Stars at LA Kings, what to watch for - with Ethan Moreau

The Dallas Stars weren't expected to challenge for the Pacific Division title this year, if even a playoff spot (we had them slotted 9th overall in the West). However, they're one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, as they're off to a 6-1-0 start.

"It's not really that surprising," said Kings forward Ethan Moreau.

"They've maintained a pretty good leadership group there. And, from the outside looking in, they have some guys who take a lot of pride in being a Dallas Star - they've been there a long time and they still have a lot of talent."

LA has won their last three games, two by shutout, and have an equally impressive 4-1-1 record.

Kings coach Terry Murray will go with Jonathan Quick in goal, while Dallas will counter with Andrew Raycroft - opting to rest starter Kari Lehtonen.

Here are some things to watch for when the Kings and Stars meet up tonight in the first of two games this week, and the kick off to their six-game season series...

- Dallas Defense: "(Compared to last year), I'm seeing different play without the puck," said Murray. "They're really committed to the defensive part of the game. There's a lot of pulling out, waiting in the middle of the ice and five back to the front of their net. They're really trying to limit those grade-A scoring chances."

- Stars addition of Sheldon Souray: "We've been really good friends for a long time, we train together and we're really close with him and his family," said Moreau. "It's not difficult, but when you play against playing against friends who play physical and are tough, and you have to play that way against them, you try to put it aside. He's a really good player and he's playing well. He has a big shot, you have to get in his way. I'm going to have to do my thing against him, and he knows that. I don't expect anything less than his usual self."

Doughty, Voynov, Murray on the puzzling Kings blue line

Although the Kings have one of the strongest defensive units in the Western Conference - if not the top group overall - there are certainly a few questions going on at the moment.

Drew Doughty is out with an injury. Rookie Slava Voynov is playing well so far. Alec Martinez looks to be starting slow. And Davis Drewiske is still a healthy scratch most nights.

Following the team's morning skate, Doughty, Voynov and coach Terry Murray weighed in with comments...

Doughty on his health - "Everything has gotten a lot better (in the last few days). I haven't been able to shoot yet - which is obviously a key part to the game. So, I need to get that back. I've made really fast progress though and I'm happy with how much better it's gotten. I really want to play because it's almost harder being hurt than playing. You work a lot harder in the gym than on the ice. So, it's pretty frustrating at the same time."

As for his replacement, Doughty said that Voynov "has been great" for the Kings.

Murray agreed, adding - "(Voynov's) play with the puck, his composure and his attitude about going after it and being aggressive on the offensive part of the game, is something that I’ve always liked in players, and he's bringing that."

Which, naturally, leads to the obvious question - is there a chance Voynov will stay up with the Kings when Doughty is ready to return?

What I've learned so far... by LA forward Kevin Westgarth

Don Draper or Ethan Moreau? You decide.

Earlier this week we kicked off a new series here on MayorsManor, titled 'What I've learned so far..."

Kings forwards Ethan Moreau and Trent Hunter were the first two to file a report, largely based around them getting to know some of their new teammates.

Here, we'll switch things up a bit and allow newly married Kevin Westgarth to share some observations he collected while the team was out on the road for the first few weeks of October.

This is what Westgarth says he's recently learned...

About Ethan Moreau - "It's been great getting to know him, he's a veteran presence in the NHL. He's the king of the one-liners and a real funny guy. I now know that he probably looks better with his teeth in than out. I also feel like his doppelganger is Don Draper from Mad Men. I don't know if it's his personality or reflected in what he looks like, I just get that vibe from him. He's a cool customer, I guess."

About Justin Williams - "Willie just turned 30, so he's old now. We celebrated his birthday over there, the night we got into Sweden. That was pretty low key - we were at the hotel, in a little lounge area, and just ordered some room service. It was kinda cool though to just hang out with the guys. So, I know now that he's an old man. I can give him crap about that until - well, I guess until I turn 30."

The one thing Matt Greene never wants to see again, ever!

Penner - on the plane or the Space Shuttle? 

About a month ago, while we were collecting sound bites for an upcoming podcast, Matt Greene made of an offhanded comment when asked 'Who will be the worst dressed player on the trip?'

After selecting Dustin Penner he added 'because you never know what he's going to pull out that bag.' And little did he know how true those words would end up being.

Before the team was even in the air and on their way to Germany, Jonathan Quick snapped the photo to the left. It captured Penner settling in on the plane, looking more like he was getting ready to go surf the Atlantic than fly over it.

So, just what was the big left winger wearing?

"It's something you hope to never see again on a human being, especially a bear like that," said Jarret Stoll earlier this week. "He's got a lot of stuff going on, that guy."

Sounds like the comedy started early on the trip.

"Oh yeah, I think everyone gave him a couple jabs," Jack Johnson shared. "If a guy's bigger than you, you kind of leave him alone a little bit. But, Greener gave it to him the most."

Although he may have had a lot to say about then, Greene's trying to forget about it now.

Exclusive: Dustin Penner explains his injuries in exact detail

Lately, when Dustin Penner has appeared on MayorsManor, the subject matter has been largely comical. In the exclusive interview below though, he goes into specific detail about his injuries that have kept him out of the line-up a few times already this season.

First, he talks about when he knew he suffered the 'lower body' injury coming out of training camp and reveals, specifically, what was ailing him. Then, he provides the full story on the much-talked-about knee injury from Philadelphia - including when the Flyers doctors examined him, why he sat on the bench in the third period, the problem with the knee and much more.



Earlier in the week, coach Terry Murray shared some thoughts on the knee injury here.

To return to the comedy war currently underway between Matt Greene, Penner and a few of the other Kings, click here.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor 

Kings at Coyotes - what to watch for w/ Justin Williams

Over the last few seasons, the Phoenix Coyotes have given the Kings fits, largely because of two guys - goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and captain Shane Doan.

The two teams split their season series last year 3-3.

With the help of Justin Williams, Jonathan Quick and Dustin Penner here are some things to watch for tonight when the Kings and Coyotes meet up for the first meeting this season...

- Goaltending:  Williams on Bryzgalov now playing in Philadelphia - "That's a huge loss for them. I always thought he was one of the best goalies in the league. Whenever we played against them, he was always square to the target and he'd never go down unnecessarily and he kept us guessing."

- More on the goaltending:  Quick on Bryzgalov's replacement, Mike Smith (who stopped 54 of the 56 shots in his last two games against the Kings, when he was with Tampa Bay) - "Smith is the wild card. But, we have guys here that were in the East last year, like Gags [Simon Gagne], who I'm sure knows him pretty well. So, he'll be able to help out on that front."

- Outnumbered attacks: Quick added, "They always have four guys up on the rush, they're a really good transition team. They have guys like (Keith) Yandle jumping in and they're good at creating stuff in the offensive zone."

Checking in with Linden Vey - talks first pro goal

Linden Vey in Manchester (photo: S. Babineau)

Earlier this summer on MayorsManor, Kings prospect Brandon Kozun spoke about the humbling experience of moving from the WHL - where he was big man on campus - to being a rookie in the AHL last year.

Now, fresh off of scoring more points than any other player in all of junior hockey last season - Linden Vey is making that transition.  The 6-foot forward posted 46 goals and 70 assists for the Medicine Hat Tigers, more than enough to earn the WHL scoring title.

Then, last night, he turned the page. In his sixth game as a professional, he picked up his first goal as a member of the Manchester Monarchs.

After practice today, we spoke by phone, where he described the memorable moment like this - "It was off a faceoff play in the offensive zone. (David) Meckler got the puck and he threw it in front. I got the puck in the slot and put it upstairs."

Like most players, he plans on giving the puck to his parents. After all, they were ones driving when he made all those trips to the rink as a youngster.

Even after scoring all those goals last year, this one still meant something to him.

"Any time you score your fist goal in any league it's always pretty special," Vey said. "With those first five games, I was hoping I'd get it a little bit earlier because it's something you'd like to get out of the way early. But, now that I did, it's kinda nice. Hopefully I can build off that and continue to do the things I've been doing and put more pucks in the net."

Who exactly might be setting up his second goal sounded like a work in progress though.

Kings coach Terry Murray on the absence of Westgarth

Kings enforcer extraordinaire Kevin Westgarth played his best hockey when it mattered most last season, in the playoffs. Then, on the 19th of last month, #19 was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

So far this season though, Westgarth hasn't seen much ice time - getting into only two of the team's first five games.

Coach Terry Murray provided the following explanation after practice...

