Despite being mired in the Eastern Conference basement with the league’s worst road record, Kirk Muller’s bunch of hard-working Hurricanes had managed to amass a 3-0-0 record against the Northeast division-leading Boston Bruins thus far this year. “It seems like they bring out the best in us” said Cam Ward of the Black and Gold. Much to the dismay of the 17,565 that packed into TD Garden, that trend did not change on Thursday when the ‘Canes invaded TD Garden for the fourth and final showdown of the season for these two Eastern Conference foes. Backstopped by 47 saves from netminder Cam Ward, Carolina again bested the B’s, this time via a 3-0 shutout.

The ‘Canes would get on the board first as Jiri Tlusty would find a wide open Eric Staal in front after taking down Johnny Boychuk in the corner.  The Carolina Captain made no mistake, blasting it past Boston’s goaltender Tuukka Rask for his 12^th goal of the season. Despite an early Boston surge, including a 22-shot onslaught in the first frame, the ‘Canes stood their ground and entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

 ”As the period went on they got a lot of shots, took a lot of point shots, and Wardo (Cam Ward) was really sharp. And then we adjusted well after the first, tightening up defensively and limiting some of the shots, and then putting pucks in areas where we can get them back and create some offense at the other end. – Eric Staal

“To walk away out of the first period with a 1-0 lead, we felt good about that and improved our play in the second period.” – Cam Ward

In what became an unfortunate theme for Boston, the ‘Canes were able to cash in once again after a defensive zone breakdown by the B’s and extend their lead to 2-0 at the 16:41 mark of the second period. Completing a solid two-point night it was durable pivot Brandon Sutter who would tack on an insurance goal for Carolina when he went upstairs with a wrister on Rask after a beautiful centering feed from Tuomu Ruutu.

The three tallies would be more than enough for Cam Ward who was in top-form all night, denying each and every scoring chance that the Black and Gold could throw his way. The first overall selection in last year’s all-star game fantasy draft, Cam Ward has been absent from the national hockey scene for quite a while now. Often overlooked by many across the league – perhaps due to his playing in a non-traditional hockey market on a struggling team—Ward may be the most underrated goaltender in the league. The 27-year-old Saskatoon native admittedly felt great between the pipes tonight, and it showed in his 47-save shutout performance.

“I felt really comfortable. I felt like I was seeing the puck well and for the most part I was really happy with my rebound control and we had to get off to a good start because we know that they play extremely hard, especially in their building.” – Cam Ward

With the loss the B’s dropped their record to a pedestrian 6-5-1 since their 4-3 loss to Vancouver in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch back on January 7. B’s players have recognized the errors in their play over the past month and are aware of what they must do in order to right the ship. An especially disgruntled Shawn Thornton had this to say during his post-game media scrum:

“Not good enough, – same thing we’ve been talking about for the last however long. Absolutely fell asleep in the second period – not good enough at all. I don’t think we had everyone going again. Seems to be the same old story – we’re not that good that we can come out and go through the motions and expect to be successful. When we were on top of our game, it’s because everyone was working and that’s not happening right now.” – Shawn Thornton

That about sums it up for the way the B’s have been playing lately. It won’t get any easier for the Black and Gold as they prepare for weekend matinees with Malkin’s red-hot Penguins and Alex Ovechkin’s Caps.

KEY STATS

Goals–                CAR (3)   BOS (0)

Shots–                CAR (31)   BOS (47)

Power-Play–    CAR(0-4)   BOS (0-2)

Penalty-Kill–   CAR (2-2)   BOS (4-4)

Ben’s Three Stars….. 3.) Eric Staal …..2.) Brandon Sutter…..1.) Cam Ward

What’s Next?

Boston will finish up their current three-game home-stand on Saturday afternoon when they host the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden before heading to Washington for a Super Bowl Sunday Matinee with the Capitals. The Hurricanes will return home to the RBC Center for a Saturday evening tilt with Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings.

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Unfortunately for supporters of the Staples Center’s “other tenant” — and despite the trade rumors, no I do not mean the Clippers — , the Kings looked dreadful for most of the evening. A mere twenty-four hours after GM Dean Lombardi announced his decision to fire head coach Terry Murray, the Kings were unable to respond, and dropped their fifth game in a row. Shutout for the 3rd time this season, Los Angeles 29th ranked offense couldn’t get anything past a flawless Tuukka Rask en route to their fifth straight loss. Playing through a transitional period such as this, with high levels of uncertainty surrounding the team, it’s coaches and management obviously an understandably difficult task. However, Kings’ netminder and Milford, CT native Jonathan Quick was not making any excuses for his team on Tuesday night:

“There is a lot of stuff going on, but there is no excuse. You can’t take stuff like that and call it a distraction, use it as a reason not to win the game.” – Jonathan Quick

It was only 6:32 into the game that the B’s would take the lead as Rich Peverley cashed in a beauty of a feed from Zach Hamill for his fifth goal of the season. A relatively uneventful first period would come and go with some back and forth play by both squads, and the score remaining 1-0 Boston. At the 7:43 mark of the second frame, it was Boston’s impressive prowess in the face-off dot that paid huge dividends as Brad Marchand snapped one past Quick after a clean win in the circle by Patrice Bergeron. Often the most underrated aspect of Bergeron’s all-around game is his proficiency in the face-off circle, something Marchand certainly understands the importance of:

“He’s if not the best, one of the top in the league. He’s very consistent every night. He’s very, very strong on the draws and it’s huge for our team. The amount we start with the puck because of how well he is on draws is, it’s a big thing.” – Brad Marchand

Early in the third, some hard work and battling in the corners once again paid off for Boston’s second line, as Bergeron and Marchand connected for the second time of the night. In what some might describe as a “typical Marchand goal”, the 6’1” winger dangled the puck onto his backhand and slipped it passed a downed Jonathan Quick. Boston’s third goal turned out to be more than enough for Rask, who continued to dominate the Los Angeles forwards, shutting the door each and every time the Kings had a chance to get on the board.

After tonight’s shutout and Saturday’s win in relief, Rask has won six of his last eight decisions.

“Well he was good tonight, arguably our best player tonight. He got better as the game went on and I thought he did a good job the other night coming in and kind of settling himself in in the third period and then he just carried that into tonight.” – Claude Julien

On a night when the B’s were without the services of their ever reliable captain Zdeno Chara, the performance of their goaltender was undoubtedly the most crucial factor to victory. Tuukka’s 41-save shutout tonight most definitely goes along way to solidifying no. 40′s spot on this team and perhaps earns the 24-year-old Finn a bit more playing time than usual. Normally goaltenders do not see action in both games of a back-to-back set, but when asked who would be in the Boston net tomorrow evening, Head Coach Claude Julien jokingly replied “That’s none of your business.”

From The Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

LA Kings’ Jonathan Quick

KEY STATS

Goals–                       LAK (0)                BOS (3)

Shots–                       LAK (41)              BOS (22)

Power-Play–           LAK (0-5)           BOS (0-3)

Penalty-Kill–           LAK (3-3)             BOS (5-5)

• Three Stars– ….. 3.) Rich Peverley ….. 2.) Brad Marchand ….. 1.) Tuukka Rask

What’s Next?

It’ll be another quick turnaround for the Bruins as they will depart the Hub late Tuesday night on a flight to Ottawa. The Black and Gold are slated for a Wednesday evening contest against the Senators at ScotiaBank Place. The Kings will continue their four-game eastern swing as they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday at the Nationwide Arena.

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Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Caron–Hamill–Thornton

DEFENSE

Seidenberg–Boychuk

Kampfer–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Rask

Thomas

Scratches– ….. Chara (Leg–OUT), Paille (Concussion — GTD), Campbell (Lower Body–OUT)

– Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

NEWS & NOTES

– In net for Boston tonight will be their 24-year-old Finn Tuukka Rask, who steeped in o relieve Tim Thomas who allowed 3 goals in two periods in Columbus on Saturday. B’s head coach Claude Julien noted this morning that Thomas will be in net tomorrow night when the Black and Gold visit the Ottawa Senators at ScotiaBank Place. On the other side of the ice is Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick. The UMass-Amherst product has been an absolute workhorse for the Crowns this season, starting 23 of his team’s 29 games.

– One day after firing head coach Terry Murray, the Kings will be playing their first game under the direction of interim bench boss John Stevens. Stevens takes the reigns amid rampant speculation that Kings’ GM and Ludlow, MA native Dean Lombardi has eyed former Flames’ coach Darryl Sutter for a possible hiring. Tonight’s game could very well be both the first and the last game for John Stevens as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

– Bruins’ agitator and beloved sports figure in the city of Boston Brad Marchand was today fined $2,500 by the NHL’s discipline committee on the heels of his slew footing of Penguins’ defenseman Matt Niskanen last Monday night in Pittsburgh. Coach Claude Julien denounced such actions, stating  “I want him to be a good brat, not a bad brat”.

– Former Philadelphia Flyers’ captain Mike Richards will be making his first appearance in the Hub since being dealt to Los Angeles this past June, in a deal that sent Wayne Simmonds, and top prospect Brayden Schenn back to Broad Street. Skating on the Kings’ second line this season, the 5’11″ native of Kenora, Ontario has posted 11-9-20 splits in 25 games of action.

From The Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

B’s Captain Chara Speaks For The First Time Since Being Injured

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Goaltender Jimmy Howard has been the best player on the team so far this season and is sporting an 10-5-1 record with a 1.85 goals against average with a .930 save percentage. With the exception of Thursday’s game in San Jose, Howard has kept the Red Wings in every game that he has played in.

Johan Franzen leads the team in points with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points and is tied with Ian White with a +8 on the team. Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk are tied with the team lead in assists with 11 each.

With four goals and five assists to show for his efforts, Henrik Zetterberg is trying to follow Datsyuk’s lead as he tries to shrug off his slow start. Zetterberg could blow up anytime soon. His highlight goal in yesterday’s game in Anaheim could be the beginning.

After finishing the homestand with four straight wins, the Detroit Red Wings looked to keep up the momentum on their four-game road trip beginning with a stop in St.Louis.  They did so without one of their key members of the defense as Ian White didn’t accompany the team due to a broken cheekbone.

Game 16: Detroit Red Wings 1  St. Louis Blues 2

The Red Wings left their “A” game at the Joe Louis Arena  and saw their four-game winning streak end, losing to the Blues 2-1.  The Blues beat the Red Wings at their own game, most notably a 0 for 6 on the power-play. The Blues got 21 saves from Brian Elliott and goals from Matt D’Agostini and Alex Steen.  The Red Wings had a scare when Niklas Kronwall was hit from behind and went head-first into the boards by Chris Stewart, who got a three-game suspension in result.

Game 17: Detroit Red Wings 2  San Jose Sharks 5

The Red Wings started off guns blazing as they fired 17 shots at Sharks’ goalie Antti Niemi in the first period. With 12 seconds left in the first period, the Red Wings gave the Sharks a gift as Joe Pavelski scored a short-handed goal to tie the game at 1-1, and it was all downhill from there.  The Sharks scored three goals in the second period as they took a bite out of the Red Wings 5-2 at the HP Pavilion.  Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the Sharks with a goal and three assists finishing with a +5 while Joe Thornton and Brad Winchester each had a goal and an assist.  The game also marked the debut of Red Wings’ top prospect defenseman Brendan Smith who finished with a -2, but showed plenty of poise and held himself very well.

Game 18: Detroit Red Wings 4  Los Angeles Kings 1

Pavel Datsyuk ended his 12-game scoring slump by scoring twice, while Jimmy Howard stopped 23 shots for his 10th win of the season, including stopping Anze Kopitar on a penalty shot, turning the tide in the Red Wings’ favor.  It was the second straight game that the Red Wings scored two power play goals in consecutive games.  Niklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader also scored for the Red Wings, while rookie Brendan Smith got his first NHL point on an assist on the goal by Abdelkader.  The game also marked the return of Todd Bertuzzi who missed the last six games with a sinus infection and swelling in his ear.

Game 19: Detroit Red Wings 4 Anaheim Ducks 2

The Detroit Red Wings got two goals from defenseman Brad Stuart, while Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen scored the other goals as they left SoCal with two wins.  Jimmy Howard, once again, was stellar between the pipes as he made 23 saves for the win.  Most of those save were huge, especially robbing Bobby Ryan late in the first period and Devante Smith-Pelly midway through the second period. Brendan Smith got his second NHL point on an assist to Zetterberg’s goal in the first period.

Red Wings Three Stars Of The Week:

Pavel Datsyuk-two goals, three assists, +3

Niklas Kronwall-two goals, one assist, +2

Johan Franzen-one goal, three assists, +1

Team Transactions:

November 19: F Todd Bertuzzi was activated from injured reserve while D Ian White was placed on  the seven-day injured reserve.

