STAT CHECK: Vancouver at LA (PennerMania II)

Remember those old friends from yesteryear who, truth be told, you really don't care to ever see again?

Well, the Vancouver Canucks just might fall into that category for the Los Angeles Kings. Yet, the NHL schedule makers say they must play this afternoon at 1pm PST.

So, with that it mind, here are some key stats you need to know heading into the action at Staples Center...

* First things first, Dustin Penner - right? He's played 29 career games vs the Canucks (tied with Minnesota as his most frequent opponent). In those games he's posted 11 points(5g, 6a) and was a minus-2.

* His most productive day of the week is Monday, with a scoring percentage of .43 (16 goals in 37 games). He's played the most games on a Saturday - which happens to be his second most productive day also, with a .38 scoring percentage (26 goals in 69 games).

* Over the course of his career he's been highly effective in day games, with 13 goals in 27 afternoon games (scoring ratio of .48).

PennerMania By the Numbers (and video)

Monday saw the trade. Tuesday was the physical. Wednesday featured the first practice.

Thursday night was all about Dustin Penner's debut as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

"It's been a while since I've been this excited." said Penner just prior to the game.

* Penner was the 10th left wing to start along side Anze Kopitar on the first line.

* He entered play with 25 career games vs the Coyotes, where he scored 12 goals, added four assists (16 points) and had a minus-6 rating.

* Of his 406 career games played, 68 of them were on a Thursday - the second highest of any day of the week (one behind the 69 on Saturday). However, in an odd quirk, he had scored the fewest goals (13) and most assists (25) on a Thursday.

LA Kings Players on Penner and the Big Debut

Yesterday Jarret Stoll and Dustin Penner were on MayorsManor talking about there supposed fight back in the AHL.

Now, let's hear from a few other Kings regarding the much anticipated debut of Penner tonight and the game versus the Phoenix Coyotes...

Willie Mitchell on Penner - "He's a big body presence who plays in traffic and in front of the net well. Players like him, whether it's (Tomas) Holmstrom or (Johan) Franzen - those are guys who come to mind who are similar players in a sense - they go to the front of the net and they create traffic. What that does is it opens up space for the best players in the game, because usually they're playing with those players. Obviously he does those things well, but I think it's going to be really good for Kopi. It's going to give him a lot of room out on the ice. You watch Detroit and Holmstrom goes to the front of the net, one of the defenseman have to respect him there. What it does, is it creates, it's almost like playing two-on-two out of the corner now with (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg against two players, versus playing three-on-three. So, it keeps the ice less crowded. What that does it turn is give your better player more time with the puck. So, he's going to create a lot of space for Kopi. He's going to create a little bit of dimension for us on the power play in front of the net and chip in with a few more goals. So, it's a nice addition."

[More from Ryan Smyth and Stoll after the jump]

LA vs Phoenix Preview w/ Coyotes Tyson Nash

Nash in the locker room (Japan 2007)

From Theo Fleury to Sean Avery, the pest is a role some play to perfection.

Tyson Nash was one of those guys during his playing days with the St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes.

The self-proclaimed "former 4th line pigeon" is now the Coyotes' TV Color Analyst and he stopped by MayorsManor to help us preview tonight's game with the Kings.

In the interview below we talk former King Eric Belanger, a recent trade, his apology to Fleury, being compared to Avery, why the Kings will win the Pacific Division...and yes, we play word association.

MM: What's the biggest difference between what Dave Tippett is doing with the Coyotes this year compared to his first season in Phoenix last year?

TN: Obviously, with the players we have you have to coach a certain way. We don't have the high talent that maybe the LA Kings have. So, he puts a system in place that fits for this type of team and that's a defensive type of system. It's no different than last year really. It's a team that relies on their goaltender heavily and they play with a lot of structure, keep everything really tight and play that real suffocating style that seems to be very effective.

MM: Besides the 27 points, what has adding Eric Belanger meant to the team this season?

Smyth and Murray Respond To Mitchell's Comments

You won't get a lot of cliche answers from Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell about the team's performance. He's a veteran who's been through the rigors of the season with five different teams over 10 years and brings an honest perspective when assessing games.

After practice yesterday he said the Kings "dominated" Monday's game and that some players may have lost interest when it became 4-1 (full comments here).

Are those things that fellow veteran Ryan Smyth and coach Terry Murray agree with?

Smyth - "I wouldn't think we lost interest because we started to battle back a little bit in the scoring punch. But, there were times throughout that where we weren't as consistent as we are capable of being. Playing a full 60 (minutes) against a team like that is something you have to do. For us to be successful, you have to bring your assets to the table as a group and come through against a team like that."