"He's not out of the line-up because of any other reason than I just need him to be better. I think he's had a little bit of a setback from what I saw in his game at the end of the year, through the playoffs and that little scrum he had against Anaheim (with Brian McGrattan during the pre-season). He's a veteran guy, an older guy, who needs to be able to do some fundamentals in the game. He was doing that all through the end of the second half of the year last year and it's slipped on him a bit. I talked to him about it (on Tuesday), to bring some attention to it and said 'get your game back on track, have confidence and composure with the puck, make the play that you have to make on breakouts, and just do the right things on the checking part of the game.'"

Earlier today, Westgarth spoke about the possibility of squaring off with Paul Bissonnette when the Kings take on the Coyotes tonight - linked here.

To read what Ethan Moreau has learned about Westgarth since joining the team in August, click here.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor 

Kevin Westgarth - itching for his first scrap of the season?

Kevin Westgarth (photo: M. Zampelli)

You really have to hand it to Paul Bissonnette of the Phoenix Coyotes. He's taken a fourth line, limited minutes role and turned into something special.

He's a guy who's scored four goals in 108 NHL games. Yet, he picked up more votes than captain Shane Doan for last year's All Star game.

Call it the power of twitter. He has over 150,000 followers - that's two to three times more than most teams have! And, in large part, it's due to his comedic tweets. On the ice, it's a different story. He's usually getting noticed for his fists, not his quick wit.

However, last season, he stopped by MayorsManor and dropped a few bombs in a rather short interview - where he alleged Kyle Clifford was a cheap shot artist and turned him down when he asked for a fight (link).

With the possibility of Kevin Westgarth and Bissonnette finding each other on the ice tonight, I had a few questions for Westy after practice yesterday...

MM: BizNasty has built quite a following on twitter and you're still a newbie in that department. Do you have any pre-game tweets planned to heat things up a little?

KW: Oh, twitter...no. Not just yet. I'll hold off. I like to do my talking on the ice, not with my mouth. That's kind of the way I go about it. I feel like twitter is definitely great for the fans and I give him credit for what he's built for himself (there). But, I'll leave (the tweets) up to BizNasty.

MM: Last year, in the early part of the season you repeatedly talked about how you were 'just itching' to get that first scrap under your belt. Is it the same feeling this year?

What I've learned so far... by Kings forward Trent Hunter

Trent Hunter of the Kings (photo: M. Zampelli)

Of the 459 NHL games Trent Hunter had already played coming into this season, only six of them were against the Kings. So, to say there isn't a lot of familiarity there would be an understatement.

Earlier today we kicked off a special series where some of the new Kings can share their initial observations about particular teammates.

Ethan Moreau got things going in the first article and now we turn to Hunter, another veteran forward. Here's what he's learned about a few of the guys so far...

On Anze Kopitar - "I hadn't really had a chance to see him play much before. But, he's definitely one of the elite players in this league. He makes plays - you think he's going to go somewhere with the puck and he completely does something else that you don't even realize was there. He creates so much out there it's amazing."

On Drew Doughty - "Young guy, lots of energy and he likes to have fun. He's one of those guys who's fun to watch on the ice."

What I've learned so far... by Kings forward Ethan Moreau

Ethan Moreau of the LA Kings (photo: C. Ikiri)

It's a new season and there are a few new faces around the Kings locker room. Prior to leaving for their extended road trip a few weeks ago, several of the players talked about using the time away from LA to bond.

As such, over the next few days, we'll be posting a special series titled 'What I've learned so far' - which will include comments from various members of the Kings about their teammates.

First up, wiley veteran Ethan Moreau. You may recall, MayorsManor first broke news of his signing back in late August. Since then, we've had him on several times - where he's largely poked fun at Dustin Penner, Matt Greene and a few others he knew from back in Edmonton.

Here, we went after some names he may not know as well and tried to find out what he's learned so far...

On Jack Johnson - "He's a hell of a player. He's probably underrated. Playing against him I could appreciate because I was killing penalties against him and had a lot of ice time against him. So, I realized how good he was. But, he's just an immense talent and he's going to be a high-end D for a long time."

On Kyle Clifford - "Cliffy's really confident for his age. He fits in well with the guys on and off the ice. He's just a good teammate. He plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. For the age he is, he has a lot of self-assurance. He's really confident in who he is as a player - which is hard to do at that age."

Trevor Lewis dishes on his new roommate - Mike Richards

When a new guy joins a team some of the first questions that need to be answered are what's his number and what's his nickname?

For Mike Richards, the move to LA has involved a change in both.