This week’s games:

The Red Wings return home for a rematch with the Calgary Flames at the Joe Louis Arena.  Before the game, Mickey Redmond and Mark Howe will be honored as they were recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.  This Friday afternoon, the Red Wings travel to “Beantown” for their Thanksgiving Showdown with the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden and they finish off the week the next night back at The Joe, hosting the Nashville Predators.

After his two-goal performance against the L.A. Kings, Pavel Datsyuk is all smiles. Photo by Dan 4th.

The gorilla is now off of Pavel Datsyuk’s back as his 12-game scoring drought is over. Datsyuk’s two goals and Jimmy Howard’s 23 saves led the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.

The win also snaps the five-game losing streak on the road for the Red Wings (10-7-1), which was their longest since 1987.

At first, it looked as if the Red Wings’ play would lapse over from Thursday in San Jose as they trailed 1-0 as Mike Richards (not Jerry’s Seinfeld’s pal Kramer) scored a shorthanded goal early in the first period.  Jiri Hudler missed the pass that was won on the face-off by Henrik Zetterberg and Richards beat Hudler for the puck and went in alone to beat Howard with a backhand.

The lead was all of 37 seconds as the Red Wings continued the attack on the power play when Datsyuk scored to end his 12-game scoring drought.  Nicklas Lidstrom ripped a shot from the point that was tipped-in by Tomas Holmstrom as it was stopped by Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick, but Datsyuk put in the rebound to tie the game.

The Red Wings got a 2-1 lead on the power play as Tomas Holmstrom, who was behind the Kings’ cage, found an open Niklas Kronwall, who was in the slot with Kings’ players between him and beat Quick with a tip-in.  Kronwall’s goal was also the eventual game clincher.

The deciding moment of the game came when Anze Kopitar went in on Howard, but Brad Stuart dove to poke the puck away giving the officials’ a (or no) reason to award Kopitar a penalty shot.  Puck met the Glove as Howard stopped Kopitar, keeping the game 2-1.  There was a big “Whew” after the save on Kopitar.

Justin Abdelkader scored the insurance goal for the Red Wings on a wrist shot.  Brendan Smith joined in on a 2-on-1 and tipped the puck over to Abdelkader, beating Quick on a wrist-shot.  Datsyuk scored the final goal with 4:54 left in the game as he put in a snap-shot.

This game was a must-win for the Red Wings, who were in a funk for the past two games.  Howard recovered from Thursday’s game in San Jose as he played great and made some great saves.  The save on Kopitar’s penalty shot also charged up the team who played relentlessly.

A big plus for the Red Wings was that they solved Jonathan Quick, who’s arguably one of the top goalies in the NHL.  Quick owned the Red Wings last season with a 3-1 record with a .932 save percentage, including a 51-save shutout at T”he Joe”.

Congratulations to Brendan Smith as he got his first NHL point on an assist to Justin Abdelkader’s goal in the third period.  Smith played a lot more relaxed and showed why he was the Red Wings’ first round pick in 2007.  Smith has so much upside to his game, he has the potential to be a bigger version of Kronwall.

Pavel Datsyuk has to have a boost of confidence tonight after his two-goal performance.  It’s now Henrik Zetterberg’s turn to find a way to light the lamp as he had found the net once in his last 10 games.

Todd Bertuzzi was off the injured reserve list and inserted into today’s lineup after missing the last six games with sinus infection and swelling on his ear. In his place, defenseman  Ian White was placed on the injured-reserve from the injury to his right cheekbone last Saturday against Dallas.

The Red Wings play their final game of their four-game road trip tomorrow night against a familiar team in the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.  On November 5th, the Red Wings ended their six-game losing streak against the Ducks with a 5-0 win at the Joe Louis Arena.  The Ducks are on a three-game losing streak and are sitting in last place in the Pacific Division.

The Ducks are led by another ageless European star in Teemu Selanne.  He currently leads the team in scoring with six goals and 12 assists in 18 games.  Even though Selanne’s found the fountain of youth, the team’s other stars are suffering from scoring slumps as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan have netted a combined 16 goals this season.

It’s a perfect opportunity for the Red Wings to press the foot on the accelerator.

Hello again, and welcome to Part II of my 4-Part NHL season preview.  In part I, I gave you all my Eastern Conference Predictions. In part 2, I will give you my predictions for the Western Conference.  I will approach these predictions a bit differently than I did those for the Eastern Conference. Today, I will give some strengths and weaknesses of each of the 8 playoff teams out west. I will be upfront here in saying that I do not usually follow the Western Conference as much as I do the East, over the course of the season, so many of you may have differing opinions here. Like always, feel free to chime in with your opinions below.

1) Vancouver Canucks

Strengths:

The defending conference champs return in 2011-12 as without a doubt one of the clear-cut contenders for a Stanley Cup. Arguably the deepest team, top to bottom in the entire NHL, the Canucks will once again be lead by former Hart trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Ryan Kesler returning to full health will also be a welcome sight for Vancouver’s offense.  Perhaps the biggest strength of the Canucks, will be the retribution factor. The Canucks’ were so close to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, they could taste it. They always say that a team must learn how to lose, before you can learn how to win;  and in 2010-11 , the Vancouver Canucks sure learned how to lose.

Weaknesses:

Truth be told, there isn’t much to put here. The loss of puck-moving defenseman Christian Ehrhoff will undoubtedly play a role in the Canucks’ success in 2011-12. However, a team that employed 9 NHL-quality defensemen in 2010-11, a replacement should not be hard to find. The only real question mark in Vancouver, is the ability of star goaltender Roberto Luongo to bounce back from a rough finish to the post-season of 2011. But even if Roberto is to falter, young Cory Schneider will be ready and willing to carry the load.

2) Los Angeles Kings

Strengths:

The popular favorite in the West, is without a doubt the LA Kings. After losing out on key free agents Ilya Kovalchuk and Brad Richards over the past two summers, GM Dean Lombardi opted to pull the trigger on a trade sending Wayne Simmonds and  uber-prospect Brayden Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for  former Flyer-captain Mike Richards. Richards should make an immediate impact on the LA roster, and provide perhaps the best 1-2 punch at center, along with all-star pivot Anze Kopitar.

Weaknesses:

While the addition of Mike Richards went a long way to solidifying the Kings 2nd line, the team’s lack of depth after the top 2 lines is perhaps the team’s biggest achilles heel. Beyond Richards, Kopitar, Williams and Stoll, the Kings lack much skill on the offensive end. In order to be successful in 2011-12, the Kings will need improved production from the likes of Kyle Clifford and Brad Richardson.

3) Chicago Blackhawks

Strengths:

The 2010 Stanley Cup Champions are perhaps the deepest team in the entire NHL. Led by stars, the likes of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Pat Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp, the Blackhawks will be back and looking for a return to the Cup Finals. Look for Chicago to once again be near the top in the Western Conference for most of 2011-12.

Weaknesses:

After making some solid depth acquisitions this offseason, the Blackhawks only true weakness entering 2011-12 is the play of young goaltender Corey Crawford. While Crawford did have an excellent rookie season, it is unclear whether or not he can continue his strong play, going forward. The sophmore slump can be a huge issue in hockey, and it will be critical to the Blackhawks success, that Crawford is able to battle through.

4) San Jose Sharks

Strengths:

Scoring. San Jose is one of few teams that can legitimately run 3 very productive offensive units. The addition of Brent Burns will also significantly help out on the back end, and go along way to replacing Rob Blake as an offensive force from the blueline, who retired last summer.

Weaknesses:

The swap of Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat will be sure to pay dividends for San Jose in the post-season , but it is unclear whether or not Havlat can produce at the same rate as Heatley can, during the regular season. However, on a team with Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick  Marleau and Ryan Clowe, I am sure goal scoring should not be an issue.

5) Detroit Red Wings

Strengths:

With Captain Nicklas Lidstrom returning for what looks to be like 1 final year in the league, 2011-12 looks like it’ll be Detroit’s last crack at the Cup for  a few years. Look to the Red Wings to rely on top end talent and a bevy of experience to lift them to the top of the Western Conference.

Weaknesses:

Perhaps the only weakness of the Red Wings, is age, and with age, comes a proneness to injuries. Star pivot Pavel Datsyuk missed most of 2010-11 with a wrist injury, but looks to be 100% entering training camp. However, if the Wings want to succeed in 2011-12, they must get key contributions from younger depth players.

6) Nashville Predators

Strengths:

The biggest strength, of a cash-strapped Nashville squad, is none other than the man standing behind the bench, Barry Trotz. Trotz, arguably the best coach in the game, always finds a way to get his Nashville team to over-achieve and get into the post-season.

Weaknesses:

Uncertainty over the futures of the big 3; Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, and Pekka Rinne, will surely cause a stir in Nashville, as the season draws on. It will be up to those 3 all-stars to put away thoughts of contracts and focus on hockey, if Nahville wants to once again be a playoff team, in 2011-12.

7)  Anaheim Ducks

Strengths:

The RPG line is unquestionably the most dynamic scoring line in hockey, and will once again be relied upon to provide most of the Ducks’ offense. The RPG line is perhaps the only line in hockey that can truly carry a team to the playoffs.

Weaknesses:

The biggest knock on the Ducks, is that they are a very top-heavy squad. Beyond the RPG line, there really aren’t many reliable offensive forwards on the Anaheim roster. Also, beyond Lubomir Visnovsky and budding superstar Cam Fowler, there isn’t a whole lot of depth on the Ducks’ blueline. Also, concerns over the health of goaltender Jonas Hiller will be huge in determining the Ducks’ success in 2011-12.

8) Columbus Blue Jackets

Strengths:

The Blue Jackets have finally found a true #1 center to play along side Rick Nash. It is my belief, that given the chance to play with a legit play-making pivot, Rick Nash can be one of the top-5 players in all of hockey. He is mean, nasty, big, strong, has a fantastic shot, and really knows how to finish. He has now been given that opportunity, thanks to GM Scott Howson’s acquisition of Jeff Carter.

Weaknesses:

The biggest issue for Columbus is their depth, or lack there of. There really aren’t many proven NHL defenders on this roster. The addition of James Wisniewski will do wonders for the Jackets’ Power-Play, however, beyond Wiz, I do not see much strength on that blueline.

9) St Louis Blues

10) Minnesota Wild

11) Calgary Flames

12) Edmonton Oilers

13) Phoenix Coyotes

14) Dallas Stars

15) Colorado Avalanche

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Considering how the last series went against a team from southern California, there should be no lack of flare and maybe this brings the rivalry between the teams to the next level as it did with the Sharks and Ducks two years ago. There’s a rivalry between the teams but it never seemed to hit its stride because both teams have rarely been good at the same time.

There was no “easy” match-ups in the Western Conference and though people will point to the Kings missing leading scorer Anze Kopitar this will be far from a cake-walk for the Sharks. If you look at the way the Kings are built, they may be one of the teams that are well-suited for taking on this kind of disadvantage.

Jonathan Quick has had a terrific season in net and the defense in front of him from top to bottom is one of the best in the entire league. As valuable as Kopitar is to the Kings, would it have the same impact as the Sharks losing someone like Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau for a series? Probably not.

The Kings play lock-down defense so they’re somewhat prepared to compensate for losing a leading scorer and if anything it may make their defense stingier because they know what they do well and they’ll focus on it even more now.

Here’s a look at some interesting things to keep an eye on:

Antti Niemi vs. Jonathan Quick: The goal-tending battles have been cause of the Sharks demise many years running. Many people believe that Evgeni Nabokov got the Sharks as far as they were going to go with him in net because he was consistently outplayed in series by the opponents goaltenders even if the Sharks won the series (eg. Craig Anderson with Colorado last season). Both goalies had awesome regular seasons but Niemi has the long playoff run experience, it will be interesting to see if he has the capability to take this team where he took Chicago last season.

Secondary scoring: The Kings will rely on depth scoring with Kopitar out and Justin Williams getting his first action just off an injury. There’s plenty of guys on the team who can score, its just a matter of who will. The verdict is still out on how whether this group of defensemen is good enough to win a cup. There is depth, Kent Huskins is injured, but the defense still goes a good seven deep with Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray, Jason Demers, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Ian White, Niclas Wallin and Justin Braun although Braun and White have never played in the playoffs.

The more intriguing situation is the Sharks forwards vs. the Kings defense. In the past they have been one-line ponies. Stop one line, stop the Sharks offense. This season the stars are spread out and the Sharks have three lines that can score and over the last month, the Sharks supposed “third line” of Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Wellwood has been its best. But last season the Sharks ran into arguably the best assembled group of defensemen in the playoffs for the Blackhawks. The Kings’ Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene and Alec Martinez provide just about everything you’d want from a group of six on the back end.

