Los Angeles Kings dynasty (BAGM NHL11)

[kingalexander]

Team Preview: Los Angeles Kings



The Los Angeles Kings took a huge step forward last season after making the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

Although they were eliminated in the first round, one single playoff game can be worth so much more experience than a regular season match up and for the young core of players the Kings have, it's something very valuable.

It was a season to remember for the Kings as Drew Doughty was nominated for the Norris Trophy for best defenseman and showed himself as an elite blue liner in the NHL, Jonathan Quick broke the record for most wins and appearances by a Kings goaltender, and they earned 101 points last season, the third most in Kings history.

To many this upcoming season will be a definitive year for the Kings and will show whether or not the hard work the entire organization has done will have been worth it.

For General Manager Dean Lombardi, the team he has created is and will be a top contender fro the Stanley Cup.

"Our mix of young players and veterans is an essential part of the way we play. We have the right players and the right staff to make great things happen with this hockey club."

Offense

Who's out: LW Alexander Frolov, LW Raitis Ivanans

Who's in: LW Alexei Ponikarovsky

Los Angeles lost a top goal scorer in Alexander Frolov, but his inability to break out as a star winger and his supposed lack of effort which led to his benching earlier in the season, all but confirmed Frolov's time with the Kings was coming to an end.

The Kings took to the free agent market and signed something of a direct replacement for Frolov in Alexei Ponikarovsky, who comes after spending his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and briefly last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ponikarovsky comes to Los Angeles looking like a two way forward. He's known for both scoring and playing well in the defensive zones and the Kings are looking for players with his style to balance out the attack and defense of the top six forwards. The way things are looking he might team up with either Jarret Stoll or Michal Handzus.

Although Raitis Ivanans didn't post an impressive record, he had an important role as the tough guy and enforcer for the Kings. More than likely, Los Angeles will look to call up either Kevin Westgarth or Scott Parse to add some offense to the fourth line.

The core for Los Angeles is still there and better than ever. Having young players like Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds, Anze Kopitar, and mixing them with Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth, and Michal Handzus is definitely a group to be afraid of. Leading the offense is Anze Kopitar who finished last season as the Kings leading scorer is proving himself to be a top line center in the NHL and will look to keep that going this year.

Defense

Who's out: D Randy Jones, D Sean O'Donnell,

Who's in: D Willie Mitchell


Losing the veteran leadership of O'Donnell won't be that big of a loss considering the Kings still have a stacked blue line which includes Rob Scuderi, Matt Greene, Jack Johnson, and Drew Doughty. Adding Willie Mitchell is a step up for the Kings, despite only playing 48 games last season after suffering a concussion. The offense that Doughty and Johnson will surely put up will be met defensively by Scuderi and Matt Greene who willl surely be looked at to show that veteran leadership on the team this year.


Goaltending

Who's out: None

Who's in: G Jonathan Bernier


While the Kings didn't lose anyone from their goaltender group, they gained a big star in Jonathan Bernier after proving his worth in the AHL last season and being named the top goaltender of the minor league. He will finally get his chance to show off his skills in the NHL for a full season this time around and will definitely be a good add for the Kings. The only downfall we can see is if Jonathan Quick plays as many games as he did last year.

During the 09/10 season, Quick made 72 appearances in the net for Los Angeles, a club record. Although he also did break the record for most wins by a Kings goaltender, some say his excessive amounts of games played hurt him during the final stretch and the playoff series against Vancouver. Expect Bernier and Quick to share the workload this season, if Terry Murray is smart about it.

[kingalexander]

Kings Release Final Roster


(Los Angeles, CA) -- After weeks of hard work and dedication to the craft, the Los Angeles Kings announced their final 20-man roster that will hit the ice next week in the season opener against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Kings started off with 65 players three weeks ago and since then have cut it down to the players who will represent the organization.

The entire coaching staff led by third year head coach Terry Murray, along with GM Dean Lombardi announced the selections this afternoon in front of 3,000 fans at Los Angeles' annual "Hockeyfest" event, this time being held at the Staples Center.

Quote:

"We are very excited to see this team hit the ice" said GM Dean Lombardi. "We have put together the best team possible and we re going to turn some heads this season on our way to the win the first Stanley Cup in Kings history."

The following players will be dressed next week as the Kings open the 2010/11 season on the road against the Vancouver Canucks

Forwards

11 - Anze Kopitar - Center "A"
13 - Trevor Lewis - Right Wing
14 - Justin Williams - Right Wing
15 - Brad Richardson - Center
17 - Wayne Simmonds - Right Wing
23 - Dustin Brown - Right Wing "C"
26 - Michal Handzus - Center
27 - Alexei Ponikarovsky - Left Wing
28 - Jarret Stoll - Center
56 - Richard Clune - Left Wing
63 - Scott Parse - Left Wing
94 - Ryan Smyth - Left Wing


Defense

02 - Matt Greene "A"
03 - Jack Johnson
07 - Rob Scuderi
08 - Drew Doughty
33 - Willie Mitchell
44 - Davis Drewiske

Goaltenders

32 - Jonathan Quick
45 - Jonathan Bernier

[kingalexander]

Kings Edge Canucks In Season Opener




October 10th, 2010

(Vancouver) -- The Los Angeles Kings had some revenge on their minds as they traveled to Vancouver and face the same team that eliminated them in last season's playoffs, as a sold out crowd marked the 40th year in the NHL for the Canucks.

