Articles in Los Angeles Kings

from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

When it comes to the debate over the Kings’ soul-sucking neutral zone clog, Drew Doughty has an admission to make.

“I’d rather play a different system,” chuckled the gap-toothed veteran in a quiet one-on-one chat.

“But this is the system we’ve chosen, and all bought into.”

Unfortunately for the game of hockey, it works.

Case in point, Thursday’s 4-1 win over the Flames at Crypto.com Arena.

On a night when a rink-side shot of Will Ferrell provided the bulk of the entertainment, the Kings perfectly executed their 1-3-1 system, stymying the potential of controlled entries, and limiting the Flames to just 23 shots.

Only five were of the high-danger variety, giving former Flame Cam Talbot an easy path to clinching the team’s official playoff pass as the Pacific division’s third-place team.

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from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

Kings general manager Rob Blake said his desire to hear a new voice and see renewed energy within the team led him to fire coach Todd McLellan and elevate assistant Jim Hiller to the head coaching job for the rest of what has been an erratic and disappointing season.

If firing a coach who received strong support from key players recently doesn’t jolt the Kings out of a slump in which they’ve won three of their last 17 games and plummeted to a wild-card playoff position, the next voice Blake hears will come from his bosses and it will tell him he should find another job. And it would be deserved.

“I fully understand the repercussions if this team does not win or have success,” Blake said at a news conference Monday, his first public comments since he fired McLellan last Friday.

“This was done in an effort to correct the way we have played of late,” Blake said, adding that he hadn’t been pressured from above and had made the decision to fire McLellan on his own. “Our offense, our defense, our overall game, individuals, and the team have not been up to a level of our desired needs.”

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The Kings gave up four unanswered goals to lose 5-3 to the Sabres last night.

from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

Team president Luc Robitaille declined to comment on the team’s state. But it’s clear that a promising start to their season has dissolved into a muddled middle. On Dec. 7, after a shutout win at Montreal, the Kings were 16-4-3. Since then, they’re 4-6-5.

“We’re at that point where the line [between] winning and losing is so fine,” coach Todd McLellan told reporters Thursday in Florida. “At the beginning of the year it came easily, now it’s really tough. But everybody, cliches that coaches use and reporters and players, that the adversity will help you later on, well, it’s never any fun when you’re in it, and that’s where the frustration comes from.

“But I like the fact that we are sticking with each other and we’re really digging in, trying to pull ourselves out. If it was going the other way, I’d be concerned.”

The turnaround has to come by efforts from everyone. That includes renewed energy from a fourth line that once was the team’s spark plug, more assertiveness and scoring from $68-million-dollar man Pierre-Luc Dubois, offensive contributions from a defense corps that can and should be supporting the attack, and better decisions from McLellan too.

more

from Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider,

13 wins and 29 points through 20 games. Not a bad place to be one quarter into the season.

Over the three seasons prior, the Kings posted between 21 and 23 points in each season through their first 20 games, with last year’s 11 victories their most in that span. The Kings had a shot at 30 points through 20 games for just the second time in franchise history, heading into Wednesday’s eventual defeat against Washington, but even with that result, consider this to be one of the best first quarters in franchise history.

The 13 victories are the third most in a season-opening 20 games in franchise history, behind only the 1990-91 Kings and the 1980-81 Kings. The Kings finished the first 20 games of the season with a goal differential of +30, finishing just one goal shy of the 90-91 squad for the best in Kings history. While franchise rankings are nice, franchise rankings don’t get you into the playoffs. NHL rankings do, and the Kings have set themselves up amongst the league’s best in several categories, as they sit between games 20 and 21.

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NEW YORK (Oct. 5, 2023) – Los Angeles Kings forward Arthur Kaliyev has been suspended for two preseason games and two regular-season games, without pay, for kneeing Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo during NHL Preseason Game No. 80 in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Oct. 3, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 1:29 of the second period. Kaliyev was assessed a minor penalty for kneeing.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Kaliyev will forfeit $9,314.24. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/kaliyev-suspended-four-games-6338457483112.

Looks like the NHL has removed the ability to embed a video.

5 1/2 minutes to watch.

from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of the NHL's website,

This is Australia? The land Down Under? Half a world away? The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings played the first NHL game in the Southern Hemisphere on Saturday, but it didn’t feel like the first time.

A sellout crowd of 13,097 -- the largest crowd ever to watch an ice hockey game in Australia, by far -- saw the Coyotes open the preseason with a 5-3 win at Rod Laver Arena in the 2023 NHL Global Series -- Melbourne.