Adversity theory: The Sharks are perennial playoff contenders and Stanley Cup favorites. They always disappoint after stellar regular seasons. This year didn’t get off to the same start but who’s to say that’s a bad thing. They had to fight in a semi-desperation mode ever since the end of January and maybe that’s a good thing. There’s no lulling into the playoffs this year and no easy tests along the way being in a division that could have had all five teams make the playoffs. Despite finishing second in the conference they still flew somewhat under-the-radar thanks to the dominance of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Sharks once again have the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong. It’ll always be about the playoffs for this team regardless of how the regular season goes. To get where they want they have to go through at least one cross-state rival and then we’ll see where that leaves the team. Here’s to a great all-California series!

Extras

Nice to see all three teams from California make the playoffs as well. It’s another step in building up the sport in a state where it still isn’t necessarily recognized as much. Maybe seeing one of these teams succeed helps make hockey an option for kids growing up in the state.

All three teams have great teams and organizations and are set up to be good for the foreseeable future based on the young talent on each team. The Sharks have become models of consistency in the regular season, the Kings are past the up-and-coming label and belong in the playoffs and the Ducks have been to a pair of Stanley Cups – winning one – in the last decade.

Some thoughts from tonight’s game…

I thought the first goal and the third goal for the Kings were soft. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne opened the five hole and Anze Kopitar took advantage for the Kings first tally on only their second shot of the game. This is a goal that Rinne cannot give up. On the third goal, Rinne left the short side post and Wayne Simmonds took advantage. Both goals were atypical for Rinne and created a hole out of which the Predators could not climb.

The Kings second goal by Alec Martinez was a classic case of a defenseman on a 2 on 1 getting caught in no man’s land. Jonathan Blum did not take the shooter or close off the passing lane. Martinez took a nice pass from Dustin Brown and buried the shot to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Blum has to commit to stopping that pass, and he was betwixt and between and did not. Rinne had no chance on the shot from Martinez.

Although the Predators outshot the Kings 32-18, many of the shots were from the perimeter and Kings netminder Jonathan Bernier had a lot of clear looks at the puck. Bernier is a good goalie, but the Predators make him look very good.

The Predators puck support in the offensive zone was awful. Most of the night, the puck carrier was outnumbered and had no one supporting. This oftentimes thwarted any offensive effort by the Predators.

The Kings size absolutely ground up the Predators. I spoke with Head Coach Barry Trotz earlier this season, and the smallish size of the Predators forwards was a concerned for him. Tonight, we saw what happens when a team with size and skill takes on the Predators. The Kings controlled the puck for stretches at ta time in the offensive zone and the choked off the Predators in the neutral zone and trying to enter the offensive zone. The Predators did not match up well against the size of the Kings and could not generate any offensive flow throughout the night.

This is the most important week of the Predators season. They MUST get points in their next three contests or they will find themselves in an unenviable position of being too far back to climb back into the playoff race. This means that the young players on the roster are going to have to grow up fast. Unfortunately for the Predators, they have some passengers right now. Colin Wilson, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mike Fisher are going to have to start producing. Wilson has been invisible, as has Fisher. Kostitsyn has gone cold. These guys are going to have to produce if this team is going to make the playoffs.

Good to see J.P. Dumont back in the lineup and get a goal tonight. The negative aspect is that Joel Ward was scratched after the pre-skate with an undisclosed lower body injury. We will need Wardo back quickly.

The best forwards on the ice were Marty Erat and Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist brings it every night, and his compete level is tops on the team. We need more players competing like Hornqvist.

This is a big test for the leadership of Shea Weber. A great leader will take the team and light them up and get them motivated to compete. This is especially important for a team that has a roster full of young players. Shea has to embrace his leadership role and bring this team up to another level for them to be successful.

This team has to regroup and get ready to bring it Thursday night against the Bruins. It goes without saying that the points are critical. This team has to play with desperation and intensity on every shift. Fail to do so and you can make a mid-April tee time. This is the time for everyone on the team to lay it all on the line. This is the playoffs for the Predators.

It’s time to find out what you are made of; it’s time to find out how badly you want it.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Bernier

2. Anze Kopitar

3. Jonathan Blum

You can click here: 2011 NHL All-Star rosters to see the players that will participate in this year’s All-Star game in Raleigh, NC.

James had the first pick and promptly chose Team Eric Staal, so I got Team Lidstrom. His alternate captains named by the NHL are Ryan Kesler and Mike Green, while mine are Martin St. Louis and Patrick Kane.

Below you will find our mock draft picks and the projected lines for the game.

Team Staal projected line-up:

Line combos:
Alex Ovechkin-Eric Staal-Rick Nash
Steven Stamkos-Jonathan Toews-Paul Stastny
Matt Duchene-Ryan Kesler-Jeff Skinner
Patrick Elias-Claude Giroux-Phil Kessel

Defensive Pairings
Zdeno Chara-Duncan Keith
Shea Weber-Mike Green
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle

Goalies:
1st Period: Cam Ward
2nd Period: Marc-Andre Fleury
3rd Period: Carey Price

Team Lidstrom project line-up:

Line combos:
Daniel Sedin-Henrik-Sedin-Martin St. Louis
Loui Eriksson-Brad Richards-Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp-Anze Kopitar-Corey Perry
David Backes-Danny Briere-Martin Havlat

Defensive pairings:
Kris-Letang-Nicklas Lidstrom
Keith Yandle-Dustin Byfuglien
Brent Burns-Erik Karlssson

Goalies:
1st period: Tim Thomas
2nd period: Jonas Hiller
3rd period: Henrik Lundqvist

Forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Henrik Zetterberg, Jarome Iginla and Ales Hemsky, as well as defenseman Tobias Enstrom will miss the All-Star week-end due to personal reasons or injury.

The 2011 NHL All-Star draft will be aired on Friday January 28th at 8PM, while the Super Skills will be on Saturday January 28th at 7PM Eastern time. The All-Star game will be played on Sunday January 29th at 4PM Eastern time.

You can also follow me on Twitter for updates on the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL in general.

Who knew there would be such a high demand for NHL castoffs who become KHL castoffs?

First Marek Svatos packed up his game and crossed the Atlantic to play for the St. Louis Blues. He didn’t survive the waiver wire as the Nashville Predators claimed the former 30 goal scorer. With the San Jose Sharks claiming Kyle Wellwood the Blues are now 0-for-2 bringing in support for their injury depleted roster.

While Wellwood is far from the Blues saving grace, the loss still stings.

Over $6 million in payroll is sitting on IR due to concussions instead of on the ice scoring goals. The need is great and all options are worth exploring. Wellwood’s abilities in the circle and potential to bolster a sluggish power play could have been effective gap filling production.

Instead Doug Armstrong is left continuing his season long searching for offensive assistance.

Hopefully the waiver rules get a healthy review and update in the next CBA. The consequences of the current cap system stifling the trade market for “haves” and “have nots” alike appears to be adversely affecting the waiver system.

Welcome Back TJ Oshie

One SMALL bit of good news today was that TJ Oshie has been activated from IR and will play tonight against the LA Kings. Since fracturing his ankle in a scrum against Columbus on November 10th he has missed 31 games.

Virtually the undisputed spark plug of the lineup, Oshie has been sorely missed. His ability to come out of traffic with the puck in tow and make a play is the main catalyst missing from the Blues attack. He may be a bit rusty in his first game back, but his compete level will be contagious.

Look for Oshie to play right wing on a line with Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund.

Quick Hits vs LA

Blues Lines should will likely look like very similar with a few tweaks.

Alex Steen – David Backes – Matt D’Agostini
Vladimir Sobotka – Patrik Berglund – T.J. Oshie
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement- Ryan Reaves
B.J. Crombeen – Phi McRae – Brad Boyes

Barret Jackman – Roman Polak
Eric Brewer – Erik Johnson
Carlo Colaiacovo – Alex Pietrangelo

Jaroslav Halak will start in net.

- Look for the Jackman – Polak pairing to see a lot of Anze Kopitar. He leads the Kings with 16 goals and 47 points in 43 games.

- One area of game play to keep an eye on, crashing the crease. Can the Blues keep the Kings out and can they get inside on the Kings?

- Jonathan Quick will go for the Kings. He did not have a solid game against the Blues last Thursday in LA. Allowing three goals on 21 shots. Halak bested the US Olympian by stopping 24 of 25 shots.

- Blues beat writer Lou Korac also had some insight in to LA’s lines in his Gameday blog.

Ryan Smyth – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Marco Sturm – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford – Brad Richardson – Trevor Lewis
Alexei Ponikarovsky – Michal Handzus – Kevin Westgarth

Rob Scuderi – Drew Doughty
Jack Johnson – Willie Mitchell
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

The 7-4 loss to the Ducks was a perpetuation of the same trends miring the Blues below the waterline. Great stretches of play where little playing was to be found. Far too many passengers on the highway to h-e-double hockey sticks. As in the previous four failures, the difference of one period’s play made the difference.

As stern payback by the (Mighty) Ducks for the walloping they were given back in October. Then the Blues took a page out of Anaheim’s playbook. The game may have been “lost” but they wouldn’t be pushed around. Between the 13:47 and 17:22 mark of the third four fights erupted. Ending up in 62 PIMs in less than 5 minutes time and a 78 total for the game.

Better late than never to receive the message?

The hot tempered actions didn’t boil over to Thursday’s affair in LA. Instead the energy carried over in to controlled emotion and renewed confidence. Aside from the first quarter of the second period, confidence snowballed in to execution. Those in white sweaters looked to be on strings attached to the fingers of Davis Payne. Whatever the course of action taken, it was generally the decision Payne’s system calls for. As it has before, adherence to the code of play defined by the bench boss as “St. Louis Blues hockey”, produced results.

Will this third hard lesson be the one that sinks in? Won’t know till Saturday in San Jose.

Back to Back Quick Hits

- Ty Conklin stopped 17 of 24 shots against Anaheim. The 5th time in 9 starts, 6th time overall, Conks has allowed 4 goals or more in a game this season. Jonas Hiller stopped 30 of 34 Blues shots.

- Jaroslav Halak was rock solid against LA. Facing 25 shots and turning away 24. Kudos to Halak for taking his beatings. The Kings were in his crease several times causing trouble. There was one instance where around 8 or 9 skaters were in the crease and the officals refused to blow the play dead. Protect the goaltender? Jonathan Quick was far from solid. He looked uncomfortable handling the puck all night and allowed 3 goals on 21 shots.

- Once again David Backes was the top performer for the Blues. Netting 2 goals and registering 8 shots in the two tilts. Worth noting that after another slow start he is pacing for a 27 goal campaign and has a legitimate shot at 30 goals and 70 points

- The Peoria Line, comprised of Chris Porter, Phil McRae and Ryan Reaves, formed a respectable trio. Reaves scored once in each game and McRae picked up his first NHL point assisting on Reaves game winning goal in LA.

- The pairings were shuffled against LA, reuniting Barret Jackman and Roman Polak. Those two, as well as Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson, did a good job of matching up against the Anze Kopitar line. Kopitar ended with 5 shots and 10 attempts, but was denied time and space to rev up his engine. Backes’ deserves some credit there as well.

- Totals on the draw: 58 won – 57 lost. Jay McClement was a solid 16 for 28. McRae was 10 for 11.

- Alex Pietrangelo keeps getting better. The rust from his shoulder injury seems to have been brushed off as he posted 2 assists and a Plus-3 for the set. He was Even against the Ducks. Erik Johnson is also improving. Picking up an assist in each game as well and a Plus-3 rating. He was a Plus-2 in the 3 goal differential loss to Anaheim. Against LA one several offensive zone draws Payne put both EJ and Petro on the ice. That combination lead to two goals.

- Brad Winchester continued his solid play. He is one of a few who have grabbed ahold of opportunity recently. As has Matt D’Agostini.

- Brad Boyes and Alex Steen pursued the puck and worked the corner boards very well to set up the third goal Thursday. That type of play hasn’t been seen much since David Perron and TJ Oshie went out. Those two are masters of attacking the puck carrier, working down low to create space to come out and get pucks to the net. Boyes has points in 4 straight with Thursday’s assist on Steen’s goal.

Bluenotes

The Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen fell to the Oklahoma City Barons 7-2. While it ended their winning streak at five, they have a chance at redemption as the two square off again Friday night. The Rivermen are 25-11-2-1 in 39 games. Leading the AHL’s Western Conference with 53 points. There is a feeling that this club can make a legitimate run at a Calder Cup. Such a playoff run would be a big boost to the relatively inexperience prospects composing much of the roster.

Credit first year coach Jared Bednar with the success. He has really mixed youth with veteran additions like captain Dean Arsene, Nathan Oystrick, Graham Mink and David Spina. Credit also goes to the Blues top goalending prospects, Jake Allen and Ben Bishop, who are backstopping the Rivermen. Allen is 15-4-0-5 with a 2.04 GAA and .937 save percentage. Bishop’s record is 10-9-1-2 with a 2.44 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Reports are true that as many as 16 scouts were at the last Rivermen game. While the rumor mill loves to spin and will surely land on the section marked “trades are coming”, don’t put much in to it. So many were in attendance because it was a Thursday game. The scouts will likely move on to Rockford, Chicago, Milwaukee, “near by” teams, for the weekend. It’s a logistics issue. Don’t get carried away.

