By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Home ice has been one of the trademark advantages for the Philadelphia Flyers through the years.  Just look up the 1975-76 season and see what the team accomplished.  In 40 games, the Broad Street Bullies went 36-2-2 - garnering 74 out of a possible 80 points – while scoring 205 goals, and yielding just 79.

Now that is what you call dominance.

Those were the days of Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Reggie Leach, Bernie Parent, and company.

While the parity the League enjoys nowadays will likely prevent those types of numbers from ever occuring again, there still needs to be some kind of fear put into opponents when they come into your building.

That has not been the case since late last season, as home for the Flyers has not been so sweet.

The club stumbled badly down the stretch last year, especially on home ice.  The Orange-and-Black won only three of their last 13 (3-5-5) regular season contests at the suddenly not-so-friendly confines of the Wells Fargo Center. 

The skid dropped Philadelphia from contending for the Eastern Conference title, and nearly cost them the Atlantic Division crown.  If not for rallying on the last day of the regular season to defeat the visiting New York Islanders, 7-4, the Pittsburgh Penguins would have claimed the division championship.

But the team didn’t fare much better in the playoffs, as they sported a 2-4 record in front of the home fans when it mattered the most.

Part of the perceived problems with team chemistry led to Mike Richards and Jeff Carter being dealt, and forwards Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk being given more responsibility and leadership roles with the club.

Ilya Bryzgalov was brought in to man the Philly crease by order of Ed Snider, as the area between the pipes had been a sore spot for far too long.

A change of faces, a new mix with which Peter Laviolette can work.  

But this season hasn’t been much better, as the Flyers have won just two of their first six (2-3-1) games on home ice. 

That makes the club’s record an awful 7-12-6 (playoff totals included) in the past 25 contests on home ice since being blanked, 1-0,  by Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings on February 13th, 2010.

There is another game that stands out from last season that underlines the decline of Philadelphia’s play at home.

If the November 18th 8-7 home defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning was possibly any indication of the trouble that lied ahead for the team over the remainder of the year, then last night’s 9-8 embarassment against the Winnipeg Jets should set off all kinds of bells and whistles for both Paul Holmgren and Laviolette.

While much of the Flyers’ early-season struggles – including those at home – have been blamed on the tremendous amount of new faces – and the amount of rookies in the lineup - brought in over the summer, and the need to find some sort of a team chemistry.

It should be noted that a majority of the mistakes that are being made time and time again are by the club’s veteran leaders, while the rookies have actually been pretty solid.

Many say the ongoing goaltending woes are due to ”The Curse of Pelle Lindbergh“, so could the Flyers’ play at home be something along the lines of “The Curse of the Spectrum”?  The horrible showing at the Wells Fargo Center began right about the same time that, right across the parking lot, the site of the franchise’s greatest triumphs met its ultimate demise via the wrecking ball.

Coincidence?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it seems like for right now, this club could use a nice, long road trip to sort some things out.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

With less than a minute left in overtime Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson scored on a power play to lead the Kings past the New York Rangers by a score of 3-2. Johnson tallied the game winner after receiving a swift pass from the Kings newly acquired center Mike Richards.

The Kings started their 2011-2012 season overseas by facing the Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden on Friday. While the team wore their home jerseys, they were far from being the home team. The sold-out arena fully supported the Rangers mainly to support goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, a living legend in Sweden. While it may have been a home crowd for Lundqvist, he had to share the spotlight with a King.

Kings center Anze Kopitar put his team on the board first halfway through the first period and silenced any doubts about overcoming last season’s ankle injury. While in the Rangers’ zone, right-winger Justin Williams capitalized on a turnover and fed the puck to Kopitar, who rifled it past Lundqvist. Kopitar would continue on to play a solid two-way game with multiple chances and eventually snagging an assist in Johnson’s overtime goal. It appears the “Slovenian Superstar” is picking up right where he left off last season before his injury.

While the Kings dominated most of the first period, setting quite an impressive tempo for them compared to last season, the Rangers regrouped and tied the game five minutes after Kopitar scored. Rangers’ captain Ryan Callahan was able to cash in on a bad-angle shot, beating Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick who wasn’t square with his post.

