By Bobby Scribe.

Perhaps suffering from a Frozen Fury hangover (goodness knows they are not the only ones), the Kings drop their last game of the preseason to the Ducks 5 to 4. For the AP report of the game on lakings.com, click on this game recap.

By Bobby Scribe.

Once per season, a sea of Kings fans storm Sin City and descend on the strip. They come not just for the casinos, shows, lights and decadence but to bring their passion, pride and powerful love for puck to the host who dares to extend an invitation.

This season, the MGM Grand again opened its Grand Garden Arena to the Kings and Avalanche.  The arena accommodates boxing, concerts and other sporting events. On September 26, what was likely over ten thousand Kings fans with lungs to spare packed the arena to witness the twelfth edition of Frozen Fury.

The game was in all respects a Kings “home game.” Avalanche fans found themselves badly outnumbered and on the receiving end of boos and jeers. This writer was particularly amused by the pack mentality and teamwork that instinctively took over when Kings fans surrounded Colorado fans in the stands and directed their well timed and relentless “all in good fun” verbal assault on any man or woman who dared to dawn the “A” at the center of their jersey.

The first period displayed intense play by both teams.  The Kings put more pucks on net but struggled to maintain consistent pressure in the offensive zone. Colorado took the lead in the first period on an odd goal by Wojtek Wolski whose pass deflected back to him. Wolski beat a surprised Jonathan Quick.  The Kings, with just under a minute and one-half left in the period, tied it up on a hard Jack Johnson shot from the point that Alexander Frolov deflected in.

The second saw the Avalanche jump to a 3 – 1 lead on two goals by Darcy Tucker (not a typographical error).  One could persuasively argue that any game in which Darcy Tucker scores two goals in one period isn’t a defensive gem and one would be right in that analysis of the Kings performance in the second period up to the third goal.  Ryan Smyth did what he could to create a one man traffic jam in front of Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson but the Kings could not get shots through at opportune times.  Meanwhile Jonathan Quick did not help his own cause by giving up rebounds he was unable to control, and which led directly to the Avalanche goal.

In stepped Wayne Simmonds.  He surprised many fans last season with his strong play, passing and defensive skills as well as willingness to play a strong and gritty game along the boards.  Management rewarded him with a full season with the big club as a rookie.

The talented and consistent right winger did not disappoint.  While he did find himself in a few scraps in that rookie season, Simmonds appears to have added a whole new dimension to his on ice play – a Chuck Norris style of hand to hand combat.  For the second time this preseason, Simmonds delivered a knock out punch during a fight.  This game, Colorado center Matt Hendricks received the blow that left him weak kneed.  Simmonds backed away and drew in a cocked right hand as soon as Hendricks went down. Before Hendricks managed to raise his head from the ice, with the help of a physician, a pool of his blood that took more than five minutes to clean up had formed on the ice surface.

The ten stitches and broken nose should be a stern reminder to Hendricks next time he even considers taking a cheap shot at Jack Johnson, the impetus for Simmonds’ fight.

An amusing moment followed when Kevin Westgarth’s line took the ice following the play and Westgarth skated toward the blood and eyed it with a sense of admiration.

Here is a video of the two fights.

Following the brawl, the Kings fought back as a team.  Drew Doughty scored during a 4 on 4 and Anze Kopitar tied the game after he tipped in a Jack Johnson pass. The third period was a back and forth battle though the Kings had the momentum and Jonathan Quick did not allow Colorado to take it back with some game saving point blank saves.  Kopitar, who was already having a good game, found an extra gear in the third.  He used his speed to blow past defenders and opened up the ice for his wingers for some excellent scoring opportunities.  One such opportunity caused an Avalanche player to cover the puck in the crease and led to a penalty shot.  Kopitar was appropriately chosen for the task and he did not disappoint.  A subtle move to the backhand opened up Craig Anderson’s pads just enough for Kopitar, to the sudden explosion of the arena, to slide the puck five hole and give the Kings the 4-3 lead. For one moment after the go ahead goal, Grand Gardens felt like the old Fabulous Forum.