Per Andy Strickland, Defenseman Ian Cole has been recalled from Peoria. He will join the team in San Jose and likely play Saturday against the Sharks. Meaning either Tyson Strachan or Eric Brewer is out.

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

Past winners since 2000-2001:
2000–01 John Madden New Jersey Devils C
2001–02 Michael Peca New York Islanders C
2002–03 Jere Lehtinen Dallas Stars RW
2003–04 Kris Draper Detroit Red Wings C
2004–05 NHL lockout – No winner
2005–06 Rod Brind’Amour Carolina Hurricanes C
2006–07 Rod Brind’Amour Carolina Hurricanes C
2007–08 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C
2008–09 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C
2009–10 Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings C

The following criteria were taking into account while compiling the list:
Points
+/- ratio (no players with a minus rating figure on the list)
Giveaways (subtracted)
Takeaways
Short-handed time on ice/game (minimum 1:45 SH TOI/game or three 35-second shifts on the penalty kill)

As a result some players were left out of the list such as Pavel Datsyuk (0:57), Derek Roy (1:27), Jeff Carter (1:00), Loui Eriksson (1:39), Nicklas Backstrom (1:24) and Alexander Semin (1:32) despite strong stats in the other categories. However, they can still make the list below if their short-handed time on ice/game increases until the end of the current campaign.

Player Team Points Plus/Minus Giveaways Takeaways SH TOI/Game Total
1. J. Toews CHI 24 6 12 31 2.25 51.25
2. M. Richards PHI 28 11 14 23 2.38 50.38
3. B. Ryan ANA 23 9 12 21 1.56 42.56
4. T. Plekanec MTL 25 7 9 17 2.43 42.43
5. A. Kopitar LA 24 4 14 23 2.12 39.12
6. A. Ladd ATL 27 1 5 14 1.51 38.51
7. R. Kesler VAN 17 3 7 22 2.24 37.24
8. A. Tanguay CAL 23 3 9 16 1.50 34.50
9. RJ Umberger CBS 19 9 7 11 2.26 34.26
10. C. Giroux PHI 25 4 10 12 2.35 33.35
11. D. Krejci BOS 16 9 2 8 1.56 32.56
12. B. Morrison CAL 16 2 10 21 1.47 30.47
13. M. Koivu MIN 20 3 20 25 1.48 29.48
14. J. Halpern MTL 14 9 3 5 2.36 27.36
15. D. Backes STL 17 5 7 10 1.59 26.59
16. M. Hossa CHI 18 4 17 20 1.54 26.54
17. B. Laich WAS 18 8 12 10 2.27 26.27
18. L. Korpikoski PHX 13 7 5 8 2.53 25.53
19. D. Cleary DET 18 4 7 7 1.58 23.58
20. S. Horcoff EDM 15 4 13 15 2.12 23.12

No surprise to see players like Toews, Richards, Kesler and Hossa among the leaders are they are well-known for their defensive abilities, but players like Jeff Halpern, Lauri Korpikowski and Brendan Morrison are surprisingly good defensively while providing some offensive for their respective teams.

Which player(s) surprise listed above surprise you the most? And why?

You can also follow me on Twitter for more fantasy information!

Difference Makers, Hiding in the Shadows

Here is a quick look at ten players who may wind up making the difference for their respective teams this season.

RW. Nikita Filatov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Jackets hope Filatov can help them crack the playoffs this year

Although his rookie season was eventually marred by a disagreement with then-head coach Ken Hitchcock, ultimately resulting in Filatov returning to Russia in order to get more ice-time, the Blue Jackets 1st round pick(6th overall) from the 2008 Draft is back in Columbus, ready to make an impact. With new coach Scott Howson in place and the franchise welcoming Nikita back with open arms, the 20 year old is already earning top minutes on the team’s 2nd line and top power play unit. Skating alongside fellow Jacket 1st round picks, Jacob Varocuk and Derrick Brassard, Filatov will be counted upon to bolster the offense in order to get Columbus back into the playoff picture. Gifted hands and great vision, he is going to be granted all the time and space he needs to grow his game. If his mature attitude can carry over to the ice, Columbus may not be as tame as many believe them to be.

Nikita Filatov HockeyDB.com

RW. Jiri Hudler, Detroit Red Wings

Hudler's return will only further boost a deep and dangerous Wings lineup

A regular for the Wings from ‘06-07 to ‘08-09, Jiri Hudler was on his way to becoming a fixture on the Red Wings top 6, missing only 7 games during that 3 year span and collecting 51 goals and 124 points. Unfortunately for Jiri and the Red Wings salary cap restrictions compromised the team’s ability to resign the winger in the summer of 2009 and eventually led to Hudler spending a year in Russia, with Detroit’s blessing, of course. Although there were fears his game could regress in the KHL, Hudler racked up 54 points in 54 games for Moscow Dynamo, apparently not missing a beat. A year layer and still on Detroit’s radar, a contract was quietly ironed out and the Wings 58th overall pick from the 2002 Draft was brought back into the fold. Not only is Hudler back with the Wings, but of all the players returning from Europe, he has the best chemistry with his current team-mates and as a member of such a deep team, will have a great shot of having a career year. With Detroit having restocked for another shot at the Cup, Hudler is going to be one of the key difference makers who will benefit from the Wings depth and talent. With the opportunity to skate with a Datsyuk, Filppula or Modano, Mike Babcock appears poised to get the most out of his lineup once again, especially a friendly face like Hudler.

Jiri Hudler HockeyDB.com

D. Ladislav Smid, Edmonton Oilers

Youth movement may serve Smid quite well

Smid is set to enter his 6th season in the NHL and 6th as an Oiler, but this will actually be his first as the team’s lead defenseman. With Sheldon Souray out of the picture and Lubomir Visnovsky no longer bolstering the blue line in Edmonton, it would appear that Smid is set to become the direct recipient of the new-look Oilers offense. Although the Oilers are still a work in progress, the addition of blue chip prospects Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Magnus Parjaavi to their lineup is already having a direct impact on the team. With a renewed ability to score goals and a foundation to build from, all signs are pointing towards the Oilers placing an awful lot of responsibility on Smid’s shoulders. Management believes that Ladislav has a lot more to offer the team and are banking on the 23 year old finding chemistry with the new additions and blossoming into the player that made him the 9th overall selection of the 2004 NHL Draft.

Ladislav Smid HockeyDB.com

LW. Cal Clutterbuck, Minnesota Wild

Clutterbuck can provide Wild with added offensive punch

Primarily known for his rough and tumble style of hockey, a lot of people tend to forget that Clutterbuck’s got a pretty solid offensive upside. With a desperate need for Minnesota to find a way to get goal support this season, it may be the perfect opportunity for Clutterbuck to steal a roster spot. Guillaume Latendresse is a player that may find his spot in jeopardy if Cal can continue to take advantage of his minutes while on the second trio. And it’s looking more and more likely that he is going to see more time along talented winger Martin Havlat as the Wild head coach Todd Richards continues to seek out reliable goal scoring. He was a point a game player who compiled over 300 penalty minutes during his Junior days with the Oshawa Generals so it wouldn’t be a far stretch to see him find some chemistry alongside some of Minnesota’s more talented players. He may boast as much upside as some of the other sleepers on this list, but if there is anyone on the Wild who stands a chance of having a breakout year, Cal Clutterbuck would be the ideal candidate.

Cal Clutterbuck HockeyDB.com

C. Jarret Stoll, LA Kings

LA's counting on big things from Stoll, including a healthy season

Interestingly enough, Stoll has twice been drafted in the second round of the NHL entry draft. First by the Flames in 2000 as the 46th overall pick, then by the Oilers in 2002 as the 36th overall pick. Aside from being twice drafted by a team from Alberta, the Saskatoon native is now a member of the Los Angeles Kings. As the team’s second line center, Stoll is often overlooked due to the fact that he plays with guys like Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth, yet he has still quietly managed an average of 40 points a season over the last 4 years. Although 40 points is not all that impressive, Stoll is a talented, hard-working center who has not had not been able to play a full season thanks to injuries since 2005-06 when he posted a career high 68 points in 82 games with the Oilers. Now, with the Kings expectations on the rise, Stoll will be be a lynch pin in providing the more talented individuals on LA the room they need to be successful. If Jarret can avoid injury and provide the Kings with a full season, he will have an excellent chance to return to his career highs if not surpass them.

Jarret Stoll HockeyDB.com
RW. Radim Vrbata, Phoenix Coyotes

At home in the desert, Coyotes expect big things from Vrbata

A product of the Quebec Major Junior system, Vrbata has tenured with various clubs throughout his professional career. He spent 2 years with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, 2 different seasons in the Czech Elite League, 2 years with the Colorado Avalanche, 3 years with the Hurricanes, 2 years with the Blackhawks and half a season with the Lightning sandwiched between stints with the Coyotes. Now, finally back where he is most comfortable, once again in the desert as a member of the ‘Yotes, Vrbata is ready to build on a solid 82 game campaign that saw him net 24 goals and 43 points. Entering his 4th year in Phoenix, it will be up to guys like Vrbata to help Phoenix return to the playoffs. Although not an elite winger, Radim has shown potential, as he did 4 seasons ago when he netted 27 goals and 56 points during his first tour of duty in Arizona. He will need to prove his value to the team by out-producing some of the younger, up and coming prospects, but that can only serve as motivation for the 29 year old . He’s come close to the 30 goal barrier before so if he can skate another 82 games this season, there’s reason to believe he can‘t come close, especially if the team plays like they did last year.

Radim Vrbata HockeyDB.com

G. Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers

New blood between the pipes gives Philly renewed hope

A rookie goaltender in Philadelphia? One that may actually stick with the team? Although it may sound farfetched, considering the team plowed through nearly an entire roster of netminders on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, and with Leighton and Boucher still on the roster for this season, there’s reason to believe that “Bob” may be what this franchise has long been waiting for. Not since the days of Ron Hextall have the Flyers been able to say they have a true no.1 goaltender, and although he’s only played 2 games in the NHL, it’s safe to say that management is very high on what the 22 year old Russian goalie can do for Philadelphia. There is still a long way to go before the rookie fully gets his bearings, the North American style is not always the easiest thing for a goaltender to adjust to. But with a power house of a team in front of him, strong leadership and backup support in both Leighton and Boucher, Philly can take their time breaking him in, basically allowing the rookie goaltender every opportunity to seize the Flyers crease. He may not last, but if the team plays their cards right, there is a good chance they will be able to mold him into the starter they have spent years trying to draft of pay for.

Sergei Bobrovsky HockeyDB.com

C. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

Thrust into a role on San Jose's top 6, Couture isn't just another weapon in Sharks arsenal

The Sharks may have lost out on the veteran leadership and offense from the blue line that Rob Blake had provided them over the last couple of seasons, but in his wake is the arrival of yet another San Jose sniper. Logan Couture was the 9th overall pick in the 2007 draft and after debuting with the team last season, scoring 9 points in his first 25 career games, he now finds himself as the team’s alternate top center, sharing time with Joe Thornton between Dany Heatley Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe and Devon Setoguchi. Including Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell, the San Jose lineup is certainly not lacking from offensive punch, and considering who his linemates will be, Couture may wind up making the biggest impact out of anyone on this list. He is one of the more gifted youngsters to enter the league this year, and although he is not technically a rookie due to the 25 games he played last season, he has been a point a game player all throughout his career. Given that he is set to skate with 3 top ten scorers in Heatley, Marleau and Thornton, there is a good chance that Logan may come close to that kind out of output this year.

Logan Couture HockeyDB.com

D. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Bolts big man will benefit from rejuvenated and offensive oriented coaching system

The former #2 overall pick in the 2009 draft had a relatively mild-mannered first year in the NHL as he posted 20 points in 74 games for the Lightning last season. This year, with a revamped lineup and coaching staff, the hulking defender will be sure to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. He’s no stranger to physical play, as his 79 penalty minutes can attest to, so as the Lightning transition to their new game style under Guy Boucher, there’s going to be a lot more opportunity for Hedman to improve on his rookie totals. With a whole new mentality sweeping through the franchise as Steve Yzerman begins his tenure as Lightning general manager, expect Victor to be front and center as he and former Bolt Pavel Kubina, who returned this summer, will be charged with leading Tampa’s blue line. He’s likely going to get the most ice-time out of any player on this list, so expect him to thrive in a better managed Lightning lineup.

Victor Hedman HockeyDB.com

RW. Eric Fehr, Washington Capitals

Fresh off a contract extension, Fehr is on verge of having his breakout year

Chosen as the Capitals 1st round pick in 2003, Eric Fehr joined Washington as they were on the verge of their youth movement. The timing couldn’t have been better as the right winger ripped his way through the WHL, posting back-to-back 50 goal seasons in his final two years with the Brandon Wheat Kings before earning 53 points in 70 games during his professional debut with the Hershey Bears. Although this will be his 5th season in the NHL, it will actually only be his 3rd true campaign with the Capitals. That said, it goes even further as this will be the first year that Fehr starts the season healthy with the opportunity to show Washington what he’s truly capable of. Hampered by injuries and a very deep roster, the team is very aware of what his potential is, and with Mike Knuble in the final year of his deal, there’s a very strong chance that Eric will wind up as Knuble’s successor and the offensive beneficiary of playing with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. He needs to win more puck battles and emphasize the physical aspect of his game, but with a proven track record as an offensive stalwart, this should be the year Fehr breaks out for the Capitals.

Eric Fehr HockeyDB.com

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Dustin Penner, Edmonton Penner finished the season with 32 goals and 31 assists for 63 points in 82 games with a miserable Edmonton team after registering only 37 points in 2008-09. That’s a 26-point jump.

Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kopitar ended the season with 34 goals and 47 assists for 81 points in 82 games with the much improved Kings after notching 66 points in 2008-09. That’s a 15 points increase.

Guillaume Latendresse, Minnesota After being traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Minnesota Wild, Latendresse scored at a 0.67 PPG pace finishing the season with 427 goals and 40 points in 78 games. His production would have been even better if he had started the season in Minnesota. Latendresse had never cracked the 30-point barrier in his career.

Wojtek Wolski, Phoenix Wolski finished the season with 18 points in 18 games after being acquired from Colorado. In 80 games, he scored 23 goals and 42 assists for 59 points, a 17-point improvement over 2008-09 when he recorded 42 points.

Tomas Fleischmann, Washington Flesichmann ended the season with 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 point in only 69 games. Flash had only recorded 37 points in 73 games the year before, 14-point increase.

Now let’s have a look at some of the fourth players entering the 2010-11 season, who are primed candidates for breakout seasons:

1. Bryan Little, Atlanta After a great sophomore season during with he tallied 31 goals and 51 points in 79 games, Little had a down year for the Thrashers notching only 13 goals and 34 points in the same amount of games. Little is entering his fourth year in the NHL, expect around 25 goals and 55 points for the 22-year old right winger, which would be a nice 20-point increase over last year.

2. David Krejci, Boston Krejci had problems finding his strides last season after his camp was shortened due to hip surgery. He scored 17 goals and 52 points in 79 games last season, with 26 points coming in his last 26 games (season and playoffs). Krejci is entering his fourth year in the NHL and with Marc Savard concussion symptoms, Krejci should easily score about 25 goals and 75 points and fly under the radar of many poolies.

3. Dave Bolland, Chicago Bolland playing only 39 games last season notching a mere 16 points due to various injuries. However, he was very good in the Blackhawks playoffs run. Bolland will benefit from the departures of Versteeg, Byfuglien and Ladd because of salary cap concerns. Bolland is entering his fourth season in the NHL, and if he can avoid the disabled list, look for 25 goals and 55 points in 75 games for the second-line pivot. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are also entering their fourth year, but every poolie knows them.

4. Peter Mueller, Colorado Mueller blossomed with the Avalanche after being acquired from Phoenix last season notching 9 goals and 20 points in only 15 games. Many forget Mueller had a great rookie season, recording 22 goals and 54 points in 81 games. Freshly signed to a two-year extension contract, Mueller will continue to thrive in Colorado in his fourth NHL season. Expect about a 0.80 PPG for him this season, but his concussion woes should limit him to 25 goals and 55 points in 70 games, an 18-point increase compared to last season.

5. Jiri Hudler, Detroit After spending one year in the KHL, Hudler is back in Detroit where he will provide great secondary scoring to an already potent offensive team. In 2008-09, Hudler potted 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points in 82 games before bolting to the KHL. He had 25 points, 42 points, 57 points his first three years in the NHL so at 26 years old and entering his fourth NHL year, Hudler should be a major sleeper. Expect 30 goals and 70 points for the diminutive winger.

6. Sam Gagner, Edmonton Coming off back-to-back 41-point seasons with the Oilers, Gagner is primed for an improved offensive production. With the arrival of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, and a healthy Ales Hemsky, Gagner will benefit from a much improved offensive core. Gagner, who’s entering his fourth NHL season, will pivot the Oilers’ second-line which will allow him to score 20 goals and 65 points this season.

7. Andrei Kostitsyn, Montreal After a disappointing season where he only netted 15 goals and 33 points in 53 games, the older Kostitsyn is entering his fourth NHL year, which is also a contract year. Slotted to play alongside Plekanec and Cammalleri, the Belarussian is too talented not to rebound in 2010-11. Expect, 25 goals and 55 points in 75 games.

8. David Clarkson, New Jersey Clarkson missed a chunk of last season due to injuries, dressing for only 46 games, notching 11 goals and 24 points. The gritty forward is entering his fourth season and will likely fly under the radar thanks to a very deep offensive group in New Jersey. Clarkson should get PP time on the second unit and be good for 20 goals and 45 points, along with at least 150 penalty minutes which is an added bonus in leagues with PIMs.

9. Brandon Dubinsky, New York Despite missing 13 games, Dubinsky managed to record 20 goals and 44 points in 69 games on a goal-starving team. Entering his fourth NHL campaign, and coupled with Chris Drury finger injury that will sideline him for over a month, Dubinsky should easily improve on last season’s numbers. Expect 25 goals and 60 points in 2010-11.

10. David Perron, St. Louis Last year, Perron recorded 20 goals and 47 points in 82 games on a Blues team that did not meet the expectations and missed the playoffs. This season, with Kariya and Tkachuk’s departures, Perron will get top-6 minutes of a young offensive squad. Perron should easily improve on last season’s numbers and score 25 goals and 60 points for a great magical fourth year.

Please note that the magical fourth year theory doesn’t apply to defensemen as they tend to take more time to mature and reach their prime.

Kovalchuk will easily be to most coveted player for an unrestricted free-agent pool that isn’t quite as deep in quality talent as in recent years. The 27-year-old Russian is a scoring machine just entering his prime. With already 338 goals in 621 career regular-season NHL games, Kovalchuk has now posted 40+ goal seasons for the past six seasons. Kovalchuk is right there with Alexander Ovechkin when it comes to goal-scoring abilities and electrifying plays. Kovalchuk is also a natural leader in the locker room, as he was the Thrashers captain before he got traded.

Ilya Kovalchuk will likely test free agency on July 1st

Other prized free agents such as Patrick Marleau and Tomas Plekanec might also be available on July 1st, but they don’t bring as much razzle-dazzle to the table as Kovalchuk does. And despite the continuous reports coming out Russia surrounding the KHL and potential offers, don’t expect the Russian sniper to move east before next season.

But rumors have Kovalchuk asking for upwards of $10 million per season, especially after he turned down $101 million over 12 years ($8.4 million/season) and $70 million over seven years ($10 million/year) from the Thrashers before the trade deadline. So would Ilya be willing to sign a long term (10 to 12 years) for about $8 million/per season with a team of his choosing?

That possibility can certainly materialize, but few teams have the necessary salary cap space to afford Kovalchuk over the long term. Teams like Columbus, Toronto, Edmonton, Carolina and NYIslanders all have sufficient cap space to sign the former Thrasher, but I highly doubt they interest him. On the contrary, a budding team like the Los Angeles Kings might prove very interesting for a talented player like Kovalchuk. Rising stars such as Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson have improved a lot over the last season, helping the Kings clinch a playoff berth. We could very well see a Marian-Hossa type signing by the Kings who were reportedly in the Kessel sweepstakes, a bidding-war GM Dean Lombardi ended up losing against Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke.

With Justin Williams (3.5) and Michal Handzus (4.0) both slated to depart via UFA in 2011, Lombardi will likely have enough money to re-sign youngsters Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson who are to become RFAs after next season. The Kings have about $47.8 million tied up for next year, and the salary cap next season will very likely be around $58 million, which leaves around $10 million to sign Kovalchuk and a few depth players for the upcoming season. Forwards Fredrik Modin, Alexander Frolov and Jeff Halpern are not expected to be re-signed by Lombardi and will most likely become UFAs on July 1st.

Los Angeles also makes sense as Ilya’s wife, Nicola, who is a professional dancer, would certainly consider LA as a place of choice to pursue her professional career. The Kovalchuks have three children, the youngest was born in New Jersey during the short period Ilya played for the Devils.

The timing is perfect for the kings to bolster their team by signing the best player available on the free agent market to a longer deal and GM Dean Lombardi knows that. The question now is: will he make it happen?

This blog was inspired by Pierre Lebrun, Puck Daddy and Matthew Barry.

However, I feel it is time to take a deeper look at what next season’s Kings roster can potentially look like, some UFA’s that might be targeted, whether it is to solidify the top six or bottom six as pluggers, and the pure needs for this team from my perspective.

Also, we take a look at what some of the core combined with the kids can mean for this club heading into next season.

The Kings had plenty to celebrate this season.

The Los Angeles Kings had quite the exciting season, making the playoffs for the first time in six NHL seasons and seven years overall.

Unfortunately for the Kings, though, it was a short-lived postseason as they ran into one of the top three offenses in the NHL. The Vancouver Canucks eliminated them in six games, but not without the Kings acquiring something they did not have prior: playoff experience.

Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Parse, Alexander Frolov, Jack Johnson and Jonathan Quick all skated on playoff ice and obtained their NHL ‘playoff badge’. A vital piece to this Kings future, which looks very bright.

With 15 players signed on through next season and only minor raises needed to keep the restricted free agents on board, the over $15 million in cap space the Kings have will play a key role in their off-season.

A look at the roster breakdown for free agents and salaries. Hat tip to Rich Hammond over at LAKingsInsider.com for having this posted on his site.

UNDER CONTRACT
(with next season’s cap hit)
Dustin Brown (through 2013-14) — $3.175 million
Drew Doughty (through 2010-11) — $3.475 million
Davis Drewiske (through 2012-13) — $616,666
Erik Ersberg (through 2010-11) — $750,000
Matt Greene (through 2013-14) — $2.95 million
Michal Handzus (through 2010-11) — $4 million
Peter Harrold (through 2010-11) — $583,333
Jack Johnson (through 1010-11) — $1.425 million
Anze Kopitar (through 2015-16) — $6.8 million
Jonathan Quick (through 2012-13) — $1.8 million
Rob Scuderi (through 2012-13) — $3.4 million
Wayne Simmonds (through 2010-11) — $821,667
Ryan Smyth (through 2011-12) — $6.25 million
Jarret Stoll (through 2011-12) — $3.6 million
Justin Williams (through 2010-11) — $3.5 million

BUYOUT
Alyn McCauley (through 2010-11) — $666,667

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
(with this year’s cap hit)
Rich Clune ($625,000)
Scott Parse ($550,000)
Brad Richardson ($587,500)

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
(with this year’s cap hit)
Alexander Frolov ($2.9 million)
Jeff Halpern ($2 million)
Raitis Ivanans ($600,000)
Randy Jones ($2.75 million)
Fredrik Modin ($3.25 million)
Sean O’Donnell ($1.25 million)

PROSPECTS UNDER CONTRACT
(with next year’s cap hit)
Justin Azevedo ($553,333)
Jonathan Bernier ($843,333)
Andrew Campbell ($580,000)
Kyle Clifford ($900,000)
Thomas Hickey ($1,316,666)
Bud Holloway ($650,000)
Martin Jones ($526,667)
Ray Kaunisto ($900,000)
Dwight King ($591,666)
Brandon Kozun ($575,000)
Andrei Loktionov ($845,833)
Alec Martinez ($875,000)
David Meckler ($561,666)
Juraj Mikus ($562,500)
Oscar Moller ($875,000)
Patrick Mullen ($875,000)
Jake Muzzin ($900,000)
Brayden Schenn ($3.14 million)
Colten Teubert ($945,833)
Viatcheslav Voynov ($845,833)
Kevin Westgarth ($525,000)
Jeff Zatkoff ($850,000)
John Zeiler ($558,333)

That is the entire roster for the Los Angeles Kings for those who were signed, are signed and those who have question marks as to whether or not they will return. As for unsigned and free agent prospects, you can find the list at the end of this writing.

Starting with the blue line.

What can be said about Doughty?! In only his second full season in the league he ended as a Norris finalist, won an Olympic gold medal as an integral figure to his country’s lineup, and earned his role as the team’s number one defenseman and power play quarterback.

Johnson also took strides with his game, bringing his level of play up a notch as well. He tallied career-highs in goals, assists, and points.

With veterans Rob Scuderi and Matt Greene signed on through next season, the blue line has four key contributors already locked in with these two, along with Doughty and Johnson.

Rounding out the defensemen who are locked in for next year, youngsters Davis Drewiske and Alec Martinez along with Peter Harrold could also take that next step to becoming regulars on the Kings blue line.

That leaves the Kings with seven NHL-ready defensemen and question marks to surround the future of Sean O’Donnell, who played a key role in the developments of both Johnson and Doughty.