Photo Via JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

The second and third periods saw a much different game however as both coaches began the chess match of line-swapping. Both teams took to their strong defensive games until halfway through the third period, Marian Gaborik put the Rangers up 2-1 with a shot from just outside the crease. Richards would tie the game for the Kings with under five minutes left in regulation with a center-line drive that has only further excited Kings fans to see how he’ll fit in this season. He would earn his first goal and assist as a King in his first game as a King.

Johnson would earn the game-winning goal in overtime while on the power play. Rangers’ defenseman Ryan McDonagh opened the door for the Kings at a critical moment when he was called for holding. While the game winner was scored on the power play, the Kings still need to tweak their power play system. Going 1 for 4 on the power play seems to show signs of last season’s issue of having trouble with special teams scoring.

The Kings traveled to Berlin, Germany directly after the game in order for Saturday’s game. Awaiting the Kings in Berlin are Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls

By Danny Di Nicolantonio

You want to play fantasy hockey, and think you have what it takes to win?  Well, you’ll be one step closer to winning your league after this week’s fantasy hockey preview series.  There is no better place to start than the guys between the pipes:  Goaltenders.

During most drafts you will be required to have two starting goaltender roster spots, then one or two backup slots on the bench.  Even though forwards are the first to be drafted in the beginning, there are statistics out there that indicate goaltenders are going toward the backend of that first round.

Depending on the size of the league you are in, the average being 8-12 teams per league, and where you are positioned to pick, this will help you develop a strategy for the draft.  Logically the reason why we see goaltenders picked toward the end of the first round is because, the draft is about to head back in the other direction giving this team two picks fairly close together, if not back to back.  As a result, it gives a team the opportunity to select a forward and a goaltender right off the bat.  There are players in the league that I refer to as “trend setters”, and these are the teams that may not have had an opportunity to select a star player at the beginning of the draft and may nab two goaltenders with their first two picks that create a wave of three or four goaltenders being selected.

There are many factors that go into ranking and drafting a goaltender that include, risk, reward, age, prone to injury.

Ranked Goaltenders 2011-2012 Fantasy Hockey:

Player Team GP SA GA GAA W L OT SV SV% Shutouts
Tim Thomas BOS 57 1811 112 2.00 35 11 9 1699 0.938 9
Roberto Luongo VAN 60 1753 126 2.11 38 15 7 1627 0.928 4
Pekka Rinne NSH 64 1905 134 2.12 33 22 9 1771 0.930 6
Tomas Vokoun WSH 57 1753 137 2.55 22 28 5 1616 0.922 6
Jonathan Quick LAK 61 1631 134 2.24 35 22 3 1497 0.918 6
Henrik Lundqvist NYR 68 1965 152 2.28 36 27 5 1813 0.923 11
Ryan Miller BUF 66 1964 165 2.59 34 22 8 1799 0.916 5
Corey Crawford CHI 57 1545 128 2.30 33 18 6 1417 0.917 4
Jimmy Howard DET 63 1830 168 2.79 37 17 5 1662 0.908 2
Marc-Andre Fleury PIT 65 1742 143 2.32 36 20 5 1599 0.918 3
Carey Price MTL 72 2147 165 2.35 38 28 6 1982 0.923 8
Ilya Bryzgalov PHI 68 2125 168 2.48 36 20 10 1957 0.921 7
Antti Niemi SJS 60 1741 140 2.38 35 18 6 1601 0.920 6
Miikka Kiprusoff CGY 71 1935 182 2.63 37 24 6 1753 0.906 6
Dwayne Roloson TBL 54 1596 138 2.59 24 25 5 1458 0.914 4
Cam Ward CAR 74 2375 184 2.56 37 26 10 2191 0.923 4
Steve Mason CBJ 54 1541 153 3.03 24 21 7 1388 0.901 3
Martin Brodeur NJD 56 1313 127 2.45 23 26 3 1186 0.903 6
Kari Lehtonen DAL 69 2043 175 2.55 34 24 11 1868 0.914 3
Jonas Hiller ANA 49 1493 114 2.56 26 16 3 1379 0.924 5
James Reimer TOR 37 1134 90 2.60 20 10 5 1044 0.921 3
Mike Smith PHX 22 576 58 2.90 13 6 1 518 0.899 1
Ondrej Pavelec WPG 58 1558 147 2.73 21 23 9 1558 0.914 4
Niklas Backstrom MIN 51 1566 132 2.66 22 23 5 1434 0.916 3
Jaroslav Halak STL 57 1518 136 2.48 27 21 7 1382 0.910 7
Craig Anderson OTT 51 1546 135 2.66 24 20 4 1411 0.918 2
Nikolai Khabibulin EDM 47 1389 153 3.40 10 32 4 1236 0.890 2