Murray - "He's probably right about the middle (of the game). You lose focus, you don't lose interest. You lose your focus, you lose your concentration. But, it came back in the third period. I thought we gave it a pretty good push. And what's really important - we were talking about it on the bench - is we got behind and you know you're playing Detroit and it's going to be very hard to get back against that team because they check so well, they know how to do the job. But, we're talking about doing things the right way. You can't get bad habits into the game. If you start cheating on the game and cheating on your system and structure and not giving 100% on your effort, then you're doing a disservice to your hockey club, to the LA Kings, and I won't tolerate that."

Mitchell Says Kings 'Dominated' Monday vs Detroit

Monday night's game vs the Red Wings was not a 'trap game' for the Los Angeles Kings.

A match-up with Detroit is a measuring stick, a barometer...and it doesn't matter if the game is played the first week of the season or in the final month.

After a horrible November the Kings were hot in December, punctuated by a 5-0 shutout of the 'Wings in Detroit.

Well, the Kings came up short in the re-match a few days ago, something defenseman Willie Mitchell had an interesting take on yesterday afternoon...

MM: You were pretty open about your disappointment with the Islander game, are there similar feelings coming off the loss to Detroit considering how well the team has been playing lately?

WM: Well, we played great against Detroit. I will sit there over and over again - I think the guys played excellent for two periods. Excellent for two periods. We dominated that hockey game and we were down 3-1 and then they scored a power play (goal) to make it 4-1. We controlled the play, we did everything. They got a couple of bounces the other way. But, we dictated that hockey game. In this league when you get down 4-1 against a good team like Detroit, it's natural when there's only twenty minutes left for everyone to just loose a little bit of interest and I think that's what happened, obviously, to make it go up to 7-1. The team lost interest because the game kinda got away, even though I think there was a lot of disappointment in the room because we played hard and we played well for the first two periods.

Clifford and Westgarth Preparing to Get (Biz) Nasty?

With the Phoenix Coyotes in town tonight to take on the Kings it's worth re-setting a story from the last time these two teams got together.

If you're not on twitter, you many not even know that one of the most popular hockey players in North America has scored only one goal in 37 games this season.

He's played in less than 100 NHL games and averages fewer than five minutes a night for the Coyotes, yet he had more All Star Game votes this year than Shane Doan, Justin Williams and Dustin Brown.

Paul Bissonnette, better known as BizNasty2point0, is all the rage right now. He talks plenty of puck, but also tweets non-hockey takes like "4Loco is Charlie Sheen in a can. Of course its back."

He even pokes fun at himself with tweets like "In case you folks are wondering I have a no movement clause, but its from the middle of the bench."

Prior to the Kings-Coyotes home-and-home series in late January BizNasty and I did the first ever MayorsManor twinterview.

His key comments had to do with Kevin Westgarth and Kyle Clifford, who then provided their responses as well. Take a look...

MM: The Kings have three scrappers right now (Westgarth, Clifford and Wayne Simmonds). You've faced off with Westgarth twice, including once in the AHL, and Clifford during the pre-season. What are your thoughts on those guys?

VIDEO: Dustin Penner from NHL On The Fly

PennerMania continues.

The newest King, Dustin Penner, called in for a an interview tonight on NHL On The Fly.

In the video below he talks about when he'll debut for LA, adjusting to his new team, being a King after playing for the Ducks, George Parros, Johnny Damon, his first practice, cycling the puck, Anze Kopitar, Wayne Simmonds, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, the Kings system vs. the Oilers system and more.

After the interview Craig Button explains why he thinks the Penner-Kopitar-Simmonds line will work well.

POLL: LA Kings Player of the Month (February)

February saw the Kings climb back into the Western Conference playoff race with a record of 8-2-3. The 19 points tied their season high in a month, set in December (9-4-1 record).

As far as their Player of the Month goes, for the first time all season you can probably make a legitimate argument for three to five different players.

As noted below, Jonathan Quick dominated the votes during the first two months of the season. Then, the forwards took over.

Past Player of the Month results:

October - Jonathan Quick 51%, Justin Williams 21%
November - Jonathan Quick 52%, Justin Williams 22%
December - Dustin Brown 41%, Anze Kopitar 33%
January - Ryan Smyth 46%, Jarret Stoll 29%

With voting now underway for February, the honor could go back to Quick...or several forwards...or maybe even a defenseman for the first time this season.

