Quick Makes History

Record-settings seem to be going around L.A. quite often these days. With his 35th win of the season tonight, Jon Quick became the single-season winningest goaltender in Kings history. Quick now also leads the league in goaltender wins heading into the Olympic break.

Quick is one of three goalies for Team USA, which kicks off Olympic competition on Tuesday afternoon in Vancouver vs. Switzerland. He will be joined by teammates Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson (more on Johnson's journey coming soon) on Team USA. Drew Doughty will represent the Kings for Canada, and Michal Handzus will get the honor for Slovakia.

As for tonight's game, Quick and the Kings shutout Colorado 3-0 with goals from Brad Richardson, Anze Kopitar and Oscar Moller. After the Ducks snapped the Kings franchise-record nine-game winning streak on Monday, the Kings lost to lowly Edmonton on Thursday night in a shootout. But they got back in the win column tonight and head into the break in fourth place in the Western Conference with 78 points. The 78 points is also fifth-most in the NHL. Three of the top five teams in points come out of the hotly-contested Pacific Division.

Prime 9: Kings Make History

They've just defeated the Red Wings 4-3 after trailing 3-0 after the first period to set a franchise-record with their ninth straight win, and 11th in their last 12 games.

Michal Handzus recorded two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period. Jon Quick continues his record-setting streak with his ninth straight win. He leads all goaltenders with 34 wins.

Streak Reaches 8

The Kings continue to roll. Tonight, in another Freeway Face-off against the Ducks, the Kings staved off a third period Ducks rally, and won 6-4 with two late goals of their own out at Staples Center.

Jon Quick became the league's winningest goalie with his 33rd win of the season, and Anze Kopitar added two more goals and two assists, including a pretty move on the power play in a little one-on-one with Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller for the Kings sixth goal of the night. With the win, the red-hot Kings moved into a tie for 4th place in the West with Phoenix with 73 points.

The Kings looked like they were gonna roll to an easy win when the 3rd period got under way. They had a comfortable 4-1 lead early in the period, but the Ducks answered with three goals of their own to tie before the midway point of the period. Talk about giving me, and every other Kings fan a heart attack! But the Kings shut them down defensively and went back to work offensively with about 5:30 left when Dustin Brown notched the tie-breaker.

The Kings are really playing well and with confidence while playing through adversity, and when they fall behind, they don't crumble under pressure to get back into the game as they have in recent years. They've really learned to trust themselves and each other as a unit under tough circumstances.

Chalk up another win for the Kings when they lead after two periods. They improved to 23-0-0 in those games.

The two teams meet again next Monday down in Anaheim to continue the Freeway Face-off. First, the Kings host Detroit on Saturday.

*****

It had been widely reported and speculated that the Kings were one of the leading candidates to land Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk in a trade in recent days. Yesterday, Atlanta's GM Don Waddell told Kovalchuk to start packing his bags, that he would be traded "in a few hours or a few days." Well, today, after Waddell announced that Kovalchuk had turned down a 12-year, $101MM contract extension from the Thrashers, he was eventually traded to New Jersey for three players and a first-round pick.

Maybe a lot to give up for a two-month rental (or more depending how far the Devils parade through the playoffs), but they were willing to meet Waddell's demands. I'm just glad the Kings didn't cave in to his demands. It could have cost them any number of players, and it didn't make sense to me for them to break up a winning chemistry. They're playing very well right now as it is without Kovalchuk.

Now the question is can the Devils sign him now before he becomes a free agent after the season, or can they re-sign him once he does become a free agent? Time will tell. It's always possible the Kings could make a run at him if he does hit the market.

That's Seven Straight

Wins, that is. Kings continue to roll, and edge the Rangers 2-1 back at Staples tonight after their perfect east coast roadie. On top of it being their straight win overall, they've now won 9 of their last 10. Another win for Jon Quick, and another goal from Anze Kopitar, who scored the first goal for the Kings short-handed, his 24th of the season.

Battle of SoCal on Thursday night.

Perfect!

Wow! What a road trip! The Kings finished their five-game trip with arguably their grittiest win of the season, a 3-2 shocker in Jersey, completing their perfect 5-0 trip.

The Kings have now won six straight overall and eight of nine. They've won eight straight on the road and have a league-best 19 road wins. And more importantly, they're racking up points in the standings that they left behind in December during their little mid-season slide.