We’ll take an in-depth look at defensemen tomorrow, left and right wingers on Thursday, and centers on Friday.

As the weekend starts to wind down, the opening days of what is now known as Free Agency Frenzy have come and gone. Players were moved and contracts were inked, insuring that the upcoming season will be great for the Pacific Division. Who came out on top? Many could say the Los Angeles Kings did.

It was well-known that the Kings would be making some big moves in the free agent market with over $16 million in cap space. The surprise came when it was revealed who the Kings were making their move for. Apparently not wanting to settle for just one Richards, the Kings put all their pucks in one net and made their pitch to the jewel of this year’s free agency market, Brad Richards.

It seems that everyone in the Kings management took a trip to Toronto in order to  meet with Richards and his agent. Now, when I say everyone, I mean pretty much everyone but Bailey. The CEO of AEG, Tim Leiweke, General Manager Dean Lombardi, Head-Coach Terry Murray, and Assistant Coaches John Stevens & Jamie Kompon were just a few of the visitors Richards met with during the two-hour presentation. Leiweke told Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider, that this pitch was probably the greatest in Kings history.

“This is the best effort I’ve ever seen, in chasing a player for the Kings. That’s for sure. They were very impressed with the video, and I’m hoping one day we will share the video. We had a lot of people help us and a lot of people speak on our behalf. Some of the people who spoke on our behalf shocked Brad and his agents, and they will shock our fans a little bit, the help that we got here. So this was a good L.A. effort. L.A. showed well here, and I’m proud of the job we did.”

The video Leiweke referred to included the likes of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant, Kings’ Right-Winger Justin Williams, and even the newly acquired Mike Richards. The fact that Mike Richards appeared in a pitch video already should silence the critics on the topic of his motivation. Sadly, Brad Richards decided to sign with the New York Rangers, wishing to be near his parents and returning to a coach he won a cup with. Panic started to set in across Los Angeles as many fans began thinking their Kings had entered into another “Kovalchuk Drama.” In reality, going all-in on Richards can be seen as a great move by the Kings.

The Kings seemingly ignored the rest of the free agents in hopes of signing Richards and while they came out empty-handed, they came out ahead. The first day of the free agent frenzy saw many players signing overpriced contracts. Did the Kings inadvertently save themselves from overpaying for talent like Erik Cole, Ville Leino, and Scottie Upshall? By not signing these players to inflated contracts, the Kings left themselves flexibility in cap space to sign talent and not worry about signing their own talent like Drew Doughty.  Who would the Kings sign if the top picks are already taken? Let’s just say Lombardi had a trick up his sleeve.

Photo Via Jim Cristantiello

Shortly after Richards decided to sign with the Rangers, the Kings signed Tampa Bay Lightning Left-Winger Simon Gagne to a two-year, $7 million contract. The 31-year-old winger will add a great boost to the Kings offense as he is a two-time 40 goal scorer and is no stranger to the playoffs. While many question his health and ability to play a full season, Gagne says he feels great and is looking forward to camp in September. Another perk to signing Gagne is that in a way, he won’t be a stranger to the team. The skilled winger should fit in nicely considering he will be reunited with former teammates in Richards & Williams. Gagne will also get to say hello again to Murray & Stevens, playing for both of them during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers. If Gagne can stay healthy, the Kings now have a formidable top-six.

