Kings - Ducks: Made to Order

Call it a check mark game.

* When their just completed 10-game road stretch began it looked like the Kings would need about 15 points to legitimately climb back into the Western Conference playoff race. With a 3-2 win in Anaheim last night they hit the mark square on, 15 points. check

* Teams expect big performances from their best players at this time of the year. The game was tied 2-2 after two periods on goals by Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar for the Kings, Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry for the Ducks. Superstars rising to the occasion. check

* A few days ago, defenseman Willie Mitchell spoke at length about his disappointment with the team's lack of focus vs. the Islanders. His final comment was "It will be up to our leaders and our coaching staff especially to make sure the group is ready" for the game vs. Anaheim. And who stepped forward with the game winning goal? Willie Mitchell. Leader. check

Now, the Kings will play 14 of their remaining 22 games at home.  Yet, as Mitchell would probably warn, that won't make things any easier.

They'll play Minnesota tonight, with both teams tied at 70 points.

Then, ten of the games left will also be played against Pacific Division opponents.

So, the Kings control their own destiny. It's up to them.

[video highlights after the jump]

Ranking the Ponda and Other NHL Buildings

Occasionally when you come across something of interest you file it away in the back of your brain for later.

While preparing for the trip down to Anaheim tonight my thoughts were drawn back to a recent article from Rich Hammond of LAKingsInsider.com , where he ranked his favorite NHL cities.

Having been to 27 different NHL markets, including two that no longer exist, I started to line them up in my head to see how my list compared with his.

Before we begin, there are five buildings I haven't seen the Kings play in yet - Florida, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa and St. Louis.

However, I have seen NHL games in over 35 arenas.

Wait a minute, you say...how can that be when it's a 30 team league?

Well, in addition to the current buildings housing the 30 teams, I can check off places like Winnipeg Arena, Hartford Civic Center, Met Center (Minnesota), Old Chicago Stadium, Boston Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, Capital Centre (old Caps building), America West Arena (original home for Phoenix Coyotes), Arco Arena (LA/EDM when the NHL used to play two regular season games at neutral sites), San Diego Sports Arena, MGM Grand Garden Arena (exhibition games) and of course, the Fabulous Forum.

With five cities to go, here's how I arranged things, largely based on four criteria (in no particular order) - vibe of the city, local food, passion/knowledge of the local fan base and the music scene (because you have to do something besides see hockey while you're there)...

Kings-Ducks: The First Time It Mattered This Much

It was 1993. December 2nd to be exact. The Kings were crashing hard, coming down from their high of going to the Stanley Cup Finals just seven months earlier. Now, they were near the bottom of the Western Conference and riding a six-game losing streak.

Across the ice were the Disney-owned Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, playing in their inaugural season. While an expansion team may not sound like much of a threat to the incumbent, the Kings had long struggled to carve out their own niche in a crowded market place. Adding a second hockey team in SoCal wasn't going to make it any easier.

Yet, so it began. With both teams tied in the standings at 20 points apiece, it was time for the first ever Kings-Ducks game.

Adding concern and worry for even the most die hard of Kings fans was the fact that coach Barry Melrose was starting Rick Knickle in goal, not Kelly Hrudey or Robb Stauber (the two guys that carried the team through the '93 playoffs). No, he was going with a guy who was playing for the San Diego Gulls the season prior. If you've never heard of Knickle or the Gulls, that tells you all you need to know.

Things only got worse when at the 10:13 mark of the first period the Mighty Ducks scored their first ever goal against the Kings. Peter Douris - who? - scored a power play goal to put the Ducks up 1-0. What in the world was going on?

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

Cruising the Mall with Simmonds and Doughty

What's the first thing Wayne Simmonds did upon returning to Los Angeles recently?

"I didn't do much. I pretty much slept all day (Sunday). When you're on a long road trip like that you don't always get the sleep that you want. So, when you come home and you get that day off you use it to sleep."

How about that off day last Friday? With the Kings based in Long Island, a few of the players chose to go into the city after practice.

Not everybody though...

"Some of the guys had friends and family in, so they were the ones that went back into the city. I didn't," explained Simmonds. "A couple of us just hung out and went to the mall and went for dinner there."

Drew Doughty added "It was about 3:00 after practice and we wouldn't have gotten into the city until about 4:00. So, we just decided to go shopping in Long Island."

How does that work out, a couple of hockey players just cruising the local mall?