Wayne Simmonds finished the scoring with an empty net goal at the last second of the game to complete a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

Kopitar, Simmonds, Doughty, Smyth (who had words with Adam Foote and not the “long time no see, hope all is well” type) and Jack Johnson were the standouts for the Kings.  Quick came into his own during the last half of the game.  Kopitar’s play was particularly fulfilling as his offseason conditioning showed its results, especially in the third period.  The evidence was also apparent before the game as I saw him in the MGM casino signing autographs and he appeared to be much leaner than last season.  Clune left the game with what was later labeled the always helpfully descriptive “lower body” injury. After the game, the fans inched, waddled and stepped through the arena past several blocked off exits.  Everyone, as if we just concluded a theme park ride and found ourselves in the gift store, were let into restaurant row.  I was amused by one adult fan who stood approximately 5 foot 4 inches tall and sported a Ducks shirt with “Perry” on the back.  The always entertaining Ryan (known by many as “Duck Hunter” as is inscribed at the back of his jersey) walked up to said fan for a chat.  While I didn’t hear what Ryan had to say, I assumed he was rationally explaining to the lost soul that to wear such a shirt at Frozen Fury while surrounded by over ten thousand fierce and somewhat petulant Kings fan may be sending the wrong message.

Here is Terry Murray’s interview after the game, Kopitar and Bone Crusher Simmonds’ interviews, as well as a video of Kopitar’s penalty shot.

Go Kings Go!

By Surly Jacob.

Just 2 days after signing his first pro contract, Kings prospect and all-around tough guy Kyle Clifford was sent back to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.

Also cut from camp were forward Marc-Andrew Cliche and defenseman Andrew Campbell, who were assigned to Manchester.

With these cuts, the roster is almost complete.

Clune looks to have made the team as the resident pest. Westgarth still punches it out with Ivanans, who just may both remain on the roster as Manchester is already loaded with tough guys and fighters like Jordan Nolan, Michael Pelech, Dwight King and big bruiser Geoff Walker.

Brad Richardson is still in a fight to the finish with Trevor Lewis and Peter Harrold to play on the fourth line, or sit in the press box. It is hard to imagine Lewis could make the team as a spare forward, but Terry Murray also showed last year he had no qualms benching Richardson and Harrold, sometimes for long stretches.

Joe Piskula, Alec Martinez and Thomas Hickey are still battling for the remaining spot on defense. The suspension of Sean O’Donnell makes this a little more interesting, as there might be an opportunity for two of the three to stick around for the duration of O’Donnell’s suspension that will last until the 3rd game of the regular season.

Meanwhile, 18 year-old Brayden Schenn remains in camp. It certainly appears that he will get at the least a 9 game tryout, though it is not clear yet whether he will play on the fourth line, or alongside Purcell and Brown if Stoll is not 100% to start the season. My money is on Stoll missing some games and Schenn taking over until he is healthy.

Could it be possible that Schenn plays himself past the 9 game tryout mark? Unlikely, but its fun to think about.

Expect Schenn to be signed to a pro entry-level contract soon, though that is just speculation on my part. If there is any chance of him staying for 9 games, he’ll need to be signed before October 3rd.

Courtesy of Rich Hammond, here is the expected roster for Saturday’s game against the Avalanche in Las Vegas. We hope to see you there!

Smyth-Kopitar-Williams
Purcell-Stoll-Brown
Frolov-Handzus-Simmonds
Clune-Lewis-Westgarth

Martinez-Doughty
Johnson-Scuderi
Drewiske-Greene

Quick
Bernier

It is interesting that Hickey will not be playing. This tells me that Hickey has impressed and essentially earned a spot on the team unless Martinez can up his game, which he is being given the opportunity to do by getting paired with Drew Doughty.

UPDATE – LAKINGS.com is reporting that Joe Piskula is currently on waivers and will be assigned to Manchester if he clears, though it is not official yet. (here)

By Bobby Scribe,

The Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche are going in different directions.  Colorado’s glory days are behind them.  The announcement of Joe Sakic’s retirement was symbolic of that end.  One could argue that the Kings’ acquisition of Ryan Smyth in the offseason was more evidence of the same.

Are the Kings’ glory days ahead?  Yes…but not tonight.  Though neither team played a good 60 minutes, the Avalanche played 40 and that was good enough.

The Kings were in control of the play in the first period.  They outshot the Avalanche 14 to 7, established a good forecheck and worked the puck with speed through the neutral zone.  The forwards played an aggressive game, back checked and communicated well with the defense to keep the Avalanche’s chances few and far between.  Meanwhile, the Kings’ shots got through and they were buzzing around Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson.  Peter Harrold scored at 11:17 after a head’s up play and a nice feed by Raitis Ivanans through the crease.  Jack Johnson received the second assist.  Richard Clune, fighting for a spot on the 4th line, fought twice for good measure and with the exception of the closing minutes of the period, at which time Colorado finally established sustained pressure, this game appeared to be all Kings.  Unfortunately, the final minute of the first period became the theme for the second and third.

