Los Angeles at San Jose 10/28/09

[LAKINGSNUT]

LOS ANGELES KINGS (8-4-0)


at


SAN JOSE SHARKS (7-4-1)

GAME MEDIA
Game Time: 7:30 PM PST | 10:30 PM EST
Location: HP Pavilion | San Jose, CA
TV Broadcast:
Home Team: CSN-CA (HD)
Away Team: FS-W (HD)
National TV: NHLN-US (HD)
Radio Broadcast:
Home Team: KFOX 98.5 FM
Road Team: KTLK AM 1150
XM Radio Channel: XM 205
Online Radio broadcast stream: NHL Game Radio: Kings at Sharks
Online Webcast: Los Angeles at San Jose


Up next for Kings: Wednesday at San Jose

Kings trying to extend their four-game winning streak.

Update: The Kings have won four straight games and outscored their opponents, 20-10, in that span. Defenseman Rob Scuderi, fined but not suspended for a low hit Sunday on the right knee of Columbus' Jason Chimera, conceded he had been in the wrong. "I'm more disappointed in myself because I've always played hard, but I've always played fair and honest, so it's not the way I want to be seen as playing in this league," said Scuderi, who added he was trying to reach Chimera to apologize. This starts a back-to-back sequence for the Kings, with goalie Jonathan Quick scheduled to start both games. This will be the Sharks' first home game after a 4-2 trip.

-- Helene Elliott


KINGS (8-4-0) at SHARKS (7-4-1)

Season series: These Pacific Division rivals face off for the second of six meetings this season. Los Angeles claimed a 6-4 win on home ice three weeks ago, despite blowing a 4-0 lead. Devin Setoguchi had a pair of power-play tallies for San Jose and Dany Heatley's goal on the man advantage with 5:36 left in the third tied things up, but Teddy Purcell answered 26 seconds later with the game-winner. Six different Kings scored.

Last 10: Los Angeles 7-3-0; San Jose 6-3-1

Big Story: Anyone needing a surefire sign it's a new season only has to look at the division standings to see the Kings, who missed the playoffs in 2008-09, one point ahead of the defending Presidents' Trophy-winning Sharks. It's shaping up to be a tight race in the Pacific, with the top four teams currently separated by just four points, so games like this one are important, even in October.

Team Scope:

Kings -- The season got off to a shaky start when Los Angeles was blasted on home ice by Phoenix, but the Kings have taken off since then. On Saturday, they were able to gain a measure of revenge by going on the road and beating the Coyotes, 5-3. They returned to Staples Center the following night and routed a solid Columbus team by a 6-2 score, also payback for an earlier 4-1 loss to the Jackets. It's four straight wins and counting for L.A.

"The game in Columbus, we were not happy with how it went for us," Kings coach Terry Murray said, "so coming out early, starting with the way we finished the game last night, and getting the first goal, was important. The game was what you want, what you ask for."

Sharks -- This past weekend was also kind to San Jose, which finished off a six-game Eastern Conference road trip with a 4-2-0 mark thanks to victories in Atlanta and Philadelphia. The Sharks' 4-1 win over the Flyers was particularly impressive in that it came on the second night of a back-to-back situation, with backup goalie Thomas Greiss making 37 saves and newcomer Manny Malhotra scoring twice.

"He stepped up," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said of Greiss, who made his first start of the season. "It probably wasn't fair to throw him out there to the wolves, but it shows his character. He's been practicing hard. Maybe he knew it was coming and his teammates rallied around him."

Who's Hot -- Kings forward Anze Kopitar leads the League in points for a reason -- he's got six goals and nine points in his last four games, and a six-game points streak overall. Defenseman Drew Doughty has five assists in his last three games and 11 points already this season.

Sharks forward Patrick Marleau has four goals and 10 points during a five-game points streak, while forward Dany Heatley has goals in consecutive games.

Injury Report -- Forward Justin Williams, who had been part of the Kings' top line along with Kopitar and Ryan Smyth, remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. San Jose forward Joe Pavelski remains out with a lower-body injury, while forwards Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Vesce missed the game against the Flyers with leg injuries.

Stat Pack -- Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov came into this season 22-12-1 with two ties and a 2.03 goals-against average facing the Kings, but was pulled from the Oct. 6 start after allowing three goals on 16 shots. Greiss was saddled with the loss in that game, his only appearance prior to starting against the Flyers.

Puck Drop -- Los Angeles currently holds sole possession of first place in the Pacific and would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Let's see if the Kings have what it takes to win in the Shark Tank, where few opponents left with two points a season ago.

