Saturday, February 11, 2012

VIDEO: Jonathan Quick on the Kings 2-1 OT loss in NY

Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick tried to remain positive after the team's 2-1 overtime loss to the Islanders earlier today. Here's what he had to say back in the locker room...


Thoughts from coach Darryl Sutter and team captain Dustin Brown are up on the homepage right now.

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VIDEO: Kings Dustin Brown on team's 2-1 OT loss to the Isles

Kings captain Dustin Brown was obviously disappointed with his team's performance today vs. the Islanders. After, he spoke with the media - including sharing thoughts on goalie Jonathan Quick and rookie Jordan Nolan.


Post-game thoughts from coach Darryl Sutter and Quick are up on the homepage.

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VIDEO: Darryl Sutter post-game presser vs. NYI

Coach Darryl Sutter spoke with the media following the Kings 2-1 overtime loss to the Islanders today. The highlight of the pseudo presser had to be 'Would you like more scoring?' Yes, somebody asked this to the coach of the NHL's lowest scoring team.

Here's what he had to say...


Click here for Dustin Brown's post-game comments and here for goalie Jonathan Quick.

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Friday, February 10, 2012

LA Kings prospects on TV tonight, plus other notes

It's Friday, so it's time for some college hockey. Three Kings' prospects will be featured on TV tonight...

- First up, Derek Forbort and the University of North Dakota will be at Minnesota-Duluth (ranked third in the nation). That game can be seen on CBS College Sports at 5 pm PST (DirecTV 614). Forbort, who was injured while playing for Team USA at the recent World Junior tournament, returned to action two weeks ago. On the season, he has one goal and four assists in 20 games played - although the former first round pick is primarily a stay-at-home defenseman.

- Two hours later, NBC Sports Network (DirecTV 603) will air Nick Shore and the University of Denver hosting number-one ranked Minnesota. Selected by the Kings in the third round of last June's NHL Draft, Shore was shut out last weekend after picking up three goals and seven assists in his previous 10 games. Overall, he has 24 points (7 goals, 17 assists) in 28 games played. Note: game two of the weekend series can be seen tomorrow night on a few of the FOX Sports regional channels.

- Wisconsin has the weekend off. They'll be at Denver next weekend, which will be the third weekend in a row Badgers sophomore Michael Mersch faces off with a fellow Kings prospect.  Taken by the Kings in the fourth round last June, Mersch has 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 28 games.

Nolan, King up and Voynov, Stoll out for LA Kings

Slava Voynov is on his way back to Manchester. It's an easy move to understand, as the team was carrying an extra defenseman and it seems that coach Darryl Sutter has settled on Alec Martinez. Thus, it was time for Voynov to head back to the AHL, where he can play large minutes every night and continue his development.

Jarret Stoll was also placed on injured reserve with the ever-popular 'lower body injury.' No timetable has been set for his return.

And then there's this - forwards Jordan Nolan and Dwight King were called up from Manchester. In a nutshell, they're two of the Monarchs leading point producers and the two biggest forwards not named Ray Kaunisto. At 6-foot-3, both are just an inch shy of twitter phenom-to-be RayK71.

Speaking of 71, that's the number Nolan will wear when he makes his NHL debut tomorrow vs. the Islanders. King will wear #74, the same jersey he sported during his six-game NHL stint last season.

King, originally selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Draft, had posted 11 goals, 18 assists 20 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating over 50 games with Manchester this season.

Nolan, a seventh round selection at the 2009 NHL Draft, has probably been the Monarchs most improved player this season - with nine goals, 13 assists and 119 PIM. Both players also spent a little bit of time with the Ontario Reign (ECHL) after first turning pro.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Oscar Moller and Bud Holloway getting tricky on the ice

Oscar Moller and Bud Holloway - remember those two?

Well, before we get to the crazy video and picture below, first let's set the table...

Moller was selected by the Kings in the second round of the 2007 NHL Draft and the 5-foot-10 forward has played 87 games with the big club. Holloway, a left wing, was taken the year before in the third round. He's yet to get a sniff in the NHL, even though he led Manchester (AHL) in points each of the last two seasons.

The offensive minded duo took their talents to Sweden this season, a move that irked Kings GM Dean Lombardi - just read his full comments on the matter here.

Holloway is a few weeks away from his 24th birthday. Yet, how close we are to his NHL debut may be something still up for discussion. He's currently leading Skelleftea with 37 points through 45 games and is fifth in league scoring.

