In the third period of Thursday’s game against Edmonton, Marco Sturm moved up to the first line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Sturm’s first five periods with the Kings were spent on the fourth line, as Terry Murray wanted to ease Sturm back into the NHL after Sturm spent the summer, and the first two-plus months of this season, recovering from knee surgery. Now, the Kings believe Sturm is ready to go in a higher-profile role. This morning, Sturm and Murray talked about the move…
Question: The plan was to use those first couple games to help you get your legs under you. Do you feel like you got in the work that you needed, in that area?
STURM: “I will probably need some more, but that was definitely the right way to start it. We kind of switched it last game, in the third period, and that’s when I found my game slowly coming back. That was a good start, but I know I can do a lot better.”
Question: The thought is that you can use your speed to help open up things for the other guys. Is that the plan?
STURM: “Definitely. I’m a pretty simple forward player. I’ll just try to create some more room for them with my speed, and I’ve just got to find a way to use. It should be a really good line.”
And here are Murray’s thoughts, starting with his decision to elevate Sturm to the first line tonight…
MURRAY: “I talked to him this morning, before the practice, and he’s had a couple of games now, to get his feet under himself. He felt better in the third period. It’s time to move up and just get his game going at a higher level, with the top line.”
Question: Is the thought there that he can use some speed to open things up for the other two guys?
MURRAY: “The whole part of his game should be very good for Brownie and for Kopi, using his speed. He’s a north-south player. He can recover pucks. He’s got great quickness. He gets on those opportunities that are laying there, with recovery, and generate some second and third opportunities. Away from the puck, he’s responsible. He’s a veteran player. That’s why we made the move to get him, is to add that experience and that depth on the top line.”
Question: Would he stay with that unit on the power play as well?
MURRAY: “We haven’t really gotten into that yet, quite honestly, on the power play. There will be a time when we talk about it. Once we see him feeling real good on the 5-on-5 part of it, then we’ll address that.”
Anaheim sucks!
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
@Original Crown/Silver & Black & Purple., yea i agree with u
[Reply]
Guss Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
@KingsFanFTW, yup same here
[Reply]
Other than Mitchell being out, I couldn’t ask for a better lineup. Can’t wait to see the 1st line gel.
[Reply]
I’m going to see it first hand. Bringing the family in force to cheer on the Kings in the Staple center. Hope the crowd is into it, because I sure am.
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
@KC23, It’s going to be a lively crowd. Ducks games always are.
[Reply]
Guss Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
@wavesinair, also going, hell yes man, lets make it louuud!
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
@KC23, yea cheer the Kings on cant wait for it i want to see the Kings beat the Ducks the way it should of happen the first time we played against them
[Reply]
Can Marco Sturm be the winger that takes Anze to the next level?
Let’s just say that I’m hopeful but not overly confident.
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
@Fyshfan, Anze is the player that will take him to the next level…
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
@Fyshfan, i just hope Sturm brings a good spark on that line hope it goes just right
[Reply]
Wish i could make it.. but the ticket prices look like phone numbers today.
[Reply]
Yeah…hard to get tickets..I’ll have to watch from home…
[Reply]
Original Crown/Silver & Black & Purple. Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
@Steve S., that’s why santa invented HIGH DEF BIG SCREENS.
[Reply]
Dominick Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
@Original Crown/Silver & Black & Purple.,
Actually Santa leaned heavely on Mikus for the technoliogy, and Sony took the credit.
[Reply]
Original Crown/Silver & Black & Purple. Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@Dominick, rumor has it that mikus has been centering santa and one of his elves, by all accounts mikus has been doing a remarkable job.
Off subject,,Kitsyn on ice for all three of Russia’s goals after 2nd period,,he was credited with the first goal,,his defence was partly responsible for getting the puck back for the 2nd goal and his screen helped get the 3rd across,,Schene had a great 2nd period…Kings fans have a lot to look forwrd to
[Reply]
Lets hope they can get the ice good, Clippers just now finished. Not much time to get the job done!!
[Reply]
wavesinair Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
@LA KING BOB chi, It’s not Chicago weather, but it has been cool so that will help. I’m sure it still won’t be great though but anything is better than the rink across the street at LA Live!
[Reply]
cjms Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
@wavesinair,
More important that it’s relatively dry today.
[Reply]
The Kings will play a good soild game. They need Mitchell and one more soild winger who can score 40 to 50 goals. We as fans need to demand that from Dean. Just look it like this last time went to the cup finals we didnt have a good goalie nor the Defence. Now we have everything but a sniper. Please get the sinper and we will win the cup. Nobody talks about the kings Defence they don’t allow many goals. They are first in the league. If they can score goals I don’t see them lose too many games. If Willy healthy and rest of the kings play well and add one soild player. JUST WATCH OUT. It took time and good moves by DL. Now just please add the final move to win the cup. No one will know what you did in La until we win the cup. LOVE THE KINGS>
[Reply]
KingsFanFTW Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
@Jesse shergill, yea we need a sniper Sturm justa 20 scorer but better than nothing i say when we have a 40 scorer we will become one big threat of a team and have a very good chance to bring the Cup to LA for once and break that zero of winless of Stanley Cup
[Reply]
SDGolfer Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
@Jesse shergill, Good thing the blackhawks had a 40 goal scorer pitch in and help them win the cup last year.
Oh wait, they didn’t.
[Reply]
Deader2818 Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
@Jesse shergill,
They Kings are not a team built to relay on one big goal scorer. They are built to get scroing from lines 1-4. Sadly, need to get used to the fact that they will have 2-3 30 goal scorers (Kopitar, Brown, Williams) and a lot of high to low 20 goal scores (Stoll, Sturm, Smyth, Simmonds, Handzues)
[Reply]
DougS Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
@Jesse shergill,
“They need Mitchell and one more soild winger who can score 40 to 50 goals.”
Oh yeah, like those are just lying around like dead leaves on the ground in the fall. A winger who can score “40-50″ goals a year is called a superstar, not a “solid winger.” And they’re not exactly easy or inexpensive to find.
Try growing a freaking brain in your head before you talk about whining to Dean Lombardi with your nonsensical gripes.
[Reply]
DougS Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
@Jesse shergill,
Perhaps more to the point:
““They need Mitchell and one more soild winger who can score 40 to 50 goals.””
Oh yeah. Like Ilya Kovalchuk. He’s doing the Devils a world of good this season, and he wasn’t that expensive.
[Reply]
Nice to see Rich get out of the blocks quickly after the break. Articles are coming fast and furious today!
Thanks, Rich!
[Reply]