The weekend wasn’t all exciting signings for the Kings however. Fans bid farewell to two more Kings as Michal Handzus and Alexei Ponikarovsky signed with other teams.

It should be no surprise to hear Ponikarovsky didn’t resign with the Kings. After finding himself misused and often in the dog house with Murray, Ponikarovsky signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Many fans are finding it harder to swallow the news of Handzus’ departure however. While the third-line center was commonly seen as too slow, Handzus was a key component to the success of the Kings’ penalty-kill. Goaltender Jonathan Quick jokingly mentioned Handzus’s departure on Twitter:

“San Jose’s PK got better today, I think zus blocked more shot than I did this year, best of luck this year.”

Nicknamed “Zeus” by the fans and his teammates, he will be missed on the “PK” for sure. To make it sting worse, Handzus ended up signing a two-year, $2.5 million-a-year contract with Pacific Division rivals, the San Jose Sharks. It was expected that Handzus would sign with another team unless he was willing to take a massive cut in pay. His role has been seen as replaced with the improved play of Trevor Lewis and the addition of Richards was the final push. However many fans were left with a wounded feeling and asking, “why the Sharks?!”

With these recent moves, it is clear that Lombardi is pushing the Kings to make a serious run at the cup this season. Gone are the players that were deemed slow and bulky. The roster now looks stacked with talent and the view from the kingdom is looking extremely nice. It should be noted that there is still work to do though.

Doughty must be re-signed. Doughty will be re-signed. The rumors of Doughty being traded or taken by an offer-sheet grow with each passing day that he isn’t signed, but fans need to realize it is crazy to think the Kings would let him go. That would be like Tampa Bay letting go of Steven Stamkos. It won’t happen. Once Doughty is re-signed, the other Kings’ RFA’s will be resigned and the Kings will move on. Move on to where?

Looking at the free agent pool as it stands now, there aren’t many blockbuster deals left out there. Only time will tell if Lombardi has another trick up his sleeve. The Kings still need to fill a few holes at wing positions but there is no telling if that filler will arrive via prospect or trade. Either way, it is a good time to be a King.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – TheCrazyWhls

With their backs against the wall and facing another first round elimination, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 Saturday night.

After having complete meltdowns in Games 3 & 4 in Los Angeles, the Kings found themselves in a must-win situation. This team was looking for redemption and thanks to an outstanding performance from goaltender Jonathan Quick, they found it on the road. The Kings came into San Jose after making what some may consider drastic line changes. Every line combination was changed with the exception of the currently hot line of Kyle Clifford, Brad Richardson, and Wayne Simmonds. The most noticeable changes however were the benching of Alexei Ponikarovsky for Dustin Penner and the addition of Scott Parse. That’s right gang, Parse is back. After missing 81 consecutive games, Parse made his playoff debut with Michal Handzus and Justin Williams.

While Quick was the star of the show with an impressive 51 saves, the Clifford, Richardson, & Simmonds line continues to amaze. This line accounted for two of the three goals scored by the Kings. Simmonds would put the Kings on the scoreboard first with a nifty deflection that got past Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi after deflecting off of Clifford’s stick. Moments later Clifford found himself recording his fifth playoff goal when he capitalized on Niemi’s rebound from Simmonds’ initial shot. To the surprise of many, Dustin Penner would quiet the speculations of his effort when he rifled a shot from the high slot, making it 3-0. All three goals were on the Kings’ first four shots and within the first 8:42 of the game. Sensing trouble, the Sharks quickly gave Niemi the yank and placing Antero Nittymaki between the pipes.

Seeing as how the last two games saw an explosion of goals in the second period, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t a concern Saturday night. The Kings improved their defensive coverage compared to the last game and did not allow themselves to wind up chasing the puck. Patrick Marleau was able to poke in a rebound past Quick’s foot however it would be the only goal the Sharks would find. Quick would make several critical saves and appeared calm under pressure, except for when Dany Heatley took a jab at him after the whistle. That referee got an ear-full. Both Nittymaki and Quick would make impressive saves and hold both teams at bay till game’s end.