Couple things stood out to me watching yesterday's win in Jersey. First, was the goal by Wayne Simmonds late in the third period. The goal they scored at the end of the second period probably kept them in the game, but Simmonds' goal from the sharp angle to the right of Devils net-minder was a huge blow to the Devils. It not only tied the game, but it set up their third goal about a minute and a half later when Drew Doughty's slap shot from straight out just inside the line on the power play gave the Kings the lead for good.

By tying the game, it allowed the Kings to keep Jon Quick in net without having to pull him for the man-advantage, and then they went on the power play and got the man-advantage that way.

The other thing that stood out to me aside from the Kings grinding it throughout the game even though they looked liftless and tired for most of the first period was the play of Quick in net. Quick made perhaps the save of the year about mid-way through the third when he made a no-look glove save from a point blank shot from his left. That, folks, was the turning point in the game.

You can't help but be in awe of this Kings team. In years past, they wouldn't have recovered from their December slide. Instead, they battled through adversity and have turned it around that quickly, and are now playing important games into February. The way they have fought through the hiccups of December to get to where they are now tells you a lot about the character of this team. The kids have learned to grow up and it seems like they're ready to take this to the next level.

Let's hope they keep this rolling tomorrow against the Rangers back at Staples, and let's hope the upcoming Olympic break doesn't slow them down they get back at the end of the month.

Perfect Trip and Ilya Kovalchuk

The Kings have four straight games overall and six of seven, and are currently 3-0 on the current five game trip that started with wins in Detroit, Toronto and Columbus. Tonight, they try for 4-0 in Boston, and then wrap up the trip tomorrow in Jersey, probably the toughest game of the trip.

The trip is already a success in that no matter what happens tonight in Boston or tomorrow in Jersey, they finish the trip with a winning record. They'll be without Jack Johnson tonight, and perhaps tomorrow, as well, who is suffering from the infamous "upper body injury." He's listed as day-to-day. Randy Jones gets the nod in his absence for tonight.

There had been some speculation that this Johnson injury was all just a cover-up to a possible trade with the Thrashers that could net the Kings Ilya Kovalchuk, but the injury is obviously for real. Johnson has been mentioned in trade rumors with Atlanta for Kovalchuk.

Also, with Boston, the other front-running suitor for Kovalchuk, moving on to other trade options, there's growing sentiment that a Kovalchuk deal is close. Kings beat writer/blogger Rich Hammond did confirm mid-week that the Kings did in fact make an offer to the Thrashers for Kovalchuk, but Atlanta made a counteroffer back to the Kings. So far no deal has been consummated.

Meanwhile, Atlanta's GM made it clear that teams will not be given a chance work out an extension with Kovalchuk, who will be a free agent after the season, before completing a trade, but his trade demands remain too high at this point. This has forced most suitors for Kovalchuk to look elsewhere.

If I'm Dean Lombardi and the Kings, I do what I have to to get him. I know the price is steep right now, but you gotta give up something to get something. Obviously, Lombardi is smart enough to know when too much is too much. If Atlanta is willing to grant teams a window to work out an extension, then they need to lower their demands for Kovalchuk, who would then be solely a two-month rental. If they want to keep the price where it is, you gotta give something back in return, in this case, a window to work out an extension.

Stay tuned...

Kings Continue to Roll

They've now won five of six after their 5-3 win in Toronto last night, and they're getting noticed again by some of the national media. Case in point: ESPN's Pierre LeBrun posted this nice column today on the Kings. Just as quickly as they went through their 4-8 mid-season slide, they've battled through adversity and rebounded nicely. And now, they're also among the front-runners for a possible Ilya Kovalchuk trade before the deadline in March.

But back to last night. The Kings looked sharp. They pounded the Leafs all night in the offensive zone, and the Leafs defense really couldn't do much to stop them. The Kings scored three times in the second period sandwiched around single tallies in the first and last periods. And it was Drew Doughty's 10th goal of the season that got the Kings going last night, and also caught the attention of LeBrun.

All-in-all, it was a good night. The Kings got their mojo back. They have a ton of confidence in themselves, so much so, they believe they can beat any team on any given night now. And that could be trouble for other teams come playoff time.

Kings Get Big Win in Hockeytown

After falling behind early in Detroit, the Kings battled back down 0-2 with two very impressive periods and earned a very important 3-2 win against the Wings to start the long road trip. Anze Kopitar, Peter Harrold, his first in 29 games and his first of the season, and Brad Richardson, his second in as many games, all scored for the Kings, who moved into a tie with Nashville for sixth place in the conference.

The Kings are now just two points behind Phoenix, who lost 4-2 in Washington, for fourth place. They also put a little breathing room between themselves and eighth place Detroit. The Kings have now won four of their last five games.