-- Brian Hunter, NHL.com


PROBABLE LINES
Los Angeles:
Smyth - Kopitar - Simmonds
Frolov - Handzus - Brown
Parse - Stoll - Purcell
Ivanans - Richardson - Harrold

Drewiske - Doughty
Johnson - Scuderi
O'Donnell - Greene

Probable Starter: Jonathan Quick

San Jose:
Clowe - Marleau - Malhotra
Heatley - Thornton - Ferriero
McGinn - Nichol - Ortmeyer
Shelley - Couture - Staubitz

Vlasic - Blake
Murray - Boyle
Huskins - Demers

Probable Starter: Evgeni Nabokov


***Credit: LA Times, Kings fan site, Kings.NHL.com, Sharks.NHL.com

[dumby]

Keep an eye on O'donnell, Staubitz tonite, just a hunch.

[lakingsfan19]

Maybe even Clowe vs Simmonds.

If Ivanans doesn't get Staubitz, I think O'Donnell will.

Might even see a rematch of Ivanans and Shelly!


Should be a good one with a lot of bad blood brewing between the 2 teams.

[NickDoh]

should be a good one.

i could see both teams getting too worried about the W and we miss out on the fisticuffs. BUT, i dont think that will happen and we're getting at least one show.

early season pacific division crown on the line.

lets go kings!

[poopies]

I like these Sharks announcers. I got a chuckle when he was discussing Jack Johnson bleeding. "No bleeding allowed!"

[NickDoh]

Originally Posted by NickDoh

should be a good one.

i could see both teams getting too worried about the W and we miss out on the fisticuffs. BUT, i dont think that will happen and we're getting at least one show.

early season pacific division crown on the line.

lets go kings!

oops! jinxed that one.

tough loss to take. sj's only goal quick got a piece of one on none. has to make that save. long shootout and the kings had three chances to end it before clowe got his. just a tough loss to take, still got a point though!

hopefully a rebound game against a floundering canuck team will happen back in la tomorrow night.

go kings!

[LAKINGSNUT]

it was a tough loss, but both teams had their moments where they had lapses. it was a good games overall and tied for first with SJ is not a bad place to be! i thought Marleau's goal was just a good shot. Quick got a piece of it but at the end it was just too strong of a shot. it was an outside shot so you can make the arguement it should've been stopped, but Patrick put everything he had into the shot and beat Quick!

[Chaddog13]

Anybody hear what Bob Miller said about Terry Murray saying how he didnt think players should be dropping the gloves at certain times of the game, like the start of periods....Jim Fox said he didnt believe it and that Murray is an "old time" hockey coach...


Murray has got a leash on Ivanans. He has a leash on the whole team, and It looks as if he wont let the Kings fight.

Last night I watched Shelley try to goat Ivanans into a fight atleast 3 times in the first period and Ivanans backed out like he wanted nothing of it.. Murray is making Ivanans and our Kings look like a bunch of pu**ys.. What a joke... letem scrap Murray!!!

[orcuttal]

It was embarrassing watching Ivanans say no to Shelley....

[lakingsfan19]

I think that's why Ivanans is in the game and not Westgarth. Ivanans listens to Murray and doesn't fight. Bring Westgarth and Clune up here and they could care less what a coach says!

[Walt]

Originally Posted by lakingsfan19

I think that's why Ivanans is in the game and not Westgarth. Ivanans listens to Murray and doesn't fight. Bring Westgarth and Clune up here and they could care less what a coach says!

Yeah, the Kings are 8-4-2 and you morons want a management housecleaning.

I know it's difficult for many on this site to comprehend, but there actually is a sport called hockey that is hidden beneath two western Canadian farm boys flailing at each other for 70 seconds on skates.

Watch MMA. Dana White will tell you that two sweaty tatooed naked men entwined is not homoerotic fun but legitimate sport.

The Kings are a fun team to watch because they play hockey pretty well.

[lakingsfan19]

Originally Posted by Walt

Yeah, the Kings are 8-4-2 and you morons want a management housecleaning.

I know it's difficult for many on this site to comprehend, but there actually is a sport called hockey that is hidden beneath two western Canadian farm boys flailing at each other for 70 seconds on skates.

Watch MMA. Dana White will tell you that two sweaty tatooed naked men entwined is not homoerotic fun but legitimate sport.

The Kings are a fun team to watch because they play hockey pretty well.

Who cares about hockey, we don't want the cup! We want a fight!

[RedIce]

Originally Posted by Walt

Yeah, the Kings are 8-4-2 and you morons want a management housecleaning.

I know it's difficult for many on this site to comprehend, but there actually is a sport called hockey that is hidden beneath two western Canadian farm boys flailing at each other for 70 seconds on skates.

Watch MMA. Dana White will tell you that two sweaty tatooed naked men entwined is not homoerotic fun but legitimate sport.

The Kings are a fun team to watch because they play hockey pretty well.

For one of the more "veteran" members, you sound like you belong on HFBoards.com....
No offense.
Also, there is a forum for MMA fans on this site, ask guys like GODARDNYI...