VIDEO: Guest spot on Inside Sports after Kings-Ducks

Following the Kings 4-2 win over Anaheim last night, I joined Charles E. Smith, Jr on Inside Sports to talk about the game and LA's upcoming road trip to Nashville, Columbus and Detroit. After my opening segment, Smith also chatted with Dave Joseph of ESPN LA. Take a look...

If you're interested, I also joined the Inside Sports show after the Kings big win over the Chicago Blackhawks on February 25 - you can view that show here.

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

Quotes from Ducks locker room after 4-2 loss to Kings

Visnovsky, Ducks defenseman (photo: Ikiri)

With both teams fighting for their playoff lives, Anaheim may have just seen their faint hopes of post-season play fall by the wayside. An early goal by Kings captain Dustin Brown, a pair from newly acquired Jeff Carter and Jonathan Quick in net was more than enough to shut down the Ducks offense.

You can't really fault the visiting team for trying though - they outshot LA 31-20, won the battle at the faceoff circle (52% vs 48%), plus were neck-and-neck with hits (29 to 31) and blocked shots (10 to 9). The difference was special teams, where the Kings picked up a pair of goals and the Ducks came away empty-handed.

And that was one of the key themes back in the locker room following their third loss of the season in LA...

Ryan Getzlaf on the overall game - "It’s a tough one. You know what, we’re pretty disappointed in this locker room, mostly with our effort. We weren’t as good as we needed to be to play tonight. They came out and played a strong game, and we didn’t respond the way we needed to, especially our special teams."

Getzlaf addresses if their playoff hopes gone - "No, we’re excited. We’re excited to play every night and excited to get back in this thing, and working hard to get there. We lost the special teams battle tonight, and that was the difference in the hockey game...There’s no doubt in here that we can still make this thing happen...Our group tonight has never stopped believing this whole time, and we’re not going to now."

Lubomir Visnovsky on the overall game - "Right now, we go like one, two wins, and two losses, and we go up and down. This is a very tough time for us. We need more wins. It’s hard to say something."

Ducks Kings primer - Where is all this confidence coming from?

Who will score the first goal of the night for the Kings?

Here's what the players had to say when asked that question yesterday after practice. It should be noted that all season long, the only player to not take somebody else was Doughty. He went with himself for a game about a month ago (but, didn't turn the trick).

This time around, the whole room was feeling lucky...

Jarret Stoll - "I'll take myself, I'm due."

Kyle Clifford - "I feel pretty confident in myself, I take me."

Trevor Lewis - "I'm going to say myself."

Jeff Carter - "Probably me...I want it, I need it"

Doughty - he just pointed at himself and said, "Me!"

Brad Richardson - "I have a pretty good feeling about myself."

Not so sure how that's going to be possible from the press box, as he's scheduled to be a healthy scratch.

Richardson went on to say, "I'll give an honorable mention to Carts. But, most likely, it will be me."

Colin Fraser, who sits next to Richardson in the locker room at TSC was willing to double down on the idea, chiming in with "It's going to be Richie, on a pass from me."

Dwight King had other ideas - "I'll go with my right winger, Carts. I think he's due. He had quite a few shots the last game and he's bound to have one go in."

If you'd like to participate in the MayorsManor First Goal contest, we'll be giving away a free pair of tickets to an upcoming Kings home game. It's easy to play, simply leave a comment below with the LA player you think will score first vs. the Ducks...or reply to the facebook / twitter updates that will be posted around 7:00pm. All correct answers will be pooled together and one random winner will be awarded the tickets. Good luck!

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

Frozen Fury XV details, plus Kings-Ducks pre-season game

Somebody warn Elvis, the Kings are returning to the Las Vegas desert for another tilt vs. the Colorado Avalanche.

Frozen Fury XV will take place on Saturday, September 29th - at MGM Grand Garden Arena, just like usual. Although this will be the 15th edition of the annual pre-season spectacular, it will actually mark the 17th time the Kings have played a game in Vegas.

Back in 1991 they hosted the New York Rangers for an outdoor game at Caesars Palace (video) and Frozen Fury II was actually a double-header, with games on Saturday and Sunday nights.

LA holds a 10-5 record in Frozen Fury games and Colorado is 5-8, including a decisive 4-1 victory this past October.

