Kyle Clifford’s punishment, for his hit on Vancouver’s Christopher Tanev last night, was limited to the five-minute checking-from-behind major and game-misconduct penalties he received from the on-ice officials. The NHL did not issue any supplemental discipline today, and after practice today, Terry Murray said he was not concerned that Clifford would be suspended for the [...]
Archive of posts tagged Michal Handzus
Evening reading
Following the theme of the week, my LAKings.com feature examines the increased role and opportunities for two players in particular — Michal Handzus and Trevor Lewis — on the heels of Anze Kopitar’s season-ending injury. Thanks for reading… Injuries create opportunities for Kings centers Also, for your viewing entertainment, Terry Murray is scheduled to be [...]
Handzus completes climb to first line
It’s been, quite literally, an up-and-down season for Michal Handzus. He started the season in his customary spot as the Kings’ third-line center, but then made a drop to the fourth line in late January and early February. After seven games, Handzus moved back to the third line, then recently moved up to the second [...]
Will offense come from center swap?
The Kings tweaked their lineup a bit today, with center Michal Handzus and Jarret Stoll changing lines. Handzus played a strong game last night against Anaheim — including a brilliant centering pass to Dustin Brown for the third-period, game-tying goal — and after practice today, Terry Murray was single-minded in explaining why he made the [...]
Handzus postgame quotes
Michal Handzus’ postgame thoughts… (on his goal…) HANDZUS: “I was coming in, but I was thinking Poni [Alexei Ponikarovsky] might throw it in. The goalie was outside the crease, so I was kind of coming in and looking for the puck. It hit my stick and I was able to redirect it. It was a [...]
Homecoming win for Murray, Stevens, players
The Kings helped Terry Murray recorded two wins in his old stomping grounds over the weekend. The Kings won in Washington, where Murray played one season and spent parts of 10 others as an assistant or head coach. They also won in Philadelphia, where Murray spent parts of five seasons, either as an AHL or [...]
Left to center, center to left
Today’s line changes also meant position changes for two players. Michal Handzus, a natural center, moves to left wing, where he has periodically played, particularly late in games in which the Kings are trying to hold a lead. Andrei Loktionov moves from left wing back to his natural position of center, where, frankly, he has [...]
Third-line center, temporary first-line winger
With the Kings nursing a one-goal lead in the third period Saturday at Calgary, Terry Murray went through a multitude of lines, largely because of his decision to keep rookie Andrei Loktionov on the bench. Perhaps the most notable move was one that the Kings have turned to in the recent past in tight games, [...]
Going `fourth’ with some strong play
Terry Murray often talks about balance, and the ability to roll four lines, but not often this season has he been able to find that balance. Actually, most coaches talk about it, and it’s relatively hard to find around the league. But over the past few games, the Kings’ fourth line has arguably been as [...]
Surprise demotion for Handzus
Often, a coach changes a player’s role because he is dissatisfied with the player’s work ethic. Nothing could be further from reality when it comes to Michal Handzus, who is recognized as one of the hardest-working players on the Kings roster. That made it particularly surprising to see Handzus skating in a fourth-line role in [...]
A different role for Handzus
For the past three seasons, almost exclusively, Michal Handzus has been the Kings’ third-line, “shutdown” center, primarily charged with matching up against opponents’ top lines. That’s about to change. As part of Wednesday’s line shuffling, Handzus is now centering the Kings’ second line, between wingers Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams, and Handzus will be put [...]
Can the Kings avoid another slide?
The last time the Kings’ play dipped, things snowballed quickly. The Kings’ 6-3 loss at San Jose on Nov. 15 was a proverbial punch in the nose, and it essentially took the Kings two weeks to recover, as that loss started a 1-7-0 skid. In some ways, Wednesday’s 6-3 loss at Phoenix had much the [...]
Handzus knows Sturm’s situation
Marco Sturm has an entirely new set of teammates — he never played with any of the current Kings while in Boston or San Jose — but there’s at least one player who can relate to Sturm, who is coming off major knee surgery. Michal Handzus had ACL surgery in 2007, the season before he [...]
