The Kings had an earlier than usual skate this morning, due to tonight's game vs. the Blackhawks being at 5pm local time. Of course, the big topics around the locker room continues to be Jeff Carter and the upcoming trade deadline. Here's 10 tidbits that we picked up...
- Willie Mitchell on why he signed in LA now vs. testing free agency: "It's about having a shot at the Stanley Cup...it's all about winning. I want a Cup. I don't have that. A couple of guys around here do. I hear the stories, I hear everything...that's what drives me and that's what motivates me."
- Jeff Carter will wear #77 and play on a line with Mike Richards and rookie Dwight King to start the game, per coach Darryl Sutter. Carter will also get time on the power play.
- King on if he's following the trade rumors: "If you watch any sports program, you see a little bit of the action going on. But, I try not to pay too much attention."
Showing posts with label Voynov. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Voynov. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Nolan, King up and Voynov, Stoll out for LA Kings
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.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Matt Greene's New Year's Resolutions for his teammates
Kevin Westgarth started the tradition on MayorsManor last year and it seemed like a good idea to give it another whirl. So, here are some New Year's Resolutions Matt Greene offers up to his fellow LA Kings...
Mike Richards - Score more
Dustin Brown - Tip in a couple of Jack's shots (Johnson, sitting in the stall nearby, jokingly added, 'Yeah, instead of blocking them!')
Anze Kopitar - Play more minutes
Kyle Clifford - Get harder, you're getting soft off the ice.
Willie Mitchell - Be more vocal, talk a little bit more and make sure everybody knows what's on your mind.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Kings coach Murray evaluates the return of Alec Martinez
Kings defenseman Alec Martinez returned to the line-up last night after missing the previous 10 games with an 'upper body' injury - ironically, suffered in game vs. the Minnesota Wild last month.
With Martinez on IR, the Kings needed to make a roster move to get him back into the line-up. And the strong play of Slava Voynov suggests he isn't going anywhere. However, the expected waiving of Davis Drewiske will have to wait at least until the weekend because the Kings were able to place Willie Mitchell on IR (retroactive back to December 1, meaning he can come off tomorrow).
Again, for those curious about the roster process - essentially, to get Mitchell or Mike Richards back in the line-up, the Kings will need to make one roster move for each player. They can send Voynov, Andrei Loktionov or Kyle Clifford to the AHL without exposing them to waivers. Any other player on the Kings roster would have to be placed on waivers first, giving the other 29 teams a chance to take the player being waived. If such player goes unclaimed, he can then be assigned to Manchester. Thus, it's a slippery slope right now.
That decision can wait at least one more day though.
Back to Martinez. He had 17:28 of total ice time and recorded one shot last night. Here's what coach Terry Murray had to say when asked for an evaluation of the young defenseman's return to action...
With Martinez on IR, the Kings needed to make a roster move to get him back into the line-up. And the strong play of Slava Voynov suggests he isn't going anywhere. However, the expected waiving of Davis Drewiske will have to wait at least until the weekend because the Kings were able to place Willie Mitchell on IR (retroactive back to December 1, meaning he can come off tomorrow).
Again, for those curious about the roster process - essentially, to get Mitchell or Mike Richards back in the line-up, the Kings will need to make one roster move for each player. They can send Voynov, Andrei Loktionov or Kyle Clifford to the AHL without exposing them to waivers. Any other player on the Kings roster would have to be placed on waivers first, giving the other 29 teams a chance to take the player being waived. If such player goes unclaimed, he can then be assigned to Manchester. Thus, it's a slippery slope right now.
That decision can wait at least one more day though.
Back to Martinez. He had 17:28 of total ice time and recorded one shot last night. Here's what coach Terry Murray had to say when asked for an evaluation of the young defenseman's return to action...
Monday, December 5, 2011
POLL: LA Kings Player of the Month - November 2011
Time for some more house cleaning. Sure, this poll should have gone up on Thursday morning. Life happens. And yes, this poll is for the month of November. So, it does not take into account anything that occurred Thursday night vs. Florida or Saturday afternoon vs. Montreal.
Here we go...
First, a look back at the team as a whole. In the month of November, the Kings were 6-5-2, a little worse off than their 6-3-2 record in October. Their 28 points were second best in the division (behind Dallas, 29) and placed them sixth in the Western Conference. LA is also 6-1-2 vs. Pacific division opponents.
