Matt Greene’s postgame thoughts… (on the game…) GREENE: “We got some secondary scoring tonight, with Chop [Ethan Moreau] getting his first, and then you’ve got to be good defensively, no matter what. Quickie had to be good tonight, and probably kill a few too many penalties, more than we wanted, but we got the job [...]

It’s a Pacific Division tilt at Staples Center, as the Kings host the San Jose Sharks for the first time this season. All the action is on Fox Sports West and on 1150-AM and affiliates, and all the game updates will be here as well… THIRD PERIOD In goal: It’s still Quick vs. Niemi. Goal [...]

Scott Parse, who has played only nine games this season, will have season-ending hip surgery in the near future. Parse has a history of problems with his hips. He played five games last season before having hip surgery, returned late in the season but, those within the team said privately, was never 100-percent healthy. Parse [...]

This is the second of six meetings this season between the Kings and San Jose Sharks, following San Jose’s 4-2 victory up north on Nov. 7, when the Sharks scored three second-period goals to erase a 1-0 deficit. After a bumpy start, the Sharks have climbed to the top of the Pacific Division. They had [...]

Two NHL teams made coaching moves today, as Washington replaced Bruce Boudreau with Dale Hunter, and Carolina replaced Paul Maurice with Kirk Muller. Both new coaches, coincidentally, have ties to Terry Murray. Hunter played in Washington from 1987-99, and Murray was the Capitals’ coach from 1990-94 and an assistant coach during Hunter’s first season in [...]

Dustin Penner will miss his eighth consecutive game with a hand injury, but there might not be a ninth. After tonight’s game, the Kings have two practice days before Thursday’s game against Florida. Given that Penner has been medically cleared, and his been participating in the last couple days of full practice, it seems reasonable [...]

To be certain, this season hasn’t started the way the Kings had hoped. Through 23 games, they’re 10th in the Western Conference and their scoring average is tied for 25th in the NHL. That’s the bad news. The good news? There’s significant room for improvement, and nobody is pulling away. Entering tonight’s game, one point [...]

It was an optional skate this morning, followed by a lengthy session with the injured/scratched players. In fact, they’re still on the ice. The Kings will go with the same lines and pairs that they used in practice yesterday. Terry Murray indicated that Dustin Penner is making good progress and could be ready to play [...]

An earlier post touched on Jarret Stoll’s move from center to right wing. The other big change for the Kings will come with Dustin Brown’s move from right wing to left wing. It’s something Brown has done in the past for handfuls of games at a time. Coincidentally, Brown’s most notable stint as a left [...]

In the background of today’s line-change talk is where Dustin Penner might fit into the equation. That’s a question that will have to be answered sooner rather than later. Penner, out since Nov. 10 with a hand injury, got clearance last night to resume full activity, meaning he will be able to play whenever he [...]

Three players switched positions in practice today, but only one was relatively dramatic. Andrei Loktionov is a natural center and Dustin Brown has played left wing in the past and, in some ways, feels more comfortable there (more on that later). Then there’s Jarret Stoll, a center for most of his eight-year NHL career who [...]

Even when he makes significant line changes, Terry Murray typically keeps two players on a line together and changes one. It’s a change but, at the same time, a way to maintain a bit of consistency. Well, all that went out the window today. With the exception of the fourth line, everything got shuffled. Anze [...]

Lots of talk, of course, about the new-look lines after practice today. Not surprisingly, the idea is to shake things up, and the moves were motivated in part to get Andrei Loktionov back to his more familiar position at center. In other news, Dustin Penner has been cleared for action but isn’t expected to play [...]

Well, The Great Lineup Shakeup of 2011 has taken place, with Andrei Loktionov moving to center, Jarret Stoll to wing and only the fourth line remaining intact. Here’s how the forwards and defensemen are lined up early in practice… Brown-Kopitar-Hunter Gagne-Richards-Stoll Clifford-Loktionov-Williams Moreau-Fraser-Westgarth Penner/Richardson/Lewis Scuderi-Doughty Mitchell-Voynov Johnson-Greene Drewiske-Martinez (no-contact)

COACH TERRY MURRAY: (Re game recap): “Holding them at two goals is good. They are the leading scoring team in the conference. We had lots of good looks here tonight. We ended up tying the game at 1-1. Then they won a faceoff to make it 2-1. After that, we had four or five tremendous [...]

ANZE KOPITAR: (Re game recap): “We had our share of chances but we couldn’t bear down. A couple of times the puck was just laying around there and we couldn’t quite get it in there. It’s tough but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.” (Re shot mentality): “There’s no secret to it. You just have [...]

Once again, if it’s a Saturday in November, it must be Kings hockey at Staples Center, with the Kings hosting the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. All the action is on Fox Sports West and on 1150-AM and affiliates. I will not be available for in-game updates tonight, but feel free to use this as a game [...]

It’s the first of four meetings this season between the Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Kings were swept by the Blackhawks in four games last season, and scored more than two goals in only one of those games. The Blackhawks have been a bit streaky. They had a three-game winning streak, a three-game losing [...]

A couple pregame things… First, the latest version of “My Story” takes a look at Andrei Loktionov, who talks about his journey to the NHL… My Story: Andrei Loktionov Also, for those who haven’t seen it, Dustin Brown made it onto ESPN this week, although probably not the way he hoped. Brown hit a little [...]

As noted earlier, the Kings will stay with the same lineup tonight, meaning Terry Murray will give Kevin Westgarth will get a chance to extend his goal-scoring streak to two games. On Wednesday in Dallas, Westgarth scored his first NHL goal in his 73rd game, and the second-period goal would have held up as the [...]