October 13 practice notes: Martinez very close, power play adjustments, Kuemper

Good afternoon to you, Insiders. You look really good today. Is that a new shirt? Wow, do you look terrific in it. It suits you to a T. And the fit! It really meshes well with that new haircut of yours. Oh, we’ve all noticed. The Kings practiced at 10:00 a.m. at Toyota Sports Center and offered the following power play alignment:

Kopitar-Carter-Brown/Martinez-Doughty
Pearson-Kempe-Toffoli/Muzzin-Fantenberg

-We’ll talk Martinez in a moment. First, that power play alignment. The Kings operated with four forwards and one defenseman on their top unit since the start of training camp, using Tyler Toffoli as a player shifting between the left point and the half-wall. They’ve been generating enough quality looks that it would surprise nobody if they had scored two or three power play goals by now – they also scored immediately after a man advantage ended in the third period against Calgary – but at some point they’ll have to start hitting pay dirt as one of five NHL teams without a power play goal. “I think we’re getting good looks,” John Stevens said. “If anything, simplify a little bit. Don’t go away from shooting the hockey puck a little better. Focus on having a stronger net presence.” On shifting back to the three-forward / two-defensemen look on the top unit, Stevens said, “I think we’ve got guys back there who are capable. I think Fantenberg certainly showed an upside offensively of what he can do. I think Ty’s done OK there. I don’t think he’s totally comfortable there, but I think he’s been OK there. He’s had a lot of success up front in different spots – being in the middle and closer to the net. It’s not something we wouldn’t go back to, but we just feel like we have people on the back end that are capable of providing a presence on the back side, being a shooting presence, bringing the puck up the ice, still getting speed on the rush, so we just felt we had personnel on the back end that could fill that spot.” That personnel includes Martinez, who appears to be on the verge of a return. Speaking of which…

-Martinez skated through practice as a full participant, and, as noted, was on the top power play unit. That, along with Kurtis MacDermid’s pairing with Paul LaDue in several rushes, serves as a pretty reliable indication that Martinez will be in a position to make his season debut Saturday against Buffalo. “I’m getting close and I’m progressing every day,” he said. “I’ve been following everyone’s orders.” It must be frustrating to go through such work to prepare for the start of the season, only to have it delayed by a freak injury suffered late in the final practice before the start of the season. “It sucks, but it’s part of the game. No one likes being hurt, but it’s the way it happens sometimes.”

-The Kings don’t announce starting goaltenders in advance, but given that the team’s first back-to-back takes place this weekend – versus Buffalo and the New York Islanders at Staples Center – it seems like a pretty safe bet that Darcy Kuemper will make his regular season debut in one of the games.

“The team’s off to a great start, so I just want to get in there and help them continue on and do the best I can, do my part to help get a win,” he said.

The 2011 CHL Goaltender of the Year, Kuemper is no stranger to Southern California or the Kings. He swiftly passed an eight-game ECHL test with the Ontario Reign at the start of 2011-12, and as a Minnesota Wild goalie for the past five seasons, was used as a specialist versus the Kings, against whom he has played 386 minutes, more than all NHL teams other than Dallas. He was 3-1-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and one shutout against Los Angeles.

“One of my first games was [at Staples Center], and it’s always been a place I’ve been comfortable with,” he said. “I guess that would probably be it more than anything. You just get into a rhythm in certain buildings, and it’s just a comfort level where you just go out there and play and there are some good feelings and good vibes surrounding that building, so it’s always an exciting one to play in.”

Kuemper is an embodiment of the power of positive thinking. In any conversations with him at the rink – dating back to his tenure with the Red Deer Rebels, as well as the ECHL’s Reign – it’s rare when you don’t catch him smiling, and that’s an important attribute for a back-up goaltender. His attitude has allowed him to seamlessly step into the Kings room as one of six players who did not appear in a game for the club last season.

“He’s a really pleasurable guy. He’s in a real positive spot every day,” John Stevens said. “He comes to the rink, he seems like he enjoys being at the rink, he gets along well with his teammates, he’s got lots of energy, he works hard. I think because of that, he’s a good teammate when he’s on the bench and not playing, and he’s got a good work ethic that allows him to get better and be ready to play when he’s asked to play. He’s been a good addition to our hockey team.”

-Lots more good stuff to come from John Stevens. Enjoy your Friday, Insiders.

-Lead photo via Juan Ocampo/NHLI