Elvis must love playing hockey in Nashville

Trevor Lewis and Music City, they just seem to go hand-in-hand.

Nicknamed Elvis, due to both guys sharing the same birthday (January 8th), Lewis made a rare appearance on the score sheet Tuesday night.

Entering the game vs. Nashville, he had only three points on the season (two goals and one assist). But, after assisting on Matt Greene's goal and adding one of his own, he nearly doubled his totals.

Also, by scoring the fifth goal in a 5-4 victory for LA, Lewis was officially credited with the game-winning goal - his first such marker of the season. Last year, Lewis picked up his first ever NHL game-winning goal in...you guessed it...Nashville as well.

Here's video of last night's goal, set up by some aggressive play from Anze Kopitar:

Just prior to leaving for the road trip, Jeff Carter had some positive comments about the 25-year old former number one draft pick.  When asked which of his new teammates has caught his eye in the first week, he said - "I think (Lewis) doesn’t get much credit, but he does a lot of dirty work for the team. He’s out killing penalties, and I think on that line with Stolly and Pens, he gets in, he wins battles and stuff like that. He’s been a good player."

In the first few weeks following Darryl Sutter joining the Kings as coach, he too had some thoughts about Lewis' game and what he brings to the team.  Those statements and other related articles can be found below.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Coach Sutter offers early reviews of Lewis and Loktionov

Exclusive:  Trevor Lewis dishes on new roommate - Mike Richards

Lewis hopes they can 'find the back of the net soon'

Summer 2011: Lewis ready to make some noise at center or wing

Lewis responds to benching and Murray's comments

Exclusive:  Pics and stories from the player's Halloween Party

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?

Coach Sutter's presser vs Sens: full comments vs Sutterisms

Below are full comments from coach Darryl Sutter's post game press conference following the Kings 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. See if you can pull out a few of his popular three-word Sutterisms...

On the balanced effort from the team - "We got lots from... probably half of our shots came from our defense. The power play scored a big goal in the second, and a penalty-shot goal."

On the killer instinct in the second period - "I thought, emotionally, our second period was a strong period. That’s all I was trying to get, was to emotionally draw something out of them tonight."

On Justin Williams eight-game point streak - "Their line wasn't as effective tonight. I don't know if Kopi and Brownie even had shots on goal. So, I don't think if they were nearly as effective tonight."

VIDEO: Highlights of Kings 4-1 win vs Ottawa Senators

Led by Kyle Clifford's first Gordie Howe hat trick, the Kings downed the Senators 4-1 tonight and improved their record to 11-1-1 vs. Ottawa. The video below includes some great saves by Jonathan Quick, Trevor Lewis taking a penalty shot - plus goals by Willie Mitchell, Clifford and Jack Johnson.

If you'd like to watch Clifford's first period fight with Zenon Konopeka, click here.

Daniel Alfredsson, who stopped by MayorsManor prior to the game to discuss the Kings and the upcoming All Stat Game (link), scored the lone Ottawa goal.

We'll have post-game notes and quotes up early in the morning

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Trevor Lewis hopes they can 'find the back of the net soon'

Trevor Lewis (photo: D. Sheehan)

Trevor Lewis has played in all 15 games since coach Darryl Sutter took over on December 22 against the Ducks. That's a bit of contrast from the 15 games prior, where then-coach Terry Murray only put him in the line-up for six and scratched him for the other nine games.

The former first round draft pick has been playing primarily with Brad Richardson and Andrei Loktionov, and after practice yesterday Sutter said it was Lewis who was 'carrying the line' of late. Rather high praise for a guy who's only scored one goal this season.

Yet, it's more than just his offensive production that Sutter is looking at to evaluate Lewis' all around game. One recent positive was his career-high six hits vs the Flames on Thursday.

"I was trying to get in on the forecheck," said Lewis. "I think that's kind of the key to our line - to turn pucks over and grind 'em down low. I was first most of the time (on Thursday), so I had more hits."

On any improvement in his overall game over the last five games or so, Lewis was quick to point to his teammates.

"I think it's a credit to my line. We're playing well. As you play well, I think your confidence goes a little higher and you start to carry the puck a little bit more and make more plays. I just need to keep going and hopefully our line can find the back of the net pretty soon."

Does part of that confidence come from playing with the same two guys on a regular basis?