Tonight's game was also special as both teams wore "retro" uniforms to commemorate the first season the Cancuks and Kings played against one another.



Another sold out crowd greeted the Canucks who were wearing a special patch on their sweaters tonight, marking their 40th season in the National Hockey League.

All attendees were ready to get the season started and cheer the Canucks on, and a victory for them over the Kings was something they would love according to Vancouver captain Ryan Kessler.

Quote:

"We eliminated them in the playoffs last year and I think they still have some problems with that, so beating them for the season opener would definitely be icing on the cake for us."

But the Canucks had a tough night ahead of them as the Kings attacked relentlessly to gain the lead and the win but were stopped by the tremendous work of Roberto Luongo in goal for Vancouver.

Luongo made 24 saves during the game which earned the first star of the game, as he was a very important part of the game staying a 0-0 draw throughout the entire game and into overtime.

Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick had an easier night as the defense was very solid and only allowed seven shots on goal.

The game ended in a 0-0 draw and went into overtime where the game was decided with a minute left in the period with Jarret Stoll scoring the game winner at 4:07 for the 1-0 victory to the Los Angeles Kings.

Matt Greene and newcomer Alexei Ponikarovsky earned the assists, with the latter earning his first point in a Kings uniform.

Stoll and Greene earned the second and third stars of the game respectively.

The Kings will continue their short trip in Canada, as they head East to face the Calgary Flames.

Kings captain Dustin Brown was pleased with the performance of his team tonight and vowed to keep it going for the rest of the season.

Quote:

"We played really well tonight, it made it even sweeter to beat these guys in their home, this is just the start to a great season to come for us, we're not going to back down from anyone. We have a great group of guys here and we are a big threat to the other teams in the league."

[kingalexander]

Iginla ignites Flames past Kings



10/10/10

(Calgary) - Jarome Iginla scored his first goal of the season as he put it past goaltender Jonathan Quick late in the third period for a 3-2 win for Calgary over the Los Angeles Kings.

Ales Kotalik added two goals during the game, the first coming in the first period at 7:49 with Niklas Hagman and Robyn Regehr earning the assists.

Los Angeles tied it up at 15:27 with Willie Mitchell scoring his first goal of the season and also his first with his new team after a back pass from Ryan Smyth set up the defensman for a powerful slapshot that beat Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff on his glove side.

Calgary regained the lead in the second period with an early powerplay goal at 3:08 with Ales Kotalik scoring his second of the night with Niklas Hagman once again earning an assist, this time alongside Matt Stajan.


The 2-1 lead for the Flames remained until another newcomer scored for the Kings as Alexei Ponikarovsky scored his first in a Kings uniform and of the season at 7:49 with Jack Johnson earning the assist.


The remainder of the third period was a back and forth game in search of a winning goal for either team, with both grabbing some good chances during the halfway point but unable to capitalize until Jarome Iginla broke the deadlock on a one time shot.

Former King draft pick Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester earned the assists at 17:08 as the Flames took a close 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Despite being on the losing end, defenseman Willie Mitchell earned the third star of the game which was announced to a jeering crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

[bthomp05]

Welcome back KingAlexander. Great work so far.

[kingalexander]

Kings Drop Thrashers In Home Opener



10/12/10


(Los Angeles, CA) -- Michal Handzus had a great night as he scored three goals as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Atlanta Thrashers, 5-2.

Scott Parse also had a good game as he helped the Kings with a goal and two assists, which came from the first goals of the game.

Michal Handzus scored his first of the game at 13:01 of the first period with Matt Greene and Scott Parse earned the assists for the 1-0 lead. He doubled the lead in the second period with his second goal of the night at 9:51, with Dustin Brown earning the assist along with Scott Parse for his second assist of the game.

Los Angeles continued the scoring run early in the first period as Drew Doughty finally placed his name in the goal column with a powerplay goal at 5:16 for a 3-0 lead to the Kings over the Atlanta Thrashers, who to this point were all but non existent during the game.

Jarret Stoll and Jack Johnson earned the assists on Doughty's first goal of the season.

The Thrashers finally made an appearance on the scoreboard at 11:18 as fourth liner Jason Krog scored and broke the shutout and cut the deficit down to only two goals.

But eight seconds later, Michal Handzus scored his third goal of the night for a hat-trick that blew the roof of the Staples Center as the sold out crowd celebrated like it was a playoff game.

Davis Drewiske earned the lone assist on Handzus' third goal of the night.