The power play, which had been converting at 23.1% in October, had fallen to 17.4% at the end of the NHL's second month. On the penalty kill, things had dropped a few points as well, going from 86.1% down to 84.4%.
Individually, here are your nominations for Player of the Month, November 2011:
{listed in alphabetical order)
Simon Gagne - four goals, four assists
Anze Kopitar - four goals, six assists, still leads the team in points
Jonathan Quick - 4-5-2 record, .924 save percentage, one shutout
Mike Richards - nine goals, one assist, moved into team goal scoring lead
Slava Voynov - one goal, one assist, 10 shots on goal in seven games since being called up
Who gets your vote?
Vote now, poll ends Wednesday morning at 11am PST.
For the record, last month's winner was Jonathan Quick. He captured 63% of the votes, the most ever in one of our 'Player of the Month' polls. Full results are available here.
The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:
LA Kings player of the month - November 2010
Simon Gagne on LA's loss to Montreal - 'We kind of shut down'
What I've learned so far... by Mike Richards
Here we go...
First, a look back at the team as a whole. In the month of November, the Kings were 6-5-2, a little worse off than their 6-3-2 record in October. Their 28 points were second best in the division (behind Dallas, 29) and placed them sixth in the Western Conference. LA is also 6-1-2 vs. Pacific division opponents.
The power play, which had been converting at 23.1% in October, had fallen to 17.4% at the end of the NHL's second month. On the penalty kill, things had dropped a few points as well, going from 86.1% down to 84.4%.
Individually, here are your nominations for Player of the Month, November 2011:
{listed in alphabetical order)
Simon Gagne - four goals, four assists
Anze Kopitar - four goals, six assists, still leads the team in points
Jonathan Quick - 4-5-2 record, .924 save percentage, one shutout
Mike Richards - nine goals, one assist, moved into team goal scoring lead
Slava Voynov - one goal, one assist, 10 shots on goal in seven games since being called up
Who gets your vote?
Vote now, poll ends Wednesday morning at 11am PST.
For the record, last month's winner was Jonathan Quick. He captured 63% of the votes, the most ever in one of our 'Player of the Month' polls. Full results are available here.
The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor
RELATED ARTICLES:
LA Kings player of the month - November 2010
Simon Gagne on LA's loss to Montreal - 'We kind of shut down'
What I've learned so far... by Mike Richards
Friday, December 2, 2011
Kings send messages to Panthers and coach Murray
One of the key themes in the Kings locker room following last night's 2-1 win was the difficulty they faced after losing two key players through the course of the game - Mike Richards and Willie Mitchell.
Although coach Terry Murray didn't have much information on the extent of their injuries following the game, an update is expected later this morning.
Mitchell left the game after only one shift, with what the team is calling a 'lower body injury.'
Richards was hit hard in the head by the shoulder of Sean Bergenheim (video here). Moments later there was a scrum involving both players, Richards spent time in the penalty box and then didn't return for the third period.
Many of the Kings players were passing out praise after seeing their teammates stick up for each other and continuing to push back - and often leading the way - with the physical play.
As a team, the Kings had 45 hits, compared to 18 for the Panthers.
Kyle Clifford had six hits and Matt Greene had four blocked shots (as well as five hits).
During coach Murray's post game presser, he also pointed out a different pair of players...
Although coach Terry Murray didn't have much information on the extent of their injuries following the game, an update is expected later this morning.
Mitchell left the game after only one shift, with what the team is calling a 'lower body injury.'
Richards was hit hard in the head by the shoulder of Sean Bergenheim (video here). Moments later there was a scrum involving both players, Richards spent time in the penalty box and then didn't return for the third period.
Many of the Kings players were passing out praise after seeing their teammates stick up for each other and continuing to push back - and often leading the way - with the physical play.
As a team, the Kings had 45 hits, compared to 18 for the Panthers.
Kyle Clifford had six hits and Matt Greene had four blocked shots (as well as five hits).
During coach Murray's post game presser, he also pointed out a different pair of players...
Monday, November 28, 2011
And Now You're Caught Up - the 11/28/2011 edition
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It's a lot for anyone. Don't worry though, we've got you covered.