Jon Quick earned his 27th win of the season while making 31 saves in goal.

It's always fun to watch the Kings play Detroit. While there's no "real" rivalry here, the two teams are rivals of one another anyway. It's even better watching the Kings beat the Wings. For years the Wings were always the more dominant team of the two but I sense the tables are slowly beginning to turn a little as the Kings continue to gain more experience and get better and better with each passing game.

Next up for the Kings, north of the border in Toronto on Tuesday.

Kings Rebound Nicely

After the Kings got slammed on Tuesday 5-1 against the Sharks, their second loss to San Jose on the home stand, the Kings rebounded nicely to end the home stand on a high note with a 4-3 shootout win against a very good Buffalo Sabres team.

The Kings got a lone goal from Wayne Simmonds against San Jose, while Brad Richardson, Sean O'Donnell and Ryan Smyth netted the goals against Buffalo. Smyth's goal tied the game mid-way through the third period that would eventually send the game into overtime. Neither team score in the overtime, but Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar netter the shootout goals against Sabres netminder Ryan Miller.

Jon Quick took the loss against the Sharks, but got the win with 26 saves against Buffalo. And Drew Doughty continues to play very well on both ends of the ice.

The Kings currently stand in third place in the Pacific and seventh overall in the Western Conference with 59 points, just four points back of Phoenix who are second in the division and fourth overall in the conference, and just one point ahead of both Detroit, tonight's opponent as they begin a five-game road trip, and Calgary.

Now the real test starts.

Sharks Slam Kings

The Kings looked awful last night against the Sharks. Just thought I'd mention that. Nothing else to really talk about after that horrid game last night.

That's all.

Long Layoff

When we last spoke about a month ago (and my apologies for the long layoff on my part) the Kings were in the midst of an eight-day break between games. When the mini-vacation started, the Kings were riding high, leading the division and the conference despite a 3-1 loss in Calgary heading into the week off. But during the layoff, the other teams behind them in the standings continued to play, and they continued to win. Before we knew it, when the Kings resumed play on December 26, they picked up where they left off and started the stretch losing the first three games in Phoenix, against Minnesota, and in Calgary.

When they did resume play, the Kings got Ryan Smyth back from injury. In those three games, the Minnesota loss was probably the toughest. Down 3-2 late in the game, the Kings tied the game at 3-3. But just a few seconds later, former King Eric Belanger netted the game winner for the Wild and the Kings woes would continue. In all, the Kings lost four in a row before getting back on track and getting revenge on the Wild with arguably their best game of the season in a 5-2 win in Minnesota on New Year's Eve.

The Kings followed the Wild game with two very impressive wins to start the new year, edging Washington at home 2-1, and slamming the Sharks 6-2 in the Shark Tank up in San Jose. After that win in San Jose, the Kings hosted Detroit to start a seven game homestand and played what some say was their best game in years. After trailing much of the game 1-0, the Kings got the equalizer late in the game, only to give up the game-winner shortly after, for a very tough loss. The Kings that night took 52 shots on Wings rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. He stopped 51 of them.

The next two games were probably just as tough, as they lost both by just one goal while playing well enough to win, 4-3 to St. Louis and 2-1 to San Jose. But just as quickly as they won three in a row after that four-game skid, they were back on another three-game skid heading into a tough match-up against a red-hot Ducks team. But the Kings literally fought their way to a nearly perfect game as they upended the Ducks 4-0. The two teams combined for a total of 69 minutes in penalties in third period alone. Dustin Brown also recorded his 100th career goal in the win.

The Kings then battled Boston on Saturday afternoon, earning a hard-fought win in a shootout, 4-3. The Kings trailed 3-1 in this game before battling back to get the win. Tonight, the Kings are battling the Sharks mid-way through the first period, and trail 2-0 already. The Kings are 3-2 against the Sharks so far this season.

It's been a tough stretch for the Kings since their eight-game mini vacation. They started the stretch atop the division and conference, but with a four-game skid and a three-game skid sandwiched around a three-game winning streak, the Kings actually briefly slipped out of a playoff spot in a very tight Western Conference. They currently stand at 57 points, third in the division, 15 points back of the Sharks and four behind Phoenix, but just four ahead of Dallas, and they have a tight hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference.

With a win tonight, the Kings would have yet another three-game winning streak with one more to go on the seven game homestand before heading out on the road for a five-game roadie. The Kings need to start picking up points again.

