It was a close one. But, in the end, the Kings lost 3-2 in a shootout.
Here are some quotes from the Penguins locker room following the game...
Pittsburgh coach Dan Blysma - "Tonight was an entertaining game. We kind of allowed them an opportunity to get in the game at that point with a 1-1 tie. It was certainly entertaining at that point. And then we had a huge effort at the end there at the last five minutes."
Blysma on Chris Kunitz’s shootout goal - "He’s done that move quite a bit. It’s his go-to and it seems to get goalies to open up and he scored and had success there. I don’t know if Quick remembered that one."
Kunitz on the game tying goal - "Really good fore-check by Duper [Pascal Dupuis], he kind of jumped the guy and the puck, I think the people lost it, it was kind of up in the glass. He took it behind to make the play out to [Jordan Staal] coming out to the net and hit his skate, then he made a pass back and I just took it around the net and put it in."
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Kings coach 'happy with our compete' in loss to Penguins
Kings lost 3-2 tonight in a shootout. After the game, LA coach Terry Murray had this to say...
On the overall game - "That was a good game. The number of power plays [Pittsburgh] had in the first period; we did a great job on the penalty kill. I know we gave up one but the attitude was tremendous to get in those lanes, blocked shots, and just to really dig in. And then we carried through to the second period. The pace of the game picked up, the compete level got real heavy, our dot to the board game was as good as it’s been all year long in my opinion and I like that, it’s the way we have to play. Unfortunately, on the tying goal they got at the end, a strong play by them, over all I was really happy with our compete.”
On the Kings goals - "They’re good goals. They’re the kind of plays in a good hockey game. The puck is transitioned, there’s lots of battle, a lot of compete. Again it was a good, solid hockey game here tonight. Those are the kinds of goals that you’re looking for. The guys step up and make the plays, they score, same for [Pittsburgh]. They got a couple big plays from their top guys. But I think everybody went away pretty happy tonight."
Check out quotes from the Penguins locker room here.
Also, James Neal and Steve Sullivan stopped by MayorsManor earlier today to weigh in on the 'What I've learned so far...' series. You can read their comments here.
Finally, don't miss former Kings forward Tony Granato - now an assistant coach with the Penguins - who came on for an exclusive conversation earlier today (linked here).
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On the overall game - "That was a good game. The number of power plays [Pittsburgh] had in the first period; we did a great job on the penalty kill. I know we gave up one but the attitude was tremendous to get in those lanes, blocked shots, and just to really dig in. And then we carried through to the second period. The pace of the game picked up, the compete level got real heavy, our dot to the board game was as good as it’s been all year long in my opinion and I like that, it’s the way we have to play. Unfortunately, on the tying goal they got at the end, a strong play by them, over all I was really happy with our compete.”
On the Kings goals - "They’re good goals. They’re the kind of plays in a good hockey game. The puck is transitioned, there’s lots of battle, a lot of compete. Again it was a good, solid hockey game here tonight. Those are the kinds of goals that you’re looking for. The guys step up and make the plays, they score, same for [Pittsburgh]. They got a couple big plays from their top guys. But I think everybody went away pretty happy tonight."
Check out quotes from the Penguins locker room here.
Also, James Neal and Steve Sullivan stopped by MayorsManor earlier today to weigh in on the 'What I've learned so far...' series. You can read their comments here.
Finally, don't miss former Kings forward Tony Granato - now an assistant coach with the Penguins - who came on for an exclusive conversation earlier today (linked here).
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What I've learned so far... by Pittsburgh's James Neal
Like the Penguins' Steve Sullivan, who was profiled last hour, James Neal is one of the few Pittsburgh players who knows the Kings well. Having played for the Dallas Stars during his first three seasons in the NHL, he became well acquainted with Terry Murray's hockey club.
Another change for Neal since the last time he's been here is the addition of a Hulk Hogan-esque mustache. Not sure if that's a Movember thing or not. Either way though, we chatted for a while after morning skate today. Here's what he's learned so far this season...
About Evgeni Malkin - "He loves his Russian music. He gets his headphones on and he's jamming on the bus. His humor is great too. He's happy to be at the rink everyday."
About Steve Sullivan - "I learned that he's old and short. He's on his twitter all the time too, tweeting away."
About Brooks Orpik - "He stirs the pot behind the scenes. He's serious on the outside. But, he's behind a few things."
