The view from Bakersfield

A beautiful morning to you, Insiders. The Kings’ first of four preseason games this week resulted in a 5-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes (6-1, if you count the three-on-three four-on-three overtime goal scored by Tyler Toffoli after Connor Murphy was whistled for cross-checking 13 seconds into overtime).

The three stars were all Kings:
1) Tyler Toffoli
2) Tanner Pearson
3) Jordan Weal

The attendance was 5,612.

J-F Berube stopped all 12 shots he faced, while Patrik Bartosak entered the game shortly after the midpoint of the second period and stopped 12 of 13 shots. Speaking of Berube, he made quite an impression the last time he had played at Rabobank Arena.

From the Bakersfield Californian:

For Berube, it was a return to a building he played in when he was with the Reign at the ECHL level. His last game here, on Jan. 28, 2012, was memorable for a line brawl, during which Berube fought Condors goaltender Bryan Pitton.

“It’s good to be back here and play here, I played here for two years when I was in Ontario,” said Berube, who stopped all 18 shots he faced in 28 minutes of play. “It was fun to be back in this building.”

As for the line brawl, he can laugh about it now.

“We were actually talking about it (in the locker room),” he said. “There were a couple of guys with me in Ontario when there was that line brawl. It was definitely memories. It was funny just to remember it and talk about it with the guys. It was fun.”

Berube spoke with LA Kings Insider after the game and noted that as he rehabbed from the ankle injury he suffered in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Final, he spent a lot of time in the gym and added muscle. He has reported to camp at 6-foot-1 and 177 pounds in each of the last two seasons.

More photos from Mark Nessia and the Bakersfield Condors: