LA Kings vs Philadelphia Flyers Pre-Game Notes

The Kings are attempting to earn at least a point in their ninth straight game, having gone 6-0-2 recently.

With that in mind, here are nine things you need to know prior to the puck dropping at noon PST...

* The last time... Coming off of two of their best games of the year (against the Ducks and Sharks), the Kings lost back-to-back games to the Coyotes and Flyers to end 2010. Those were the only two games coach Terry Murray has pulled his starting goalie and the seven goals given up to the Flyers were the most all season

* As of late, the Flyers have owned the Kings (undefeated in six, 5-0-1 record). You have to go all the way back to the pre-lockout days to find the last Kings win (2002-04 season). Making matters even more daunting, the Kings have never won in the Flyers (not so) new (anymore) building, sporting an 0-9-1 record there. They exercised their demons in Calgary recently, can they do it again in Philadelphia today?

* The Kings continue to have a balanced attack when looking at goals scored by period (49 in the first, 50 in the second and 49 in the third). On the other had, the Flyers have been notoriously slow starters this season - scoring 47 goals in the first and then 66 in both the second and third periods. However, their third period stat is probably misleading, as it includes empty net goals too. The Flyers have the fewest shots in the third period (only 527, compared to 555 and 643). So, the key is to shut them down in the second...as evidenced earlier this year when they scored four goals on the Kings.

LA Kings Players on Second Chance with Flyers

Earlier today, in an article here, Kings resident tough guy Kevin Westgarth spoke about playing the Flyers for the second time this season.

Below, a few others weigh in on if they think it's an advantage...

Jack Johnson - Yes and no. It's still a hockey game. Everyone knows every player around the league pretty well, just because we've watched each other play enough. I wouldn't say it's an advantage just because we played them earlier this year. It will be a fun game, but it will be a tough game.

Kyle Clifford - Well, definitely, especially for young guys, you really don't know teams too well. Some teams you only get to play once. So, now I know what they're all about. We had our chances in that (first) game too. So, we're going to come prepared.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - Maybe. But, it doesn't change anything for us. We know what to expect. They're on top of the Eastern Conference right now, so we know what to do. They're a pretty tough team to play against and we have to bring our 'A' game.

So, that's one yes, one maybe and a yes/no combo.

About the only thing clear at the moment is that the Kings need another two points today.

For the Nine Things You Need To Know about today's game, check out the Pre-Game Notes article here.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES

Interview (podcast) with Ian Laperriere

Interview with Dave 'the Hammer' Schultz - former Flyer and King

Philly East vs Philly West?

Westgarth Watching Action On and Off The Ice

With the unbalanced schedule in the NHL, getting a chance to play an Eastern Conference team is rare enough for the Kings...getting a same-season rematch is practically unheard of.

Yet, that's what today's contest with the Flyers provides.

Their last match-up was a 7-4 defeat at Staples Center - a game that was tied 2-2 after one period. The Kings gave up four goals in the second period and the wheels came off late in the third when Kyle Clifford and Kevin Westgarth were given 10 minute misconducts and removed from the game in a 36-second span.

Regardless, they now know what playing the Flyers is all about. So, does that make preparing for today's game any easier than if they were playing an Eastern team for the first time?

Westgarth - "Seeing a team earlier in the season is always helpful. We don't see a lot of those teams from the East. You can do video and you can talk about their tendencies - inevitably it will be kinda similar to teams that you see (more regularly), so you can make some similes to another team that you maybe see a lot more. But, it's never the same and it's never the same personnel. So, yeah, I think for sure - we can't give them any opportunities within about 20 feet of the net. They have some unbelievable snipers on that squad. The last game ended up 7-4 and that was a tough game. I think we started out great and battled hard. But, we didn't have it in the end and that was one that kinda started our skid (in January). So, I think we're definitely looking for a little retribution there and getting two more super important points."

MM:  Is this one of those games where you circle it on the calendar thinking you're probably going to find a scrap or two in the game?

All Hail The Kings and Their Men

The Kings continued their recent hot play with another victory today in Washington.

It was a solid game all around, especially defensively and in goal. However, the surge in offense (four goals) was a welcome change for a team who just couldn't find the back of the net in their last game.

After the jump are video highlights, but first some notes:

* Anze Kopitar scored his first goal in 11 games and only his second in 21. He was playing with new linemates, flanked by Michal Handzus on the left and Wayne Simmonds on the right. Having Simmonds by his side wasn't entirely new, they've spent time together over the last few seasons - most notably last year when Justin Williams went down with an injury. Together the line produced two goals and six points vs. the Capitals.

* Jonathan Bernier continued his strong play in net. With the one allowed today, he's now given up just five goals in his last four starts.  Expect him to start again against vs. Columbus on Wednesday.

Johnson and Westgarth on the Capitals and 24/7

Earlier this morning we heard from Kings captain Dustin Brown about the excitement of playing Eastern Conference teams.

Kevin Westgarth and Jack Johnson continue those thoughts below and talk about the recent 24/7 series on HBO...

[note: Jack Johnson comments after the jump]

MM: Did you watch any of the HBO series on the Capitals-Penguins?

KW: I thought that was great. I think hockey players come off as a bit of potty mouths, but definitely some down to earth, tough kind of guys. I thought it was cool. They (Washington) are another team that's finding their groove again. Obviously, at that time (of the taping) they we struggling pretty good. They've come through it, as I believe we have - touch wood (he knocked on his stall). I think the game will be another great test. They're an incredibly dynamic team. They can do nothing for 45, 55 minutes and all the sudden they're all over you for the rest and sniping goals. It's always a danger and it's always something to look out for.