Other prospects on the rise — Thomas Hickey, Viatcheslav Voynov and Colten Teubert — all will be part of training camp giving their best in order to impress the coaching staff and earn a roster spot of their own.

With the Kings AHL Affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, Martinez earned 30 points with a plus-12 rating and Voynov 29 points and were the top offensive defensemen for the mini-Kings.

The new wave of NHL defensemen all seem to have a very well developed two-way game and we are starting to notice a trend where the “shut down” defenseman is becoming somewhat obsolete.

Look around the NHL and you will notice that even shut down type players such as Marc Staal and Braydon Coburn, to name a few, have an offensive touch to their games even if they are known to play more of a shut down role.

Up front for L.A., the core for these Kings remains in tact and brings a very positive outlook.

Returning are the aforementioned Brown, Kopitar, Simmonds, along with veterans Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus, and Jarret Stoll. Without panicking, restricted free agents that are likely to be re-signed are Scott Parse, Brad Richardson and Richard Clune.

Andrei Lokitonov and Oscar Moeller, two youngsters who both have limited NHL-time, remain positives to make the club next season.

Moeller appeared in 43 games for the Monarchs this season earning 33 points (15g, 18a). He was a plus-six for the team. An injury limited his time, but currently has appeared in eight Calder Cup playoff games notching six points (2g, 4a). A player the Kings will need to have elevate his game to the NHL standards when looking ahead to the future.

Lokitonov, who also missed a chunk of time due to an injury, has five assists in eight playoff games in the AHL. Only appearing in 29 regular season games for the Monarchs, Lokitonov earned himself 24 points (9g, 15a) and has taken strides since returning from injury.  Another bright spot for the future here in Hockeywood, LA.

Also, it still seems to be a long shot, but Brayden Schenn who was this past seasons first round draft choice for the Kings will be given every opportunity to show what he has learned over the course of a full season in the WHL.

In 59 regular season games and 15 playoff games, Schenn earned 118 points. Something the Kings should take their time with is the development of Schenn and not rush him to Southern California.

Quick and his single-season record-breaking year has provided the Kings with quite the competition heading into training camp next season.

After their six-game elimination at the hands of the Canucks, Terry Murray made a bold statement in naming Quick the number one goaltender for next season. Of course, a bit premature, but his statement could possibly have been made to really challenge the man considered to be the future between the pipes, Jonathan Bernier.

Bernier appeared in three games for the Kings going 3-0 with a 1.30 goals against average and a .957 save percentage. Of his three wins, one came by way of a shutout.

The future looks outstanding for this Kings club. In what many experts feel, as well as myself, they are only one or two pieces away from completing the puzzle and becoming a pure Stanley Cup contender.

Let’s take a break down of the free agents and discuss who we feel should return and who is likely to walk.

UFAs:

Alexander Frolov ($2.9 million)
Jeff Halpern ($2 million)
Raitis Ivanans ($600,000)
Randy Jones ($2.75 million)
Fredrik Modin ($3.25 million)
Sean O’Donnell ($1.25 million)

RFAs:

Rich Clune ($625,000)
Scott Parse ($550,000)
Brad Richardson ($587,500)

Although many might disagree, I personally feel Frolov should be given an offer by GM Dean Lombardi. Of course, nothing near the same $4 million price tag which he earned this season, especially if both parties can find a balanced middle ground. Bringing Frolov back for another two years is something Lombardi should consider.

However, due to the unlikely scenario presented above, Frolov along with Randy Jones and Jeff Halpern are all likely candidates to test the free agent waters and find new homes.

I feel Freddy Modin, who had a strong close out to the year with LA, should be considered to stay with this club.  You can never underestimate the value of a veteran presence on a club filled with youth.  Handzus and Stoll, along with Scuderi can carry the leadership roles however, Modin can contribute just as well both on and off the ice.

Of course, his value from his original price tag has dropped.  If Lombardi is smart, a $2 million per year deal at two years brings stability to this roster when thinking ahead to next year.

Speaking of Dean Lombardi, he is neither disappointed nor frustrated with the season his Kings had.  The steps have been taken, with a few short cuts. He felt he had a competitive club but knew there were still some adjustments needed before they could be considered a true cup contender.

The entire team gained many things, that would likely be too long to list here, by making the post-season. A team many feel is one piece away from being a true threat within the wild, wild Western Conference.

The final piece to the puzzle:

One piece, who could be the absolute missing link, is Ilya Kovalchuk. Uncertain over his future with the New Jersey Devils leaves the Kings with an opportunity to throw close to the max in Kovalchuk’s direction.

If you are questioning why Lombardi did not make an attempt to acquire Kovalchuk at the trade deadline, I will explain it to you.  Why throw away pieces of your future for an uncertainty?  Or better yet, why take away from your foundation for a player that you can obtain without it costing your organization anything significant other than payroll?  Dean Lombardi answered both of those questions in a very simple matter.  You do not.

There was no reason for the Kings to over pay for a player that was not a guarantee to sign an extension with the club he was traded to.  That is proven to us as Kovalchuk has not re-signed with the Devils and with the coaching carousel that the Devils organization goes through, he likely will not return.

If he truly wants to keep to his word about playing on a championship caliber team, as well as earning a long term contract, playing for the Kings would make perfect sense.

They are a young team with plenty of talent and the  focus from the organizations brass remains to build this club from the core out to develop a dominant force out on the left coast.

An opportunity to gel and grow with an organization whose core are all players 25 years of age and younger. Surrounding Kovlachuk with the young talent of this Kings team would be a win/win for both.  Kovalchuk would not be relied upon to be “the man” and would have a solid group of playmakers dishing pucks in his direction.

Less pressure makes for a valiant performance on the ice.  In LA, Kovalchuk will be provided with less pressure and would likely provide the team, from the non-pressure cooker type atmosphere, with a valiant effort.

There is plenty of cap room, and minimal roster space. For the Kings, these are all positives in moving forward from an already stellar season. A few patches into the line up an we could very well have ourselves a force to reckon with.

Yes, Los Angeles, the future is very bright!

Quick hits:

The list of Restricted, Unrestricted and Unsigned prospects.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENT PROSPECTS
Marc-Andre Cliche ($850,000)
Vladimir Dravecky
Corey Elkins ($803,100)
Trevor Lewis ($855,000)
Brady Murray
Daniel Taylor

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT PROSPECTS
Drew Bagnall ($605,000)
Gabe Gauthier ($525,000)
Joe Piskula ($650,000)

UNSIGNED PROSPECTS
Niclas Andersen
Jean-Francois Berube
Constantin Braun
Robert Czarnik
Nicolas Deslauriers
Nic Dowd
Johan Fransson
David Kolomatis
Mikhail Lyubushin
Jan Marek
Igor Melyakov
Jordan Nolan
Martin Nolet
Michael Pelech
Garrett Roe
Andrei Shefer
Joshua Turnbull
Linden Vey
Geordie Wudrick

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Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks who truly stepped their game up when they realized how for real this Kings team was. The veteran leadership and experience played a huge factor throughout this entire series. The Kings gave a valiant effort from the second the puck dropped in game one to the final buzzer after sixty minutes Sunday night.

A lot can be said for the cardiac boys from Hockeywood, LA.  A lot of positive words pointing to many bright spots in moving forward.

A list of players who earned some valuable experience in moving forward for the Kings are:

Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Parse, and Alexander Frolov.

Next season has some question marks, of course.

GM Dean Lombardi knows his troops will rebound well.  As does head coach Terry Murray.

From Rich Hammond at LAKingsInsider.com here is what Terry Murray had to say post-game:

A quote to note: “So I think the team has taken big strides in the right direction here. Our best players are the young guys, the kids that are 20, 21, 22 years old. That’s a great nucleus to continue to work with. The organization seems to be in pretty good shape, with the depth that it has in the minors and in junior.”

Of all the words that fell from Terry Murray’s lips to Rich Hammonds ears, to me that quote stands out above all. In my opinion, Murray is absolutely correct in saying that his best players are the kids. The nucleus that has been developed in Los Angeles is one that will have the Kings competitive for as long as they can hold onto the stars of the team who are currently 25 years of age and younger.

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings on a very successful season.  Next year holds great potential.

In my next feature, we will take a look at the roster, the salary cap, those under contract and what (who), in my opinion, is needed for this team to climb even higher next season.

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After Ryan Kesler and Mikael Samuelsson were key players for the Canucks in game one, both players continued to be the story for the Canucks in game two. After a poor performance in game one, Ryan Kesler responded in game two delivering a solid performance with two assists, the first of which was directly responsible for the Canucks first goal; Kesler’s one timer on the Canucks opening power play rang off the post behind Jonathan Quick, laying all alone for Steve Bernier who was in perfect position to hammer home an easy one, his first of the playoffs.

Two minutes later at 9:49 of the first, Mikael Samuelsson continued his strong playoffs with a sneaky low wrist shot that skipped slightly in front of Jonathan Quick, enough to throw off the King’s netminders and give the Canucks a 2-0 lead in the first. The shaky goal for Samuelsson and the Canucks should have been a bit of a back breaker for the Kings who had gone down a game and two goals on the road, however Terry Murray managed to rally the Kings immediately after Samuelsson’s third of the playoffs.

After Shane O’Brien’s roughing penalty put the Canucks a man down at 9:13 of the second, a sloppy penalty kill by the Canucks caused a scramble in front of Luongo allowing Fredrik Modin to jump on the loose puck and fire home his second of the post season. Immediately following the Canucks opening goal, the Canucks responded with an aggressive offensive shift that came within inches of restoring the two goal lead, however after the puck came loose to Anze Kopitar a three on one in the Canucks end gave Wayne Simmonds enough space to allow Kopitar to slide him the puck and put the puck home behind Luongo. Just like that, the Canucks had lost an encouraging two goal lead in just 35 seconds.

After a cagey and nervous third period, the Canucks and Kings were destined to decide the game in overtime; unfortunately for the Canucks the Kings were able to take advantage of the power play once again, a power play that has been the Kings’ key to success so far in the series.

In OT, a brutal Canucks line change ended up leaving seven skaters on the ice at one time, after the puck was thrown into the bench area and struck a Canucks skater referees were forced to make the call and put the Canucks down a man for two minutes or less.

Thanks to Anze Kopitar, it would be less. After working the puck around on the man advantage, Kopitar blasted a shot that was ferociously blocked by Ryan Kesler, unfortunately for the pain stricken Canucks’ penalty killer Kopitar was able to then pick up his own rebound and fire another shot on net that made its way through a maze of bodies into the net. A camera shot of an injured Ryan Kesler skating gingerly to the Canucks bench said it all, the Canucks gave a full effort but came up short paying for their overtime mistake.

Going Back To Cali

As the two teams head south to Los Angeles, both the Canucks and Kings head back to Cali with things to work on in preparation for game three, Vancouver’s game plan is simple, discipline. The Canucks penalty kill has come under fire throughout the series in Vancouver, without Ryan Johnson the previously stingy Canucks’ penalty kill unit has become the Achilles heel of the Canucks allowing 4/5 of the Canucks goals in the series. The Canucks need to focus on team discipline on both sides of the whistle in order to keep out of the penalty box and force the Kings to beat them five on five. With only one goal allowed at even strength, the Canucks are fully capable of taking the Kings head on. The Canucks will have to follow a disciplined game plan and avoid the penalty box in order to really take control of games and finish the Kings when up multiple goals, as I said earlier in the week an inability to burry teams can be deadly in the playoffs.

Andrew Alberts has been the source of a couple bad penalties this series against the Kings, with 23 penalty minutes this series, 13 of which have put the Canucks at a disadvantage Alain Vigneault had no choice but to sit the tough defenseman recently dubbed “A-Minor” in favour of the more steady and recently healthy Aaron Rome.

The Canucks will also be replacing pound for pound fighting champ Rick Rypien with Tanner Glass, who will play in his first ever NHL playoff game. Pavol Demitra will also find himself demoted possibly all the way to the fourth line, although Alain Vigneault wouldn’t confirm what line Demitra would find himself on.

Injuries, News and Notes

• As mentioned above, Aaron Rome has overcome his injuries and should be healthy enough to take the place of Andrew Alberts on the Canucks’ blue line.
• It’s no surprise that there is a lot of trash talking going back and forth in any series featuring Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler, but apparently rookie trash talker Rich Clune crossed the line on Saturday night. Doesn’t he know sloppy seconds jokes are off limits?
• Speaking of Alex Burrows’ trash talk, Drew Doughty seems to be starting to enjoy the frenglish verbal barbs of Burrows and is apparently flattered by the attention all the same.
• The Canucks “Behind the Lens” segment, Day One in Los Angeles.
• The ice conditions in LA for the morning skate “wasn’t good at all” said Ryan Kesler this morning, another unnecessary distraction for both teams to be honest, just win guys.
• With both teams “Going Back To Cali” why not get your gameface on with some West Coast rap. Warning: Not Safe For Work lyrics, listen with caution. Canucks vs. Kings, 7PM from the Staples Center, get your game face on.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Taking the series back to Hockeywood, LA all tied up at one means that the Kings are doing more than many might have expected.