In alphabetical order, here are the leading candidates for February's Player of the Month...

Jarret Stoll on Fight with Dustin Penner

This Dustin Penner-mania is starting to reach Brayden Schenn levels.

It looks like it may be all Penner, all the time for the next few days.

So, sticking with the theme - let's check in with Jarret Stoll, one of his former teammates in Edmonton.

Earlier today we heard what Penner had to say about the time the two got into a fight back in their AHL days (Penner was with Cincinnati, Anaheim's affiliate). What does Stoll remember about it? Keep reading...

MM: Much has been made over the last few days about Penner's friendship with Matt Greene. How about away from the rink, did you guys socialize much when you were both in Edmonton?

JS: We had some good times, yeah. We were kind of all, in a way, growing up together there - having dinners, going to movies and hanging out on the patios and stuff, having a good time and enjoying ourselves and loving the game. It was some good times. He lived with Greenie, so they had a lot more intimate moments, if you will. But, he's a good guy, a good friend and we're happy to have him here.

MM: In 2004 when you guys were both in the AHL, there's a December 2004 game recap saying you two had a fight. Any memories from that situation?

Chirping with Dustin Penner

Have you heard? The Kings acquired a left wing on Monday from the Edmonton Oilers.

Of course you have!

By now, most Kings fans know the basics on Dustin Penner. He's a big forward (6'4", 245 lbs), under contract for one more year and will play on the top line with Anze Kopitar.

Apparently, earlier this season some Kings fan told him he wasn't needed in LA - but GM Dean Lombardi traded for him anyway.

Truth be told, he was needed and Lombardi made the right call.

After practice today Penner was all smiles and had plenty to say to the larger-than-normal group waiting for quotes.

I had a few questions for him too, but first here's a sprinkling of some of the other areas covered...

Regarding the system: Most teams start with the same building blocks and then branch out from there. It shouldn't be difficult for him to get acclimated.

His remembers Kopitar when he first broke into the league, "obviously he's excelled and improved tremendously as a player."

Prospect Report - Kozun, Toffoli, Forbort, etc.

Being able to acquire Dustin Penner on Monday for a prospect and two draft picks just goes to show how deep the Kings development pool is these days under GM Dean Lombardi.

In part, LA could afford to trade defenseman Colten Teubert (a former first round pick) because of the wealth of young talent on the blue line - including Thomas Hickey, Viatcheslav Voynov, Jake Muzzin, Andrew Campbell, Alec Martinez, etc.

And while Brayden Schenn has been stealing most of the spotlight this year among forwards, there's plenty of other news to go around...

* Yesterday afternoon the AHL announced that Brandon Kozun of the Manchester Monarchs had been named February's Rookie of the Month.  The speedy right wing, taken in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Draft, has been playing well all season in Manchester, culminating with eight goals and seven assists last month, for 15 points in 13 games.  He also picked up a point in nine of his last 10 games.  He is now tied for third among AHL rookies in goals (19) and points (38).  After scoring 107 points with Calgary (WHL) last season the big question was could he do it at the next level.  Seems so.

...And Now You're Caught Up - Deadline Edition

Although this format is usually used for a weekly look at ten Kings-related news items you may have missed, this week it's a special edition - all about what went down on Monday's NHL Trade Deadline.

Here are links to some commentaries, videos and stories you may want to check out...

* Trade Call - this is video of the actual trade call between the NHL, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. You hear exactly what was said by both teams regarding the deal. It's about as 'behind the curtain' as you're ever going to get - unless you're Jeff Solomon (VP Hockey Operations), who is representing the team on the call.

* Welcome to LA: 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner - this style of article is a favorite of MayorsManor readers and you'll see why, as we give you the things you need to know about LA's newest left winger.

* The other significant move - maybe even more impactful in the long run - was the signing of right wing Justin Williams to a four-year contract extension.  He's having a very productive season and certainly would have been a hot property come July 1st.  In this video he explains his loyalty to the Kings.

Upcoming Interviews

In addition to our regular features with Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and the other members of the Los Angeles Kings, here's a brief look at some of the exclusive hockey interviews coming up in the next few days on MayorsManor...