In addition to the 13 games vs. the Avalanche, the Kings have also played one game each against Phoenix and San Jose (losing both). The were scheduled to play the Anaheim Ducks in 2004. However, that game was cancelled due to the NHL lockout.

The weekend after this year's edition of Frozen Fury, the Kings will host the Anaheim Ducks at Citizens Business Bank Arena - home of the Ontario Reign, LA's ECHL affiliate. It will mark the second time the Kings have played there, having lost to the Sharks 2-1 in a shootout in 2009.

Earlier this season, the Kings and Ducks split their annual pre-season series, with each team winning on the other's home ice by a final score of 3-1.

Ticket information and additional pre-season games will be announced at a later date.

If you've never taken the Frozen Fury Trivia Challenge, give it a try here.

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

LA Kings vs Colorado Avalance - Saturday, September 29, 2012 in Las Vegas, NV
LA Kings vs Anaheim Ducks - Saturday, October 6, 2012 in Ontario, CA

2012 AHL All-Star Game - notes on Zatkoff, Hickey, Stevens

The 2012 edition of the AHL All-Star game concluded tonight, with the Western squad defeating the guys from the East 8-7 in a shootout. Kings prospects Jeff Zatkoff and Thomas Hickey represented the Manchester Monarchs on the East team.

Zatkoff played the second period in net, facing 20 shots and surrendering there goals.

Hickey, who leads the Monarchs in plus/minus with a plus-14 rating, recorded zero points and took one shot in the game.

Kyle Palmieri, the Ducks first round selection at the 2009 NHL Draft, also picked up a goal for the Eastern Conference all stars.  He's split time between Syracuse (AHL) and Anaheim this season.

Andy Miele, last year's Hobey Baker Award winner (given to the top player in college hockey) - and a name Kings fans may remember from his stellar performance during Rookie Camp games in LA - had a goal, an assist and was plus-2. The Phoenix Coyotes signed him as a free agent last summer our of Miami (Ohio) University, the same school attended by Zatkoff and Kings defenseman Alec Martinez.

Prior to the game, the AHL held their annual Hall of Fame luncheon. Among the four honorees was Kings assistant coach John Stevens. He is one of only 16 men to win an AHL championship both as a player and as a head coach, having patrolled the blueline in over 800 games as a defenseman and later guided the Philadelphia Phantoms to the Calder Cup in 2004-05 after his playing days were over.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Jeff Zatkoff - making life on the edge work

Interview with Thomas Hickey - the Kings former #1 draft pick opens up

Zatkoff talks prank pulled on Alec Martinez in Manchester

Dustin Brown on what the Kings used to win tonight

Dustin Brown's last two games have perhaps been his best back-to-back performances this season. He played over 22 minutes in tonight's game, second only to Anze Kopitar among the forwards, and - like on Monday vs. Toronto - he scored a goal in regulation and added one in the shootout as well.

He now has four points in the last four games (three goals, one assist) and his six hits led the team tonight vs. the Ducks. That also gives him 37 hits in the last seven games. For good measure, he also led all players in the game with five shots on goal.

Back in the dressing room, following the Kings 3-2 win, he had this to say...

On the overall game - "Right now it’s about getting points. That’s the most important. Secondly, we’re starting to put good games together...you look at the stats like O[ffense} zone time, you’re starting to see guys hold onto the puck more. That’s two fold. When you’re spending more time in their zone it wears them down a little over the course of the game. At the end of the day, it keeps our defense pretty rested. We have some guys back there that play big minutes. When they can catch a breather for two or three minutes in a row while we're cycling and working hard, it pays dividends for those guys."

On the shootout - "I’ve been struggling the last year and a half on my shootouts, so I’ve just been working on it a little more, simplifying my moves...I was going to go exactly where Stolly [Jarret Stoll] went and I felt like he [Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller] was shading that side of the net so I just switched it up at the last second there."

On his goal in regulation - "It might not have looked like much, but the pass that Kopi gave me, I don't know if a lot of guys can do that. It's a three foot pass that goes a foot in the air and lands flat. I just got into position to shoot and he put it in the right spot."

Quotes from the Ducks locker room after 3-2 loss to LA

Although it's tough to call a game in December a big win, tonight was about as big of a win as the Kings have had all season. They wanted to start off the Darryl Sutter era with a win and they did just that, downing the Ducks 3-2 in a shootout.