The obstacles that the Kings had in front of them have been avoided. With only two games of playoff experience under their belts, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds and Jonathan Quick have all stepped their game up, especially in game 2 and have knotted this series up at one game a piece with the Vancouver Canucks.

Aside from one shaky goal against, what can be said about Kings netminder Jon Quick. He has been stellar, that is what.

Quick, along with Doughty, has been one of the standout performers for this Kings club.  Something that was truly important when heading into this first round playoff series.

When the doubters all had the Kings down and out, they have, to this point in the series, proven them all wrong.

Even if the Kings do not escape from this first round series, what you have witnessed over the course of the first two games becomes a marker on the map for the Kings.  The experience they are learning this year will carry them even further next year.

In his first two playoff games ever, Jonathan Quick has posted some fantastic numbers.  Those numbers, a 2.21 goals against average along with a save percentage of .929 shows just how important Quick has been to his club all season long.

When you are able to match, or play above the way you played all season long heading into the playoffs, it shows true maturity. And no matter what the outcome is, whether the Kings advance or not, they are gaining experience in a season that many will never get no matter how long a career they have in this league.  This, alone, will help the franchise mature into next season.

Tonight, the Kings will play their first home playoff game in eight years.  The Staples Center is ready to reach capacity in both fan attendance as well as noise levels.

The fire that will spark under the team from the home crowd is something that will give everyone out in Hockeywood, LA the chills.  In what is already an entertaining series, the Kings can take it to the next level tonight.

A win on home ice presents a huge opportunity for the Kings to truly take control of the series now that it has shifted back to Los Angeles.

Game 3 drops the puck at  7:00 p.m. PST, 10:00 p.m. EST.

As always, you can e-mail me at ACHockeyGuys@gmail.com and be sure to follow me on twitter:  @HockeyGuy_AC
Enjoy the game.

This newfound optimism is for good reason; the emergence of Henrik and Daniel Sedin as dominant NHL stars has sparked the Canucks offence, opening up the ice for secondary scoring to lift the team to new heights. New additions Mikael Samuelsson and Michael Grabner as well as returning skaters Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond have flourished as the second half of the Canucks one-two scoring punch. More notably, Henrik Sedin is the 1^st ever Canucks Art Ross trophy winner with 29 goals and 82 assists for 112 points in 82 games. The Canucks successful team effort to boost Henrik’s point output is a statement not only by Henrik but also by the team that they are ready to do something special in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

With 103 points and a Northwest Division title, the 3^rd seeded Vancouver Canucks will take on the young up and coming Los Angeles Kings who sit 6^th with 101 points. The resemblance of the emerging Kings with last year’s edition of the Blackhawks ensures this will be a tough series, even as a 3 vs. 6 matchup. With only two points overall separating these two teams, the NHL playoff’s intensity and unpredictability make this no easy series for either team.

The Matchups

In goal, after leading Team Canada to gold Roberto Luongo will always be the favourite in any goaltending matchup. However Jonathan Quick is ready to make an impression as another of the NHL’s young and talented backstops.  A look at the statistics in goal for both Luongo and Quick proves either goaltender could come out on top in the series, however both goaltenders’ stats tell a different story heading into the series.

Roberto Luongo’s .913 save percentage and 2.57 goals against average are his worst numbers through the regular season as a Canuck, the goals against being especially high for Luongo. While these numbers may be partially inflated due to the Canucks move towards a more aggressive, offensive game compared to the structure defensive seasons of the past, the fact remains the Luongo hasn’t been his best for much of this season. While that isn’t to say that Luongo hasn’t been a consistent winning goaltender, the amount of easy goals Roberto has let in this year and the scarcity of dominating performances from the captain (only four shutouts this season, Luongo’s lowest as a Canuck) have begun to question if Luongo can find his form during the playoffs much like he was able to during the Olympic tournament.

Jonathan Quick on the other hand has just found his game with the Kings over the last two seasons. His .907 save percentage and .254 goals against average are very similar to Luongo’s, however in his first full NHL season Jonathan Quick has proven he is a high end NHL starter, racking up 39 wins in the process. Quick’s rough end of the season may begin to fracture the 24 year old keeper’s confidence, however just like Luongo, Quick is looking towards the playoffs as a new season, an opportunity to prove that they can perform in most important games of the year, in the biggest stage the NHL has to offer.

As unpredictable as the NHL playoffs can be, It is anyone’s guess which team will come out on top in net during the series; the numbers this season leave it to a coin flip. However, Luongo’s edge in career numbers, as well as playoff and other big game experience makes him the best bet to take over the series and backstop his team to the second round.

On Defence, The battered and bruised group of Canucks’ will be tested in order to stay healthy and perform at their best throughout the series. The Canucks are lead by Christian Ehrhoff who finished the season 3^rd among defenseman with a +36, and leads the Canucks with 44 points. Alex Edler, Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa will also be looked upon to chip in offensively during the series, however given the absence of Willie Mitchell, expect the Canuck defence to be very careful jumping into the play at all times. Look for the toughness and grit of Shane O’Brien, Kevin Bieksa and Andrew Alberts to wear down the Kings forwards as the series’ progresses; they all have a big mean streak to them.

In Los Angeles, Drew Doughty has established himself in his sophomore season as an elite NHL defenseman, an understatement for a 20 year old that has an Olympic gold medal to his name. Doughty’s scoring ability as well as his ability to play responsible defence will make him one of the players to watch any time he is on the ice; don’t be surprised if Doughty pulls off another gem similar to the one below at some point during the series. Doughty and Johnson’s lack of playoff experience may catch up with them, however Johnson isn’t concerned. Given Doughty’s performance during the Olympic tournament, there’s no doubting the Kings stud. As a cup winner, Rob Scuderi gives a veteran “been there before” presence to the Kings D; it will be up to him and Sean O’Donnell to lead the Kings defence as the most senior playoff rearguards. Randy Jones and Matt Greene will also be looked upon to play solid ‘D’ in order to slow down the Canucks high powered attack.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If at the beginning of the year you had told me the Canucks would be entering the playoffs as the 2nd highest scoring team in the NHL, I would have thought you had lost it. Believable or not, the Canucks enter into the series against the Kings trailing only the Washington Capitals this season in goals per game, a testament to the Canucks improvements up front. It’s no secret that the Sedin twins will provide the bulk of Canucks’ scoring in the playoffs, however other pieces to the puzzle up front may prove to be much more important as the series battles on. Ryan Kesler’s playmaking ability and complete two way game make him one of the most important and effective Canucks forwards, he will be constantly looked upon for scoring help while simultaneously shutting down the likes of Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Veterans Pavol Demitra and Mikael Samuelsson will both be looked towards for leadership and timely scoring during the series. Samuelsson especially should prove to be an excellent summer addition, Michael Grabner and Mason Raymond will surely benefit from his presence. The third and fourth lines of the Canucks will also be very important as the series wears on; players like Hordichuk, Rypien, Glass, and Bernier need to win the physical battle every shift they get in order to maintain team momentum which becomes so important during the playoffs.

After the crazy start to the season for Anze Kopitar, the NHL was put on notice that the Slovenian star would be terrorizing NHL goaltenders all season. While his number did taper off, Kopitar ended the season with 81 points leading the Kings in scoring. Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth also had great offensive starts for the Kings, however the high scoring early months faded for most of the remaining Kings forwards. Secondary scoring threats Alexander Frolov, Jarret Stoll, Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds should also be able to chip in offensively, all four players finished the season with 40+ points. The Kings’ forwards will have to step up to challenge the physical presence of the Canucks’ defence in the series. Shane O’Brien, Andrew Alberts and Kevin Bieksa will all be playing with a mean streak all series long.

Injuries

• Ryan Johnson, 4-6 weeks (broken foot) He will not play in the series.
• Willie Mitchell, Day-to-day (concussion) Questionable.
• Aaron Rome, Day-to-day. Game time decision.

Oh Willie Mitchell, where have you gone? Mitchell has missed 32 games with a concussion believed suffered during a hit from Evgeni Malkin months ago, however the recent update of his status to “day-to-day” on Canucks.com may be a strike of luck for the Canucks. On the other hand, if it is just typical team posturing and tactics in regards to playoff injuries, it may make no difference at all. Regardless, it doesn’t look like Mitchell will be back for this series; he has been seen or heard from at all since the injury. Ryan Johnson will also be sorely missed on the Canucks bench; Johnson’s shot blocking ability and skill in the faceoff circle make him the perfect post-season role payer, a role that he may not be able to fill at all during this year’s playoffs as he waits for his broken foot to heal. The broken foot of course is from one of the latest of many shots Johnson has blocked this season, a frustrating turn of events for Johnson who now is forced to watch from the player’s box when his team needs him most. Matt Pettinger will have to fill in huge minutes in Johnson’s absence from the Penalty Kill.

Players/Matchups

While goaltending may decide this series one way or the other, two players on either team stand out to me as the key skaters for their respective teams. Drew Doughty has been the King’s rock on defence all year long; his ability to shut down the oppositions top players and turn around with offensive support is what makes him so dangerous, he needs to have a good series for the Kings. While the scoring output of the Sedin twins will be very important, Ryan Kesler has the ability to turn the tide in Vancouver’s favour. Kesler’s combination of grit, scoring and speed has become a contagious attitude for the Canucks, his ability to get under your skin with tough defence and timely scoring at both ends of the rink makes him the Canuck to watch this series. Watch for Kesler to be matched up against Anze Kopitar in order to keep the Slovenian star off the score sheet.

Prediction Time

The Los Angeles Kings have made great strides this season with development in all three positions; Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar have emerged as stars in today’s NHL. However, the King’s lack of playoff experience and inferior scoring could spell a quick end to their playoff hopes. The high powered Canuck offence lead by Art Ross winner Henrik Sedin will be a tough task for the Kings, while injuries to Johnson and Mitchell will cost the Canucks, when taking into account the speed and skill of Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Alex Burrows and Michael Grabner the Canucks seem destined to prove themselves against the young Kings.

Flying V Prediction – Canucks in 6

New and Notes

• Art Ross Trophy Winner + Vancouver Playoff Fever = Big Sales.
• I’ve always appreciated Alain Vigneault’s attention to detail as an NHL coach, he is always able to make the right tweak or change in order to get the best out of his team. When it comes to sex, Vigneault’s just stays out of it “We do sex every day?”…”I’m missing out on something!” money quotes from AV.
• As they do every year, Burnaby’s own EA Games ran an official simulation of this year’s NHL playoffs, their virtual champions: the Chicago Blackhawks. Also included are every team’s Stanley Cup odds. The Canucks odds? 15/2.
• All season long, The Flying V has fully endorsed Rick Rypien as the NHL’s top pound for pound fighter. Puck Daddy’s Top 10 NHL fights of 2009-2010 (via Hockeyfights.com’s top fights of the year) features Rick Rypien a couple times in the top ten, none better than number one. Rick Rypien vs. Cam Janssen, New Year’s Eve 2009 – a dominating 78.2% decision for Rick ‘The Pit Bull’ Rypien.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• It’s no secret that the Flying V enthusiastically supports enjoying beer and hockey together, but at this time of year especially it’s important to put the keys at home and either bus, cab, or crash on your buddies couch after a couple drinks. So do the right thing this post season, Celebrate Responsibly during this year’s playoffs – Don’t Drink and Drive or Rick Rypien will come get you, and we don’t need any reminder about what Rick Rypien does to bad people now do we?

Official Flying V 2010 Playoff Predictions

As a fantasy hockey junkie, it’s always fun to try and predict how the NHL playoffs will break down, as we’ve seen in the past they are just so damn unpredictable. Right San Jose? So without further delay here are my picks for the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Think you’ve got what it takes to beat The Flying V? Include your picks in the comments section and play along as the playoffs go by round by round!

Ed Note: A day late on publishing the preview, I assure you these predictions were made well before last night’s games…you’ll see why in a second.

West: Canucks (6) defeat Kings, Sharks (6) defeat Avalanche, Blackhawks (5) defeat Predators, Red Wings (6) defeat Coyotes.

East: Capitals (5) defeat Canadiens, Devils (6) defeat Flyers, Sabres (7) defeat Bruins, Penguins (5) defeat Senators.

So enjoy the game tonight boys and girls, it’s going to be beautiful inside GM Place tonight. 7 PM Start as usual from the garage, the starting line-up for the Canucks could change, so stay up to date over at Canucks.com. I hope to see Canucks jerseys out in full force throughout the playoffs, nothing better than walking through a city full of fans all wearing the same colours.

Even if they do not, Dean Lombardi has created, patiently, a cup contending team for years to come with the roster that is currently constructed. The kids truly are alright.