* Gasper Kopitar - Anze's younger brother talks about playing junior hockey and his dreams of making the NHL (plus, Anze reacts to some of his brother's comments)

* Mathieu Schneider - the former Kings defeseman talks about his new role in the NHLPA

* Ted Irvine - one of the original Kings from 1967 talks about setting up the first goal in franchise history

[note: Brian Kilrea, who scored the actual goal, was on MayorsManor here - he went on to a legendary coaching career that saw him mentor a long list, including Jim Fox and current prospect Tyler Toffoli]

Also, for all of our new readers, here are links to the most popular interviews of the last few weeks:

Willie Mitchell Not Sure What Went Wrong

Agent Pat Brisson on NHLPA Meeting with Donald Fehr

LA Kings Players on Favorite Moments in Anaheim

Cruising the Mall with Doughty and Simmonds

Terry Murray Explains the Loktionov Decision

...and don't forget the podcasts with Ian Laperriere (classic!), Tony Granato and former referee Kerry Fraser (insightful)

2009 Best Interviews:  Guest Mike Modano and 20 Questions with Luc Robitaille

2010 Best Interviews:  Conversations with Rob Blake and Bob Miller



The Mayor
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POLL: Greatest American-Born NHL Player

Even without a big marketing slash, it just may have been Legends Night at Staples Center on Monday.

Two of the greatest players to grace the NHL in the last 30 years played what could be their final games in Los Angeles, center Mike Modano and defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.

Which leads to the today's question, is Modano the greatest American-born hockey player of all-time?

Below would be the guys generally considered the seven leading candidates. Ranger fans would probably say Mike Richter should be included, but he's just a notch below this group. And some will argue for Mike Eruzione (part of the US team that defeated the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics). However, he too is more realistically not part of this elite bunch.

What do you think?

The seven leading candidates in alphabetical order:

Kings Quickly Out of Game With Red Wings

By the time you read this most of the Kings players have already forgotten tonight's game with the Detroit Red Wings.

At least that's what they'll tell you.

LA came into the game riding a mild four-game winning streak over Detroit, including a 5-0 shutout in Michigan two months ago.

Although Michal Handzus scored first, this game was all Red Wings.

Drew Miller scored the first of his two goals 6:37 into the game and they never looked back. Two more in the first and one more in the second made it 4-1 Detroit and it only got worse, with another two goals in the first six minutes of the third period.

This led to Jonathan Quick being pulled for only the second time this season.  Yet, the damage was already done though.

Dustin Brown would later score his team leading 21st goal of the season (on Anze Kopitar's second assist of the night). Next was Wayne Simmonds, who seems to be doing quite well on the top line (3 goals, 1 assist in the last three games). And Brad Richardson even put one in the net at 19:39.

However, it was too little too late. The Kings were down 7-4 and out of time.

Richardson will now return to fourth-line duty, having spent some time with Kopitar and Simmonds the past two games (after Marco Sturm was lost to waivers).

Earlier in the day the Kings traded for Dustin Penner, who is expected to start Thursday night on the top line - wearing #25.

[note: for trade coverage, start here to read Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner]

Random fact of the night, Peter Harrold dressed for only the second game since Christmas and first since January 6 vs. Nashville.
Warning - the following video highlights may be tough to watch for younger viewers...

VIDEO: Justin Williams on Contract Extension

In a move that may not generate as much press today as the Dustin Penner trade - yet is actually a much more important deal for the team - Justin Williams signed a four-year $14.6-million contract extension late last night.

He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, which looks to be rather thin when it comes to available forwards. So, the Kings could have easily lost him.

Kudos to GM Dean Lombardi on getting him inked at that price, it's very reasonable and again locks a guy up for multiple years. Williams has been healthy this season and is producing accordingly, currently tied for the team lead with 20 goals.

Courtesy of Kings Vision, here's what he had to say about the deal...

For a recap of the Penner trade, click here to read Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner.

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Welcome to LA - 10 Tidbits on Dustin Penner

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi paid a steep price today to acquire the player he needed.

Or did he?

In Dustin Penner he got a 29-year old left wing who's under contract for one more year and brings plenty of size, at 6'4" 250 lbs.

The deal was Penner for Colten Teubert (a former first round pick), the Kings 2011 first round pick and a conditional pick in 2012 based on LA's playoff performance (either a second or third rounder).

[Update: The condition on the 2012 pick is this - if the Kings win the Stanley Cup this year, it becomes a second round pick. Otherwise, it's a third rounder.]

Teubert was originally selected 13th overall in 2008 after the Kings made multiple deals to end up with the pick, including moving Mike Cammalleri to Calgary.

Using our popular 10 Tidbits format, here are some items to help you get to know the newest Kings forward...

* Penner is a former Duck, who now becomes one of the few former Anaheim players to ever end up wearing a Kings jersey. He left there under some rather controversial circumstances though when the Oilers signed him to a five-year, $21-million offer sheet (something most GMs have been unwilling to do). In fact, it created quite a war of words between the Ducks and Oilers.