Even though the Kings fought off elimination, they are still in a must-win scenario. There is still plenty of work to be done and aspects that the Kings still need to improve upon. For instance, the Sharks out-shot the Kings 52-22. While the defensive play was solid, the Kings cannot expect deeper playoff success if Quick is seeing this many shots. There is no doubt that Quick can constantly stand on his head, but he shouldn’t always have to. More pressure needs to be applied to the Sharks’ defense while maintaining a lead. The third period found the Kings playing mostly a defensive game and often simply dumping the puck for a line change.

Game 6 will take place on Monday night as the Kings will look to force a Game 7. This has easily become a must-see series.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter: @TheCrazyWhls

Heartbreaking. Devastating. A morale killer. Any of these could be used to describe the Game 3 loss for fans of the Los Angeles Kings. For the Kings themselves, there can only be one description: Breakdown. What was a 4-0 lead and possible back-to-back shutouts turned into a 6-5 overtime loss.

What happened out there Kings?

As far as Los Angeles was concerned, Game 3 of this Kings vs Sharks series could not have started better. Staples Center was a sellout once again with 18,200 fans “back in black” as the Kings hit the ice to the tune of AC/DC. Mike Purdy most likely still wasn’t happy even though the referee’s had trouble hearing whistles in the first period. The opening moments of the game saw the Kings scoring twice in 13 seconds with goals from Willie Mitchell and Kyle Clifford. Dustin Penner would jump on a Shark turnover and set up Michal Handzus to make it a 3-0 Kings’ lead. Antti Niemi and the Sharks looked shaky while the Kings looked focused and playing great “Kings Hockey.” The Kings were making crisp tape-to-tape passes, controlling the neutral zone, and playing the solid defense they have become known for. However, that was only the first period.

Brad Richardson made it a 4-0 Kings’ lead early in the second, resulting in Niemi getting the yank. Yet it was like someone suddenly flipped a switch for both teams. As my Sharks correspondent above pointed out, the Sharks would rally to tie the game 5-5 and proceed to win in overtime. Kings fans were in shock. Wait, what just happened? Bad calls from the ref’s? No. Did Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier get run-over by a zamboni during the first intermission? No. The Kings had a mental breakdown.

The Kings broke away from the style of play that leads them to victory. After the Sharks scored their first goal, the Kings’ short tape-to-tape passes turned into longshot cross-ice passes the only connected to a Shark. The solid defense that covers each man turned into an agonizing game of “chase the puck.” The Kings lack of a quick-moving back-check led to the Sharks leading the series 2-1. Veteran Defenseman Rob Scuderi credits the loss to relaxing too much after a lead. I couldn’t agree more.

As far as the Kings are concerned, Game 3 needs to be forgotten. The Kings showed in San Jose and in the first period of Game 3 that they can hang in there and by no means should be underestimated. With that in mind, the Kings need to quickly get over these mental breakdown and consistently play their style of hockey.

On to Game 4 and victory.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter: @TheCrazyWhls

San Jose, California — Last season the Los Angeles Kings put up epic numbers on the power play in their first round loss to Vancouver.  At one point, they were 9 for 14 through four games. Sunday night in San Jose, that power play showed up again.  All season, the first unit had Drew Doughty and Jarret Stoll on the point with Jack Johnson on the second unit.  With Stoll out of the lineup, Terry Murray reunited Doughty and Johnson on the top unit, and they each scored a goal in the first period.  The Sharks took two bad penalties in the offensive zone.  With Ben Eager off for slashing, Johnson opened the scoring with a blast from the blue line with help of a perfect screen on Antti Niemi.

Less than two minutes later, Ryan Clowe sucker punched Doughty and went off for elbowing. In the ensuing power play, Ryan Smyth found Doughty coming down the high slot. He blasted the puck by Niemi and the Kings went to the locker room with a 2-0 lead.

The second period was much tighter with big hits and a relentless forecheck.  The Sharks could not stay out of the box giving the Kings two power plays.  They had more problems and gave up several chances, but the Kings were unable to add to the lead.  The best chance to score came from Patrick Marleau, but Jonathan Quick made a pad save.  Late in the period, the Kings were able to add to the lead when Doughty walked the line and blasted the puck by Niemi.  The Kings headed to the locker room with a 3-0 lead.  The third period opened with Dustin Penner taking a bad roughing penalty just one minute in.  The Sharks had several scoring chances, and Quick made two quality saves.  After another successful kill, the Sharks fell to 0 for 7 on the power play for the series.