The Avalanche tied the game 1-1 in the second period when Paul Stastny jumped on a loose puck and let it loose as soon as it touched his stick.  The shot appeared to surprise Ersberg.  Colorado took the lead 2 to 1 on veteran forward Milan Hejduk’s goal later in the period.  The Kings could not capitalize on an unusual call, a penalty shot awarded to Marc-Andre Cliche after Kyle Cuminskey broke Cliche’s stick in half while Cliche headed on a breakaway.

In the third, TJ Hensick capitalized on a Jack Johnson turnover and padded the Avalanche lead to two goals.  Kyle Clifford then received a penalty but Brad Richardson, who offered a strong game and used his speed well, stole the puck from the Colorado netminder and passed it to Trevor Lewis who put it up high for a short-handed goal to close the gap.  That is as close as the Kings would get this night.

These same two teams will face off against each other at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday at Frozen Fury XII.  Lakingsnews.com will be there for all the action both on and off the ice.

By Bobby Scribe,

The NHL has suspended Kings defenseman Sean O’Donnell 5 games (the remaining 3 preseason games and the first 2 season games) for a cross check on Matt Martin.  Here is Terry Murray’s account of the incident. “The Islanders player came across and it was a situation where it was a shoulder hit to the head area, one of those late hits that needs to be taken out of the game, in my opinion. In that situation, O’Donnell responded to protect his teammate, and that’s a good thing to see. With the culture we’re trying to build here, that’s exactly what we want to see happen. It’s a great message to all of the players on the team.”

I agree coach.  I didn’t see it but any player who takes liberties with one of our stars shall receive hell through fists and fury.  So it is written.  So shall it be done.

But, I have a different perspective on this and a question I will leave you with…if Evgeni Malkin had done exactly the same thing as Sean O’Donnell, would he have received a match penalty and suspended for 5 games?

We call that a rhetorical question.

By Bobby Scribe,

The Kings assigned today Drew Bagnall, Gabe Gauthier, Brandon Segal and John Zeiler to Manchester. They also signed Kyle Clifford to an entry level contract.  Though he has shown promise, Clifford is not expected to make the team this season. Some seasoning will do him some good. Most Kings fans are optimistic about his future.

By Surly Jacob.

The Kings continued to punch their way through the preseason tonight with a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. The fans at Sprint Center in Kansas City walked away from their lone NHL game of the year having seen a contest full of goals and goons. If you don’t get to see much hockey, I imagine a fist-filled game would be rather pleasing. There were a total of five official fights in the game, but there were plenty of other antics taking place.

As a result of those antics, one player was not on the ice when the final buzzer sounded. Defenseman Sean O’Donnell spent the final period in the dressing room, punishment for the sin of defending a team mate. He received a match penalty at 16:37 of the second period when he essentially assaulted Islander forward Matt Martin for high sticking O’Donnell’s charge, Drew Doughty, good for a 5 minute major penalty and a game ejection.

This was not the first time Doughty was nearly injured by an unnecessary play, but it was the first time someone stood up for him. Last year Doughty was hit in the kneecap on what most saw as a dirty play by Evgeni Artyukin, then a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The hit was bad enough, but the more discouraging part was that Artyukin skated away without comeuppance. It would appear that the team has finally learned to protect its young stars, and Matt Martin picked the wrong game to take liberties with Doughty.

After viewing the play from across the ice, the war-torn veteran O’Donnell skated immediately over to Martin and knocked him down to the ice, pouncing on him like a lioness protecting her cubs. There was some worry that Martin was injured, as was O’Donnell’s intent per the referees, but Martin was fine and played the rest of the game.

There is a definite trend in the Kings preseason thus far, one I am very happy to see. This team ‘don’t take no crap’. While O’Donnell’s zeal in defending Doughty cost the Kings a goal by exciting young Islander forward Josh Bailey on the ensuing power play, it signals a shift in the team’s attitude. From that new perspective comes team play, and from team play comes goals.