Anaheim hasn't won on the road since October and after the game, both coach Bruce Boudreau and captain Ryan Getzlaf seemed to be looking for moral victories in tonight's loss...

Boudreau on the overall game - "I thought for sure when we got that power play in the overtime that it was going to happen. It didn’t. Then they got it and I thought ‘uh-oh, this is what usually happens’ and then when we killed that off I thought ‘I don’t care, we are going to win it in the shootout.’ I mean, the shootout is a crapshoot—anything can happen with it. Overall, I hate to keep saying it, but I thought we played pretty solid. The difference between winning and losing is sometimes just the attitude and believing that you are going to win or believing you are going to lose."

Boudreau on the Ducks power play - "The play we drew it up there was the first one and it was a near miss. What I couldn’t understand is why they didn’t go back and try it again because they play was open and it was there and you have options off it but I’ll talk to the guys and we’ll see the day after Christmas."

10 Tidbits from coach Darryl Sutter's pregame presser

Tonight marks game one of the Sutter-era with the LA Kings.

Following the team's traditional morning skate at their practice facility in El Segundo, the newly appointed coach shared some thoughts. Here are 10 tidbits from his morning debriefing...

- "I think we're ready to go. If you look at our season to date, we've struggled at home, right? So, we need to get out of the gate and get all of our lines and all of our defensemen playing well right off the start."

- "(Mike) Richards is cleared to play. We'll dress a couple extra guys in (the pre-game) warm-ups, just to be sure."

- "Those young guys are dynamic guys and you see that in practice. The veterans are exactly what the coaching staff said they were. They're quality guys, most of them have had success and they want to have it again. I'm just giving them a little more direction and away we go."

- "I think you have to harness (the energy tonight) a little. But, I think at the same time, the way we have our lines (set-up), we have enough of a veteran presence on every line that we can handle it."

- "There's a familiarity there (with the roster), even not knowing them personally, but you know the players. You know what their tendencies are and how they like to play. That's irrelevant. I know the guys and I'm comfortable."

Mike Richards on coach Sutter and his return vs Ducks

In perhaps the best news of the day for the LA Kings, Mike Richards has been officially activated from IR and is set to play in tonight's game vs. the Anaheim Ducks.

The Kings top goal scorer through the first two months of the season, Richards has missed the last eight games due to concussion like symptoms suffered in a game against Florida on December 1st.

His return will be more than welcomed by an offense that hasn't scored more than two goals in a game without him. He missed the team's last game vs. Anaheim. However, in the two previous games with the Ducks this season, Richards scored three goals.

Due to the NHL roster freeze until next week, he was able to be activated from IR without a corresponding roster move. However, the situation probably is just delaying the inevitable, as one will be needed next week (provided everybody remains healthy until then).

After practice today, Richards provided a few early thoughts on the Kings new head coach, Darryl Sutter...

"Just as I expected, he's a very smart hockey guy. At times, it's tough to tell in practice. But, I've talked to a lot of people around the league who have played for him and I didn't hear one bad thing about him. He's an intense guy and demands the best. I think that's what we need right now."

On his return to action tonight, Richards added - "I'm excited to play again. It's frustrating just sitting in a dressing room and not being able to do anything to help. So, I'm looking forward to playing."

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Dustin Brown says the LA Kings are full of 'excitement' today

Panthers at Kings - pregame primer with Mike Richards

Jarret Stoll is looking for more than 'one or two goals' vs Anaheim

Penner talks Corey Perry 'milking it' and the Hockey Gods

Before we turn the page towards toward tonight's game with Minnesota, there's still a few notes left over from practice yesterday.

Late last night we posted an article where Kings coach Terry Murray said that Tuesday's game vs. Anaheim was Dustin Penner's best game of the year.

There's no denying that Penner seems to be living up to the words he said last week, where he claimed to be healthy for the first time all year and was ready to go. He looked good in Saturday's game with Montreal and even more impressive against the Ducks.

"Better than I was two games prior," said Penner, when asked if he was feeling better about his recent performances. "But, it's only two games."

While he may have humble there, he did admit to being excited about playing his old team - "It always is. I played with Getzlaf and Perry for most of my time with them. So, it's always nice to grade yourself against some All-Stars and Olympians. Those two guys have been playing really well and getting better every year for a long time. That makes it a nice measuring stick for a lot of guys."

