Kings Win Opener in Sweden

Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards - his first as a King, and Jack Johnson all scored in the 3-2 win.

Richards' goal came in the last three minutes of regulation to tie the game.

Johnson's goal came in overtime to win it.

The Kings play Buffalo tomorrow in Germany while the Rangers skate with the Ducks in Sweden.

The Sabres defeated the Ducks 4-1 today.

Richards to NY; Kings Land Gagne

Hours after center Brad Richards signed a 9-year deal with the Rangers, spurning the Kings and two other teams, the Kings turned around and inked LW Simon Gagne to a two-year deal worth $7MM, reuniting him with recently acquired Mike Richards.

Gagne, a 40-point scorer last season in Tampa and in 2009-10 with Philly, will get $4.5MM from the Kings next season, and $2.5MM in 2012-13. He tallied 74-points for the Flyers in 2008-09. Gagne will like play on the second line with Richards in the middle and Justin Williams on the right. First line should be Anze Kopitar in the middle with Dustin Brown and Dustin Penner on the wings.

This is a solid deal for the Kings as they get a veteran scorer and add some depth. If Gagne stays healthy, he should do well lining up with Richards.

Boston Wins Cup

For the first time in 39 years, the Boston Bruins are Stanley Cup Champions after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Finals on the road after trailing in the series 2-0 and 3-2. Boston goalie Tim Thomas was named series MVP and finished the series with most saves ever in Finals history.

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As you can see, it's been a while since I've checked in on this here blog. The Kings were down 2-1 to San Jose in the first round of the playoffs the last time I was here, and unfortunately lost the series in six games.

This Kings team played their butts off in the San Jose series despite the Game 3 meltdown, but they're still a young team learning how to play through playoff adversity. They could have easily won that series as they lost three of the games, including Game 6 at home, in overtime. One lucky bounce their way in those overtime losses, and who knows what might have happened.

In any case, we've reached the official end of the 2010-2011 season with Boston hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup tonight, and I'm sure Dean Lombardi and co. have been hard at work for weeks now looking for ways to improve the Kings as they head into the 2011-2012 season.

One thing is for certain, this team will only get better. A healthy Anze Kopitar should help the offense, as should a full season with Dustin Penner. And with one of the best defenses with young superstars such as Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, and one of the best young goalies in the league in Jonathan Quick, the sky could be the limit for this team for years to come!

Playoffs Set

After two lackluster performances against the Ducks to end season, Kings finish with 98 points and the seventh seed, and drew division-rival and champion San Jose Sharks in the first round.

Without Anze Kopitar and much of a power play, this will be long (or short) series for the Kings, despite their stellar defense and goal-tending.

On the plus side, Justin Williams is ready and playing in Game One tonight.

So far, 1-0 Sharks. Just under nine minutes in the first...

Magic Number Just Two Points Away

That number is 94 and the Kings currently sit at 92 points, good for fifth in the conference.

They're picking up points left and right, winning big games, but with costly consequences.

Both Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar suffered season-ending injuries in recent games.

Perhaps the deadline acquisition of Dustin Penner looms even larger now.

Despite a few hiccups along the way, the Kings defense continues to be stellar.

And Jonathan Quick has been even better in net, especially during shootouts.

Quick is a perfect 9-0 in those situations.

And we all know how big defense and special teams are come post-season.

It's time to see how resilient this young team really is now by showing they can play through adversity.

Rollin' Through DC...

And putting a Cap in Washington with a solid 4-1 win.

Four different players scored goals for the Kings, including Kopi.

Ovechkin with lone Caps goal.

They pick up yet two more points. Perhaps biggest win of season so far.

Streak is now at 6-0-2 in last eight; 3-0-2 on current roadie.

Next stop: monster game in Philly tomorrow.

11-10

All-Star Game final. Team Kopitar... I mean... Team Lidstrom wins. Kopi with two goals.

Patrick Sharp of losing Team Staal wins MVP.

Kings back in action Tuesday in Minny. Then Wednesday in Hockeytown.

Not So Fast...

Another loss to another mediocre-to-bad team. Frustrating.

On the bright side, Kopi's going to the All-Star Game! Congrats, Anze!

In Case You Missed It...

Check out this incredible pass from Anze Kopitar to Dustin Brown in last night's Kings 4-0 shellacking of the Sharks...

Kings Pick Up Right Where They Left Off

And it really wasn't even that close of a game.

In their first game since the break, the Kings ripped the Stars here in Dallas tonight, 5-1.

There had been some talk about whether or not the layoff would hurt Jonathan Quick. Quick was a member of the U.S. Olympic team but never once suited up. He was the third string goaltender behind starter Ryan Miller, and Tim Thomas. So Quick simply sat and watched.

Well, obviously it didn't affect him too much. Quick looked very sharp, and the Kings as a team simply outplayed Dallas all night, and it showed in the score. The Kings got goals from Jarrett Stoll, Alexander Frolov, who also had two assists, Brad Richardson, Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar with his team-leading 29th goal of the season. Olympic Gold Medalist Drew Doughty also picked up three assists on the night.

The Kings now sit in fourth place in the West at 80 points, fourth most points in the league. Jon Quick continues to rack up wins, adding to his single-season franchise record with his 36th win, which is also tops in the league.

So, next up for the Kings is Nashville on Thursday, with the trade deadline tomorrow afternoon. I don't expect the Kings to be very active, and if they are, I don't expect much more than a role player or two. And don't expect Frolov to be moved either.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.