"Definitely. You're playing with them all the time and in practice. I think we've been together for...well, I don't even know how many games now. But, it's nice to know where they're going to be and what their tendencies are."

Sutter may have summed it up best though. After praising the line for 'doing a lot of good things and working hard,' he cut right to the chase - "Our third line has got to start scoring some goals for us. You do the math. How many goals does the third line have?"

Well, in the six games they've been together, that would be one.

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Coach Sutter offers early reviews of Lewis and Loktionov

Much of the Kings roster came into the season with defined roles, both on defense and offense. Two players still searching to find their niche are forwards Trevor Lewis and Andrei Loktionov.

Lewis has benched for a large portion of coach Terry Murray's final month with the Kings and in 28 games played this year he's posted zero goals and one assist. Primarily used as a defensive forward last year, the Kings were hoping for more offense from the former first round draft pick this season.

Loktionov is also scoreless in 17 games played since his recall from Manchester in mid-November. On several occasions, it's appeared that the talented Russian was hours from being returned to the AHL, only to some how find another lifeline to stay in the NHL.

After practice yesterday, coach Darryl Sutter offered some impressions on both players after five games behind the bench...

Has there been a player that's caught your eye so far? - "The player I didn't really know much about is Trevor Lewis. I'm trying to show lots of confidence in him. I know he's, obviously, struggling to score - with a goose egg, right? He has a good enough skill set. I'm impressed with his attitude. How come he hasn't scored? I don't know. I think he gives us a speed dimension. I see guys like Vancouver, players like (Jannik) Hansen and kids like that. There's similarities. He just needs to do all those things and then chip some in for us."

Trevor Lewis responds to benching, Murray's comments

Lewis - LA vs Anaheim (photo: M. Zampelli)

Things can change fairly quickly in the NHL, just ask Kings forward Trevor Lewis.

He came into camp riding the high of a strong second half and playoff performance - where he was one of the team's top penalty killers and was starting to find his offensive touch. Lewis went on to play in 19 of the Kings' first 20 games this season.

Then, after zero goals and just one assist, coach Terry Murray sat him out of the line-up nearly two weeks ago and he hasn't been back since - with tonight being the fifth straight game he's a healthy scratch.

After practice yesterday, I asked both men about the situation.

Murray on what it will take for Lewis to get back into the lineup - "Play a little more grittier. That’s the meeting that we had. I’m not talking out of school here. We've had that meeting and that’s the kind of game that I want to see him start to add to his game - his dot-to-boards (play). He needs to be bigger, he needs to be stronger, he needs to come up with more pucks and just dig in on that checking part of the game. He’s very good when it comes to penalty killing. He was (in) our first pair out there last year - in the second half of the year (he) did a great job. He’s a player who can grab the puck when it gets a little hot in your own end and he can settle things just by moving his feet and getting it out of danger, carrying the puck himself because of his quickness and speed. So, there’s nothing that I don’t like about his game. I just want him to add to his game."

Was that a new message delivered to Lewis in the meeting or was it something they've talked with him about before?

Trevor Lewis on being on the outside looking in for LA

Trevor Lewis, LA Kings (photo: D. Sheehan)

Top-six players dominate the headlines most days and yesterday was no exception. When Kings coach Terry Murray scrambled the forwards at practice, much of the early attention was placed on the big names - Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll, Andrei Loktionov, etc. - that were on the move.

Yet, what about some of the other guys? Even with four completely re-built lines, center Trevor Lewis still found himself on the outside looking in.  He and Brad Richardson will remain the two 'extra' forwards for now.

"No one likes sitting out," said Lewis. "But, I don't think I've been playing as best as I can. I have to take this time while I'm out right now, just refocus and get myself back to where I know I can play and where I know I can help the team out."

Lewis, who hasn't dressed for the Kings' last three games, also isn't quite sure what's missing - other than he's not in that same groove he was in the second half of last season.

"That's what I need to get back to," he surmised. "I think I need to just quit thinking about maybe scoring goals or whatever and just get back to the game that got me here. That's getting on the forechecks, getting pucks stopped, creating havoc on their 'D' and just being harder on the puck all over the place."

Like most players in a slump, he's sought advice from a few of his peers, namely Brown (who sits next to him in the dressing room) and his roommate on the road, Mike Richards.

