Pittsburgh at Los Angeles 11/5/09

[LAKINGSNUT]

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (12-3-0)


at


LOS ANGELES KINGS (9-4-2)

GAME MEDIA
Game Time: 7:30 PM PST | 10:30 PM EST
Location: Staples Center | Los Angeles, CA
TV Broadcast:
Home Team: FS-W (HD)
Away Team: FS-P (HD)
Radio Broadcast:
Home: KTLK AM 1150
Away: WXDX FM 105.9
XM Radio Channel: XM 206
Online Radio broadcast stream: NHL Game Radio: Penguins at Kings
Online Webcast: Hockey Night On Yahoo: Penguins at Kings OR Pittsburgh at Los Angeles


Up next for Kings: Thursday vs. Penguins

Defending Stanley Cup champions come to the Staples Center

Update: This will be a new experience for Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi, who played a key role in the Penguins' Stanley Cup triumph last spring but left as a free agent. "I played with a lot of those guys and we've kind of grown as a team and achieved the ultimate success at the NHL level," he said. "It should be a little weird. . . . They're a very good team and it should be a really good test for us." Winger Alexander Frolov practiced Wednesday after taking a day to rest a sore hip. The Penguins are 7-0-0 on the road after their 4-3 win over the Ducks on Tuesday.

-- Helene Elliott


Penguins go for 8 in a row on road at Los Angeles
Wednesday, 11.04.2009 / 8:27 PM
Dave Lozo - NHL.com Staff Writer

PENGUINS (12-3-0) at KINGS (9-4-2)

Last 10 -- Penguins 8-2-0; Kings 5-3-2

Season series -- This will be the one and only meeting between the teams during the regular season. The Penguins have taken all three meetings from the Kings since 2005-06.

Big story -- The Penguins are trying to extend their perfection away from home and improve to 8-0-0 on the road. They also won in California for just the second time since 1999 when they beat Anaheim 4-3 on Tuesday. The upstart Kings would like to send a message to the rest of the League by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Team Scope:

Penguins -- The Penguins are trying to adjust to life without injured stars Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar -- and so far so good. They are 4-2-0 since Gonchar went down with an injured wrist and Malkin followed a few games later with a shoulder problem.

"We're just trying to do our best, and we're adjusting to new things," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think that it's difficult when you lose two guys (Malkin and Gonchar) like we've lost. We've just got to adjust and find ways to be successful."

One player who is adjusting just fine is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who hasn't missed a beat in allowing 12 goals in his last five games.

Kings -- It's not surprising to read about the League's leading scorer when the Penguins are involved in a game. Crosby and Malkin both have won the Hart Trophy, but on this night, the leading scorer in the NHL is wearing a Kings jersey in the form of Anze Kopitar.

"It's really nice and something I'm really proud of, but this is Game 12," he told the L.A. Times earlier this season. "After 70 more games, we'll see where I'll be."

The Slovenian center has played 15 games, and his 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) continue to lead the League.

Who's hot -- Penguins left wing Pascal Dupuis has just three goals this season, but he has two in his last two games. For the Kings, Ryan Smyth is coming off a two-goal, four-point night against the Coyotes in his last game.

Injury report -- Besides Gonchar and Malkin, Maxime Talbot is also still recovering from offseason surgery on his shoulder. Kings left wing Richard Clune (groin) and defenseman Alec Martinez (lower-body) will not play.

Stat pack -- Fleury is 2-1-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average in three career starts against the Kings. However, he has a 3.44 GAA in his six road starts this season. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has a six-game point-scoring streak (1 goal, 6 assists).

Puck drop -- Tonight marks the first meeting between Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi and the team he helped to win a Stanley Cup last season.


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

Scuderi - Doughty
Johnson - O'Donnell
Drewiske - Greene

Probable Starter: Jonathan Quick

Pittsburgh:
Kunitz - Crosby - Guerin
Dupuis - Staal - Fedotenko
Cooke - Adams - Kennedy
Bourque - Rupp - Godard

Orpik - Letang
Eaton - Skoula
McKee - Goligoski

Probable Starter: Marc-Andre Fleury


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

[NickDoh]

been waiting all morning for you to post this!

i know its early in the season still but this game is HUUUUGE for the kings. they got the defending champs who are out to an amazing start including 7-0 on the road and they got them at staples center.

this is a huge test for the kings. and like sid the kid said in an interview yesterday, to be good team you gotta start beating the good teams. this is the kings biggest non-divisional game so far and may be for the entire season. im really look forward to this one. should give some insight as to where the kings actually are stacking up early in this breakout season.

plus you throw in the potential for godard vs. ivanans and all the more reason to be pumped.

lets go kings!