Also, before I forget since I already did once in the month since I last blogged here, I wanted to congratulate the five Kings players who were selected to play for their home countries in the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver set to start on February 12. Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick were selected to play for Team U.S.A., with Brown being named one of the Alternate Captains. Twenty year-old Drew Doughty was selected to play for Team Canada while Michal Handzus will play for the Slovakian team. Congratulations to all five Kings players, and good luck in the Olympics.

(Sharks just scored again, so it's now 3-0 with about a minute and a half left in the first period. This is not how the Kings wanted to start this game.)

Random Stuff

So the Kings are off for another six days. It's been two-plus already. They went 1-2 on their trip through Western Canada, losing in Vancouver, winning in Edmonton, and losing in Calgary. They played well enough to win all three games, but of course, you can't win 'em all.

Now they're in the midst of an eight-day vacation. Wish I could have vacations like that!

So far, they've surrendered the top spot in the West because of the long layoff while San Jose keeps playing. They've also relinquished the division lead, as well. But, they did get Ryan Smyth back. So the next time the Kings play - next Saturday in Phoenix - they will have Smyth back, and Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams should be thrilled! Those two have missed Smyth immensely over the last five weeks.

In the meantime, with the long layoff, I've been trying to get my hockey fix elsewhere. But when you're a Kings fan with Center Ice living in Stars territory, it's kind tough. I don't get as amped for games like I do for Kings games. Seriously, the Stars just don't cut it for me. And some of these other games on the dish just seem to bore me to death.

I suppose the busy holiday will keep me preoccupied until next Saturday night. So until then, I leave you with a litte something-something...

Another Shootout Win

Is there any stopping this team now? The Kings continue to roll as they earned another shootout win with a 3-2 win on Dodger Night at Staples Center over the Dallas Stars. The Kings improve to 21-10-3 on the season, good for 45 points and a pull into a tie with San Jose for the division and conference lead, who lost in Phoenix tonight, 2-1. (The Kings technically leapfrog the Sharks by virtue of having more wins.) The Kings have the most wins in the West and second most in the league.

It was well played game on both ends of the ice by both teams as they skated to a 2-2 tie through overtime. But in the shootout, after Michal Handzus scored in the fourth round for the Kings, Stars center Mike Ribeiro took his turn. But Kings goalie Jon Quick poked-check the puck away as Ribeiro approached, but it ricocheted off Ribeiro and into the net for what appeared to be the equalizer. The referees got together and ruled it a no-goal because once Quick touched the puck with his stick before it went into the net, the play was considered dead.

Kings win.

Anze Kopitar picked up his second goal in as many games, his 16th of the season, and Alex Frolov added his eighth goal of the season for the Kings. Quick picked up his 19th win of the season, second most in the league.

As I mentioned earlier, this team is really starting to impress. They are now 7-0-1 in their last eight games, with seemingly no end in sight the way they're playing. The Kings now travel north of the border for three tough road games in Western Canada next week at Vancouver on Monday, Edmonton on Wednesday and Calgary on Thursday.

This Team is Really Starting to Impress

Who would have thought that the Kings would be the first team in the West to win 20 games this year? Certainly not me, but with a three-game winning streak that includes two big shootout wins against division rivals San Jose and Phoenix this week, the Kings did just that. And, with those wins, the Kings pushed themselves to within a point of first place and the top spot in the conference with 43 points. (They currently sit two points behind San Jose, who lost in another shootout last night, this time to Dallas.)

The Kings still do have some questions, though. Their penalty kill unit is near the bottom of the league, they're dealing with injuries to key players such as Ryan Smyth, and now Wayne Simmonds, and Anze Kopitar has struggled in his last 12 to 14 games to put points on the board, mainly because of the loss of Smyth.

But they are getting solid contributions from everyone on the ice. They have the most players with at least 20 points than any other team in the league, Jon Quick has been stellar in net and is tied for second in the league with 18 wins, and they got an important player back from an injury on defense in Rob Scuderi.

Add it all up, and the Kings are off to one of their best starts in team history with a 20-10-3 mark.

And, for the Kings, the important thing is keep pushing forward, and keep picking up points in the standings. Tonight, on Dodger Night at Staples Center, they'll get a chance to add two more points to their season total when they host the Dallas Stars.

2010 NHL Draft in L.A.

The Kings and the NHL announced today that the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will be held in L.A. at Staples Center on June 25th and 26th. The first round will be held on Friday the 25th with the rest of the draft (rounds two through seven) to be conducted the following day. This is the first time ever the draft will be held in California.

