, the Kings style requires elite goaltending to win.  They may get it from Jonathan Quick before the season is over, but that looks like it’s about two weeks away.  The Kings need to win now, or else the playoff race will be over by the time Quick comes back.  That also means LA needs to get more offensive production from its veteran leaders.

LA is allowing the fewest shots per game in the NHL, and the 5th fewest goals per game.  However, only 7 teams have scored fewer goals than the Kings, and their power play is just 23rd in the league.  It seems like the Kings hit a handful of goal posts every game, but they need to find a way to finish, or else their season will be finished soon.

Help doesn’t seem like it’s on the way either.  General Manager Dean Lombardi said he doesn’t expect the team to make any big moves before the March 1st trade deadline.  On one hand, the Kings control their own destiny, with 14 of their last 22 games at home, and 4 games against Calgary.  Still, it’s hard to have any confidence that the Kings are going to make the playoffs given how they’ve played.

Kings Snap Skid

February 21st, 2017

It took playing the worst team in the league, but the Kings final got back in the win column.  Trevor Lewis scored the game-winning goal midway through the 2nd period, and Peter Budaj made 24 saves as the Kings beat the Avalanche 2-1 in Denver.  The win also moved Kings coach Darryl Sutter into a tie for the most wins as coach of the Kings.

The win was the 215th win for Sutter, which tied former Kings coach Andy Murray for the most in franchise history.  More importantly, the win snapped a three-game losing skid, and kept the Kings in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  LA remains two points behind the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the West.  The Flames defeated Nashville in overtime on Tuesday night.

After a scoreless first period, the Kings fell behind on a goal by Mikko Rantanen, who stole the puck from Drew Doughty at the LA blue line.  That goal came just 32 seconds in the period.  However, Tyler Toffoli scored his 10th goal of the season a few minutes later while crashing the net.  Kings rookie Adrian Kempe picked up his first career NHL point on the play with an assist.

About six minutes later, Lewis tucked the puck past Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard and the near post.  Budaj did an excellent job after that.  He stopped 11 shots in the third period, which might have been in his best performance in a couple of weeks.

Budaj is well aware of where the Kings are in the standings.  “You seen the standings?” he said. “The standings are tight. And we need every point we can get.  It’s just a big game for us.”

“We need to win some games and kind of get a streak going so we can get in the playoffs here,” Tyler Toffoli acknowledged.

The Kings return home on Wednesday to take on the Boston Bruins.  They’ll get another crack at the Ducks on Saturday as well before another short road trip.