Teddy Purcell continued his strong play and put the Kings up early, scoring on a power play 8:33 into the contest. Assisting on the goal were Jarret Stoll and Thomas Hickey, who opened up the lane for Purcell after they drew the penalty killing forwards too high with a slick game of catch at the point. Stoll played on the first line with Purcell and Trevor Lewis and saw ample power play time during the game, his first of the preseason, after dealing with arthritis pain.

The Islander’s responded quickly with defenseman Andy Sutton scoring a goal just two minutes later when he snuck behind Wayne Simmonds to deflect a shot past Jonathan Quick. Simmonds would later make up for this hiccup, scoring a short-handed goal late in the second, adding the insurance empty netter to end the game, and punching Matt Martin a few times in the third, just for good measure.

Quick kept the score tied late in the first, robbing Tim Jackman on a point-blank opportunity. It wouldn’t be the last time Quick thieved an Islander of what looked like a sure goal. Quick would also stop Bailey and Nate Thompson on similar opportunities.

Also scoring for the Kings was Drew Doughty, who scored during a 2-man advantage at 10:43 of the third off a clean feed from Alexander Frolov as he streaked down the right wing boards.

Bailey cut the lead to one with his goal early in the third period, a shot that Quick had trouble controlling and could not cover before Bailey put home his own rebound. That would be the end of it for Islanders, as the Kings played a strong, if not somewhat frantic, third period to preserve their lead.

The Kings will play Colorado tomorrow night at the Pepsi Center. It is expected that Brayden Schenn and Kyle Clifford will play in the game, and it might also be Ryan Smyth’s first game against his former team.

By guest writer Howard Roark,

In the annals of professional sports in this country, one would have to search long and hard to find a steward in the vital role of Commissioner who has done more damage to their sport than Commissioner Gary Bettman has done to the National Hockey League.  Case in point is the loss of the entire 2004-2005 season, the only time in history that an entire season in any sport was cancelled due to labor strife.  While Bettman is not solely responsible for this, Bettman’s  pugnacious, belligerent and confrontational personal style that leads to rancor instead of good will and to feuding as opposed to compromise was perhaps the major contributor.  All of these personality traits and Bettman’s failed leadership have been on display for all to see in the saga of the Phoenix Coyotes and the despicable treatment of Jerry Moyes.

Moyes is one of those people who prove the United States can still be a great country.  From humble roots in Plain City, Utah, Moyes started a trucking operation that eventually became Swift Transportation, the largest public truckload carrier in the country.  Unlike Gary Bettman who rode David Stern’s coattails into prominence, Moyes built his business with his own skill, foresight and willingness to assume risk.  In addition to his business acumen, Moyes has been a pillar of the community, contributing to various children’s charities, funding college scholarships for deserving students and investing in the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns.  Unfortunately for Moyes, his passion for professional sports has led to his financial downfall.  Moyes made the mistake of becoming involved in the NHL and Gary Bettman’s failed dream of creating a national footprint for what has always been a regional sport.

The Phoenix Coyotes are a testament to what can be called the Greater Fool theory.  In other words, no matter how much money the previous owner has lost, there is always another guy willing to step in and lose even more money.   Moving from Winnipeg in 1996, the Coyotes started play in an arena unsuited to hockey in a city which had little previous exposure to the sport.  Without the dollars from a national television contract which Bettman has continually promised ownership yet failed to deliver, the Coyotes, like most of the teams in the new Sunbelt markets, have been a money pit, losing hundreds of millions of dollars over its existence.  Jerry Moyes and the various other owners of the team are businessmen.  No one can argue that they deserve to lose money if they make poor business decisions.  But this ship didn’t sail into an iceberg alone.  Gary Bettman steered it there.  Rapid expansion into new markets with immature fan bases, lack of talent to properly staff thirty teams and the poor ratings that cost the League a true national television deal are mistakes that can be laid squarely at the feet of the Commissioner.  Gary Bettman’s strategy of garnering national advertisers by having a presence in all the major television markets has clearly failed, and as I will discuss in future articles, the symptoms of this failure can no longer be hidden.

Moyes entered this story in 2001 as a minority owner of the Coyotes.  Gradually, he assumed control by guaranteeing the team’s numerous debts in an effort to keep the Coyotes afloat and in Phoenix.  As he tells it in a recent letter to the Arizona Republic, Moyes became a somewhat accidental owner of the team whose losses quickly escalated beyond his ability to sustain them.  I am not here to shed any tears, crocodile or otherwise, for Jerry Moyes.  He is a savvy businessman who did not do his homework and became involved in a business with a fatally flawed economic model.  Shame on him even if his motives were as altruistic as he claims.  It is what happened when he wanted out and declared bankruptcy where the story becomes more murky and disturbing for people who believe in basic fairness and decency.