* He'll be another former college player in the Kings locker room, having played at the University of Maine. They're already near the top of the league in this category - with guys like Jack Johnson, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi, etc. having all played NCAA hockey.

* In 2004 Penner and Maine went to the NCAA Championship game vs. Denver. In the semis they beat a Boston College team that included current King Peter Harrold and former King Brian Boyle.

Two Players Away From Perfect Line Combiinations

Stress level among Kings fans is nearing an all-time high today.

Will they, won't they, who goes, who stays...

How about a slightly humorous look at something to lighten the mood for just a second.

Much has been made of coach Terry Murray's Rubik's Cube like changes to the line combinations.

Yet, the Kings may just be two players away from the perfect solution.

If they could somehow acquire players with current or former ties to the Flyers and Oilers, they would be able to suit up the following:

[Kings line] Brown-Kopitar-Simmonds
[Oilers line] Smyth-Stoll-TBA
[Flyers line] TBA-Handzus-Williams
[Manch line] Moller-Lewis-Westgarth

Of course, the only problem in the above scenario is Kyle Clifford is missing on the Kings line. So, change that one to Clifford-Kopitar-Brown.

Obviously, Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky of the Oilers have been mentioned as possible targets for LA - making the Oilers line a realistic possibility.  However, every good GM needs a back-up plan.  If either deal isn't viable, they could instead change things and go with an Avalanche line of Smyth-TBA-Richardson.

Paul Stastney would fit the bill.

Sorry Alexei Ponikarovsky. You just don't have the credentials necessary under any configuration.

Now, what player with a Flyers connection could GM Dean Lombardi target to make this dream come true?

[note: for a more serious look at the Kings trade scenarios today, CLICK HERE - see who may be leaving and what they're looking to acquire]



The Mayor
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WWFD: What Would The Flyers Do?

It's just too easy to compare the Kings to the Flyers.

The connections are deep - from General Manager Dean Lombardi to Assistant GM Ron Hextall to coach Terry Murray to assistant coach John Stevens.  On the ice, there's also Michal Handzus and Justin Williams.

So, when trying to figure out what Trade Deadline Day might bring in LA, perhaps a look out east to Philadelphia might be in order.

Last year, the Flyers were considered one of the Stanley Cup favorites heading into the season.

Then, they went through early season troubles - where the weren't producing up to expectations.

At the trade deadline they did little to improve their club, as their sole deal for the second half push was acquiring forward Ville Leino from Detroit for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth round draft pick.

He scored two goals in the remaining 13 games for the Flyers. Hardly a major addition offensively.

In the standings, the team pushed hard to dig out of the hole they created for themselves in the first half. It took all the way until the final day of the season for the club to officially qualify for the post season.

They entered the playoffs in the eighth seed with 236 goals scored in the regular season - fewer than powerhouse teams like Washington (318), Vancouver (272), Chicago (271), San Jose (264) and Pittsburgh (257).

What happened?

As everybody knows, they rode some hot goaltending and strong defense all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Flyers went 12-5 through the first three rounds of the playoffs - only losing once in the first round and once in the Conference Finals.

While the Chicago Blackhawks ultimately won the Cup, the Flyers easily could have come out on top in the series.

Minimal tweaks on Trade Deadline Day resulted in near maximum results.

Maybe there's something to be said for not messing with chemistry.

We shall see.



The Mayor
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LA Kings: The Kids Are All Right - Or Are They?

The big question in Los Angeles on Trade Deadline Day 2011 is do the Kings have the right mix of players to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup this season?

In net, they're set. Jonathan Quick is proving to be an elite goalie. So, check that off your list.

On defense, their top-four defensemen are near the top, if not the top unit, in the Western Conference. Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi and Willie Mitchell. That's a formidable group. However, two questions come to mind. One, for as good as Willie Mitchell has been this year, can he stay healthy? If not, do the Kings have enough depth on defense?

Offensively speaking, much has been made about the lack of goal production this season. Yet, understand three key issues:

Dean Lombardi in The King's Speech

Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi probably isn't getting much sleep these days.

With the NHL Trade Deadline looming tomorrow afternoon tough decisions must be made. He has to worry about his current players, future players and even how some players on other teams might fight in with the club he's assembled this season.

During intermission yesterday he addressed at least two of those issues - Marco Sturm and Brayden Schenn - with Bob Miller and Jim Fox.

See what he had to say courtesy of Kings Vision...

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