Knowing that you'll want to catch up on all the key news, notes and quotes surrounding the LA Kings before they return to action tonight, we've put together a little cheat sheet for you.
Here are the 10 things you'll want to plug into before the puck drops at 7:30...
- Evaluating coach Terry Murray's new line combinations, the top three lines will have a new look vs. San Jose (link), plus Willie Mitchell talks about Jack Johnson, Slava Voynov, Drew Doughty and the Kings' new defensive pairings (link).
- Is Dustin Penner planning a heel turn? (link)
- NHRA's 7x top fuel champion Tony Schumacher drops by to talk hockey (link).
- On Thanksgiving, several LA Kings players shared which teammate they're most thankful for this year - includes Drew Doughty, Jarret Stoll and others (link), plus a guest author rated the top referees currently in the NHL and explained why you should care who they are (link).
- Jack Johnson explains his hit on Mike Ribeiro (link) and coach Terry Murray weighs in on the situation too, saying there's a time and a place for those sort of things (link).
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Willie Mitchell on the new defensive pairings
The Kings have only played 22 games so far this season, yet defenseman Willie Mitchell is already on his third different partner. Twice he's been teamed with Slava Voynov for a stretch of games - once when his regular partner, Drew Doughty, was injured and then more recently when the Russian blueliner was called up to replaced an injured Alec Martinez. Then, a few days ago, Voynov was put with Matt Greene. Rather than team Doughty back up with Mitchell, he moved on to Rob Scuderi - leaving Jack Johnson as Mitchell's new partner.
"We've all played a lot with each other. But, it's different, it's an adjustment," said Mitchell, when asked about the recent changes. "I feel pretty comfortable with Voynov and Doughty. Most people can see that I've played pretty well with both those guys. Now, I'm kind of starting to roll with Jack. We played together last year for a little bit. But, I was playing on the right side, in an area I really wasn't comfortable with. To be honest, I was battling a couple injuries, so I wasn't at the top of my game, so to speak.
"I think the idea was to have a guy out there who was pretty responsible on the defensive side of things, get out there with Jack and hopefully compliment his offensive side of the game and settle things down. So, I think it's been a little better than what we were last year, as a pairing. That said, we have to continue to try and get better as a unit. It's our job to go out there and play, coaches put together what they put together for their rhymes or reasons. For the most part, we've all kind of played with each other. So, it just takes a few different reads, as far as - Jack, obviously plays on his off-side, so you have to be aware of certain situations with that."
"We've all played a lot with each other. But, it's different, it's an adjustment," said Mitchell, when asked about the recent changes. "I feel pretty comfortable with Voynov and Doughty. Most people can see that I've played pretty well with both those guys. Now, I'm kind of starting to roll with Jack. We played together last year for a little bit. But, I was playing on the right side, in an area I really wasn't comfortable with. To be honest, I was battling a couple injuries, so I wasn't at the top of my game, so to speak.
"I think the idea was to have a guy out there who was pretty responsible on the defensive side of things, get out there with Jack and hopefully compliment his offensive side of the game and settle things down. So, I think it's been a little better than what we were last year, as a pairing. That said, we have to continue to try and get better as a unit. It's our job to go out there and play, coaches put together what they put together for their rhymes or reasons. For the most part, we've all kind of played with each other. So, it just takes a few different reads, as far as - Jack, obviously plays on his off-side, so you have to be aware of certain situations with that."
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Drew Doughty not worried about playing hungry Stars team
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty comes into tonight's game $2,500 lighter in the wallet - while some complain that isn't much for a guy who signed a $56-million contract a few months ago, it is the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
LA will be facing what should be an angry Dallas team. Not only are the a division rival, the Kings have already beat them twice this season and the Stars had lost five straight before managing a 4-1 win on Monday night over the Oilers.
Prior to leaving for the trip, Doughty talked about the dangers of playing a team as hungry as the Stars...
"I wouldn't say it worries you. But, at the same time, when we go in there, we have to be expecting their best. They're going to come out hard in the first period. They need a win, so they're going to do everything they can - they're going to be blocking shots, they're going to be doing it all. That should also make us a little more hungry when they're coming hard at us. That will just make us push back harder and make us play a better game."
LA will be facing what should be an angry Dallas team. Not only are the a division rival, the Kings have already beat them twice this season and the Stars had lost five straight before managing a 4-1 win on Monday night over the Oilers.