"Actually, we got recognized a couple times," said Simmonds. "It was alright. I guess one of the salespersons helping us out recognized who we were and he just wished us good luck."

As for the play on the ice, several teammates have talked about the Kings finding ways to grab points on the trip even when the team wasn't playing its best at times (see below for links). Is that how they both see things?

First up, Doughty...

Just Play The Game And Have Fun

Back on January 7th, with the LA Kings mired in a slump that would linger for a few more weeks, I asked Jarret Stoll what it would take to get the team back on track. He offered up the following solution - "Just thinking the game better. Maybe we're playing hard, but everybody plays hard. Everybody works hard too or they wouldn't be in this league. But, you have to work smart and we're not doing that."

Now home from a successful road trip, where the team picked up 13 points in nine games, I asked Stoll if maybe not thinking so much was part of what helped turn things around lately...

JS: "Yeah, maybe. Sometimes when you think too much you're timid out there, you're hesitant in thinking and reading the play, reading the situation. If you prepared mentally and you're doing the right things in practice, everything is going to be instinctive anyway. So, if you just go out there and work hard, get your feet moving, do the right things, you're going to be in the right position. Sometimes when you think too much you're just over thinking the game and (worrying about) 'Am I in the right spot? Am I not in the right spot? What are we doing in this situation in our system? Everyone knows the system by now. So, that shouldn't be the case from game in and game out. Sometimes it changes, but it's just a matter of playing. Just play the game and have fun. If we play well and we lose, we have to live with that. It's on the other side of that when we don't play well - like in Columbus. We kinda slipped up, we got the win though. But, there's the other side of it. Sometimes you don't play as well and you (still) get the win. Over the course of the long haul, that's not going to be the case. So, you have to make sure your game is as consistent as possible - as a team and individually."

Is that how Anze Kopitar would categorize the trip - winning some games where maybe the team wasn't playing their best?

Shooting it Out with Jarret Stoll and Coach Murray

If the game goes to a shootout, take Jarret Stoll.

He's pretty much Mr. Automatic at this point.

"I don't know about that," he said after practice on Monday. "It's good to score some and try to help get two points. We just have to find a way to win those (shootouts) when we're in them and maybe not get to that point anyway. But, yeah, they're going in for me. I'm just trying not to change too much. Maybe it looks like I only have one option down there, but I have a couple options in my head."

MM: You never like to second guess the coach's decision, yet you had the game-winning-goal in the shootout vs. San Jose prior to the All Star break - so, were you surprised when the next game went to a shootout (vs. Minnesota) and your name wasn't called?

Willie Mitchell Not Sure What Went Wrong

As of Saturday morning the Kings were flying high, having picked up points in 11 straight games.

Later than night they were playing the Islanders - one of the worst teams in the league. Granted, it was being played in Long Island, not the comfy confines of Staples Center. Yet still, they should have been able to pick up another two points and come home with a 6-0-3 record through nine games of a season-high ten game road stretch.

Well, things don't always work out as planned.

And Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell still hadn't turned the page after practice on Monday...

"The trip was bittersweet with the (way it ended) in Long Island. We found ways during the trip to manufacture points when we didn't play our best hockey in some games too and that's what good teams do. But, the game in Long Island is a little disappointing. I thought from the top all the way through there wasn't the same focus that we had in other games. I don't know why that was."

MM: Sports cliches will say that when a team is playing well at home it's because of the local crowd and when they're winning on the road it's the players bonding. Was that part of the reason for the success on this trip?

Terry Murray Explains Andrei Loktionov Decision

On one hand, Andrei Loktionov being reassigned to Manchester yesterday wasn't that surprising - considering the Kings needed a roster spot for the returning Marco Sturm.

However, the crafty Russian seemed to be playing much better since returning to his natural center position when the just-completed road trip began.

After practice today coach Terry Murray offered some insight into the decision...

Regarding moving him back to center, "that's where his game started to look more comfortable. He had the puck on his stick a lot. He scored a nice goal in Washington off of a rebound by (Kyle) Clifford."

Before the road trip 'team speed' was a key focus. Did he notice a lack of speed with Loktionov out of the line-up vs. the Islanders? "No I didn't. But, he does bring that. Once you get back to the middle of the ice you can see what we've always talked about and hope to see (from him) as a player...he has the puck, he's the guy who has great vision on the ice, can make some plays and have some good results. We saw it and we like it."

...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.