Another change for Neal since the last time he's been here is the addition of a Hulk Hogan-esque mustache. Not sure if that's a Movember thing or not. Either way though, we chatted for a while after morning skate today. Here's what he's learned so far this season...
About Evgeni Malkin - "He loves his Russian music. He gets his headphones on and he's jamming on the bus. His humor is great too. He's happy to be at the rink everyday."
About Steve Sullivan - "I learned that he's old and short. He's on his twitter all the time too, tweeting away."
About Brooks Orpik - "He stirs the pot behind the scenes. He's serious on the outside. But, he's behind a few things."
What I've learned so far... by Pittsburgh's Steve Sullivan
It's brought memorable quotes and tidbits - such as, team captain Dustin Brown is a self admitted geek (or a nerd, depending on who was being interviewed at the time), Trevor Lewis likes heated toilet seats, Brad Richardson is proud of his golf game and...well, Mike Richards is just all around good guy.
Today, we turn our attention to the visiting locker room. Up first, is Steve Sullivan - a speedy forward, perhaps best known for his six seasons in Nashville. However, last summer, he signed with the Penguins as a free agent.
After the morning skate today, I asked him what he's learned so far...
About James Neal - "He can grow some good facial hair."
About Paul Martin - "Underrated. I knew he was a good defenseman, but playing with him on a daily basis you really realize how a lot of the things he does don't show up on the score sheet on a regular basis."
About Tyler Kennedy - "He's exactly who I thought he'd be. He's from the Soo, enough said."
Penguins at LA Kings - Pregame Primer with Tony Granato
Nearly 20 years later, he's back in town for tonight's game at Staples Center. It's a building Granato played in only three times, as a member of the Sharks at the end of his career (coincidentally, a team he was signed to by then-San Jose GM Dean Lombardi). He's also coached a few games in LA, first with the Colorado Avalanche and now with Pittsburgh.
After the Penguins' morning skate today, we spent a few minutes one-on-one. Here's what Granato had to say...
On playing in LA, against his former team - "It's always nice to get back and see some friends. I have a lot of good memories from being part of this organization. When you come here and see the state of the franchise, they have some tremendous players and it looks like they're real close. So, it's exciting for me to see how well they're doing."
On Mike Richards - "He's an elite player and a great competitor. The more physical you try to be on a guy like that, the more intense and the more he gets into the game. So, I think being under control defensively against him (is important). You need to be aware of when he's on the ice because he can beat you so many different ways. He's a great asset to the organization and it was a great trade for them."
Friday, November 4, 2011
LA Kings prospects featured in three TV games tonight
Until the AHL or the Canadian junior leagues can find a way to get more air time on the NHL Network, college hockey broadcasts are your best best to regularly check out some of the Kings prospects on television. Tonight, viewers are treated to a triple header...
Joel Lowry - The Kings 2011 fourth round draft pick made his debut last weekend for Cornell University and picked up an assist. Tonight, he and his teammates will play longtime rival Yale, who went 17-1-1 at home last season and they come in tonight as the the 9th ranked team in the country. Earlier today, Lowry was interviewed for Cornell's 'Freshman Friday' series (link). That game starts at 4:30 pm PST on CBS Sports Network (DirecTV channel 613).
Derek Forbort - North Dakota's 6-foot-4 defenseman was the Kings first round selection in 2010, back when the draft was held in Los Angeles. The Fighting Sioux, Matt Greene's alma mater, are usually one of the top team's in the country. However, they're off to a rough start, including a split at home last weekend vs. St. Cloud State (and fellow Kings prospect Kevin Gravel). Tonight they're in Minnesota at 5:30pm PST to play Minnesota. The Gophers feature one of the best young American born hockey players in the game today, center Nick Bjugstad (who was drafted 19th in 2010, the slot the Kings traded out of to move up four spots and nab Forbort). Fifth-ranked Minnesota vs #15 North Dakota will be on Fox Sports North, DirecTV channel 668.
Nick Shore - LA's third round selection this past June is a freshman at the University of Denver (currently ranked 8th), who will be home tonight to host 14th ranked Minnesota-Duluth. Shore, like Forbort and Bjugstad above, is expected to be part of Team USA's World Junior Championship team later this winter. Tonight's game from Colorado can be seen on ROOT Sports, DirecTV channel 683 at 6:30 pm PST.