He left his familiar #18 behind in Philadelphia and now sports #10 with the Kings. As for the nickname, well - it's been a work in progress, largely because his teammates were already using 'Richie' for Brad Richardson.

After practice today, second-year center Trevor Lewis shed a little light on the situation. He also spoke about what it's been like to share a room with Richards on the road so far this season, as well as a few other changes he's noticed about this year's Kings team...



As for Lewis, last year many thought his nickname of 'Elvis' came from sharing a room with The Colonel (Kyle Clifford). However, it's actually a nod to his birthday, January 8th - yes, the same as Elvis.

Back to Richards...if it were up to me, I would have gone with something like 'trout' or 'bass' - something fishing related. Nobody asked though.

And contrary to any rumors out there, no Willie Mitchell doesn't have his own set of nicknames for Richards - like 'angel eyes' or 'pooh bear' - despite their admitted bromance.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Evaluating the LA Kings rookies with Trevor Lewis

Trevor Lewis ready to make some noise at center or wing

Coach Terry Murray convinced about Loktionov, unsure about Lewis

Mike Richards moves from Philly teacher to LA student - quotes from training camp

Kyle Clifford explains his nickname

Mitchell and Richards discuss their admitted bromance

Coach Murray and Voynov compare notes on his first NHL game

Unexpectedly, Slava Voynov received more attention than all but a few players during the Los Angeles Kings training camp this year.

With Drew Doughty unsigned, the Russian-born defenseman played in every possible exhibition game and was the last player cut before opening night.

He was off to a solid start in Manchester (AHL), picking up a couple of points in the first few games and was a plus-5. Then, Doughty was hurt early in the game with the Flyers and Voynov was on his way to back to LA.

After practice today, he shared the following comments (note: he speaks with a heavy accent and a small part of his responses are paraphrased)...

Earlier in the week, coach Terry Murray gave the impression they tried to be as positive as possible when notifying Voynov he would be going back to the AHL to start the season, but added 'We told him he was on the threshold of making the NHL.'

Voynov shed a little more light on that conversation today - "They said I played well and had improved. Coach Murray told me to give my best every year and he said don't stop, keep working."

On the thoughts going through his head during the plane ride back to LA this weekend, Voynov said - "I was so excited. I had been waiting for this moment for three years."

On any advice the coaches game him prior to last night's game - "Nothing. We just spoke about things a little bit right now during practice and he told me to correct a couple of (things), like d-zone play with the pucks. But nothing before."

Murray's reasoning for not talking too much to Voynov beforehand was simple.

Kings shutout the Blues 5-0, video and quick notes

The Kings defeated the Blues last night 5-0, paced by strong goaltending from Jonathan Quick (27 saves, earning his 15th career shutout and 99th NHL win) and two goals from Simon Gagne.

- Three Stars of the Game: Gagne, Quick and Jarret Stoll

- Math with Jack: defenseman Jack Johnson was plus-3 for the night, which is now also where his season rating sites after five games.

- Stoll (aka 'the visor' - as explained here) had a goal, an assist, two shots on goal and was plus-2 for the night. After the game, he had this to say - "I’m just trying to play good on both sides of the puck, be good in my zone if we have to play down there, play hard and play physical. On the other side of the puck, if I get a chance to put one in the net, just bear down and put one in. I (was) lucky enough tonight, Brownie [Dustin Brown] made a good pass once I was coming off the bench, and he can make those plays, so it was a great play by him and just a great team effort overall."

- Willie Mitchell led the Kings with 23:40 of ice time. Jack Johnson was second at 21:48. Interestingly, Stoll led all Kings forwards in ice time (19:29), a stat usually reserved for Anze Kopitar.

- Kopitar (4g, 5a) and Justin Williams (2g,5a) have picked up at least a point in each of the five games played by the Kings so far this season.

- Faceoff numbers are improving, with LA winning 54% of the total draws (31-of-57). Kopitar was tops here, winning 65% (11-of-17).

- LA was 1-for-4 on the power play and killed off all four chances St. Louis had with the man advantage.

– NHL Debut: Slava Voynov played 19:48 and earned a plus-2 rating

- Practice starts today at noon in El Segundo. Immediately following, we'll have live notes and quotes - follow along on the twitter/facebook links listed below. In the meantime, enjoy the video highlights from last night's game (after the jump)...

Blues at LA Kings - what to watch for II with Johnson, Greene

Earlier today we heard from Jarret Stoll, Anze Kopitar and coach Terry Murray - who offered their thoughts on the keys to tonight's LA Kings vs St, Louis Blues match-up.