Prior to leaving for the trip, Doughty talked about the dangers of playing a team as hungry as the Stars...
"I wouldn't say it worries you. But, at the same time, when we go in there, we have to be expecting their best. They're going to come out hard in the first period. They need a win, so they're going to do everything they can - they're going to be blocking shots, they're going to be doing it all. That should also make us a little more hungry when they're coming hard at us. That will just make us push back harder and make us play a better game."
Monday, November 21, 2011
Alec Martinez talks injury recovery and Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez is slowly recover from injuries he sustained against the Minnesota Wild nearly 10 days ago. However, the 24-year old defenseman did leave LA with the team today, as they began a two-game road trip with a flight to St. Louis for tomorrow's game against the Blues.
Following practice today, he shared the following comments...
"I'm feeling better every day," said Martinez, when asked how things are coming along. "I know it's a cliche. But, it really is true. I've just been getting in here and doing my exercises, trying to strengthen the area. I've been getting on the ice for about four or five days now. So, the legs feel good. I just have to keep getting better."
Slava Voynov, who was recalled from Manchester to fill the spot opened up when Martinez was placed on IR, has been paired with Willie Mitchell (where he played last month in place of Drew Doughty).
"I'm happy for him," said Martinez, when asked what he thought about Voynov getting a 'higher' pairing, rather than just taking his role as the sixth defenseman.
"The coaches want to do whatever gives the team the best shot to win a game. If that's what they see fit, that's fine. I'm just focusing on getting better now and I'm happy for Slava. He's playing well and he's my buddy. Good for him and hopefully we can win a few more games."
Is there any estimate on when he might return to the line-up?
Following practice today, he shared the following comments...
"I'm feeling better every day," said Martinez, when asked how things are coming along. "I know it's a cliche. But, it really is true. I've just been getting in here and doing my exercises, trying to strengthen the area. I've been getting on the ice for about four or five days now. So, the legs feel good. I just have to keep getting better."
Slava Voynov, who was recalled from Manchester to fill the spot opened up when Martinez was placed on IR, has been paired with Willie Mitchell (where he played last month in place of Drew Doughty).
"I'm happy for him," said Martinez, when asked what he thought about Voynov getting a 'higher' pairing, rather than just taking his role as the sixth defenseman.
"The coaches want to do whatever gives the team the best shot to win a game. If that's what they see fit, that's fine. I'm just focusing on getting better now and I'm happy for Slava. He's playing well and he's my buddy. Good for him and hopefully we can win a few more games."
Is there any estimate on when he might return to the line-up?
Coach Murray on shots - 'That's how you score you goals'
If you thought the Kings looked like a different team against Detroit than the group who played Anaheim and Minnesota in the previous three games, Murray would agree with you.
"That was the one thing that maybe disappointed me as much as anything in the game, is that we were not skating anywhere near the way we skated in the last three games."
He also shared some thoughts on what it's going to take to get some secondary scoring out of the Kings, as they can't only rely on Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Simon Gagne - the trio have accounted for roughly half of the team's total goal production.
"I'm encouraging the shots," said Murray. "We've been putting better numbers up at the end of the day - shot attempts, shots on net. When you watch a team like Detroit, they're the number one team in the NHL for shots on goal, average per game. They're at about 34.6 shots per game, on average. And you can see why they're a good hockey club. That's been their mentality throughout the last 15 years. That's how you score goals."
And win games apparently. Last season, five of the NHL's six division winners finished in the top seven for average shots taken per game.
Currently, the Kings are 19th in the league, averaging 29.3 shots on goal.
Given the lack of production coming from the blue line, are some of the Kings defenseman tentative to get shots off?
"That was the one thing that maybe disappointed me as much as anything in the game, is that we were not skating anywhere near the way we skated in the last three games."
He also shared some thoughts on what it's going to take to get some secondary scoring out of the Kings, as they can't only rely on Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Simon Gagne - the trio have accounted for roughly half of the team's total goal production.
"I'm encouraging the shots," said Murray. "We've been putting better numbers up at the end of the day - shot attempts, shots on net. When you watch a team like Detroit, they're the number one team in the NHL for shots on goal, average per game. They're at about 34.6 shots per game, on average. And you can see why they're a good hockey club. That's been their mentality throughout the last 15 years. That's how you score goals."