Halloween costume pics, stories from the LA Kings party

On Tuesday, October 25, it may have been some other players dressed up as the Kings - because coach Terry Murray's team just didn't look like themselves in a 3-0 loss at home to New Jersey.

A few nights earlier, the Kings did actually trade in their sweaters for a variety of different costumes at the team's annual Halloween party.

In something that sounds more like a joke - but it's the truth - the big winners of the night were Simon Gagne and his wife, who dressed up like clowns. "They really went all out," said forward Trevor Lewis and defenseman Matt Greene called the pair "awesome."

Apparently, it was so good they won the 'award' for best dressed - a small 'Emmy-like trophy' according to Jarret Stoll.

Several players commented they also liked Rob Scuderi's choice of outfits (he and his wife came as Duff Man and Marge Simpson). Another popular get up was worn by captain Dustin Brown, who came as one of the tight clothed officers from Comedy Central's Reno 911.

However, the always sharp dressed Stoll had high praise for an unlikely forward, one who barely ever shows a personality to the media and is known for being a man of very (and I mean VERY) few words.

What I've learned so far... by LA Kings blueliner Matt Greene

Matt Greene on Thursday (photo: LA Kings)

Now entering the ring, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 232 pounds, originally from Michigan, now repping the South Bay - he's the two-time comedy champion and perhaps the only man who loves blood more than Abdullah the Butcher, it's Matt Greene.

Through the 'What I've learned so far...' series, several LA Kings players have shared their observations from the first month of the season. So, it's only appropriate that Greene took us all the way back to the first game of the year for his article.

Here's what he's learned so far...

"Sweden is an expensive place," was Green's opener.

So, just what was the most expensive thing he purchased on the trip?

"Probably a beer, those things aren't cheap over there. That's a lot of Kronor! You don't really think about it until you do the addition in your head."

Before this segment turns into 'Math with Matt,' let's move on to his teammates. Here's what he's learned about a few of them...

About Mike Richards - "He's a pretty good dude. Good player too, real good player. It was tough during the exhibition games. But, once we got into the regular season games and saw all the little things he does really well - wow, it's pretty amazing. He loves to fish too, really enjoys it. He has a pretty sick place, I've seen some pictures of it - that's a nice house."

What I've learned so far... by LA Kings dman Alec Martinez

Alec Martinez of LA Kings (photo: C. Ikiri)

Perhaps if Drew Doughty wasn't out injured the last two weeks, the play of Alec Martinez would be under more scrutiny. Instead, most of the blueline focus has been on rookie Slava Voynov.

It's not that Martinez has been particularly bad. However, coach Terry Murray did rest him a few games ago, wanting the 24-year old Michigan native to be more focused.

Last season, he posted 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) and was plus-11 in 60 regular season games. He's yet to pick up a point this season and has a minus-2 rating entering tonight's game in Dallas. He also took six shots, his biggest output of the season so far, against New Jersey on Tuesday. 

If he keeps firing like that, everything will be fine.  Overall, there's no reason to panic either, as the Kings haven't even played 10 games yet.

Off the ice, several Kings' players have commented over the last month or so that he's coming out of his shell more when socializing with teammates. Kevin Westgarth went so far as to call him a nerd away from the rink - something later confirmed by Dustin Brown (well, the captain actually said 'geek').

What has Martinez learned about some of his teammates so far this season?

Here's what he had to say when interviewed for the latest installment of this series...

About Justin Williams - "He makes a hell of a DJ Pauly D on Halloween"

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
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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

Need captions for these Kings-Sabres pics from Germany

The other day we had a lot of fun with a few Drew Doughty pictures from Hamburg, Germany - and several readers came up with some great captions.

Well, the fine folks at the O2 Arena in Berlin just posted an album of over 150 pictures taken during today's game between the LA Kings and Buffalo Sabres.

See if you can come up with an interesting caption for these photos...

#1 - Doughty asks if Ville Leino wants to do the limbo

POLL: What should the LA Kings do with Scott Parse?

Last night in Colorado, Kings forward Scott Parse recorded his first point of the pre-season.

However, just a few days ago, coach Terry Murray said he wasn't necessarily looking for goals or assists out of the 27-year old winger right now. Instead, he wanted to see his feet moving - something Murray claimed has been lacking.