In a few articles yesterday we also mentioned that several players noted that the feeling on the bench Tuesday was different than other games this season when the team was down 2-0. After hearing it from a few of the Kings, I asked Penner if he felt it too...

"Yeah, everybody was talking on the bench. Kopi and I were excited to play with each other and we wanted to go out there and win it. We were a victim of the hockey gods, I think. Anaheim was owed a game because of the last few (where they came back from ahead to lose two games). We probably win that game if they had held the lead against Philly or Minny."

Kings coach Murray - 'Penner really stands out in my mind'

Tuesday night in Anaheim Dustin Penner had seven shots on goal, his season high with the Kings this season. Last year, his highest total with the team was 10, against those same Ducks. Prior to being traded to LA, his high water mark for the season with the Oilers was - wait for it - yes, against Anaheim.

One of the many rules of professional sports, athletes usually increase their output and level of effort against their former teams - either consciously or subconsciously.

After practice yesterday, several players noted the mood around the Kings bench was much different Tuesday than what they've experienced this season when the team has been down a few goals to other teams. This time, there was still a feeling of 'We're going to win this thing.'

I asked coach Terry Murray why he thought Tuesday was different - say, compared to the game before, where they were also down 2-0 to Montreal...

Breaking down the lack of scoring with Kings coach Murray

The LA Kings haven't been scoring enough goals to win hockey games on a consistent basis and everybody's talking about, including coach Terry Murray.

Following practice today, he not only answered questions, he also had some facts to share...

Question: Is the parity in the league - and the fact a lot of teams play the same system - part of the reason for the lack of scoring?

TM: Pre-lockout (2003-04), the number one scoring team in the NHL scored 262 goals (Ottawa). Last season, the top scoring team in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks, put up 262 goals (note: it was actually 258 last year). So, it hasn't changed much. The thing that has changed now though is the neutral zone play is much tighter. We saw it last night with Anaheim and we're seeing it, basically, with every team in the league. Everybody's pulling back to their own blueline. It's a very tight structure now in the middle of the ice. It is difficult to have a possession entry. Organized attacks, you can get organized, but there comes a time when you're being fronted - now, you just have to go get pucks in deep and you have to go recover them. So, it's hard and it's hard for everybody in the league right now.

Question: Has there been any change in the system that has led him to believe the offensive numbers would go down?

Kings at Ducks pregame primer - will it be number 1 or 500?

Tonight is the third game of the six-game series between the Kings and Ducks.

Since they met up for a pair of games last month, Anaheim fired their former coach (Randy Carlyle) and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau - who had previously coached the Washington Capitals.

A few years prior, Boudreau worked for the Kings and coached their minor league affiliate in Manchester. His final season there, he had a team featuring Dustin Brown, George Parros and Mike Cammalleri. They won 51 games during the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year. That was the end of Boureau in Manch.

While in Washington, Boudreau faced the Kings four times and lost every one of them.

He's also yet to win behind the bench in Anaheim, dropping his first two games.

So, tonight he'll be seeking his first win with the Ducks and his first win vs. the Kings.

On the other bench, LA coach Terry Murray is looking for his 500th win as an NHL coach.

Stoll is looking for 'more than one or two goals' vs Anaheim

Stoll vs. the Ducks (photo: M. Zampelli)

Jarret Stoll just continues to do whatever is asked of him.

Coming into the season, the Kings needed Stoll to become the team's new third line center, dropping down a line to make room for newly-acquired Mike Richards. Then, a few weeks ago, he was moved to right wing in an attempt to improve LA's anemic offensive output. Now, for the last four periods, he's been back as the second line center, due to an injury suffered by Richards (coming on a hit by Sean Bergenheim) in the second period of last Thursday's game with Florida.

Tonight, the Kings will travel to Anaheim and play in a building Stoll seems to enjoy playing in, picking up 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 16 career games.  He also has recorded more shots on goal there (41 total) than in any other road city.

LA will have a new obstacle though, Bruce Boudreau will be behind the bench for Anaheim. Since being hired last week, the Ducks have gone 0-2 for their new leader.  Yet, they scored three goals in both losses - a feat the Kings haven't accomplished in two weeks.