And win games apparently. Last season, five of the NHL's six division winners finished in the top seven for average shots taken per game.
Currently, the Kings are 19th in the league, averaging 29.3 shots on goal.
Given the lack of production coming from the blue line, are some of the Kings defenseman tentative to get shots off?
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Detroit Red Wings at LA Kings - five things to know
When the Red Wings arrive at Staples Center this afternoon, it will be the first time they see the Kings this season.
- Over the last six games between the two teams, LA has gone 5-1-0.
- The Kings are 6-1-0 with Slava Voynov in the line-up. Yes, they are also 2-0 with Andrei Loktionov too.
- Detroit's power play has converted at 16.4% through 17 games, while the Kings' have clicked at 20.2%.
- LA's penalty kill has also performed better, killing off 82.7% compared to Detroit's 77.8%.
- Jimmy Howard has gone 8-5-2 this season, with a 1.90 goals against average and .928 save percentage. Kings coach Terry Murray will counter with Jonathan Quick.
Be sure to follow along on twitter and/or facebook for live quotes from the locker room following the game.
The Mayor
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- Over the last six games between the two teams, LA has gone 5-1-0.
- The Kings are 6-1-0 with Slava Voynov in the line-up. Yes, they are also 2-0 with Andrei Loktionov too.
- Detroit's power play has converted at 16.4% through 17 games, while the Kings' have clicked at 20.2%.
- LA's penalty kill has also performed better, killing off 82.7% compared to Detroit's 77.8%.
- Jimmy Howard has gone 8-5-2 this season, with a 1.90 goals against average and .928 save percentage. Kings coach Terry Murray will counter with Jonathan Quick.
Be sure to follow along on twitter and/or facebook for live quotes from the locker room following the game.
The Mayor
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Coach Murray says 'Frustration is good' after Kings 2-1 win
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
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Ducks at Kings Freeway Faceoff - pregame primer
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.
Slava Voynov... The LA Kings Savior?
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| Slava Voynov in LA (photo: C. Ikiri) |
I called up old friend Alexander Frolov first, but his number had been changed. When I dialed up Vitali Yachmenev next, he just wanted to talk about playing with Gretzky at the Forum - so he wasn't much help.
Alex Zhitnik was worth a shot, but I couldn't understand a thing he said. So, finally, I called up Kelly Hrudey. He doesn't speak Russian, however he always takes my calls.
Although none of the above really happened yesterday, the following did take place...
After practice, I tried to ask Voynov a few questions. It wasn't the thick Russian accent or basic level English that gave me the most trouble though - it was trying to understand what he was saying while smiling from ear to ear. I'm really not sure who was happier, Voynov or Loktionov. They both were smiling so much it was starting to freak me out.
Here's some crib notes from our chat:
- He actually practiced with the Monarchs on Monday, then was told he'd been called up. It wasn't long before he was at the airport and headed to LA.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Murray gives major props to Martinez, talks Voynov's return
As noted in the post last hour, after Kings practice today coach Terry Murray discussed he defensive pairings he'll be using tomorrow night against the visiting Anaheim Ducks.
With Slava Voynov back in LA, to replace the injured Alec Martinez, things were mixed up a bit - as Voynov will be partnered with Willie Mitchell, Drew Doughty's regular partner, rather than just sliding into the spot Martinez held alongside Matt Greene.
When asked about the pairings, the first things Murray noted was how impressed he was with Martinez in the last game...
"Voynov's back and you know why he's back - that's the only way you can bring him back up is through putting a player on the IR. Unfortunately, for the Marty (Martinez), that will give him a little bit of time to get some rehab and get back back into the line-up. I was very surprised that he came back and played the other night. He really showed me a lot of character. He sucked up quite a bit of discomfort to be able to come back and play. And he scored a huge goal, that was good for him."
As for why Voynov will be paired with Mitchell, here's the explanation...
With Slava Voynov back in LA, to replace the injured Alec Martinez, things were mixed up a bit - as Voynov will be partnered with Willie Mitchell, Drew Doughty's regular partner, rather than just sliding into the spot Martinez held alongside Matt Greene.
When asked about the pairings, the first things Murray noted was how impressed he was with Martinez in the last game...