While Stoll spoke of needing to play 'pissed off' about the fact the Blues defeated the Kings in all four games last season, Murray and Kopitar seemed to be more focused on having the team worry about their own game plan, and less on the one of their opponents.

Yet, it was Jonathan Quick who brought up something that you don't hear goalies talking about too often - the physicalness of the opposing team.

As a follow-up, here are some thoughts from four of the Kings more physical players in a special second edition of 'what to watch for'...

Matt Greene - "We just need to get ready to work. They've changed a lot of things. But, what St. Louis always has is a real hard working team. They've always had that and they bring a lot of energy to the game. So, I think it's going to be a tough game to play, like it always is - a gritty game. We need to meet their intensity and be ready for a tight, tight close game."

Blues at LA Kings - a 'pissed off' Stoll on what to watch for

If you needed an exhibit to submit in court demonstrating the Kings' struggles on offense last year, the four-game series vs. the Blues would more than suffice.

In their last three match-ups, LA managed a combined total of two goals. And over the four-game season series they were outscored 15-6, losing all four games.

Jonathan Quick, who played every game against the Blues last season, will get the start again tonight. On the other side of the ice, St. Louis comes in with a revamped roster, that now includes veteran forwards Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner.

So, what are the keys to tonight's game? Here's what Quick, Jarret Stoll, Anze Kopitar and coach Terry Murray had to say following practice...

Quick - "They were a playoff (caliber) team last year, I felt. They had a few injuries that hurt them though and they weren't able to get past them. We know that Based on what they had last year they were a great team and then they've added a couple pieces. They're a very, very physical team and we have to be prepared on the physical side of it. If we can't out battle them, it will make for a tough game."

Kopitar - "First of all, we just have to worry about ourselves and how we're going to play. We should make them adjust to us, instead of us adjusting to them - especially at home, where you want to get off to a hot start. We just have to play the game hard and play it with a lot of discipline."

LA Kings defenseman Jack Johnson is just trying to get lost

Jack Johnson - LA Kings (photo: M. Zampelli)

Who knew that Mike Richards would become so heavily linked to the Kings defensemen in the early days of his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings.

In the deal that brought him to the Western Conference, Drew Doughty's best friend (Wayne Simmonds) was included in the package traded to the Flyers.

Then, during training camp, Willie Mitchell admitted to forming a bro-mance with the 26-year old center. And more recently, Richards has connected with Jack Johnson on two game-winning goals in overtime.

Any attention thrown Johnson's way for those two goals - including teammate Kevin Westgarth tweeting that he's becoming the new Mr. Overtime - has quickly been turned back the other way.

"Well, they were set up by two plays by a great player," said Johnson after practice on Monday. "I just tried to get lost back there and move around. (On a power play) you out number them.  So, someone is bound to be open.  I just tried to get lost and Mike Richards made two great plays to me."

Johnson was also trying to connecting with Richards on a more personal level while the team was on the road the last few weeks.

Coach Terry Murray pushing and pulling Jack Johnson

It's been said many times that Jack Johnson may have played his best hockey in the NHL during the six game stretch when Drew Doughty was out of the line-up last October.

Statistically, there was a dramatic difference. In those games, he collectively totaled seven assists and was a minus-1. His output in the remaining 76 games of the year was 30 assists. Thus, he was nearly three times his season average during that small stretch.

A few weeks ago in training camp, coach Terry Murray said he wanted to see Johnson have a more consistent 'attitude of going after guys, pinning and sealing, and really being nasty one-on-one' this year.

Saturday night in Philadelphia, it may have all come together for Johnson - culminating in what some are calling his best game ever for the Kings.

Today, Murray spoke about how impressed he was with Johnson's play vs. the Flyers...

"I thought he was a real horse of a man in Philadelphia. He played tremendous. He got stronger and played with more authority on the puck. He really tried to take the game over every time he was on the ice. That was outstanding on his part, from my view of it. I just want to keep building on that and pushing that attitude. It's the way it is. When you lose a player, somebody does need to step up and take more on. And he assumed that responsibility. It was great to see."

Just imagine how deadly the Kings would be if Johnson and Doughty were both playing at an elite level most nights.