MayorsManor interviews with Shore and Forbort are linked below.
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RELATED ARTICLES:
Exclusive: Nick Shore talks about his experience at Team USA's summer camp
Interview with Derek Forbort
LA Kings weekly prospect report - November 2, 2011
Joel Lowry - The Kings 2011 fourth round draft pick made his debut last weekend for Cornell University and picked up an assist. Tonight, he and his teammates will play longtime rival Yale, who went 17-1-1 at home last season and they come in tonight as the the 9th ranked team in the country. Earlier today, Lowry was interviewed for Cornell's 'Freshman Friday' series (link). That game starts at 4:30 pm PST on CBS Sports Network (DirecTV channel 613).
Derek Forbort - North Dakota's 6-foot-4 defenseman was the Kings first round selection in 2010, back when the draft was held in Los Angeles. The Fighting Sioux, Matt Greene's alma mater, are usually one of the top team's in the country. However, they're off to a rough start, including a split at home last weekend vs. St. Cloud State (and fellow Kings prospect Kevin Gravel). Tonight they're in Minnesota at 5:30pm PST to play Minnesota. The Gophers feature one of the best young American born hockey players in the game today, center Nick Bjugstad (who was drafted 19th in 2010, the slot the Kings traded out of to move up four spots and nab Forbort). Fifth-ranked Minnesota vs #15 North Dakota will be on Fox Sports North, DirecTV channel 668.
Nick Shore - LA's third round selection this past June is a freshman at the University of Denver (currently ranked 8th), who will be home tonight to host 14th ranked Minnesota-Duluth. Shore, like Forbort and Bjugstad above, is expected to be part of Team USA's World Junior Championship team later this winter. Tonight's game from Colorado can be seen on ROOT Sports, DirecTV channel 683 at 6:30 pm PST.
MayorsManor interviews with Shore and Forbort are linked below.
The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:
Exclusive: Nick Shore talks about his experience at Team USA's summer camp
Interview with Derek Forbort
LA Kings weekly prospect report - November 2, 2011
Quick wins Kings Player of the Month, Murray wanted more
When Jonathan Quick wins, he wins big.
Last year, the readers of MayorsManor voted him the Kings' Player of the Month twice. In October 2010 he captured 51% of the votes and then went back-to-back, as 52% selected him the winner in November. For the remainder of the season the voting was much closer, with the average winner capturing only 37% of the total.
He got off to another phenomenal start this year, posting a record of 6-1-2 in October, including three shutouts, a 1.52 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.
Despite Anze Kopitar's team leading 14 points (six goals, eight assists) last month, 63% of the readers - the widest margin ever - went with Quick as the October 2011 Player of the Month.
Even so, Terry Murray was hoping for more...
"He's had a great month," the LA coach said. "I feel that if we would have come out of the road trip in Phoenix and Colorado, and we would have won those games, I think he's probably the (NHL) Player of the Month. His numbers are tremendous, he's had a great start to the year and has meant a lot to us in the early going. So, too bad we couldn't have found a way to get it done for him. But, he's playing well."
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Last year, the readers of MayorsManor voted him the Kings' Player of the Month twice. In October 2010 he captured 51% of the votes and then went back-to-back, as 52% selected him the winner in November. For the remainder of the season the voting was much closer, with the average winner capturing only 37% of the total.
He got off to another phenomenal start this year, posting a record of 6-1-2 in October, including three shutouts, a 1.52 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.
Despite Anze Kopitar's team leading 14 points (six goals, eight assists) last month, 63% of the readers - the widest margin ever - went with Quick as the October 2011 Player of the Month.
Even so, Terry Murray was hoping for more...
"He's had a great month," the LA coach said. "I feel that if we would have come out of the road trip in Phoenix and Colorado, and we would have won those games, I think he's probably the (NHL) Player of the Month. His numbers are tremendous, he's had a great start to the year and has meant a lot to us in the early going. So, too bad we couldn't have found a way to get it done for him. But, he's playing well."
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What I've learned so far... by Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier
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| Goalie Jonathan Bernier (photo: C. Ikiri) |
A happy wife is a happy life - that's all I'm saying JB.
However, at the rink and around his teammates he's already picked up on a few things so far this season.