I, like most Americans who value hard work and sweat equity, am a big believer in the free enterprise system.  For it to work correctly and generate the most wealth for society, investors who possess that most scarce asset, capital, must be assured that they can obtain the highest possible return for it.  Investment entails risks, and returns are what mitigate and reward those risks.  Enter Jim Balsillie (pictured left) who presented a way for the creditors of the ailing franchise to be paid in full and for Moyes to exit his investment with minimal losses.  This is not the time to comment on Balsillie’s previous attempts to own a franchise, which is for another article, but the reality is that he put a bona fide $212.5 mm offer on the table.  Let me repeat – $212.5 million dollars, cash.   Balsillie made it clear he would move the team north and of course, that begs the question, so what?  His offer was and is significantly higher than what any of the groups, including the NHL, were willing to tender to keep the Coyotes in Arizona.  When was the last time someone selling an asset was not allowed to accept the highest and most liquid bid?

Did Bettman think about Moyes, one of his employers, before he responded?  Did he do his job and evaluate the situation objectively for the benefit of the league he represents with the words he spoke and the actions he dictated?  Did he take responsibility, even partial, for what had occurred?  The answers to these questions are clearly no.  When Moyes argued that he should be able to pay off his creditors and recoup part of his investment, the NHL, read Bettman, said that Moyes should not get anything because it was his own fault that he lost the money in trying to make the team successful.  Oh, really?  Is it Jerry Moyes’ fault that the franchise was placed in an unviable market to begin with?  Can you blame Moyes for the lack of significant television dollars like the other pro sports enjoy?  No, these are problems that were created by Gary Bettman’s ‘Southern Strategy’ which has failed abysmally.

Furthermore, here you have a guy who invested millions of his own dollars in an attempt to validate the strategy to prove Phoenix is a feasible market for Hockey.  Why is he, in effect, being told to go to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks?

The fact that Moyes may have been a sucker to buy into the NHL in the first place does not negate the fact that the reason the franchise is in bankruptcy is due mostly to the policies of the Commissioner.  For Bettman to argue that Moyes should have to take the entire financial hit because the League does not want to admit its strategy is flawed borders on obscene.  It is every bit as deluded as the rapid expansion that created the NHL’s financial problems to begin with.   No one, not even the monarch in practice Gary Bettman, has the right to tell an investor that he should be out his entire outlay when a legitimate offer is on the table.  Not only is this in extremely poor taste, but forcing Moyes to swallow his losses without any compensation will discourage badly needed fresh capital from coming into the NHL.  The NHL should be trying to make sure investors do not lose everything if they purchase a franchise, not the opposite.  Unfortunately, in this tragic tale, Bettman seems to care more about saving face.  Ironically, the fate of Jerry Moyes and the Coyotes appears irrelevant. Is it any wonder that Bettman is almost universally booed whenever he steps on the ice?

Howard Roarke, a fun little alias of course, is a guest writer at lakingsnews.com. In addition to being a passionate Kings fan, he is a successful businessman and a close observer of economic and financial news and issues including those of the NHL. As you can read, he does not mince words when expressing his opinion especially with a subject as near and dear to his heart as the economic health of the NHL. I hope you enjoy his article. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of lakingsnews.com or its writers.

By Bobby Scribe,

If you asked Kings fans which question would be answered first, “what is the meaning of life?” or “will the Kings ever have a good young goaltending tandem?”, a respectable percentage would answer “the former.” They would cite for you as evidence, in no particular order and by no means a comprehensive list, Jason LaBarbera, Dan Cloutier, Jean Sebastien Aubin, Roman Cechmanek, Frederic Chabot, Jamie Storr, Stephane Fiset, Rob Stauber, and who could ever forget, Rick Knickle.

