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."

100 Games Later, Little Has Changed for Kings-Ducks

Game one of the Kings-Ducks rivalry was a one goal game back in December 1993, a night that began with the two teams tied in the standings.

Fast forward more than 15 years and game #100 ended 2-1 (in overtime) and the clubs were separated by just three points in the standings.

They're also now tied in the season series 2-2, with the winner to be determined over the final weekend of the season when they meet in a home-and-home series.

Here are a few post-game notes, followed by the video highlights...

* Who else, but Corey Perry, scored the game winning goal. The man voted by fans as their Least Favorite Player in the NHL gave yet another reason to dislike him.

Pre-Game Notes: Ducks vs Kings for the 100th Time

It's been more than a decade since both the Kings and Ducks were in the playoff hunt this late in the season.

Surprisingly, the two teams have never participated in post season play at the same time. Could this be the year?

When it comes to regular season match-ups, this will mark the 100th time the Kings and Ducks have squared off. LA holds the edge in the lifetime series 45-36-18, including 2-1 so far this season.

How many goals does your favorite Kings forward have against the Ducks?

Take a look - Anze Kopitar 12 goals in 29 games, Dustin Brown 12 goals in 40 games, Michal Handzus 9 goals in 41 games, Ryan Smyth 8 goals in 55 games, Justin Williams 6 goals in 14 games, Jarret Stoll 5 goals in 29 games and Wayne Simmonds 5 goals in 15 games.

TRIVIA QUESTION - How many total goals do the Kings six defensemen have against the Ducks lifetime? (answer below)

Other notes and links of interest...

LA Kings Players on Favorite Moments in Anaheim

In 48 regular seasons games at the Pond / Honda Center the Kings have only managed to pick-up 17 wins.

However, many of the games have been memorable - or at least featured memorable moments.

Like any good rivalry the contests are often very close. In fact, about 20% of the games played there have required more than three periods of hockey.

Several of the Kings' players weighed in this week with their favorite memory from the games in Anaheim...

Anze Kopitar - "My first game, my first NHL goal. My first game was there and I scored. So, I have some good memories there. It's a fun building to play in. It's always a good rivalry. It always has a lot of intensity. And it's always nice to see the Kings fans make the trip down there. So, that's probably the best part."

Willie Mitchell - "For me, I don't know if it was a favorite, but it's a memory - when I was in Minnesota and we were playing the Conference Finals. We were playing really good hockey. We were probably the best team left in it. Maybe not the more talented team, but probably the best team as far as playing for each other and stuff like that. We played excellent in there. We just couldn't score on a guy named J.S. Giguere. That's probably my biggest memory in Anaheim, trying to get a puck past that guy when he had that over-sized gear on. We couldn't do it, unfortunately. But, it was a lot of fun to be part of a long run in the playoffs like that."

Wayne Simmonds - "I played my first exhibition game there my first year in the NHL. So, my favorite? That has to be it."

Drew Doughty - "There isn't really one that comes to mind. There have been some good ones at home, I think. Down there there's not really one that comes to mind personally. It would be nice to win, obviously. They're a big rival of ours and there's nothing we love more than beating them."

Since Doughty left the big fat rebound there, there had to be a follow-up...

When you say there have been some good ones at home, does that include the payback on Bobby Ryan last year?

"Yeah. I remember he got Oscar (Moller) early on in the season with kind of a dirty hit when the game was over, with just a couple seconds left. So, it was kinda pointless for him to do that. Not that I was head-hunting for Bobby or anything. But, when he came down my way, obviously, I wasn't going to stop and be a nice guy and not hit him."

Although Jarret Stoll had nothing specific as far as a memorable moment, he was already sizing up the Ducks...

"We've played well in that building. Last year we played really well in there. We've only been in there once this year and we lost. But, it's a tough building to play in. They have a couple of great lines that can do some damage on the forecheck and the cycle. We have to make sure our first objective and mindset is to play well defensively and smother them - not give them any good quality scoring chances. Plus, a good penalty kill. All those things. Just a good checking game. We're going to get our chances. We know we're going to get our chances. It's a matter of bearing down and putting them in the back of the net when we get them."

Yes, goals would be good. No doubt.

And if they can keep the puck out of their own net the entire night, it would make for a new memory.

The Kings have never shutout the Ducks in Anaheim.

Regardless, LA is just looking for another two points right now.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

MM Interview with Bobby Ryan - comments on Doughty, Moller, his friendship with Brown, etc.

Kings-Ducks: The Last Time It Mattered This Much

Cruising the Mall with Simmonds and Doughty

Willie Mitchell Not Sure What Went Wrong

Shooting It Out with Jarret Stoll and Coach Murray

...And Now You're Caught Up - Feb 21, 2011

Now that you're done celebrating Hockey Day in America - which turned into three days this year - it's time to catch up on things you may have missed.