Just three minutes in, the line combination of Brad Richardson, Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford, who has been one of the best for the team in recent weeks, had a beautiful goal of a great cycle as Richardson fed Clifford in front of the net for his first career playoff goal to put Los Angeles up 4-0. The Sharks again failed on their 8^th power play of the series with Trevor Lewis off for delay of game. Quick made 34 saves to post his first career shutout in the playoffs.

The two teams will face off tonight in Los Angeles, Ian White is set to return to the Sharks lineup. If the Kings want to take the first game on their rink they will have to once again rely on their defenceman. Doughty proved why he has been mentioned as a future Norris winner on Sunday, while Johnson equalled the performance of his partner. With the pair the Kings possibly have the most dangerous combination in the league.

For the Sharks, they will have to amp up their game. They did not look ready to play Sunday night and the Kings walked all over them. The team can not make constant runs to the penalty box, as the Kings proved they can be a deadly force when they are on.

Mike Murangi
NHL Hot Stove Los Angeles Kings correspondent

By Jeff Quirin
NHLHS NHL correspondent

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

We came close to a Battle: LA worthy of such a title (because the movie wasn’t), but the hockey gods decided that the LA Kings should not face their local nemesis Anaheim Ducks. Instead they travel up the coast to San Jose and jump in the tank with the Sharks.

Let Battle: California begin!

During the 82 game primer, the Pacific Division rivals squared off six times. San Jose took the season series 3-1-2. Outscoring the Kings 18-13. In games where the teams combine for 6 goals or less, LA has won three of the four contests. In the barn burning affairs San Jose is two for two.

What do such figures this tell outsiders? LA better keep these games close and play to their strengths.

At season’s end, Terry Murray’s Kings boasted the NHL’s 6th best GAA (2.4) and 4th rated penalty kill (85.5%). Putting young stud defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson as well veterans Willie Mitchell and Rob Scuderi in the spotlight for this series. Their ability to control the pace of play and lock down their defensive end will determine how effective the Sharks top two lines can be.

The other factor to consider is of course Kings netminder, Jonathan Quick. The US Olympian put together a solid season. Posting 35 wins (T-9th) in 61 games (60 starts) with a 2.24 GAA (5th) and .918 save percentage (T-13th). Assuming the top two pairings keep the shots to a minimum, which they should given they were 3rd best with just 27.9/game against, Quick will just need to make the routine save. Something he has for most of the season, against San Jose at least. In 5 starts against the Sharks he has a 2.19 GAA, .910 save percentage and a shutout.

The challenge for LA comes up up front. They were the 25th rated offense this season. Averaging just 2.55 goals/game (209 overall). As if scoring was hard enough, they lost team offensive leader, Anze Kopitar, to an ankle injury. Gone are his 25 goals and 73 points in 75 games. Second leading scorer, Justin Williams, may also miss time due to a shoulder injury. The time is now for another US Olympian, captain Dustin Brown, to step up and take over the reigns on the big stage. Trade deadline addition Dustin Penner must improve on his two goals and six point pace over 19 games pace if the Kings will be able to counter the Sharks attack.

…and the Sharks will be attacking. After a turbulent first half of the season Todd McLellan settled the veteran group down and powered up to the second highest position in the Western Conference. They’re style is the yin to the Kings yang. San Jose was the league’s 6th more prolific offense. Scoring 2.96 goals/game.

Even if LA can contain the super trio of Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley, another unit must step up and stop Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Devin Setoguchi. That group of seven has combined for 182 of the Sharks 243 goals, roughly 75%.  That said, the dynamic also presents a major concern if LA strongly plays the matchups and Quick catches fire. There will be no secondary punch from the Sharks energy lines.