In a recent interview, Holloway described his situation in Europe as "A high-paced league with more puck possession and speed. And playing against that speed and skill every night helps a player develop."  Still disappointed the Kings never called him up last year, while performing so well in Manchester, he later added - "You'd think that deserves a shot, but you never know what the parent club is thinking or what their plans are."

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

VIDEO: Jim Fox on NHL Live talking LA Kings

Jim Fox joined NHL Live yesterday afternoon to talk about trade rumors, Drew Doughty covering Steven Stamkos, the Kings lack of goals, an improving power play, aggressive defenseman, Dustin Penner, the recent clock controversy, etc.



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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

LA 3, TB 1: Post-game audio from Kings' Kyle Clifford

Kyle Clifford has been on a little bit of a roll the past few weeks and he kept things moving right along tonight in Tampa Bay - picking up his third goal in the last 12 games. It stood as the game winner in a 3-1 defeat of the Lightning. Back in the locker room, he was asked about his performance tonight and then, in a somewhat out-of-left field question, he was asked about Brian Campbell of the Panthers. Sure, LA is playing Florida next. However, he's not somebody that Clifford would have had much experience against (three games last year, once this season). Listen to his thoughts from after the game...



Earlier, we posted the audio from coach Darryl Sutter's post-game media scrum. If you missed it, click here to listen now.


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LA def TB 3-1, post-game audio from coach Darryl Sutter

In his post-game conversation with the media in Tampa Bay, Kings coach Darryl Sutter discussed the importance of getting the first goal, having a young hockey team, the play of Jonathan Quick and more. Take a listen...



The two best three-word Sutterism of the night may have been 'broken stick goal' (in reference to Steven Stamkos scoring the Lightning's lone goal) and 'just move on' (regarding last Saturday's tough loss in Carolina).


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Listen Live - The Mayor on ESPN radio talking LA Kings

Just a quick note, I'll be joining the guys on ESPN radio Ventura today at 4:10pm PST. We'll preview tonight's LA Kings vs Tampa Bay Lightning game, look at the latest info on Simon Gagne's injury, plus talk NHL trade rumors and much more.

Listen live at this link: http://bit.ly/pTBXPg or check the main site at http://www.1450amespn.com/

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Kevin Westgarth on what goes into preparing for a scrap

As sometimes happens when you sit down with Kevin Westgarth, the conversation can drift. His insightful answers to questions on topic A can quickly lead to you asking about topics B, C and D. Such was the case recently when we began talking about something as simple as taping his wrists.

"I do a light tape," began Westgarth, who is celebrating his 28th birthday today. "Even for the game, it kind of solidifies your grip and your wrists. A lot of guys I've run into have either hand or wrist problems. So, in some sense I'm sure it's probably placebo, but I'm sure there's something to it. It keeps things a little tighter and makes you a little more solid."

Not everybody agrees with him, per se. "I've never taped my wrists," said Kyle Clifford. "But, I'm not throwing heavyweight punches like him. So, it's kind of different."

There isn't a guide to follow when it comes to preparing for a game - and the possibility of a fight - says Westgarth, "It's mostly trial and error. In Manch (Manchester, AHL), I was the heavyweight. So, it was a lot of blazing my own trail. But, I tried to learn as much as I could, even from watching guys on other teams that I respected. There was some help from a few of the older guys. But, they weren't as into it as maybe I have to be. In the summers I also try to talk to different guys that I'm training with or just run into. Marty (McSorley), here, is a great resource too."

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Jonathan Quick not getting much support, even on off day

While Canadians proudly proclaim hockey is their sport, few things are as American as the Super Bowl. Whether you're gathering with friends today to watch the game, the commercials or just eat a bunch of food, the game has nearly turned into a national holiday. Football fan or not, it's hard to escape the hype surrounding the biggest sporting event of the year. So, who are the Kings favoring today...

Jonathan Quick - "27-24 Giants!"

Drew Doughty - "I want the Pats to win. I kind of have a few things going with some of the guys on the team. Quickie is a big Giants fan. So, I have to make sure I'm able to rub that in."

Jack Johnson - "Patriots. I think Eli (Manning) is great, I like him. Yet, when push comes to shove, I have a hard time betting against Tom Brady. I hope it's not a low scoring game though. I'd like to see a little bit of a shootout, that makes things more interesting."

Matt Greene - "Patriots. The total points in the game will be 67."

Rob Scuderi thinks it going to be a high scoring game too - "I'll take the Patriots. I don't care about the score, as long as it ends up to 57 (total points) or over."

So, three guys from one of the stingiest defenses in the National Hockey League are looking for an offensive explosion in the Super Bowl?

Fine, how about the forwards - what do they think?