Yesterday was a rough one for a lot of players in the Kings’ system. First, the Manchester Monarchs lost 3-2 to the Norfolk Admirals in the first round of the American Hockey League playoffs in Norfolk. The top-seeded Admirals are the team that finished the regular season with 28 consecutive wins. They took a 3-0 lead in the second period before the Monarchs rallied with two third-period goals but couldn’t tie it. Marc-Andre Cliche and Stefan Legein scored goals for Manchester. Jeff Zatkoff stopped 10 of 13 shots, then was pulled in favor or Martin Jones, who stopped all 19 shots he faced. Game 2 is tonight in Norfolk.
At the junior level, Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League and Chicoutimi of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League started their respective series with losses. Ottawa, with winger Tyler Toffoli, lost 2-1 to Niagara in Game 1 of the second round, while Chicoutimi, with goalie Christopher Gibson, lost 4-1 to Saint John in the second round. Toffoli did not record a point in his game, only the second time in 14 playoff games this season that he has failed to record a point. Gibson stopped 29 of 33 shots. Both teams play again on Sunday.
As for the Kings, they’re scheduled for a 10:15 a.m. practice today, before their flight to Vancouver.
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