For the most part, these were not novice fans. These were hockey fans.

They wore gear representing each of the NHL’s 32 teams. We know, because we checked off each NHL team to be sure. They wore gear representing former NHL teams, too, plus Australian Ice Hockey League teams, national teams and local teams.

They “oohed” when they were supposed to “ooh,” and they “aahed” when they were supposed to “aah.” They roared for scraps, cheered for goals and clapped to the music.

“The fans were definitely involved and cheering all game and kind of cheering after both teams scored, so it was fun to jump right into that NHL feel and atmosphere,” Coyotes forward Clayton Keller said.

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Below, and probably the only time I will embed game highlights of a preseason game, it Kings/ Coyotes highlights.

Puck drop at Rod Laver Arena is at 12:05am ET and can be watched on the NHL Network or ESPN+ and Sportsnet in Canada.

via the NHL PR department,

The 2023 NHL Global Series™ – Melbourne will mark the first-ever NHL games played in the Southern Hemisphere, but not the first international trip for either the Kings or Coyotes. The Kings’ most recent foray overseas was for two preseason games in China in 2017. In addition, Los Angeles has seen preseason action in Austria (2007) and Germany (2011), and has also played regular-season games in England (2007), Germany (2011), and Sweden (2011). Arizona traveled to Latvia for one preseason game, and to Czechia for two regular-season games, in 2010.

The games in Melbourne will feature some of the NHL’s top talent. The Coyotes’ roster includes forwards Clayton Keller, Jason Zucker and Nick Schmaltz, defensemen Matt Dumba and J.J. Moser, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. The Kings counter with captain Anze Kopitar, fellow forwards Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe and Pierre-Luc Dubois, and defensemen Drew Doughty and Australian native Jordan Spence.

In addition to the Coyotes-Kings contests in Melbourne, the 2023 NHL Global Series will visit Stockholm, Sweden, where an unprecedented four NHL Clubs will play matchups in a single European city. The Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs will be featured in a slate of four regular-season games to take place Nov. 16-19 at Avicii Arena.

if so inclined, feel free to comment

via the NHL Network's YouTube page,

NHL.com writer Nick Cotsonika is in Australia with the LA Kings and Arizona Coyotes to cover the Global Series. He discusses what the players have been up to in their down time and the local response to the league's first games Down Under!

from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

The NHL apparently will go to any lengths to promote the sport — except to put a franchise back in Quebec City. In this case, the league is sending the Kings about 8,000 miles to expose Australian hockey fans — and there are enough to sustain a 10-team semipro league — to the NHL product in two preseason games against the Arizona Coyotes.

Since Melbourne is 17 hours ahead of Los Angeles, the teams will face off Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Pacific time. The games will be simulcast by familiar Kings announcers Nick Nickson, Jim Fox and Daryl Evans on NHL Network and iHeartRadio, a rehearsal for their simulcasts on Bally Sports West in the first year of a new three-year agreement with Diamond Sports Group. The games will take place at Rod Laver Arena, home of the Australian Open.

The Kings’ traveling party will include defenseman Jordan Spence, who was born in the Sydney suburb of Manly. Nathan Walker grew up in Australia and represented the country in international play but was born in Wales. Spence can’t double as a tour guide: his family left Australia for Canada when he was 1½, too young for him to remember his native land. This is his second trip back; his parents, Kyoko and Adam, will be among the fans in Melbourne.

“I think they’re more excited just because they lived there longer,” said Spence, who has Japanese and Canadian citizenship through his parents. “They have some friends they’re going to reconnect with and they’re going to come to the game and stuff. Yeah, it will be pretty cool.”

It’s a long way to go for two games that won’t count in the standings. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL had wanted to send teams to Australia for a while but the logistics didn’t work until now. It probably won’t be an annual destination because of the distance, and the NHL isn’t likely to threaten the popularity of Australian Rules Football or rugby, but it’s a toehold for a league seeking a bigger international footprint.

more

from Amalie Benjamin of the NHL's website,

When the Arizona Coyotes step onto the Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner that will take them from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday night, their movements -- their sleep, their meals, their supplements -- will be part of a carefully crafted dance designed for optimum performance and recovery, a plan created to tamp down on the tolls a transpacific flight might take.

The lights will dim at an optimal time. The meals will be served on Australian Eastern Time.

The hope is that it will help.