Enter the 2009-2010 season. Jonathan Quick. 44 games played on a Kings team last season, that wasn’t as talented or deep as this one, with a brand new coach, a new system and lacking leadership, and yet he managed to put up respectable numbers of 21-18-2, .914 SV% and a 2.48 GAA (15th best in the league). Perhaps it is years, no decades, of disappointment that keeps us cautious about too much excitement concerning any goaltender but I dare say that Johnny B. Quick has made optimists out of many of us. He features the qualities we Kings fans usually see and covet in those goaltenders that take their teams deep into the playoffs. He also possesses something we sorely lacked in our last #1 pretender – a relentless work ethic.

Then, we come to Jonathan Bernier. The first name is not all he shares with Quick. Bernier has been the great hope for Kings goaltending since he was drafted in 2006 as the 11th overall. His hybrid stand up and butterfly style brings tremendous lateral movement, agility and reflexes and a calm positional play that gobbles up rebounds and handles the puck with ease. Bernier is battling it out for what most of us believe to be the #2 spot, as Quick, absent the “i” word, has the #1 position locked up.

Last, but not least, is Erik Ersberg. He filled the “gap” between LaBarbera’s exit and Quick’s emergence and brings his own skill set that plays big in net at only a 6 foot, 165 pound frame, and a face that probably gets carded in every bar he enters. Ersberg held his own and showed us that he was a good back up on an otherwise bad Kings team. In front of this team, he will only be better.

With this three-some of good goaltending, and the potential for greatness from the first two, we come to another question of who plays number 2? Bernier comes in with almost no NHL experience but offsets that with a strong finish at the end of last season for the Monarchs with a .910 SV% and 2.40 GAA.

You’re dying to know what I think aren’t you? No? I’ll tell you anyway. It’s time to put Bernier in net. Another season in Manchester will help him develop his game, but Jonathan Bernier needs 15-20 games in the show to help build another aspect of his game – resilience. We all know the talent is there. The question with Bernier is all between his ears and there is no better place to decipher his maturity level and “readiness” than against NHL shots, NHL traffic and NHL adversity. That cool as ice and sharp as a razor style that we have come to see from Quick is what we want to see from Bernier. Ersberg is the safe choice, but Ersberg is not going anywhere. If Bernier falters, Ersberg can take the back up spot. If Bernier shines, then the Kings may be asking another unfamiliar question – “how deep in the playoffs will we go?” God that felt good!

By Surly Jacob.

The Kings roster is taking shape.

After a hefty round of cuts today that saw 15 players sent to the Monarchs, Colten Teubert assigned to juniors, and Dennis McCauley released from his tryout, the Kings’ are down to just 35 players left at camp.

Feeling the cold blade of Dean’s axe was a disappointed Oscar Moller, who will start the season in Manchester, despite playing 40 games last year with Kings. “I’m gonna make the team this year again,” Moller proudly announced last week in an interview (here). Unfortunately for Moller, the Kings’ have other plans for him, presumably to score buckets of goals at the minor level, which he skipped almost entirely last year, save for a short conditioning stint after a shoulder injury. If those 40 NHL games taught us anything about Moller, it is that he has heart and character to spare. A miracle would have to occur for Moller not to get a call-up at some point during the season.

For the players remaining, there are three major battles left in the war for roster spot.

Jonathan Bernier will fight to unseat Erik Ersberg as the presumed back-up goalie, and even strive to upset Jonathan Quick as the anointed starter. The youngster has not been tested much in his two outings, but he has skated off with two wins.

On defense, with Davis Drewiske recently being named to the top six to start the season, Alec Martinez, Thomas Hickey, Joe Piskula, Drew Bagnall and Andrew Campbell will claw and scratch for the final spot on the team. There is also the option of carrying 8 defensemen, but with so many of them being young and needing ice-time to develop, Bagnall and Piskula stand out as the only real options for an 8th defenseman. Lest not we forget Peter Harrold, who has played forward the entirety of training camp, but can fill on defense at any time.

The last battle is for the 4th line. Richard Clune, Brandon Segal and John Zeiler will fly with wreckless abandon to be the team’s equivalent of getting shampoo in your eye, or, more appropriately, squirting it in someone else’s. Kevin Westgarth will attempt to leave a bloody mess of bodies between him and current Kings’ enforcer Raitis Ivanans. Finally, Gabe Gauthier, Brad Richardson, Marce-Andre Cliché and Trevor Lewis will do their best to not screw up worse than the other guy while staying out of the way of the train of goons they will be anchoring.

However, there are some conflicting reports about Gauthier. Rich Hammond reports that Gauthier remains in camp (here), while the Kings’ official website reports that he was cut (here), though Gauthier’s name appears on neither the camp roster or cut list. I’m going with Hammond for now that he did not get sent to Manchester.