To help you out, below are ten stories you need to know coming out of the weekend...

* Andrei Loktionov was sent back to Manchester. It's a numbers game. With Marco Sturm set to return the Kings needed a roster spot. They can't send Davis Drewiske or Peter Harrold down without first going through waivers. Chances are they wouldn't make it. Both are serviceable sixth defenseman in the NHL and have minimal salaries. At the very least, it wasn't a chance worth taking. Odds are Loktionov will be back in LA before the season is out.

* Still not sure why people were so in awe of Carey Price's mask during the Heritage Classic. The concept has been used by several goalies in the past, including Jonathan Quick's tribute to Rogie Vachon this year. However, my favorite may have been Hannu Toivanen of the St. Louis Blues / Boston Bruins going with the Denis Lemieux (from Slap Shot) look.

* As noted in the Kings Prospect Report earlier this week, Brayden Schenn and Linden Vey (the WHL's leading scorer) were set to meet up yesterday. Vey's Medicine Hat Tigers downed the Saskatoon Blades 5-2. Yet, neither Kings draft pick factored much in the outcome. Both players were limited to just one assist each.

Something's Gotta Give

The Kings and the Ducks usually put on a good performance when playing each other, regardless of the their respective records.

Tonight, the Kings are counting on a much better showing than what they've provided lately. And, so are the Ducks. Both teams enter play having lost six of their last seven games.

Anaheim will be adding Teemu Selanne to their, while Los Angeles adds John Zeiler.  What's that old saying about bringing a knife to a gun fight?

Something's gotta give here...

* The Kings are 5-6-0 overall in November.  Obviously, they need a win tonight to balance their books...as well as stop the recent bleeding.

* Although the the last few weeks have been brutal for the Kings, they actually sit just two points behind where they were at the same time one year ago. However, if they expect to seriously challenge San Jose this season, something's gotta give.

* After a hit on Oscar Moller last year Drew Doughty made sure Bobby Ryan got his receipt later in the year.  There's also a little Canada vs. US animosity there.  Will these two find a way to get reacquainted tonight?

* Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams have had a solid November, with 12 and 11 points respectively. Meanwhile, the third and fourth line are contributing next to nothing offensively. Michal Handzus has just two goals and one assist this month. The Colonel, Kyle Clifford, still doesn't have a goal this season. Something's gotta give.

Future Fridays - Interview with Matt Nieto

Matt Nieto grew up in Long Beach, CA as a huge LA Kings fan.

So, it was a little ironic for him when his teammate (Derek Forbort) was selected by the Kings in the first round of the draft this past June.

Perhaps it's something he'll get to experience himself though in the not too distant future, as just a few days ago he was one of only three college forwards to be given an 'A' rating by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau for the 2011 NHL Draft.

NHL.com followed up that information by releasing their initial mock draft results.  For what it's worth, they had the Kings taking him in the first round next summer.

Already a two-time gold medal winner at the U-18 World Championships, Nieto could also possibly be selected by Team USA for the upcoming World Junior Championships - which would raise his profile even further.

As part of our Future Friday series we spoke with the Boston University freshman about everything he has going on right now and where hockey may be taking him...

MM:  You started out by playing roller hockey at the YMCA, is that right?

Two Minutes in the Box with... Bobby Ryan

They say that retail is in the details. And while it might not have the same ring to it, hockey is in the numbers.

Take number nine for example, it's one of the most famous digits in hockey. Gordie Howe wore it. So did Rocket Richard and Bobby Hull.  More recently, Mike Modano built a Hall of Fame career in Dallas as #9.

According to Marcel Dionne, he almost wore it here in LA.  If original Kings' owner Jack Kent Cooke had gotten his way, there'd be a different number hanging in the rafters at Staples Center right now.

Across town in the OC, the original Mighty Duck - Paul Kariya - wore it back when he called The Pond home.

These days, Bobby Ryan wears it in Anaheim...and if everything works out as planned, he'll continue to wear it there for many years to come.  For now, he's working on some other numbers, as in contract numbers. The team and his agent continue to discuss terms - number nine reportedly wants a three year deal, versus the team's preference of five years - with nothing agreed upon just yet.

In a move that caught some people by surprise though, Ryan recently attended the launch party for Dustin Brown's new DLO-23 line through Combat Sports.  Even for an event held in Anaheim, seeing a Ducks player out supporting the Kings' captain was a bit curious at first.  In reality, he was there as a fellow member of the Team USA hockey program.  The two "hit it off" during the Olympics, thus he "didn't hesitate" when Brown invited him to come down.

So, thanks to D-LO, we had the opportunity to catch up with Bobby Ryan and get his take on a few finer points of the Kings-Ducks rivalry...after, of course, first touching on his Team USA experience.

Let's start with the Olympics...excluding Brown, who you're now friends with...who was another guy on the team that you learned something about and came away impressed?