Dustin Brown Ready For Something New

Damn it's early for a Saturday.  But, there's hockey to be played - so let's do this.

While normally the Kings don't see the Eastern Conference teams too often, seven-year pro Dustin Brown has actually played the Washington Capitals every year he's been in the league except one (2007-08).

Of those six games, four have been in Los Angeles. So, today will be a rare chance to get an up close look at Alex Ovechkin on his home ice.

And it was two season ago that Brown scored his only goal against the Capitals, the game-winner in a 5-2 win for LA (video of the goal here). The game was far closer than the score indicates though, as the Kings scored two empty net goals in the final minute of play.

When the teams rematched in LA again last season the contest was just as close, with the Kings pulling out a 2-1 victory.

Jonathan Bernier will get the start this morning in Washington and Jonathan Quick will try to garner some revenge in Philadelphia tomorrow.

As for Brown, what does he think about today?

"As a player, it's fun playing the Eastern Conference. You just don't know the players as well. We play Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas and Phoenix - and we know them so well. They're huge games (too), but you kinda get a different type of an excitement when you're playing the Eastern Conference teams."

More from Jack Johnson and a few others coming up before the puck drops this morning.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Clearing the Crease with Jonathan Bernier

Brown and Johnson on Playing Pittsburgh

Coach Terry Murray Likes What He Sees

While Matt Greene was off at Pioneertown a few weeks ago and Jack Johnson was back home sleeping in his own bed, coach Terry Murray was busy scheming for ways to improve the Kings offense.

Specifically, he wanted to use the All Star break to try and find some more speed through the middle. At the time, that didn't mean moving Andrei Loktionov back to center (more in a moment though).

Did he accomplish his goal, does he like what he saw in the games prior to last night in Pittsburgh?

TM: I thought we had pretty good transitions in the first three games we played (after the break). The first game we went middle-away and the last two we kept the center in the middle, with the weak side low and away. That's a little better look for us. It offers the defenseman a couple more passing opportunities. When you go with the middle-away it seems like that longer pass is a more difficult play to make sometimes. So, with the change, you get the puck in the hands of your center iceman, your best puck handlers in most cases, and they're coming up now with low speed and you generate it through the middle of the ice with the weak side. You can have more of a possession look in those situations. I thought that's the way it ended up. There were some attacks and some good plays to the net that came off those counters. We're going to stay with that look (on) this road trip.

MM: So, you went into the break looking for speed - was there anything you uncovered unexpectedly though?

Kings vs Ducks, Of a Different Sort

For SoCal hockey fans few things are better than a Kings-Ducks game. Both franchises - and their loyal followers - know bragging rights are on the line when they meet on the ice.

This weekend features a three-game series between the Kings and Ducks...well, sort of...

These games will be played between their ECHL affiliates, the Ontario Reign and Elmira Jackals.

(Extra bonus points to you by the way if you even know were Elmira is.)

In fact, this is the first ever meeting between the two ECHL teams. For the past few seasons the Bakersfield Condors were the Ducks ECHL affiliate. However, this summer they aligned themselves with the Florida based Jackals.

Tomorrow night's contest is a very special one, as the Reign will honor the Kings by wearing purple and gold jerseys and giving away Luc Robitaille bobbleheads to the first 3,000 fans. Lucky Luc will be on hand as well to drop the first puck.

MayorsManor Podcast featuring Tony Granato

When evaluating a trade in sports years down the line if you'd still make the same trade again, that usually tells you which team won the exchange.

In the case of the Kings sending Bernie Nicholls to the New York Rangers for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, of course they'd do that deal again.

The offensive duo helped propel the Kings to new heights in the early '90s, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993.

These days Granato is an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the podcast below we cover a wide range of topics...

On coaching, Granato talks about what it takes to be successful in the current NHL, what he learned from Barry Melrose and if he was ready to be a head coach when the Colorado Avalanche hired him.

Regarding his days on the ice, he talks about playing in New York with Marcel Dionne, being traded to LA and the Kings 1993 playoff run - including the Marty McSorley stick incident.

Other topics explored feature travel challenges in the Eastern vs. Western Conference, Staples Center vs. the Forum and choosing his jersey number.

As if all that isn't enough, Granato also weighs in on the 'Should Rob Blake's number be retired in LA?' debate.

Take a listen...



note: All MayorsManor podcasts are now available via a free download on itunes.

Additionally, there were two supplementary articles published this week with Granato. First, he talks about this year's Kings team and GM Dean Lombardi from his days in San Jose (linked here). Second, we play word association using many of his former teammates, a MayorsManor favorite (linked here).

The Mayor
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Other PODCASTS available:

Audio interview with Ian Laperriere

Audio interview with Kerry Fraser

Kings at Pens By the Numbers, plus Video Highlights

Although Kings coach Terry Murray declined to share his point goal for the road trip prior to the team leaving for Pittsburgh, I'll stand by my previous mark of 15 points in the 10 games played before they return to Staples Center on February 24.

They picked up a point tonight, losing to the Penguins with less than 20-seconds remaining in overtime. Put simply, they left an extra point on the ice.

So, they're off to Washington with six points in the books after four games.

Here's a breakdown of the game's other key numbers, followed by some video highlights...

0 goals from Anze Kopitar now in the last 10 games

1 goal could have been scored by Alexei Ponikarovsky, if only he got the puck up

2 shots by the Kings in the entire second period

3 more penalty kills by Pittsburgh, the league's best PK unit

5 penalty minutes each for Wayne Simmonds and Kevin Westgarth

7 straight games with points for the Kings (5-0-2)

9 points needed in the remaining six road games to reach the 15 point goal