It’s been a season that saw the Kings earn the label “cardiac”.  This is due, much in part, to the fact that the Kings found ways to overcome adversity quite often during games this year.  Trailing time and time again, this Kings team had the “never say die” type attitude and were able to generate third period come backs that helped push them forward; now a Western Conference playoff team.

It seems as if the saying “dark horse” is taken lightly these days.

The #3 seeded Vancouver Canucks only finished third due to divisional situations, in which they won their division yet had less points then the Phoenix Coyotes and only finished with two more points then their playoff coutnerpart, the Los Angeles Kings. Over the course of the season, the Canucks and Kings played head to head four times.  The problem, the Canucks won three of the four.

Jonathan Quick was charged with all three losses while Jonathan Bernier was between the pipes on April 1st, the final meeting between the two teams which saw the Kings put eight pucks passed Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo in an 8-3 victory.

This is the playoffs and we can erase all regular season situations.

However, of the Kings main contributors, Alex Frolov, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar are all appearing in their first playoff series. Add to that list Wayne Simmonds, Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty as well as the young Jon Quick and the rest of the Kings roster.

Now, the veterans of the club, Michal Handzus, Sean O’Donnell, Ryan Smyth, Justin Williams, Rob Scuderi and Fredrik Modin have all been a part of the playoffs. Of those veterans, Williams, O’Donnell, Modin and Scuderi all own Stanley Cup rings.

It comes down to the veterans taking control and leading the youth movement of LA into the second round.

But before we look ahead we have to realize what is in store right now.

The Canucks, as a whole, scored 272 goals this season.  Those numbers were good for second best in the NHL.  The Kings scored 241 placing them seventh in the league.

In goals against, the Cancuks surrendered 222 goals to the Kings 219. A more balanced match up on the defensive end of this situation.

However, like stated previously, none of that matters anymore.

What matters this evening is who shows up and who decides to lose focus on what is at stake.

The Los Angeles Kings have stopped the bleeding and the inconsistency and have clinched a playoff birth.

The month of March was not so kind to the Kings. However, April has brought about better times in Hockeywood, LA.

If there is one team in the Western Conference to fear heading into the NHLs post-season the Los Angeles Kings fit just that mold.

A team that many say are too young or too inexperienced need to look deeper into the foundation of the Kings roster.

Let’s start with the veterans. Michal Handzus, Ryan Smyth, Rob Scuderi, Sean O’Donnell, Justin Williams, Fredrik Modin and Randy Jones all know what it is like to take part in the post season of the NHL.

Of the aforementioned, two have hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup: Rob Scuderi and Justin Williams.

Playoff experience rests within this Kings roster. Head Coach Terry Murray has also been to the playoffs numerous times and also understands the pressure that comes with the post season.

Success lies on the shoulders of one member of this Kings roster and that is netminder Jonathan Quick.

To date, Quick has appeared in 71 games for the Kings posting a record of 39-24-6. He has a .907 save percentage with a 2.53 goals against average this season.

When discussing the playoffs the goaltending of a team becomes the main focus on their ability to advance and just how far they will go.

For the Kings, with the young and inexperienced Quick, the one benefit that could come about will be if the standings stay the way they currently are. The Kings hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference and the San Jose Sharks hold the second seed.

This season the Hockeywood, LA boys split the season series with the Sharks, posting a record of 3-3. However, outside of the “X” factor of Dany Heatley for San Jose, they are pretty much the same team that has failed in the playoffs numerous times this decade. With history on the Kings side, a visit to the second round is likely.

As for the team as a whole, it will be the first for many when the Kings commence their first round playoff series.

Brad Richardson, Scott Parse, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Alex Frolov will all be making their first trips to the post season.

Not only anticipating the feeling that will come from the atmosphere of the NHL playoffs, but the excitement level will be on overload.

This is a team that can upset many of the top seeds in the West. For the Kings, they should not fear the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks or the Phoenix Coyotes. The Chicago Blackhawks are a different animal altogether, so they will be excluded from this discussion. However, if the Kings wind up facing the Hawks in the first round it could strike fear within the team which would cause a disadvantage for LA.

That is the one match-up that the Kings are hoping to avoid.

However, as a dark horse team with the firepower up front that the Kings have, even defeating the Hawks is not an impossible scenario.

The Kings have scored 236 goals to date. That is good for seventh best in the league in offensive production.

They have 11 players in double digit numbers for goals scored. Three of the 11 have 20 goals or more and two others have 19. In looking at those stats, it provides the Kings with an advantage – the simple fact that this team can score goals, especially when it comes to crunch time.

If the stars align the Kings can make their way into the conference finals. A road that will not be easy to skate down, but one that has a positive path.

Quick hits:

A quote from Rob Scuderi on Dustin Browns black eye:

“It starts to get a little better, someone’s going to have to sucker him to keep it going.”

The Kings most recently played a home and home series against conference rival Colorado.  The young Avalanche have been quite impressive this season. A team that made one move to solidify a competitive season during the off-season were not slated to be a lock for the playoffs.

Craig Anderson has provided a season of excellence from his post between the pipes for the Avs thus helping them hold, currently, the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff race.

Their recent nemesis, the Kings, sit in fifth with just one point separating the two.

Both teams were able to earn three points during the home and home outings.

The Kings took the first game by a final of 4-3 in overtime. Two points for the good guys however giving a point to the bad guys was not something that was part of the agenda.

Colorado’s Chris Stewart opened up the scoring in the first period to put the Avalanche up 1-0. Stewart has stepped up for the Avs this year and is having quite the impressive season.

A little over two minutes later, Ryan Smyth would tie things up for the Kings who were unable to muster together a decent offensive attack during the first.

Both teams went to the locker rooms knotted at one and both teams only registered four shots on goal. Tension on the ice knowing how costly one little mistake could be during this contest.

As the second period was winding down, the offense was at a minimum.  Then Wayne Simmonds found the puck on his stick at the 15:41 mark, netting his 16th goal of the season to put the Kings up 2-1. And that’s how the period would end.

The third period saw some offensive fireworks.

Peter Mueller, who the Avs acquired along with Kevin Porter at the trade deadline in a deal with Phoenix that would send Wojtek Wolski out to the desert, tied the game 2-2 with his ninth goal of the year; his fifth as a player for the Avalanche.

Smyth would net his second of the game at the 9:55 mark of the third to put the Kings up 3-2. This goal looked to seal the victory for the Kings who were preparing to count down the final ten seconds on the clock and skate away with two points.

For the Avalanche, TJ Galiardi had other ideas.  Galiardi was able to find a hole in Kings netminder Jonathan Quick with ten seconds left to tie the game at three and force overtime.

Both teams earned crucial points in the tight rope playoff race.

But one point was still up for grabs; a point that both teams would desperately fight for.

Drew Doughty, who is still smiling from his Team Canada gold medal victory during the 2010 Winter Olympics, beat Avs netminder Craig Anderson for the game winner at the 3:40 mark of overtime giving the Kings the victory and the extra point.

Game one was in the books and the Kings gave the home crowd a reason to explode by taking down the Avalanche and taking one step closer to the playoffs.

The second half of the home and home had a similar outcome, except this time the roles were reversed.

The Avs welcomed the Kings to the Pepsi Center last night.

The score was identical yet the outcome opposite. You would almost think the Kings were playing based off of a scripted scenario. Of course, until they actually lose the game.

Matt Hendricks, another fine youngster stepping up and filling in for the Colorado Avalanche, opened the scoring last night.

Less than three minutes later, Anze Kopitar tied the game up for the Kings.

After Kopitar tied things up, Jonathan Quick and company fell apart for the remainder of the period.

Milan Hejduk and Paul Statsny would add goals for the Avs to put them ahead 3-1 at the end of one and that was all she wrote for Quick.

Erik Ersberg was summoned from the bench for replace Quick after Statsny’s goal.  A smart move by Terry Murray to keep Quick focused and rest him a bit with the Kings travelling to St. Louis to take on the Blues tonight.

The change brought some momentum to the Kings. Although there was no scoring during the second period for either club, it was the play of Ersberg that bailed the team out to give them an opportunity heading into the third to have a fire lighted under them.

It did just that and the Kings were back to their “cardiac” ways.

A costly, late second period penalty to Scott Hannan would have the Kings open the third on the power play.  It didn’t take Drew Doughty very long to cut the deficit to one goal as he netted a power player marker at the :40 second mark of the period.

As the period went on, the Avs looked to have the game in the bag.  That was until Alexander Frolov would tie the game with a power play goal late in the period.

Frolov’s goal would send this one to overtime where nothing could be decided.

The Avalanche would take the extra point from the shoot out and skate to the dressing room victorious.

Tonight, the Kings look to jump on the Blues early and often as they know as well as we do just how tight the Western Conference playoff race has become.

Terry Murray will turn to youngster Jonathan Quick for tonight’s tilt.

An important two points are on the line for the Kings tonight.  Which Kings squad will decide to show up?

Quick hits:

Scott Parse will be in the line up in place of Peter Harrold.

A season of many bright spots has suddenly hit a downward spiral.

The Los Angeles Kings, since the Olympic break came to a close, have not been playing good hockey. Unable to find any offense recently created a free fall in the standings for the team as they were blanked by the Blackhawks 3-0. Lifeless is the best way to describe the Kings offense as a whole from the other night.

However, if you look at the bigger picture the month of March has not been kind to the boys out in Hockeywood. Nine games played and a total of 22 goals scored this month. They are 4-5 and with the season winding down, as much as this statement kills me to write, there is a possibility this Kings team can miss the playoffs.

There is only a six point separation between the Kings sitting in sixth and the Flames who currently are the ninth seed.

Also, the Blues and Ducks are mathematically very much still in the playoff picture. So the Kings need to step up their game as well as keeping an eye on their back.

Yes, they beat the Islanders on Saturday night.  A 1-0 victory.  However, proof that the offense needs a wake up call was shown during that game.

Brad Richardson had the only goal for the Kings and if not for the superb performance of Jonathan Quick, the outcome could have been disappointing.

It was Quick’s fourth shutout of the season and 38th win on the year. Very impressive for the youngster from Milford, CT.

Tonight, the Kings begin a home and home with the Colorado Avalanche at the Staples Center.

The Avs are another young team within the Western Conference. A crucial set of games for both clubs who are fighting to stay within the bottom four seeds in the west.

The two clubs are both fighting for a bottom four position in the west and both need the points. A battle on ice this evening with aspirations from both ends.

The Kings must play a focused game. They need to control the puck, control the tempo and make sure to put every puck on net possible.

Tonight’s line-up (subject to change):

Richardson-Kopitar-Simmonds
Modin-Handzus-Brown
Frolov-Halpern-Clune
Smyth-Stoll-Williams

Johnson-O’Donnell
Jones-Greene
Scuderi-Doughty

Quick

Brad Richardson, who is quietly having a decent season, will see top line minutes tonight playing along side Wayne Simmonds as Anze Kopitar remains in his natural first line center role.

For what it’s worth, thankfully, the Kings are not putting themselves in the same position as the San Jose Sharks. Inconsistency is something that should be taken as a positive over a slump and a long losing streak.  Sounds bad but has it’s advantages.

That was the sad story to last nights game between the two clubs.

The Kings looked to start a bit flat as Patrick Sharp scored his first of the game within the opening few minutes to give the Hawks a quick (no pun intended) 1-0 lead. Twenty seconds later the gloves hit the ice as Rich Clune and Adam Burish both got to sit for five after dancing with each other on the ice.

Jonathan Quick went on to make 12 saves after giving up the goal to Sharp to bring the end of the period with the Kings only trailing by a goal, though it could of been more. He ended the night with 40 saves in total.

The first seven minutes of the second period seemed to belong to the Kings as Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar scored a little under two minutes apart to give the Kings a 2-1 lead on enemy ice.

Although it seemed like a momentum shift, Kris Versteeg and the Hawks had other ideas as the young winger knotted things up at two.

The third period was a goaltending duel. Antti Niemi made 10 saves in the period and Quick made 11. Obviously, it became a three point affair as the game was heading into over time.

Sharp would get his second of the game, less than halfway through the OT period to give the Hawks the extra point as they notch up another W in the “wins” column.

For the Kings, take the point and run.

With both Phoenix and Vancouver heading to a three point game last night and the Coyotes getting the extra point with the victory, the standings remain the same in the Western Conference.

As of this very moment the Kings continue to keep pace with the Coyotes and the Canucks, though they can not beat out the Vancouver team due to divisional situations. Unfortunately for LA, they continue to remain ten points behind the Sharks. So a divison title and the Western crown is most likely something the Kings will not acheive.  However, the still have a shot to gain home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs come April.

Quick hits:

Jonathan Quick has left the team to be with his wife as she gives birth to the families first child. He is most likely going to miss the game against Dallas.  Jonathan Bernier has been recalled and will back up Erik Ersberg.