18,118 attended tonight's season opener for the Kings, who were greeted by a purple carpet outside of the arena as the players arrived for the pre-game team meeting.

Los Angeles held on to the 4-1 lead until the final minute when Ben Eager scored for Atlanta to once again cut the lead to two goals at 19:02.

But a few seconds later, Scott Parse added his first goal of the season at 19:08 to regain the three goal lead for the Kings and finish the game off in style with a 5-2 victory.

Making his first appearance as the Kings number two goaltender, Jonathan Bernier made 12 saves from 15 shots on goal.

Head coach Terry Murray spoke about Bernier's performance and his role as the number two netminder.

Quote:

"Johnny did a great job out there tonight, gave up some goals but regardless he did a great job tonight. I couldn't think of a better way to thank the fans for their loyalty than a win like this especially on opening night...As of right now, our plan is to have him play anywhere from 20-30 games this season obviously being the number two goaltender he's going to see some time on the bench but we expect him on the ice at least one during every week."

[kingalexander]

Quick Shuts Out Canucks Again



10/15/10

(Los Angeles, CA) -- The Los Angeles Kings hosted the Vancouver Canucks tonight, the second meeting between these two teams so far this year.

Their previous meeting ended with a 1-0 overtime win for the Kings, which many saw as retribution for last years playoffs where the Canucks eliminated the Kings in six games.

Los Angeles may have gained an edge in the growing rivalry with the Canucks as they once again earned a shutout victory, winning the game 3-0.


Jonathan Quick was in net for Los Angeles tonight who also earned the shutout in their season opener win over the Canucks last week. While on the other side, Roberto Luongo started in goal for Vancouver.

Drew Doughty got the early lead for the Kings in the first period with his second goal of the season at 2:24 with Willie Mitchell and Ryan Smyth earning the assists.

The 1-0 lead was locked in until the third period as Wayne Simmonds scored his first goal of the season at 11:41 to give the Kings a two goal advantage.

Justin Williams put the final nail in the coffin as he scored at 15:24 after taking the puck away from defenseman Kevin Bieksa and sprinted off on a breakaway for his first goal of the year.

The Kings held on to the 3-0 lead and went on to win the game, handing them their third win of the season.

Head coach Terry Murray spoke about the game tonight and the feeling of beating Vancouver once again.

Quote:

"The first win was sweet, but I think this win was even sweeter. We went out there and took control of the game, we showed our muscles out there, we can play with any team right now, and I have to say that it was a great win tonight for the guys, everyone played great. Quick was again tremendous in goal he's deserved both shutouts so far this year."

The Kings will continue their home stand as they host the Carolina Hurricanes in their next matchup before heading on the road to Phoenix.

[kingalexander]

Williams, Doughty lead Kings past Hurricanes



10/20/10

(Los Angeles, CA) -- The Los Angeles Kings ended a three game home stand perfectly as they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 in the only meeting between the two teams this season.

Justin Williams led the way as a playmaker instead of his usual role as a goalscorer as he earned three assists while defenseman Drew Doughty tallied a goal and an assist for the victory.

Cam Ward and Jonathan Quick started in goal for the 'Canes and Kings respectively, although Ward had a much more busier periods, especially during the first two.

Jack Johnson opened the scoring with his first of the year at 5:01 with Matt Greene and Justin Williams earning the assists as he took the role of a forward for a shift and snuck the puck past Ward low on the blocker side for the 1-0 lead.

Fellow defenseman Drew Doughty added his third of the season late in the period at 18:50 for a 2-0 advantage to Los Angeles.

The Kings added two more goals in the second period as halfway through, Michal Handzus scored his fourth goal of the season with enforcers Davis Drewiske and Rob Scuderi earning the assists on the third goal for Los Angeles.

Doughty earned his assist four minutes later at 14:40 with Brad Richardson scoring for a 4-0 lead for the Kings, who all but had the game in their pockets, despite Carolina continuing to try and find a way to jump back into the matchup.

They finally managed to break the shutout run in the third period as Eric Staal cut the deficit to three goals at 4:36.

But the Kings regained their four goal advantage a few minutes later with Alexei Ponikarovsky scoring his second goal of the year at 7:46 with Justin Williams earning his second assist of the night along with Jarret Stoll with his first point of the night.

Jiri Tlusty scored his first goal of the season at 10:44 to give the 'Canes a 4-2 deficit, and were clearly looking like they would jump back into the game.

But the top defensive work both by the blue line and Jonathan Quick in goal for the Kings held the Hurricanes off for the remainder of the game, and also ended up giving Los Angeles another goal at 19:23 for a counter attack run.

Jarret Stoll scored his second goal of the season on that counter attack, which saw Jack Johnson earned his second point of the game and Justin Williams his third assist of the night.

The Kings will now head to Phoenix tomorrow night where they will begin a five game road trip before coming back home.

Kings head coach Terry Murray has confirmed that backup Jonathan Bernier will start against the Coyotes.