It is also far too soon to completely count out exciting young forwards Kyle Clifford and Brayden Schenn, who dodged the hatchet for now. Both have impressed Coach Murray. After last night’s victory over the Ducks, Murray said of the two “Whoever they’ve played with, in the exhibition games, or in practice and scrimmages, they’ve looked very good. Really good, it’s pretty impressive actually the fact that they’re 18 years old and showing composure and making plays and competing.” See his whole interview here.

Locking down a roster spot for the season is going to be borderline impossible for either of these kids, however their play just may well earn them a taste of NHL.

I’d put Peter Harrold into the mix, but I believe he is not going anywhere and will either play regularly or be in the press box.

With Moller out of the picture, Teddy Purcell is all but assured a spot on the 2^nd line along Stoll and Brown.

The next preseason game is on Tuesday in Kansas City against the Islanders. The puck drops at 5pm.

By Bobby Scribe.

So who knew that when the puck would be dropped at center ice at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, a full contact ping pong game would break out. Imagine the surprise of all those fans who showed up to watch hockey. Then, imagine their shock when with 9.5 seconds left, the Kings, thanks to a nice goal by Captain Dustin Brown with an assist from rookie Andrei Loktionov, showed up.

Until that second, this contest was defined by a goal given up by Jonathan Quick against Benn Ferriero that he most certainly wanted back. That was it. Neither team could score on the powerplay. The Kings struggled to set it up. They could not generate many shots on net and there was no traffic in front of Sharks’ goaltender, Thomas Greiss. No power. Little play. The Sharks didn’t fare any better as they also had a couple of two man advantages and could not score. Sometimes, a picture says it all.

Then, just when it seemed this game would go into the annals of preseason hockey history as the pinnacle of dull, Dustin Brown not only scored but did so on the power play and sent the game into overtime.

The extra session started out with the Kings on their heels. Two penalties against, a trip by Davis Drewiske and a hook by Kyle Clifford caused the Kings to spend half the overtime a man short. Fortunately, the Kings’ penalty kill continued to shine. They seemed particularly adept at blocking off the shooting lanes and did not allow much traffic in front of Quick though at the final second of overtime, Jonathan Quick made a tremendous save, more than redeeming himself for the one he gave up earlier, and sent the game into a shootout.

The Kings started the shootout with Andrei Loktionov who came in a bit lazy and suffered the dreaded poke check by Greiss. The Sharks’ Ryan Vecse made some slick moves but couldn’t get the puck up and past Quick who made a nice save. Purcell tried to the old five hole but Greiss took it away just as fast as he showed it. The Sharks’ Devin Setoguchi, coming off an excellent season, took the shot from between the circles but Quick turned the puck away. Then came Kings first round draft pick and brother to the Maple Leafs’ Luke Schenn, recently turned 18 year old Brayden Schenn. Brayden came in strong and moved the puck to his forehand but Greiss denied him by quickly taking away the short side. Benn Ferriero was next for San Jose but was little match for Quick. Trevor Lewis skated on the ice. He took the puck down the ice with speed, made a great deke but Greiss extended his left leg at the last moment and stopped the shot, leaving many Kings fans in mid leap and disbelief that he did not score. The Sharks then sent defenseman Jason Demers who beat Quick on a backhand for a rather anti-climatic finish.

The Kings ended the game with 25 shots and the lone goal from Dustin Brown. They went 1 for 8 on the powerplay. Failing to take advantage of many powerplay chances in the first period set the tone for the game. The Sharks had 27 shots on goal, including 8 in overtime and scored twice even though they suffered an abysmal 0 for 9 with the man advantage.

Next up, cross town and freeway rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. Our very own Surly Jacob will be in attendance. Look forward to a fierce contest and a post game report to match.

Go Kings!

By Surly Jacob.

Despite his attempts to earn a roster spot by debuting the Kings new high-tech jerseys, defensive prospect Nicolas Deslaurier was sent back to his junior team yesterday in Rouyn-Noranda of the QMJHL. “I’m very confused,” Deslaurier said. “I thought the Tron jersey was my ticket on to the team. Instead I just got a plane ticket, in coach.” I asked if he was upset, but he reminded me that his name is Deslaurier, not Cloutier.

Well, he might have said that, had I actually interviewed him.