Defensive responsibility is also at a premium for San Jose. They finished 2010-11 with the 8th lowest shots against/game average (28.9) and 10th lowest GAA (2.54). Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray and Marc-Edouard Vlasic remain as names most know and will be counted on to eat minutes on the back end. Ian White and Jason Demers are not, but consistently hold down an average close to 20 minutes a night as well. their puck moving abilities will be key to help break LA’s sure to be tight coverage.

Last but not least is 2010 Stanley Cup winner Antti Niemi. Many chastised the Sharks for rolling the dice on a netminder who ‘earned his ring” by playing behind the Chicago Blackhawks. His second half surge has put some of those doubters back in their place. Finishing the campaign with numbers comparable to Quick. Posting 35 wins (T-9th) in 60 games, a 2.38 GAA (11th) and .920 save percentage (12th). He could be the “x factor” that carries San Jose further than exiled Evgeni Nabakov.

Who Has The Edge?

Forwards: San Jose
- Even if Kopitar and Williams were in the lineup, the top two lines of LA just don’t match up against the brute force, size, speed and skill the Sharks roll over the boards. Ryan Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Michal Handzus provide a needed veteran balance to the youg core, but are not as dynamic as the likes of Pavelski or Couture.

Defensemen: LA
- Boyle is as good as they come on the back end, but the remainder of the group leaves much to be desired when compared to the potential impacts of two very dynamic youngsters in Doughty and Johnson. Add in the cup winning experience of Scuderi and LA has the advantage.

Goaltending: San Jose
- Niemi is a Cup champion. Quick has one playoff series loss and Silver Medal earned from opening the door to the bench. Winning validates no other athlete in such a defining way than a NHL goaltender.

Prediction: San Jose in 7
- LA is going to grind as hard as they can and force a full set of seven tilts. How efficient the Kings are in their own end will determine if the series runs short or not.

__________________________________________________________________

Battle of California: Kings vs Sharks

By Stephanie Lee
NHLHS San Jose Sharks correspondent

In what turned out be one of the toughest divisions in the National Hockey League, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings will face off for the first time in either teams history.  So what make the Los Angeles Kings scary good this year and why will the San Jose Sharks will have a tough time:

1. Jonathan Quick – For a guy whose last name is pretty much the epitome of what he is, it’s hard to watch a Kings game and not get caught solely watching him. His six shutouts and 2.24 goals against average landed him in the top ten among all NHL goalies. He only allowed five or more goals in three starts this season, and put together a seven game winning streak back in the first half of the season.
2. Justin Williams & Anze Kopitar – Both players led the Kings in goals before going down with injuries. Okay, yes Kopitar is done for the season, but he still finished the season leading the team in assists, points, +/-, game winning goals and shots on goal. Williams tallied 22 goals before his shoulder injury kept him out for the final nine games of the season. And according to coach Terry Murray, Williams might be able to return to the line up for the start of the first round on Thursday.
3. Dustin Brown – Yes, the almighty Captain. Leading the team goals (28) and hits (300), Dustin Brown knows how to score goals and do his job quite effectively. He is especially good on the penalty play, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists.
4. Penalty Kill – Los Angeles ended the season ranked 4th in penalty killing compared to San Jose’s 24th ranked penalty kill.

So, then what makes San Jose tough for the Los Angeles Kings?

1. Joe Pavelski – The man we call Joe Pa isn’t anywhere near as good as our top line, but his ten game point streak, including 12 assists makes him quite lethal. Pavelski reached career highs in just about every category this season, achieving 66 points and 46 assists with a +10 rating.
2. Logan Couture – Because if you have been following the Calder race closely, then you would know why. Although Couture is in his second season in the NHL, his twenty five games played last season still allows him to be considered for the Calder this season. He led the rookies early in the season in all categories and is second among the Sharks in goals (32), +/- (18), and game winning goals (eight).
3. Power Play - San Jose’s 68 power play goals puts them 3rd among the NHL for most goals on the man advantage but 2nd over all on the power play with 23.5%.
4. Seven 20+ goal scorers – Los Angeles only has five available players at the moment with 20+ goals, assuming Williams will be ready for action come Thursday.