"They're all tough games and (this) one will be too. They will be a highly incented group to play hard and play smart for him and get a win for him," said Stoll, while referencing the Ducks new head coach. "We have to bring our game. We have to pick up our game. Our number one focus is probably scoring and putting the puck in the back of the net, getting more than one or two goals."

If that's going to happen, his line will most likely need to contribute.

Stoll has only one goal in his last 21 games and his right wing, Trent Hunter, has yet to score a goal this season. Meanwhile, Dustin Brown will be looking to continue his recent strong play at left wing.

Game time is 7pm.

Also, please note that all shirts in the MayorsManor store are on sale for 50% OFF until midnight tonight.  The offer code is given down below.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

LA Kings players on their favorite moments in Anaheim

RECAP:  Dean Lombardi meeting with shareholders

Dustin Penner looking to bring the Penner Cup to LA

Jarret Stoll - LA Kings players were 'fed up' with things

Stoll and Murray talk center, left wing possibilities

Stoll on the missed penalty and referees in Saturday's game vs. Montreal

50% OFF all shirts until midnight tonight, use offer code SHIRTATNIGHT

order here --> MayorsManor Store

View the store to see full line of shirts for men and women, dozen of styles and colors

Westgarth goes from 'stewing in his juices' into the line-up

Westgarth remains positive (photo: M. Zampelli)

By all accounts, Kevin Westgarth had a great summer. He married his longtime girlfriend and signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings.

Things haven't been so good since though.

Coming off a season where he played 56 games, roughly two-thirds of the regular season games, he's only seen action in six of the team's first 20 games.

"It's frustrating," said Westgarth, when asked about his role basically being cut in half so far. "It just gives me opportunity to work hard and just try to improve in practice and just be ready to roll when I get the call and to take advantage of opportunities that are given."

The time is now, as coach Terry Murray will insert him into the line-up as the fourth line right wing tonight in St. Louis. He's faced the Blues four times previously and has been credited with a total of eight hits in those games, second only to his stats against the Dallas Stars.

Westgarth has only one scrap in those four games, it came last March vs. the much smaller Cam Janssen - who had previously come on MayorsManor and talked about using videos on HockeyFights.com to scout Westgarth and Kyle Clifford. It didn't help much that night and Janssen has since moved on to New Jersey.

Last week, Westgarth would have normally been an automatic start in the Kings back-to-back games with the Anaheim Ducks - however, they're resident tough guy, George Parros, is out of the line-up recovering from eye surgery.

Still, Westgarth says he didn't like being on the sidelines for those games.

Occupy The Ponda - Kings at Ducks pregame primer

Divisional games in any sport are supposed to be close. So, last night's 2-1 win by the Kings in a shootout looks to fit the bill. However, it was probably a game where they gave the visiting Ducks a free point.

LA entered the third period up 1-0 on a goal by Mike Richards, who converted a Jack Johnson shot during a 5-on-3 power play.

With less than four minutes remaining in the game, Teemu Selanne tied things up. It was his 51st goal and 110th point (in 93 games) against the Kings, his personal best against NHL team.

Still, when things were over, Anaheim coach Randy Carlye acknowledged his team didn't play a full 60-minute game - "We didn’t really get our game going until the last half of the hockey game, then we played a lot more of the type of game that’s going to be required."

Bobby Ryan credited the Kings goaltending for shutting them down most of the game - "We had so many chances there and Quickie [Jonathan Quick] kept standing on his head and really sucking pucks in, not allowing any kind of rebounds in and chances for us all game."

Quick will start again tonight for the Kings, as they look to go up 2-0 in the Freeway Faceoff series. LA's only line-up change will be Brad Richardson replacing Trent Hunter.

After 103 games between the two cross town rivals, each side has 46 wins (there were 11 ties). Who will get to 47 first?

Quotes from Anaheim Ducks locker room after 2-1 LA win

There's no denying the Anaheim Ducks offense has been struggling.

Entering tonight's game with the Kings, they had averaged only 2.0 goals per game and 20 of their 34 goals had been scored by just four players (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne).

After the Kings defeated the Ducks 2-1 in the shootout at Staples Center, here's some thoughts from the Anaheim dressing room...

COACH RANDY CARLYLE:

On the overall game - "The power play advantage was six to one at one point in the hockey game and usually when that happens you are going to be on the receiving end of the shot clock. We didn’t really get our game going until the last half of the hockey game, then we played a lot more of the type of game that’s going to be required."