There are no guarantees, of course. But faced with the prospect of a 15-plus hour flight and a 17-hour time difference, the Coyotes -- along with their counterparts, the Los Angeles Kings -- are working their hardest to make a trip to Australia not much harder than one to New York.

"Anything that we can help them to find a one percent improvement, I think our guys are really open to," Coyotes high performance director Devan McConnell said.

Because although there is plenty of excitement for the Coyotes and Kings about going to Australia for the 2023 NHL Global Series, where the teams will play two exhibition games at Rod Laver Arena on Sept. 23 and 24, the trip is not without its pitfalls.

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The LA Kings have signed captain Anze Kopitar to a two-year contract extension worth an annual average value (AAV) of $7,000,000 through 2025-26.

"We're pleased to have reached an agreement that will keep Anze in Los Angeles as our group takes the next step in competing for a Stanley Cup," said Rob Blake, vice president and general manager of the LA Kings. "He is the heart and soul of this team as our captain and he will continue to play a major role on our club."

updated 4:51pm, LAK press release in the comment section.

LAK release is below.

from Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider,

Yesterday was Part 1. We all knew it was Part 1 and it’s been widely reported what was coming next. Tuesday’s trade saw the Kings move out salaries to clear cap space for moves to come. They had to pay future assets to do so, but when you look at the move through a longer lens, the cost was really not all that much. The next step in that process comes today, as the Kings announced that they have signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year contract extension, carrying an AAV of $5.875 million through the 2024-25 season. Per CapFriendly, the contract also includes a full no movement clause in both seasons.

Gavrikov joined the Kings at the trade deadline and logged 20 regular-season games, on top of six games in the postseason. He produced offensively at nearly a half point-per-game pace, as he collected three goals and six assists from those 20 games, in addition to an assist and a +5 rating in the postseason. Gavrikov’s metrics were among the team’s best, especially when looking at the more dangerous areas of the ice, as he stepped right into the lineup and contributed.

Instant Analysis
First, sharing a quote from Todd McLellan regarding Gavrikov’s arrival and fit.

“Since the day he arrived, he walked in the door – him and Korpisalo walked in the door – and they fit our group,” Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan said. “There’s always risk in acquiring players at the deadline where it doesn’t work simply because of that. So, when they walked in their spirit and the way they carried themselves fit our group, so that was a home run right off the bat. Then his play, from the time that he put the equipment on all the way through, he adapted really quick to a different system and to new teammates……he was very, very solid all the way through the last minute [of Game 6].”

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via the Columbus Blue Jackets,

The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired defenseman Ivan Provorov as part of a three-team trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a conditional second-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 NHL Draft, club general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.

The details of the trade are as follows:

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The rookie goalie had never had it happen to him before, while the 750-game defenceman could only rub his prodigious beard and mutter, “Never seen anything like it.”

Oilers fans will recall the Miracle on Manchester back in 1982? That was when the Boys on the Bus squandered that 5-0 lead and lost a playoff game to the Kings, 6-5 in overtime.

Well, Mattias Ekholm watched in amazement from the bench as a new chapter in this Kings-Oilers rivalry played out, a broken goalie stick that nearly forced a Game 7 in a series the Oilers had in the palm of their collective hand.

It was the Fluke on Figeuroa, and it darned near sent us all home for an edgy Game 7 at Rogers Place.

“It's okay that there's some drama in the story,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft, whose team is penning a new chapter in Oilers lore once again this spring.

With Edmonton leading this series-clinching game 4-3 and set to put it away on a powerplay with 12 minutes to play — goalie Stuart Skinner gathered a puck at the top of his crease as defenceman Evan Bouchard peeled away to the corner awaiting the puck.

He was, Skinner said, “just trying to hit Boosh with a nice, crisp pass.”

Then, his goal stick buckled. It had been cracked earlier by an Adrian Kempe whack, but that damned CCM waited for the least opportune moment to crater.

Skinner fanned on his pass, Phillip Danault cashed the easiest shorthanded goal of his career, and the game was suddenly in the balance.

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Watch the goal below.

from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

If the Kings have any resilience left in their bruised and weary bodies, if they can figure out how to repair the gaping holes the Edmonton Oilers ripped open in their defense during the last two games of their Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, if they want to prolong a promising season, they have three days to find that resilience, those solutions, that fight.

For the second straight game, the Oilers revved up their offense to a level the Kings couldn’t match. The particulars are less important than the undeniable trend: Nick Bjugstad scored twice as the Oilers chased Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the bench in favor of Pheonix Copley in the second period and roared to a 6-3 victory Tuesday night at Rogers Place.