[LAKINGSNUT]

i had actually forgot about posting it for a minute! i started getting the info yesterday but had to wait for the LA Times to post Helene Elliots peice. this morning i forgot to check and just remembered before i went to lunch! i was wondering if anyone else was going to start one though!

yes sir! this will be a good game to see if the Kings can play against a top contender. the Detroit game could've been used as an example, but at the time they played LA was a walking hospital room. a lot of guys had the flu and weren't 100%. not taking anything away from Detroit, they're still a force, but it was a very sick Kings team.

for this game Malkin is also out, so its one of those things where we won't really be seeing the entire Pens lineup. even without him though, the Penguins have been playing very good hockey and getting great goaltending from Fleury. hopefully we get a few by him!

Go KINGS!

[FightingIsGood]

I have to say that I have been impressed with the Kings' start this season, and they are going to be a handful for the injury-riddled Penguins. They would be a handful even if the Pens were at full-strength. They have talent up and down the lineup, with their only question marks being goaltending and their penalty-killing, though it probably won't matter much since the Pens are 3-32 on the PP since Gonchar got hurt.

I hate going against my team, but I think the Kings will win tonight.

[Chaddog13]

Originally Posted by FightingIsGood

I have to say that I have been impressed with the Kings' start this season, and they are going to be a handful for the injury-riddled Penguins. They would be a handful even if the Pens were at full-strength. They have talent up and down the lineup, with their only question marks being goaltending and their penalty-killing, though it probably won't matter much since the Pens are 3-32 on the PP since Gonchar got hurt.

I hate going against my team, but I think the Kings will win tonight.

Wow! I like what I am reading here....
I would never admit that I think my team will lose to any team on any night...Props...

GO KINGS GO!!!
Hope to be in the Premier seats tonight...

[skacore]

I'd really like to see Ivanans and Godard tonight. As far as I know they've never fought? ... at least at the NHL level. Ivanans is IMO the most underrated HW in terms of sheer fighting ability, and you know Godard will go after it if he feels necessary. I think that has the potential to be a great match up.

[LAKINGSNUT]

Originally Posted by skacore

I'd really like to see Ivanans and Godard tonight. As far as I know they've never fought? ... at least at the NHL level. Ivanans is IMO the most underrated HW in terms of sheer fighting ability, and you know Godard will go after it if he feels necessary. I think that has the potential to be a great match up.

i would love to see that fight go down tonight, and i do think Godard will look for it. there are actually a few HW's Ivanans has not fought at the NHL level with just because he's so freakin passive. i wish he was more active, but what are ya gonna do?

ps:
as an example of the guys he has not fought: Boulton, Godard, Orr, Cote, Peters and Brashear. these guys are in the eastern conf, but they have played against each other.

[FightingIsGood]

See, I told you I thought the Pens would lose. Their injury problems eventually caught up to them and the Kings, to their credit, took full advantage as good teams are supposed to do. I'm just hoping the Pens tread water enough until they get healthy again, but their schedule is not going to be kind. Gonna be a tough month in the Steel City.

[NickDoh]

woo! two crazy 3rds in a row.

all i can say though; WOO!

[LAKINGSNUT]

man, helluva 3rd period! game was very close and competitive up until the 3rd! its good to see the Kings come from behind to win, but i would assume it takes more out of a team to put all that effort into 20 minutes.

great win! go KINGS!

[McCunn8585]

These Kings are for real.

[Chaddog13]

Was at this game! Was incredible! Best part was after the huge pk in the 3rd we scored those back to back goals and half the Pen fans got up and started leaving.. It was like playoff atmosphere at Staples last night...No fights but just as fun...

[Killah_punk]

Dont get too excited you beat a Pens team that was missing there mvp, top defenseman, and one of there better wingers.

[NickDoh]

Originally Posted by Killah_punk

Dont get too excited you beat a Pens team that was missing there mvp, top defenseman, and one of there better wingers.

thatll definitely be something lost in the excitement for sure, but the penguins have still been finding ways to win. good teams always do. and regardless of who was on the ice, it was still the defending champions and their first road loss of the season.

unfortunately, it may get the kings a little too much attention and theyll start getting talked about nationally more, and not just be lost in the west. but thatll help make the tests more and more difficult down the road, which in the long run is good. but itll leave a lump of pressure to keep performing good now in the short term. things might now be "expected" of the kings.

its a long season and we're yet to see how everything turns out, but this was indeed a stepping stone for the kings.

[brymaster1]

Originally Posted by Killah_punk

Dont get too excited you beat a Pens team that was missing there mvp, top defenseman, and one of there better wingers.

isn't Crosby their MVP?