Kings Offense Breaks Through in Win Over Sens

Justin Williams took advantage of two Ottawa turnovers in front of their own goal late in the game and converted them into two goals, turning a close 4-3 lead into a 6-3 win out at Staples. With the win, the Kings have now won three in a row and four of its last five, including a 3-1 win at Edmonton last Wednesday, a 2-1 shootout win at home against Chicago this past Saturday, and a 4-3 shootout win at Staples against the Ducks two nights ago.

The Kings improve to 17-10-2 on the season, good for 36 points and second place in the division behind San Jose, who lost tonight in a shootout at home to St. Louis. The Kings pick up a very important point in the standings.

Drew Doughty got credit for tonight's game-winner that gave the Kings the lead for good late in the second period, and Jon Quick earned his 16th win of the season while in net for the Kings. Wayne Simmonds added a goal on a penalty shot late in the first period.

On the flip side, Anze Kopitar's streak of games without a goal continues to grow as it has now reached 11 games. It's pretty obvious the loss of linemate Ryan Smyth, who isn't expected back until the middle or the end of the month, has had a major impact on Kopitar's game.

As for St. Louis, they head south down the California coast and take on the Kings Saturday afternoon at Staples.

Kings Rebound Nicely

After an ugly week last week, the Kings have looked much better in their last three games, at Tampa Bay, at Florida and back home last night against Philadelphia, going 2-1-0 while posting two shootout wins in the process. But the news hasn't been all good.

Defenseman Rob Scuderi has missed all three games with a lower body injury, but he is listed as day-to-day. And before last night's 3-2 loss to Philly, the Kings learned they would be without the services of Ryan Smyth for up to a month with what is being described as an upper body injury.

Smyth was off to fantastic start for the Kings, netting nine goals and posting 14 assists. The top line combination of Smyth and Anze Kopitar had made for one of the league's top scoring lines so far in the young season. Kopitar continues to lead the league in overall scoring with 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists).

But with Smyth out for a while, the Kings have opted to move Alex Frolov onto the top line with Kopitar and Justin Williams. Only time will tell if Kopitar can continue to lead the league in scoring with Frolov to his left instead of Smyth.

The Kings, second in the Pacific Division with a 13-8-2 mark for 28 points, are off until a date with Calgary at Staples on Saturday.

Ugly Week for the Kings

After an impressive win against the Stanley Cup Champions last Thursday night, the Kings have suddenly taken a nosedive losing three of its last four in pretty ugly fashion: a 3-1 loss at home last Saturday to a poor Nashville team, a 4-1 loss in Chicago on Monday night, and a 7-0 blowout loss tonight in Atlanta.

In the middle of all that, they managed a solid 5-2 win in Carolina on Wednesday, but that's been the only bright spot for the Kings all week. And with that, Anze Kopitar continues to lead the league in scoring with 30 points.

Fortunately, I was unable to watch the Nashville and Chicago games as the Nashville game wasn't televised and the Chicago game was a Versus exclusive, which wasn't exclusive to me since I don't have access to the network on DirecTV. And I almost wish I didn't waste two and a half hours of my evening tonight to watch that ugly game.

The game was scoreless midway through the second period when the Thrashers rattled off four goals on what seemed like four shots in about five minutes time. Starter Jon Quick was then yanked for Erik Ersberg, who didn't fare much better, when he gave up three more goals.

Definitely not a game to remember. This was one of the ugliest losses I've seen by a Kings team in quite some time.

The Kings still have 24 points, good for second in the division, five points behind San Jose, and fifth in the conference.

Next up: at Tampa Bay tomorrow.

"Lucky" Gets his Ring...

His Hall of Fame ring, that is. Kings legend Luc Robitaille, the all-time leading scorer (1,398 points) and goal-scorer (668 goals) for left wingers, got his ring this morning, then was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight in Toronto, along with Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch and New Jersey executive Lou Lamoriello.

Congratulations, Lucky! You're still one of the most humble, down-to-earth and one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Thank you for all the great memories!

Kings Slam the Champs!

The Penguins were 7-0 on the road this season heading into tonight's game with the Kings in L.A. They led 2-1 midway through the third period. Then the Kings took over.

The Kings scored four unanswered goals in the latter half of the third period, including Anze Kopitar's second of the night, and ripped the Penguins 5-2. Kopitar now has 13 goals, second most in the league, and 26 points on the season, most in the NHL.

The Kings improved to 10-4-2 on the season for 22 points, good for second in the division behind the Sharks who have 24 points. They're also 6-0-2 in their last games.