"Voynov's back and you know why he's back - that's the only way you can bring him back up is through putting a player on the IR. Unfortunately, for the Marty (Martinez), that will give him a little bit of time to get some rehab and get back back into the line-up. I was very surprised that he came back and played the other night. He really showed me a lot of character. He sucked up quite a bit of discomfort to be able to come back and play. And he scored a huge goal, that was good for him."
As for why Voynov will be paired with Mitchell, here's the explanation...
Kings coach Murray 'Jack and Doughty are coming of age'
One of the more newsworthy items coming out of Kings practice this morning was coach Terry Murray revealing how he'll use the just-called-up Slava Voynov.
With Alec Martinez going on the injured reserve list yesterday, it allowed the Russian blueliner to return to Los Angeles.
Murray said he'll be pairing Voynov with Willie Mitchell, moving Drew Doughty to play with Jack Johnson, and leaving Rob Scuderi with Matt Greene.
On the reuniting of Johnson and Doughty, a pair Murray went to quite a bit following both having success for their national teams at the 2010 Winter Olympics, here's what the coach had to say...
"I used it on the power play, going back a couple years ago. They played very well together. They're coming of age where they play hard for each other. There's always a time early in a career, when you're young, when you want to try to do a lot of stuff out there. Right now it's about the team and a pair of d-men being very good, playing a lot of minutes, playing in important and critical situations, and getting the job done. All four of those guys that we're talking about are mobile, they pass the puck, see the ice and, ideally, you want to get the puck going as quickly as possible and have those guys joining as part of the attack. And helping on that secondary part of the scoring."
Did the fact the Kings are playing Anaheim, a division opponent, twice this week have anything to do with how Murray decided to put the pairs together?
With Alec Martinez going on the injured reserve list yesterday, it allowed the Russian blueliner to return to Los Angeles.
Murray said he'll be pairing Voynov with Willie Mitchell, moving Drew Doughty to play with Jack Johnson, and leaving Rob Scuderi with Matt Greene.
On the reuniting of Johnson and Doughty, a pair Murray went to quite a bit following both having success for their national teams at the 2010 Winter Olympics, here's what the coach had to say...
"I used it on the power play, going back a couple years ago. They played very well together. They're coming of age where they play hard for each other. There's always a time early in a career, when you're young, when you want to try to do a lot of stuff out there. Right now it's about the team and a pair of d-men being very good, playing a lot of minutes, playing in important and critical situations, and getting the job done. All four of those guys that we're talking about are mobile, they pass the puck, see the ice and, ideally, you want to get the puck going as quickly as possible and have those guys joining as part of the attack. And helping on that secondary part of the scoring."
Did the fact the Kings are playing Anaheim, a division opponent, twice this week have anything to do with how Murray decided to put the pairs together?
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Russians are invading LA - are you prepared?
Two of LA's top prospects were recalled today - forward Andrei Loktionov and defenseman Slava Voynov. Both were born in Russia and drafted by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Draft.
Although they've played the last few seasons together in Manchester, New Hampshire for the Kings' top minor league affiliate, they were born about 1,000 miles apart in their native land. Loktionov hails from Voskresensk, a city not far from Moscow, while Voynov is originally from Chelyabinsk - which is further east on a map.
Voynov held down the fort while Drew Doughty was negotiating a new contract with the Kings during training camp and was the last player cut before opening night rosters were submitted to the NHL.
Then, after Doughty was injured in the fourth game of the season, Voynov was recalled and played the next five games with the team - picking up two goals and an assist. He also scored a goal in his last game with the Monarchs this past Saturday. It was his third goal and fourth point in the AHL this year.
POLL: Which player should the LA Kings call up today?
Two big things happened over the weekend. First, the Kings offense woke up and scored five goals on Saturday night - the third time they've hit the nickel mark this season. Then, yesterday, left wing Dustin Penner was placed on the injured reserve list for a hand injury he suffered back in Thursday night's game vs. the Canucks.
When Scott Parse went down last week, center Colin Fraser was activated.
This time around, they don't have an extra forward here in LA waiting around. So, expect to see somebody from Manchester (AHL) headed West.
Down two left wings, who could it be?
Here are the likely candidates to select from (in alphabetical order)...
