There aren’t many situations comparable to the Kings’ current situation, in which they lost their top two scorers, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams, to injuries in the span of three days. But there is one comparable situation, that of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have been without Sidney Crosby (concussion) since Jan. 5 and they [...]
Archive of entries posted on March 2011
Someone getting the `A,’ eh?
Anze Kopitar’s ankle injury left a void on the first line (and the power play…and the penalty kill) and also, less formally, among the Kings’ leadership group. Kopitar and Matt Greene serve as assistant captains to captain Dustin Brown. When Greene was out of the lineup at the start of the season, Terry Murray initially [...]
Penner meets the press
After a month with the Kings, Dustin Penner is back in Edmonton, and not surprisingly, he was greeted by the media, which is always eager to catch up with former Oilers. The crowd moved from Penner to Jarret Stoll to Matt Greene, with Ryan Smyth escaping the attention because he stayed on the ice for [...]
Tuesday skate update
No changes or surprises coming out of the Kings’ morning skate. Jonathan Bernier gets the start in goal opposite Edmonton’s Nikolai Khabibulin. The Kings will use the same lines they practiced with yesterday. As expected, a large group of Edmonton media met Dustin Penner after the skate, and Penner seemed to handle it with good [...]
Hockey and poker, next week
A quick reminder about a couple things that will be taking place next week… First, tickets are still available for the April 6 and April 9 games, in which you have the opportunity to enjoy the game among fellow blog readers in a 100-level seat and enjoy free drinks and snacks, plus access to a [...]
Handzus completes climb to first line
It’s been, quite literally, an up-and-down season for Michal Handzus. He started the season in his customary spot as the Kings’ third-line center, but then made a drop to the fourth line in late January and early February. After seven games, Handzus moved back to the third line, then recently moved up to the second [...]
Morning in Edmonton
It’s chilly in Edmonton this morning — I know, you’re shocked — but in terms of the local folks, this is one of the friendliest spots of the season, so that helps. The Kings are scheduled to have their morning skate in two hours…
Fast `homecoming’ for Penner
Dustin Penner knows what is coming. When the Kings finish their morning skate in Edmonton tomorrow, Penner is likely to be swarmed by Edmonton-based media members looking for reaction to Penner’s “homecoming.” As of today, Penner has been a King for exactly one month, so it’s not as though years have passed, but Penner’s three-plus [...]
Bigger role ahead for Lewis
In the absence of Anze Kopitar, it’s no stretch to say that the most dramatic move will be made by Trevor Lewis, who moves from the fourth-line center spot to the second line, between Ryan Smyth and Dustin Brown. Lewis had a four-game stint in December as the Kings’ second-line right winger, but this will [...]
Kopitar injury update
Anze Kopitar is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right ankle/leg on Wednesday and, almost certainly, will not be able to return to the ice this season regardless of how deep the Kings might go in the playoffs. There is ligament damage involved — torn ligaments caused by a high ankle sprain — that is [...]
Murray talks Kopitar loss, adjustments
Here were Terry Murray’s thoughts, after practice today, about adjusting to on-ice life without Anze Kopitar (and Justin Williams) and the thought process for the Kings going forward. First, Murray talks about his decision to go with the lines he used in practice today… MURRAY: “I’m going to leave Handzus with Penner and Moller, the [...]
Schenn status clarification
Just to clarify, on the issues of Brayden Schenn’s NHL eligibility — because I think I’ve finally got a grasp on it — there’s only a very, very slim chance that Schenn could join the Kings this season. Essentially, Schenn wouldn’t be eligible to join the Kings on an emergency basis unless three more injuries [...]
Monday practice update
To no surprise, the Kings’ forwards will play tomorrow the same way they practiced today. Jonathan Bernier will start in goal, with Jonathan Quick scheduled to start Thursday in Vancouver. Anze Kopitar is scheduled to undergo an MRI today, but Terry Murray said he doesn’t expect it to reveal anything different than the original diagnosis [...]
Monday practice lines
Here’s how the Kings’ forwards are lined up this morning, which is essentially the way they ended the last game… Penner-Handzus-Moller Smyth-Lewis-Brown Ponikarovsky-Stoll-Simmonds Clifford-Richardson-Westgarth
Well, now what?
For those wondering, this is essentially how the Kings’ forwards skated in the third period yesterday, after Anze Kopitar left the game… Penner-Handzus-Moller Smyth-Lewis-Brown Ponikarovsky-Stoll-Simmonds Clifford-Richardson-(double-shifted winger) What will the Kings do now? We’ll see, tomorrow morning in practice, what the lines look like. For now — and this can change at any moment, based [...]
Postgame notes (March 26)
Some notes from last night’s game… – The Kings suffered a big loss but won on the ice, as they beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center. – The Kings completed a four-game season sweep of Colorado and outscored the Avalanche by a combined margin of 19-8. It was the Kings’ [...]
The view from Colorado
The Kings’ season series with the Colorado Avalanche is over, and it netted the Kings eight out of a possible eight points, as the Kings swept the series and outscored the Avalanche by a combined margin of 19-8. There will be brighter days ahead for the Avalanche, but right now it’s pretty dark, as they’ve [...]
Today’s game story (March 26)
Here’s my LAKings.com game story for today, with stats and video included, followed by my story about Anze Kopitar’s broken ankle. Thanks for reading… Kings beat Avalanche 4-1 Kings lose Kopitar to ankle injury The Kings have a day off tomorrow and are scheduled to practice Monday at 10 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center [...]
Kings (non-Kopitar) postgame quotes
Here’s some stuff from the locker room, from Terry Murray, Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth, regarding the game against Colorado in general… TERRY MURRAY “The game was good. We got the two points that we wanted to get. I thought we played a good game. I liked our third period. You lose your top player [...]
Story, video on Kopitar injury
Here’s the story I put together on Anze Kopitar’s injury today, followed by the video of the second-period incident… Kings lose Kopitar to ankle injury