In what turned out be one of the toughest divisions in the National Hockey League, the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings will face off for the first time in either teams history.  So what make the Los Angeles Kings scary good this year and why will the San Jose Sharks will have a tough time:

1. Jonathan Quick – For a guy whose last name is pretty much the epitome of what he is, it’s hard to watch a Kings game and not get caught solely watching him. His six shutouts and 2.24 goals against average landed him in the top ten among all NHL goalies. He only allowed five or more goals in three starts this season, and put together a seven game winning streak back in the first half of the season.
2. Justin Williams & Anze Kopitar – Both players led the Kings in goals before going down with injuries. Okay, yes Kopitar is done for the season, but he still finished the season leading the team in assists, points, +/-, game winning goals and shots on goal. Williams tallied 22 goals before his shoulder injury kept him out for the final nine games of the season. And according to coach Terry Murray, Williams might be able to return to the line up for the start of the first round on Thursday.
3. Dustin Brown – Yes, the almighty Captain. Leading the team goals (28) and hits (300), Dustin Brown knows how to score goals and do his job quite effectively. He is especially good on the penalty play, scoring seven goals and adding eight assists.
4. Penalty Kill – Los Angeles ended the season ranked 4th in penalty killing compared to San Jose’s 24th ranked penalty kill.

So, then what makes San Jose tough for the Los Angeles Kings?

1. Joe Pavelski – The man we call Joe Pa isn’t anywhere near as good as our top line, but his ten game point streak, including 12 assists makes him quite lethal. Pavelski reached career highs in just about every category this season, achieving 66 points and 46 assists with a +10 rating.
2. Logan Couture – Because if you have been following the Calder race closely, then you would know why. Although Couture is in his second season in the NHL, his twenty five games played last season still allows him to be considered for the Calder this season. He led the rookies early in the season in all categories and is second among the Sharks in goals (32), +/- (18), and game winning goals (eight).
3. Power Play - San Jose’s 68 power play goals puts them 3rd among the NHL for most goals on the man advantage but 2nd over all on the power play with 23.5%.
4. Seven 20+ goal scorers – Los Angeles only has five available players at the moment with 20+ goals, assuming Williams will be ready for action come Thursday.

The situation still looks shaky for the Los Angeles Kings as they attempt to head into the playoffs on a high-point. While the Kings clenched a playoff spot with their last win against Phoenix, it is still unknown at which seed they will enter into the playoffs at. Tonight’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks did not help. What this loss did do was help the Ducks clench a playoff spot of their own. This game also showed that even at 40 years old, Teemu Selanne still has that “Finnish Flash” to his game.

The Kings and Ducks played game one of a back-to-back home finale, playing on both team’s Fan Appreciation Day. Starting out strong, the Kings seemed to dominate the first period and played their style and tempo of hockey. The Ducks found themselves hard-pressed to quickly enter the offensive zone and get quality shots at Kings Goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Ryan Smyth would put the Kings on the scoreboard first when he jumped on a rebound given up by Ducks Goaltender Dan Ellis. Kings Captain Dustin Brown took the initial shot which was blocked by Ellis, but it was Smyth who would capitalize when Ellis got tangled up with his own defenseman, Sheldon Brookbank.

Coming into the second period, the Kings still played a decently defensive game but Selanne found his first goal of the night off a rebound from Quick. Selanne was left alone as the defense and Quick attempted to stop Luca Sbisa’s previous attempt, but the rebound would find its’ way to a waiting Selanne.

Selanne would get the second goal in the third thanks to teammate Saku Koivu. While losing his balance and falling to the ice, Koivu connected a perfect pass to Selanne, who beat a sprawling Quick to the glove side. This made for Selanne’s 31^st goal of the season and 637^th of his career, giving him 80 points in 72 games. Selanne will also now be one of three players in NHL history to play an entire season at age 40 or older with more points than games played.

Sadly, the lack of offense was the Kings’ downfall. While they did a great job at shutting down the Ducks’ top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and Corey Perry, the Kings were unable to generate much offense of their own.

The Kings will get a chance for redemption Saturday night in a rematch that will serve as the final game in the Freeway Faceoff series and the Kings’ final home game.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter: @TheCrazyWhls