While a dozen or so players have been fighting for one of the few roster spots available on the Kings team this season, Murray practically gave Parse a job heading into camp - even saying he planned for him to be part of the line-up during every pre-season game, in an effort to let him get back into game shape after missing most of last season.

As of Monday, Parse had yet to 'grab the opporuntiy' according to Murray, which led to a subsequent sit down meeting and him being scratched from Tuesday's game in Kansas City.

With guys like Ethan Moreau, Brad Richarson, Trevor Lewis, Andrei Loktionov and others all pushing for a spot on the Kings third and fourth lines, time may be running out for Parse.

Or is it?

If you were in charge of the Kings, what would you do...



Poll closes Friday at 3pm PST.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Scott Parse thinks it's all between his ears, coach Murray isn't sure

10 Tidbits on Scott Parse

Training Camp 2011: updates on injured players - including Parse

Kings at Avalanche: post-game notes, Kopitar goal video

Last night, the Kings beat the Avalanche 6-0 in Colorado - powered by four goals in the second period. Below are some key stats from the game and fan-filmed footage of Anze Kopitar putting one of his three goals in the net.

* Justin Williams led all Kings with six shots on goal (one went in). Kopitar was second, with five. Trevor Lewis had four.

* The Kings, after playing the night before in Kansas City, came out of the gates slow - putting only six shots on goal in the first. They then outshot the Avs 14-9 and 12-7 in the final two periods.

* Jonathan Quick played the entire game in net, stopping all 27 shots he faced.

* Dwight King, Justin Azevedo and Andrew Campbell all made a rare start. And they showed up on the box score - in the penalty section. Campbell and Azevedo each received two minutes for tripping, while Kings was give a four minute double-minor for high sticking in the third.

* Jack Johnson led the Kings in total ice time (23:30). Rookie Slava Voynov wasn't far behind at 23:16.

LA Kings forward Brad Richardson - the human avalanche

LA Kings Brad Richardson (photo: C. Ikiri)

The old 'put me in coach' saying could possibly be modified for Brad Richardson. 'Plug me in' coach may be more appropriate for the versatile forward.

Last season he played just about every position among the Kings four offensive lines, including a few stints on the top line with center Anze Kopitar.

Given his choice, Richardson says he'd rather be in the middle.

"I like center - that’s my natural position. But, it's pretty tough on this team to be a center - unless someone’s injured, like last year," said the Kings utility man. "I'm comfortable on the right side, left side — the wing positions don't matter to me, it's just a side. Any forward position is fine with me."

When he plays in Colorado though, like the Kings are tonight - he simply looks for quality minutes.

Hockey players have long been known for performing well against their former teams and Richardson is no exception. Originally selected by the Avs in the fifth round of the 2003 NHL Draft, he was traded to the Kings in 2008 for a second round pick. Since changing jerseys, he's scored five goals in nine games against the Avs. In 171 other games for the Kings, played outside of Colorado, he's scored 13 goals (a conversion rate of 8%).

Further, in 244 total games played outside of Denver, Richardson has 27 NHL goals (a conversion rate of 11%). Conversely, in his 72 games at the Pepsi Center, he's found the back of the net 10 times (14%).

In two pre-season games this month, he's been on the move again.

Rich Clune - 'Not a lot of guys here will win the scoring title'

Clune at Kings training camp (photo: CIKIRI)

Take the following players on NHL contracts: Trevor Lewis, Ethan Moreau, Scott Parse, Brad Richardson, Jarret Stoll, Kevin Westgarth...add in prospects Brandon Kozun, Andrei Loktionov and Tyler Toffoli...then top it off with Trent Hunter, who is in camp on a tryout deal...what do you have?

Ten players vying for six spots total on the Kings third and fourth lines for the upcoming season.

Now, add Rich Clune to that list.

"Sure, the odds are against me. Bring it on, I don’t care. I’m not going to quit and go to Europe. This is what you play for, right?"

It was an interesting opening comment from Clune, not only because it showed pure raw-emotion towards what he's up against, but also nearly picked up right where we left off the last time we spoke.

Back in July, Clune visited MayorsManor, during a time period when several Kings prospects were in the midst of leaving their AHL affiliate in Manchester and signing contracts over in Europe - something he had attributed to a disastrous combination of "the mighty dollar...a bit of an ego thing...and maybe a little frustration."

All valid points, but things Clune said he's willing to overlook for the time being.