For starters, he learned that Terry Murray doesn't change his mind easily. The Kings' coach went through with his plan to play Bernier vs. New Jersey last week, even though many in the media and plenty of fans thought he was crazy for resting Jonathan Quick after he shutout three straight opponents.
Murray offered up his reasons here. Yet, that logic didn't seem to fly with most people, including former Kings coach Barry Melrose - who told NHL Live he would have never made such a move, regardless of what was told to a player ahead of time.
As for some other nuggets of info he's learned over the past month or so, here's what Bernier he had to say...
About Dustin Brown - "He's the type of guy you call a 'nerd.' He likes computers and all that electronic stuff. I always knew he was kind of like that. But, then we went to Europe, I sat with Brownie and we chatted a bit. Now I know for sure."
About Simon Gagne - "He seems quiet, but he's a pretty funny guy. It's great to have another French guy on the team too. It's nice to make jokes that somebody actually really understands!"
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Ryan Smyth - 'I had a short time here and it was alright'
On January 22, 1995, Ryan Smyth made his NHL debut - playing for the Edmonton Oilers in Los Angeles versus the Kings.
And 1,080 games later, he was back in Southern California - in a different building though - yet, back in an Oilers jersey and ready to take on the Kings once again.
Same result - Edmonton defeated LA.
He also picked up a goal this time around, his sixth goal on the season and has now scored in three straight contests.
Afterwards, he had this to say...
On the overall game - "Obviously it’s nice to get the win, that’s first and foremost. We played a great game. Habby (Khabibulin) obviously played great. We did the little things right that make the difference."
On why he left - "I had a short time here and it was alright. I just felt it was best for my family to move on and it’s always nice to win. After the first two games when we lost after having the lead, we regrouped and have played well. It built some character and we’re playing for each other as a team now."
Rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added the following...
And 1,080 games later, he was back in Southern California - in a different building though - yet, back in an Oilers jersey and ready to take on the Kings once again.
Same result - Edmonton defeated LA.
He also picked up a goal this time around, his sixth goal on the season and has now scored in three straight contests.
Afterwards, he had this to say...
On the overall game - "Obviously it’s nice to get the win, that’s first and foremost. We played a great game. Habby (Khabibulin) obviously played great. We did the little things right that make the difference."
On why he left - "I had a short time here and it was alright. I just felt it was best for my family to move on and it’s always nice to win. After the first two games when we lost after having the lead, we regrouped and have played well. It built some character and we’re playing for each other as a team now."
Rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added the following...
Kings Coach Murray chalks up 3-0 loss to 'bad bounces'
We've already heard from Kings captain Dustin Brown and defenseman Jack Johnson on the team's 3-0 loss to the Oilers.
Now, here are some thoughts from coach Terry Murray...
General comments on the game - "Just a couple of bad bounces out there. The game in Colorado we had some bad luck and some bad bounces. I look at the first goal here tonight and it was off of [Jonathan] Quick’s head. The third goal is a pass that comes from our D and hits [Anze] Kopitar in the back of the foot and they go ahead and score on it. I look at that as bad bounces that happen over the course of the year and that’s what I chalk it up to right now."
On the shot totals, which favored Edmonton 27-19 - "They blocked a lot of shots out there tonight. I thought we in the early going, especially in the first period, had a lot of opportunities to get pucks to the net. We used our defensemen very well, low to high, and a lot of pucks were directed to the net, but they did block a lot. There was no problem in the attitude. The second period is the period that obviously was a problem for us."
Up next, comments from the Oilers.
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Now, here are some thoughts from coach Terry Murray...
General comments on the game - "Just a couple of bad bounces out there. The game in Colorado we had some bad luck and some bad bounces. I look at the first goal here tonight and it was off of [Jonathan] Quick’s head. The third goal is a pass that comes from our D and hits [Anze] Kopitar in the back of the foot and they go ahead and score on it. I look at that as bad bounces that happen over the course of the year and that’s what I chalk it up to right now."
On the shot totals, which favored Edmonton 27-19 - "They blocked a lot of shots out there tonight. I thought we in the early going, especially in the first period, had a lot of opportunities to get pucks to the net. We used our defensemen very well, low to high, and a lot of pucks were directed to the net, but they did block a lot. There was no problem in the attitude. The second period is the period that obviously was a problem for us."
Up next, comments from the Oilers.
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