Here’s the reaction from the Kings’ locker room to the loss of Anze Kopitar to a broken ankle… DUSTIN BROWN “He’s our best player. We’ve got to find a way, either way. Injuries happen during the year. You don’t want to have your best player go down, but if that’s the case, we need to [...]
Archive of entries posted on March 2011
Broken ankle for Kopitar
Terry Murray said Anze Kopitar suffered a broken ankle and will be out a minimum of six weeks.
FINAL: Kings 4, Avalanche 1
The Kings completed a four-game season-series sweep of the Avalanche as they cruised to victory. Hopefully there will be a postgame update on the status of Anze Kopitar, who did not return to the bench in the third period.
Kings 4, Avalanche 1
Trevor Lewis’ goal gave the Kings a 4-1 lead. Ryan Smyth carried the puck deep into the Colorado zone, then fed a pass through the crease to Lewis, who tapped the puck past Budaj from close range with 9:55 remaining in the third period. As for Anze Kopitar, there isn’t likely to be an update [...]
Kings 3, Avalanche 1
The Kings regained a two-goal lead 1:36 into the third period, when Ryan Smyth held the puck behind the Colorado net, then lunged for a wraparound and beat Budaj. Trevor Lewis and Dustin Brown picked up assists as the Kings took a 3-1 lead.
End of second: Kings 2, Avalanche 1
The Avalanche pulled within 2-1 with 1:39 remaining in the second period. Doughty slipped while trying to play the puck behind the Kings’ net. The Avalanche picked it up, Paul Stastny hit Milan Hejduk with a quick centering pass and Hejduk scored from close range. Shots are 18-16 in favor of the Kings entering the [...]
Kopitar out of game
Anze Kopitar had to leave the game with just under four minutes remaining in the second period. Kopitar and Colorado’s Ryan O’Byrne got tied up in the corner, and as Kopitar fell to the ice, he appeared to get his right leg twisted underneath him. Kopitar needed help from trainer Chris Kingsley and teammates to [...]
End of first: Kings 2-0
The Kings outshot the Avalanche 11-5 in the first period and scored on their only power play. The Avalanche went 0-for-1 on the power play but will have the man advantage for the first 1:51 of the second period.
Kings 2, Avalanche 0
Michal Handzus’ power-play goal gave the Kings a 2-0 lead with 2:26 remaining in the first period. Dustin Brown found Handzus with a pass at the Colorado blue line, and Handzus skated in and beat Budaj with a high wrist shot. Drew Doughty also picked up an assist.
Kings 1, Avalanche 0
The Kings took a 1-0 lead with 9:30 remaining in the first period. The puck came off the left boards in the Colorado zone, and Willie Mitchell one-timed it from the top of the left circle. Anze Kopitar got the deflection as the puck got to the net and beat Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj.
Scouting the Avalanche
This is the last of four meetings this season between the Kings and Colorado Avalanche — don’t forget, it’s a 1 p.m. start today — and so far the series has not lacked for goals. The Kings beat the Avalanche 6-4 in Denver on Oct. 23, 5-0 in Denver on Dec. 21 and 4-3 at [...]
Can the Kings stay out of the trap?
It’s an oft-repeated statement — or perhaps just a coaching cliche — that the toughest games to win are the ones you’re expected to win. Enter the Colorado Avalanche. The Kings are coming off a stretch in which they have earned five out of a possible six points against playoff contenders Anaheim, Calgary and San [...]
Brown leads the way, and others follow
The “three stars” of last night’s game were Dustin Brown, Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Quick. No arguments there. Brown and Marleau both had two-goal games and Quick made a handful of very tough saves and once again came through in the shootout. Brown, as noted in last night’s game story, was sharp at both ends [...]
In importance, it’s second to none
Perhaps overlooked in the madness of last night’s third period was the fact that the Kings played an excellent second period. It started poorly, with San Jose’s power-play goal, but by the end, the Kings held a 2-1 lead and had outshot the Sharks 14-4. Naturally, the importance of a good start and a good [...]
Solid debut for Moller
By all accounts, last night’s game was a solid one for Oscar Moller, who picked up an assist and tied for the game high with five shots on goal in 16 minutes, 55 seconds, of ice time and, in general, showed a nose for the net and a strong intention to get the puck there. [...]
Friday practice update
No changes or surprises coming out of today’s practice. Jonathan Quick will start tomorrow afternoon against Colorado, but Terry Murray said his plan is to start Jonathan Bernier in one of the following two road games, at Edmonton and Vancouver. More notes and quotes to come…
Postgame notes (March 24)
Some notes from last night’s game… – The Kings kept pace with their closest Western Conference competitors as they beat San Jose 4-3 in a shootout on Thursday night at Staples Center. – With one game remaining, the Kings lead the season series against the Sharks 3-2, although each team has claimed six points in [...]
The view from San Jose
The possibility remains for a first-round playoff series between the Kings and the San Jose Sharks, and wouldn’t that be something? The teams have played five times this season — with one remaining — and have had two low-scoring games, three high-scoring games, one in which the Kings dominated and one in which the Sharks [...]
Tonight’s game story (March 24)
Here’s my LAKings.com game story for tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading… Kings beat Sharks 4-3 in shootout The Kings are scheduled to practice tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.
Murray postgame quotes
Terry Murray’s postgame thoughts… (on winning after giving up the late regulation goal…) MURRAY: “I’m not disappointed and I’m not surprised that stuff like that happens. I’m watching games in this league right now and it is incredible what is happening late in games, overtimes, shootouts. We would certainly love to have it shut down, when [...]