Scary.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Jack Johnson not worried about much, including his plus-minus

Drew Doughty on his most annoying LA Kings teammate

Murray calls Voynov 'a man,' plans to play him big minutes on Tuesday

Murray calls Voynov 'a man,' plans to play him big minutes

The last time the Kings played at Staples Center was Sunday, September 25th.

Slava Voynov - the only Kings defenseman to play in every possible pre-season game last month - was paired with Willie Mitchell that night. He went on to make the trip with the team to Europe. However, he was eventually was sent to Manchester before the season officially opened vs. the Rangers.

Tomorrow night, when the Kings return to their home arena Voynov will be back with Mitchell - due to an injury Drew Doughty suffered on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Voynov flew to LA yesterday and was on the ice for practice with the team earlier today. Afterwards, coach Terry Murray had the following comments about the young Russian blueliner...

"I really liked what Voynov did in the training camp. I thought all of his games were very impressive to me...he's intelligent, he has an aggressive attitude and he has a very good skill level. He's a second, third option player and he does a nice job on the power play. We're looking at him as a veteran player who's getting an opportunity to play, not a player who's coming up just to fill in for an injured player."

On how he'll be used tomorrow night...

Full comments from LA Kings coach Murray on Dustin Penner

Dustin Penner came into training camp in the best shape he's been in in years - perhaps ever.

That story has been well documented here on MayorsManor.

Over the last few weeks though, things have been a little murky surrounding the big left winger.

He missed the first two games of the season with what the team called an 'upper body' injury, believed to be a sore groin.

Then, he sat on the bench during the third period of Saturday's game in Philadelphia. After defeating the Flyers in overtime, LA coach Terry Murray referred to a 'contusion' he suffered during the game.

Penner was back on the second line with Mike Richards and Dustin Brown when the team began practice today - their first session at TSC in over two weeks. Twenty minutes later, he abruptly went to the locker room.

Following the team's practice, Murray provided a little more clarity on what's going on.

On why Penner left the ice - "There's nothing I can tell you right now. There's no report from our doctor, where he has gone. What I said after the game in Philadelphia, it's a contusion on his knee - when he had the fight, he fell - that's what it is. He went to get it checked out by the doctor to see if there is anything further on that."

Kings affiliate action - notes from Reign opening weekend

In what could be classified as a franchise reboot, the Ontario Reign took to the ice this weekend for a pair of home games to kick off the new season.

Just about everything was new, except the jerseys.

Gone was fiery and temperamental head coach Karl Taylor and in was the seemingly always jolly Jason Christie. Helping him behind the bench was former Kings defenseman and assistant coach Mark Hardy.

On the roster, only a small handful of players remain from last season. It's a completely new look team, that now includes Kings goaltending prospect JF Berube as the number one goalie.

Saturday afternoon the Reign also added Darcy Kuemper to the line-up. The 6-foot-4 goaltender was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round of the 2009 draft and remains under contract to the Wild. However, due to them not having an ECHL affiliate this year (and a full roster in the AHL), Christie was able to work out a deal for Kuemper to play in Ontario. He comes in after a strong season last year, where he was the top goalie in the WHL.

Friday night's game was a 5-4 loss to the two-time defending champions of the Pacific Division, the Bakersfield Condors. Saturday saw the team rebound and pick up a 3-2 victory - after 11 rounds of a shootout - over their old nemesis, the Stockton Thunder.

Below are some exclusive quotes a few of the notables provided MayorsManor...

Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - October 17, 2011

This weekend looked to be a rough one for the Manchester Monarchs - the Kings top farm team. Their schedule saw them playing three road games, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fortunately, they came out of it with a 2-1 record and scored a total of 15 goals. Martin Jones was in net for the two wins, giving up only one goal in each game. He's looked every bit the part of the goalie many have predicted a big season for - now giving up only five goals total in his four starts (1.26 goals-against average with a .956 save percentage). His only blemish on a 3-1 record was a game he lost 1-0 last weekend.

Jeff Zatkoff, who Jones split time with in goal last season, made his first start of the season in yesterday's 5-2 loss. He made 22 of 27 saves. It was his first game action of any kind in quite some time, as he accompanied the Kings to Europe as a three goalie.

Here are some additional early season notes on a few other Kings prospects:

DEFENSEMEN

Jake Muzzin (ranked second among the Kings top ten prospects heading into the season) - this weekend marked his returned to action after suffering a head/neck injury in training camp...he picked up a pair of goals in the three games played...was credited with seven shots on Goal in yesterday's game, doubling is season total to 14