Warming up the leftovers with Clifford, Greene, Westgarth

Things have been a little busy lately, so it's time to play catch up this morning. Sometimes, you have 'extra' quotes that just never see the light of day because of timing, other news stories popping up, etc. Then, they're lost forever. Rather than let that happen, let's back track for just a moment. After all, this should be a slow Monday...

Below are comments from Kevin Westgarth and Matt Greene after the physical game vs Florida on Thursday - plus, Kyle Clifford following Saturday's contest with Montreal.

Westgarth on the surprising amount of rough play in the Kings-Panthers game - "There was a bit of frustration on both of the teams. Then, when their player takes a bit of a run at one of our better players, it pisses everybody off. It was great to come out with the win. We weren't as good as we should be tonight and it's pretty awesome that we came out with the win. It's great to see some of the snarl out of the boys. I think it should be quite a game when we get back over there in Florida."

NOTE: The Kings will play the Panthers in Florida on Thursday, February 9. Also, to see the hit Sean Bergenheim put on Mike Richards, click here.

Westgarth on watching much of the Kings roster get involved in the physical aspect of the game - "I love seeing the boys take care of each other. That's why I'm here. But, that's the whole mentality. If everybody has each other's back, then we can all play that much more confident and that much better. Sometimes I grit my teeth a little too much maybe and just want to do something to deal with it. But, I think the guys did a great job of stepping up, being real physical, and going right back after them. Hockey teams, and especially our team, have memories. We'll keep this one close to our chest."

Habs def Kings 2-1 - comments from Montreal locker room

The Montreal Canadiens came into Saturday's game with six straight wins over the LA Kings, dating back to March 2004.

Make it seven.

After coming out of the gate firing, including outshooting the Habs 14-5 in the first period, LA put it on cruise control. Montreal ended the game tied in shots 27-27. More importantly, they picked up a 2-1 win.

Here's what they were saying after the game...

Coach Jacques Martin on the overall game - "I thought we had a good effort. I thought the last two games we’ve played extremely well. In San Jose we only came out with just one point, but I felt we could have had a better fate. It wasn’t a lack of work. It thought that we executed pretty good today against another top team; a big team that’s physical. I thought we used our speed and quickness to our advantage…I think the last two games I liked our third periods… I thought our power play was good. We scored one goal but we also created some good scoring chances."

Forward Brian Gionta on the overall game - "They [the Kings] had a lot of shots on the power play in the first period. So it’s [shots on goal in first period] was a little deceiving, but for sure we got better as the game went on, and in the second and third I thought we overtook the play… It’s [the win] big. Obviously the last six games or so we’ve been struggling a bit so today here was a pretty good effort for us."

LA Kings coach Murray and Jarret Stoll talk missed penalty

Montreal at LA, final score 2-1.

Late in the game, Jarret Stoll had his stick snapped in half from a slash by one of the Canadiens. Although Stoll was screaming for a penalty, none was called. After the game, here's what they were saying...

Coach Murray - “That was not the game. There were a lot of opportunities in the first period with the power play that we had, the 5-on-3. Those are missed opportunities. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t score on it. We just didn’t get enough traffic at the net. [Carey] Price saw a lot of those pucks. We need to be more diligent in front of the net to get screens on the goalie.”

Stoll - "Tough to not get that call. Both of those referees are good guys, they're good refs. They just missed that one...There are some calls out there that can go either way. We had some power plays too, we had our chances. Early on, we had some power plays that we didn't capitalize on. It's just with blatant calls like that [the missed one], I don't care if it's the first period, third period or if it's 10-0, those are penalties and it's disappointing they missed it. But, that's not the reason we lost the game. You're not going to win a lot of games when you score one goal."

Read Murray's comments on Penner here.

More to come soon.

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

LA v MTL: Coach Murray's presser - comments on Dustin Penner

Dustin Penner returned to the Kings line-up today had the only goal for LA in a 2-1 loss to Montreal.

Dustin coach Terry Murray's post game presser he had the following to say about the play of #25 today...

"I liked Dustin Penner today. He played well," said Murray. "He dug in, he was skating in a real athletic position, his knees were bent, he was carrying the puck with authority, he was strong around the net, he scores a goal. I liked the way he played for the first time in three weeks. He just needs to build on it."

If the NHL doesn't assign the goal to somebody else tomorrow, that will stand as Penner's first goal of the season.

More from Murray and the Kings locker room coming up quickly.

