Penner has seen it all before

Dustin Penner certainly has seen a lot in his 5 1/3 seasons in the NHL. He’s been on a Stanley Cup championship team, with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and on an Edmonton Oilers team that won only 27 games in 2009-10. Talk about the highs and lows… And while Penner, personally, seems to be getting himself on track — he has put together three solid games in a row — the Kings haven’t been scoring or winning. Today, Penner gave some reflections and tried to put things in some perspective…

PENNER: “If you look at it, as a whole, every team I’ve been on it’s the same kind of story at some point (in the season). Can’t score, power play… It happens every year. It’s just the trials and tribulations that you go through, unless you’re the Red Wings or something. But even them, they had a slump early on. It’s all about how you bounce back, and that’s what we’re faced with now.’’

Question: You’ve been on some really successful teams and some really unsuccessful teams. Looking at things here, what does it take to get this turned around?

PENNER: “Obviously we have the personnel here. Every team goes through injuries. Because goals are coming easily, you have to go out there and will them into the net. Like with Dallas, the puck goes off a skate. Maybe it hits off my body and bounces onto Brownie’s stick. We’ve got to get ugly goals, and when you get enough ugly goals, that usually translates into a few pretty ones.’’

Question: That’s like the saying, `You earn your luck.’ Work hard enough, and the luck evens out eventually…

PENNER: “Yeah. We’re being tested now. We’re working hard, but the hockey gods really want us to earn it.’’