When you're speaking with the 24-year old left wing, you usually have to separate the sarcasm from the truth, and this time was no different.

"I don't think I'd like the food over there anyway," he said.

Putting that aside, he's taking a different approach to the difficult road many must travel to reach the NHL.

Tyler Toffoli - 'my emotions will be going' for game tonight

Toffoli at Kings camp (photo: CIKIRI)

When hockey players meet out on the ice for the first time, they never know where that brief encounter may someday take them.

For Tyler Toffoli, running into Ethan Moreau this summer has eventually brought the two to an unexpected place - not only teammates, but now linemates.

"When I was here training in the summer, he was here, just skating around," explained Toffoli. "So, I got to talk with him a bit back then while he was looking for a place to play. He's a great guy and just a class act all the way."

Tonight in Phoenix, the grizzled vet and the wide-eyed kid will play wing on a line centered by Trevor Lewis.

When Toffoli thinks back to his first encounter with Moreau, he was immediately impressed with the former Oilers captain.

"With LA giving him the opportunity to play here, I'm sure he'll do great because he's a great player. He's a big leader, who's been around for so many years. So, I'm really excited to get the opportunity to play with Ethan and Trevor Lewis."

Sunday evening, Kings coach Terry Murray shared many positive observations about the little things Toffoli has been doing in camp so far. For now, Toffoli says he's trying to keep his head down and his eye on the prize.

"I'm just here trying to work as hard as I can. I've come a long way since last year. I'm just really excited to be playing in my first exhibition game - when last year, I was nowhere near close. So, I'm excited and hopefully I can capitalize on my opportunity and stick around here for a little bit."

Of course, it didn't really matter if he was selected to play for the 'home' Kings or the 'road' Kings in tonight's split-squad series. Toffoli just wants to be in the mix.

Terry Murray's convinced about Loktionov, unsure of Lewis

Back in July, Trevor Lewis stopped by MayorsManor and shared that he's open to just about anything this season. Even though he primarily played center during his rookie season last year, he'll happily move to the wing if that's where coach Terry Murray wants him.

For him, it's all about wanting quality minutes.

That's comforting to head coach Terry Murray, who will be faced with some tough choices here in the next week or so. Along with GM Dean Lombardi, they have, what seems like, 87 players in camp right now competing for spots on the bottom two lines.

One of the names that brings the most uncertainty is Andrei Loktionov.

"I think Loktionov is a center iceman and that's his best position, by far," said Murray at camp this week. "In saying that, I appreciate his work here at the start of last season - he did a pretty good job."

Acknowledging that he may need to move some parts around to make it all work, Murray added - "Trevor Lewis is probably the one player who can move to another position and feel more comfortable."

One possible advantage that Lewis may have at the moment, is Murray say him all year last season and in the playoffs.

"At the end of the day, it's going to be both guys in that position looking to make the hockey club," said Murray. "Trevor Lewis did a great job for us last year. I had him penciled in our (regular season) line-up coming into the training camp. Loktionov has really impressed me over the last two years. He's very creative. He needs to play higher. He needs to be one of those guys who is probably in your top six because of his ability to play with skilled players."

Coach Murray helps close the loop on Brad Richardson

Richardson while training (photo: K. Spatz)

The list of names competing for a spot on the bottom two lines of this year's LA Kings squad was already quite packed in mid-August.

With Jarret Stoll, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Kevin Westgarth taking up four of the six roles, that was probably going to make for a fun training camp battle between prospects Tyler Toffoli and Brandon Kozun, to see if they could crack the NHL line-up.

Then, the Kings went out and signed Ethan Moreau in late August.

If that wasn't enough, just days before camp opened, they invited veteran right wing Trent Hunter in on a try-out contract.

Is Brad Richardson slowly being squeezed out?

"No, not at all," coach Terry Murray said when asked last night. "I thought he had a real good playoff year. He really started to show his speed on a consistent basis. He scored some goals and the line was very good for us. He's come into camp with more confidence because of (that experience). When you see some of the stuff he's doing in the offensive part of the game - on drills we're running, he's holding onto the puck a little bit longer, he's using his quickness, that next-step to break it by a defenseman and getting pucks to the net."

As noted in yesterday's article about Kozun and the huge points he put up in junior hockey, Murray was careful to explain how it can take time for those sorts of skills to translate to the NHL level.