[UPDATE:  Murray and Stoll on the missed penalty (link)...Simon Gagne on the loss - 'We kind of shut down' (full quotes here)...and comments from the Canadiens locker room - including Carey Price and Brian Gionta (here)]

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

More from Laperriere - talking Luc, health, life after hockey

A few days ago Ian Laperriere joined us to talk about the Mike Richards trade. Did the Kings get good value in the blockbuster swap with the Flyers? Lappy thinks so. If you missed the full interview, you can read his thoughts here.

Because everybody loves Lappy, he's back today for more. This time around we cover his health, winning the Masterton Trophy at last week's NHL Awards and his plans for life after hockey.

MM: People always want a health update. So, how are you feeling these days? Any news?

IL: You know what, I feel pretty good. Other than my eye, that's what drives me nuts, I still have issues with blurry vision in my right eye. Other than that, I feel great. I've been training hard and I'm probably in the best shape of my life. But, still, when I'm on the ice, with my eye, I don't feel quite myself. Until that goes away, I don't plan on going back. At least I'm feeling pretty normal though.

MM: So, you're not using the 'R' word yet?

IL: I still have a year left on my deal and I'm going to give myself that year. If my eye doesn't get any better, I'm just going to call it a career. It didn't get that much better over the last year, so I don't expect it to be cleared in one more year. But, if it does, great. If it doesn't, I'll move on and do something else. Either way, I'm OK with it.

MM: Last time we spoke you were spending quite a bit of time with some of the younger players in the Flyers organization. Is that something that you're still involved with?

Interview with Kings Prospect JF Berube (QMJHL Goalie)

The future has never...NEVER, EVER!...looked brighter in net for the Los Angeles Kings.

Already blessed with two solid aces at the NHL level (Jonathan's Quick and Bernier), plus two gems in the making at Manchester (Martin Jones and Jeff Zatkoff), it's easy for some to forget about JF Berube.

After all, he plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the often less publicized of the three Canadian junior leagues.

However, Berube - taken by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft - isn't somebody to be ignored. He was under consideration for the goalie slot on Canada's recent World Junior team (in fact, he provided a report here from their summer camp last year) and he just finished the regular season in the 'Q' as one of the top goaltenders, statistically speaking.

Last night, his Montreal Junior team won their opening round playoff game against the visiting Halifax Mooseheads 5-3. Of course, Berube was is net.

Prior to the game though, I spoke with him as part of our 'prospect playoff preview' series this week on MayorsManor...

MM: Last summer you said you wanted to approach this season with the goal of being one of the top goalies in the league and you wanted to have a "big season." Did you feel you accomplished that?

Kings-Wild Preview with Jose Theodore

French Canadian goaltender. Debuted in the NHL as a teenager. Spent most of the next few seasons in the AHL. Finally arrived in the big show...with huge expectations. Perhaps even impossible to live up to.

Jonathan Bernier?

No, Jose Theodore.

Drafted by Montreal 44th overall at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, expectations were huge right from the start. Come on, he was expected to one day replace Patrick Roy in net.

Eventually he left the Canadiens, making stops in Colorado and Washington before landing in Minnesota just before the start of this season. His primary job these days is backing up Niklas Backstrom. However, as I reported on twitter yesterday, he'll get the start tonight vs. the Kings.

Here are some thoughts from him regarding the match-up...

MM: Having played most of your career in the East, the Kings are a team you've only played 12 times during 11-plus years in the league. Any thoughts about facing them?

JT: Well, they're a good team. Look at the standings, they're right there. It's really tight. So, it's going to be a fun game to play and it should be a really fast game.

MM: The Kings will start Jonathan Quick. Would it be any more interesting if they went with Jonathan Bernier instead?

Bernier a perdu une bataille! Mais Bernier n'a pas perdu la guerre!

Just a slight twist on the more famous quote where Charles de Gaulle said France has lost the battle, but she has not lost the war.

Jonathan Bernier has yet to find his groove this season.

Further, for people expecting a goalie controversy in LA, it hasn't materialized.

Yes, he was a first round draft pick. Yes, he was the AHL Goaltender of the Year last season. And yes, he went 3-0 during his brief appearances with the Kings last year - including a shutout in Nashville.

However, Coach Terry Murray went out of his way over the summer to remind everybody Jonathan Quick was the starting netminder entering this season.

Just a few months ago, the thought of having two strong players available to fill the crease on any given night seemed a very real possibility though.  Kelly Hrudey, the Kings' goalie when they faced off against the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 for the Stanley Cup, said "what a great scenario" when asked about the tandem.