Coach Murray says 'Frustration is good' after Kings 2-1 win

Although the Kings put up 17 shots in the first period - a season high - and outshot the Ducks 37-24, it still took a shootout to decide tonight's game.

After the Kings 2-1 win, thanks to shootuout goals from Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams, here's what coach Terry Murray had to say...

- On the overall game: "Frustration is good. If you’re getting 37 shots, you get 30 shots after two period and you’re getting frustrated because you’re not scoring, that’s OK. That means you’re doing a lot of good things to get frustrated about. That means you’re putting pucks to the net…The five-on-five play was good. The mentality of getting pucks to the net and having traffic was very good. I liked our power play tonight, we moved it around, we got pucks to the net."

- On Justin Williams scoring in the shootout after his late-game penalty gave the Ducks a power play: "I acknowledged that in the dressing room post-game. It was a huge goal for him to get us the two points. It’s unfortunate with the penalty, he’s just doing the things he has to do to recover some pucks on the fore-check as fast as possible. I think he was just a little off-balanced and the stick just happened to come down…He bounced back. He scored a huge goal for us to get the two points."

- On the play of the two Russian call-ups, Andrei Loktionov and Slava Voynov: "I thought both were very good. Loktionov was on Richards’ line and they played against the top lines on Anaheim here tonight. I was very confident with his play without the puck. Both guys [Loktionov and Voynov] are very skilled with the puck. They’ve got a lot of composure. They see the ice. They make some plays…They’re both going to be very good players."

More later.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Kings vs Ducks - pregame primer for tonight's game

Kings vs Ducks: the first time it mattered this much

Kings prospect Ray Kaunisto calls Ducks fan 'a lost cause'

In the plans:  LA Kings vs Anaheim Ducks outdoor game

LA Kings players on favorite moments in Anaheim

Dustin Penner on the Penner Cup - Kings vs. Ducks, March 2011

order here --> MayorsManor Store

View the store to see full line of shirts for men and women, dozen of styles and colors

Loktionov talks Hextall, Kozun and other Kings prospects

Loktionov preseason goal (photo: M. Zampelli)

The Russians are coming. It's the story that's dominated the Kings headlines in most places the last few days.

Slava Voynov and Andrei Loktionov, both drafted by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Draft, were recalled from Manchester (AHL) in separate transactions about 24 hours apart.

Following practice yesterday, we spoke one-on-one with Voynov (posted earlier today) and then Loktionov, who arrived in LA just a day before his Russian comrade.

Back in the minors, Loktionov had gotten off to a quick start, scoring three goals in the Monarchs first five games. Since then, he's gone twelve games without a goal. However, he still left the AHL as the teams top point producer, largely behind his 11 assists (which are more than double any other player on the team).

Here's what the 21-year old forward had to say...

- Ron Hextall, Kings Assistant GM (who also serves as the Monarchs GM), called him on Sunday morning to let him know the Kings were calling him up to the NHL.

- Regarding his recent lack of production in Manchester - "We changed linemates after only one week. I was playing with Marc-Andre Cliche and Jordan Nolan. Then, Cliche moved to play center. Then, they moved Brandon Kozun (to my line)."

Ducks at Kings Freeway Faceoff - pregame primer

Tonight will be game number 103 between the Kings and Ducks.

Last year, Anaheim took the season series four games to two.

Through 17 games played by each team, the scales are titled towards the Kings - they have more wins (8 to 6), points (19 to 15), have scored more goals per game (2.41 to a league low 2.00), given up fewer goals per game (2.24 to 2.82), have a better power play (20.3% conversion to 13.6) and have won a greater percentage of faceoffs (51.9% to 46.6%).

What does all of that mean? Not much. The Ducks come in having won the last three games played between the two clubs, including the last two in Los Angeles.

Don't expect a heavyweight fight tonight either. George Parros is out recovering from eye surgery. Kevin Westgarth will be a healthy scratch.  (If you want to read a great story about Parros and a Chewbacca suit when he was a Kings prospect playing in Manchester, click here.)

Over the summer, Mike Richards was on MayorsManor talking about his relationship with Corey Perry (here) - which followed up Bobby Ryan talking about his friendship with several Kings players (here) the previous off season.

Still, don't expect a love fest out on the ice. The tension has been growing between these two teams over the last few years.