Rich Clune, LW - one of only two players on this list who has NHL experience (played 14 games for the Kings in 2009-10)...is known primarily as an agitator, he plays a high energy game and ironically, any consideration he gets will be in large part be due to two players who left the organization
Ray Kaunisto, LW - one of the rare left wings on this list and the funniest guy from Manchester on twitter...he'll call out anybody, even his own wife
Dwight King, LW - the other player on the list with NHL experience (six games last year)...he was also the guy the team tried to call up when Jarret Stoll was suspended in the playoffs, but they couldn't get it done in time...was one of the last players cut in camp this season...has six points in 17 games with Manchester this season
When Scott Parse went down last week, center Colin Fraser was activated.
This time around, they don't have an extra forward here in LA waiting around. So, expect to see somebody from Manchester (AHL) headed West.
Down two left wings, who could it be?
Here are the likely candidates to select from (in alphabetical order)...
Rich Clune, LW - one of only two players on this list who has NHL experience (played 14 games for the Kings in 2009-10)...is known primarily as an agitator, he plays a high energy game and ironically, any consideration he gets will be in large part be due to two players who left the organization
Ray Kaunisto, LW - one of the rare left wings on this list and the funniest guy from Manchester on twitter...he'll call out anybody, even his own wife
Dwight King, LW - the other player on the list with NHL experience (six games last year)...he was also the guy the team tried to call up when Jarret Stoll was suspended in the playoffs, but they couldn't get it done in time...was one of the last players cut in camp this season...has six points in 17 games with Manchester this season
Monday, November 7, 2011
How to fix the Kings - the line combos Murray should use
They call him the juggler.
Kings coach Terry Murray has been known to mix up the line combinations, to the point he recently joked about keeping a line together 'for three or four more games.'
However, one thing that isn't too funny is the Kings lack of scoring this season. Over the summer, they added Mike Richards and Simon Gagne in the hopes of giving more punch to a line-up that ranked 25th in the league last year in goals scored.
After 13 games, they're ranked 28th so far this season, dropping from an average of 2.55 goals per game last year to 2.15 at the moment.
Back in training camp, Dustin Brown said that he and Justin Williams had already talked about the fact that it was only a matter of time until they were flip-flopped as the number one and two right wings.
That time should be now. And, in one man's opinion, this is how Murray should set up the offense...
Line Four - Murray has said that Ethan Moreau is a better left winger, yet he's been playing him on the right side 'because it's the only spot open.' Time to fix that. Moreau should be the fourth line left wing, with Trevor Lewis at center and Kevin Westgarth/Trent Hunter on the right side. Westgarth played great hockey in the playoffs last year and if he can return to that form, he's perfectly capable of being in there most nights. LA is 3-2-1 with him in the line-up this year (just saying). Hunter hasn't shown much, nor would you expect him too coming off major knee surgery. Scott Parse is also an option, but again - he's a natural left wing and you'd be asking him to play the off side. Thus, Westgarth seems like the best option.
Kings coach Terry Murray has been known to mix up the line combinations, to the point he recently joked about keeping a line together 'for three or four more games.'
However, one thing that isn't too funny is the Kings lack of scoring this season. Over the summer, they added Mike Richards and Simon Gagne in the hopes of giving more punch to a line-up that ranked 25th in the league last year in goals scored.
After 13 games, they're ranked 28th so far this season, dropping from an average of 2.55 goals per game last year to 2.15 at the moment.
Back in training camp, Dustin Brown said that he and Justin Williams had already talked about the fact that it was only a matter of time until they were flip-flopped as the number one and two right wings.
That time should be now. And, in one man's opinion, this is how Murray should set up the offense...
Line Four - Murray has said that Ethan Moreau is a better left winger, yet he's been playing him on the right side 'because it's the only spot open.' Time to fix that. Moreau should be the fourth line left wing, with Trevor Lewis at center and Kevin Westgarth/Trent Hunter on the right side. Westgarth played great hockey in the playoffs last year and if he can return to that form, he's perfectly capable of being in there most nights. LA is 3-2-1 with him in the line-up this year (just saying). Hunter hasn't shown much, nor would you expect him too coming off major knee surgery. Scott Parse is also an option, but again - he's a natural left wing and you'd be asking him to play the off side. Thus, Westgarth seems like the best option.
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