The Kings have until Saturday, when Game 6 will be played at Crypto.com Arena, to reflect, repair and regroup and try to extend their season to a seventh game Monday in Edmonton.

“That’s obviously not good enough. It wasn’t close to good enough,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said of his team’s defensive effort. “It probably doesn’t get you a win in Game 2 of the regular season, so move on.”

Or move out.

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Watch the game highlights below.

from ESPN News Service,

Zach Hyman scored at 10:39 of overtime as the Edmonton Oilers rallied from three goals down, authoring a potentially season-saving victory in a 5-4 decision over the Los Angeles Kings Sunday night.

Hyman's snap shot from the left faceoff circle was his first goal of the playoffs, ending a dramatic, rollercoaster ride of a Game 4 as the Oilers evened this first-round playoff series at 2-2.

"It was a great breakout pass," Hyman said about his first playoff game-winning goal. "I looking for a pass and it turned into a Grade A scoring chance. I was able to get it up and over and that was the game. It is probably the most important goal in my career."

Leon Draisaitl had two goals and an assist for the Oilers, Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists while Evander Kane forced OT with his third-period goal. Connor McDavid had three assists.

"I think all playoff games are big tests, but this one was massive for our group. I thought we responded well," said Draisaitl, who leads the league in playoff scoring with nine points. "It is not an easy team to come back against. We came back in waves in the second period and put ourselves back into it."

Jack Campbell, who came in after Stuart Skinner was pulled after one period, made 27 saves against his former team.

"I've constantly touted that we have a good goaltending tandem. We have belief in both of our goaltenders," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "That's not assigning any blame on Stuart for how the first period went. But I felt that our team needed a little bit of a change in momentum, give us a different kind of look. The only debate I had was when I was going to do it."

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Game highlights are below.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

You can distrust the Situation Room all you want if you think there is some grand conspiracy through which the National Hockey League wants its best player and most explosive offensive team eliminated as soon as possible.

You can say the referees graded out somewhere between poor and brutal here in Game 3 on Friday — because that would be accurate.

The officials are not biased, just well below an acceptable level of competent. And if you judged that their unpredictability likely hurt the Edmonton Oilers a call or two more than it did the Los Angeles Kings in Game 3, I wouldn’t give you an argument.

It's time for the Edmonton Oilers to play like the highest-scoring team in hockeyPlay VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 2:23Loaded: 6.90% Fullscreen

Whine about the calls all you want, Oiler fans, in a game where the power plays were 5-4 in favour of the Kings.

But here’s why the Oilers are down 2-1 in this series, after a 3-2 overtime loss, the second time the Oilers have coughed up a power-play goal in OT in this series.

They are down because an Oilers team that averaged four goals per game all season can’t solve the Kings often enough at five-on-five to win these games. The Kings are hanging around, hanging around, and for the second time in three games, the Oilers left themselves at the mercy of the refs — and paid for it.

Edmonton trails this series because it has blown a lead in every game. Because, tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, the Oilers couldn’t find a hero from amongst their stable of scorers, while the Kings found theirs.

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Game highlights are below.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

The Los Angeles Kings did not lead Game 1 for even a single second. But they’ll lead their Round 1 series with the Edmonton Oilers for at least two days — and maybe more — after a 4-3 overtime win that left a Canadian hockey city in a province of shock.

Hang around? Oh boy, did these Kings hang around.

The Oilers took a 2-0 first period lead into Period 3, and still had their two-goal lead with just eight minutes to play in what — to that point — was a near perfect playoff performance by the home side.

Then, suddenly, it wasn’t.

“Got to be more mature than that,” said two-goal man Leon Draisaitl. “It’s a 3-1 game with eight minutes left or whatever. We’ve got to lock that down.

“We have to be more mature.”...

The Kings scored on the final two — at 19:43 of the third period with the goalie pulled to send the game to overtime, and then Alex Iafallo in OT with big Vincent Desharnais in the box.

“We had the game in our hands. We just let it slip away,” Desharnais said. “We took too many penalties, and they just bury you at some point.”

read on

Watch the game highlights below.

NEW YORK (April 11, 2023) – The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) today announced the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings will face off in the first-ever NHL games in the Southern Hemisphere, as Melbourne, Australia will play host to the 2023 NHL Global Series™ – Melbourne. The preseason games between the Coyotes and Kings will be played on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 at Rod Laver Arena. This historic announcement advances the NHL’s commitment to grow the game globally, while furthering the League’s international strategy.