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Game 58: Kings 4, Red Wings 3

When Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's goal record in 1994, I bought a t-shirt to commemorate the event. When Luc Robitaille broke Marcel Dionne's club scoring record in 2006, I bought a t-shirt to commemorate the event.

I doubt they'll sell a t-shirt to commemorate a winning streak. But if they did, I'd be tempted to buy one. Because the game itself was one for the ages.

After a good friend (thanks, Glenn) offered me his tickets for the game, I made the wet trek to Staples to watch the Kings try to continue winning. The Red Wing Contingent was strong as always, with Yzerman jerseys, Zetterberg t-shirts and Stanley Cup hats seemingly the uniform of choice.

For the past eight games, the Kings have won in a variety of ways: two were never in question (Columbus and Toronto), four wins came in the third period (Detroit, New Jersey, New York and Anaheim), and two came way of shootouts (Buffalo and Boston).

But never had the Kings been down as many as three goals, as they found themselves Saturday. Staples was rocking, but mostly by Detroit fans, who were hooting and hollering like they just clinched a playoff berth.

Which is funny, because the Wings have been struggling all season, running the risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons. Injuries have been the biggest factor of Detroit's swoon, and it was hoped the two days off they had prior to Saturday's contest would allow them to lick their wounds and get healthy. Well it worked, albiet for one period.

The Red Wings got two goals from Henrik Zetterberg and another from Valtteri Filppula to give Detroit a seemingly insurmountable lead. Kings fans were grumbling during the first intermission, bemoaning the team's lackluster showing in the first. The grumbling continued as the teams played for nine minutes non-stop to start off the second period.

The grumbling stopped at 9:16 in the second, when Alexander Frolov scored to put the Kings on the board. Then the mood changed from "Aww, man..." to "Oh man!" The Kings had been in this position before, and fans knew more goals were coming.

Michal Handzus scored an unassisted goal when Jimmy Howard bumbled the puck, allowing the Slovakian Scrapper to pop it past the rookie goalie to make it 3-2. Wings fans were conspicuously quiet, as Kings fans started giving them grief.

Then Ryan Smyth accidentially intercepted a Wayne Simmonds pass to a wide-open Jarret Stoll, only to backhand it through traffic and into the back of the net to tie the game. Staples was ecstatic, as it was anyone's game heading into the third, and the Kings hadd all the momentum.

Detroit did their best to try and shift it back, but Handzus comes through once again. When Howard can't control a Frolov rebound, the wily veteran slid across the crease and scored to put the Kings up with less than three minutes to go. I decided to head downstairs and beat the crowd, since I had to jet out to West Covina for work.

But with 30 seconds left in the period, I found myself drawn back into the arena to experience something that I haven't heard since 2001: the roar. The sheer excitement of 18,000+ fans going nuts (minus the 3,000 or so Wings fans) washed over me as I cracked a smile.

I doubt you could make a t-shirt to capture that feeling. I'm just glad I was there. Now it's on to Anaheim, where I'll be invading The Ponda with a hundred of so rabid Kings fans for the Kings/Ducks game Monday.

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This is a one-time offer. For any hockey fans on the fence for rooting for the Los Angeles Kings the rest of the way, the bearer of this ducet allows that person unlimited access to the bandwagon for the rest of the season and playoff run, however long that is.

This will be the last time it will be offered. After this, anyone who tries to jump on the bandwagon will be promptly denied.

Game 57: Kings 6, Ducks 4

Thursday night's, which has been lovingly dubbed the SoCal Salchow by my podcast partner Jesse, shaped up to be a real slobberknocker.

Coming into the Staples Center were the Anaheim Ducks, winners of three in a row. The Ducks got an influx of scoring when they acquired Jason Blake from Toronto, and with Teemu Selanne back from his jaw injury, the Ducks now have two legit top lines.

The Kings' success is well-reported here, especially their 21-0 when leading after two periods. But the Ducks have a unique stat on their side: they share the league lead with the Kings in winning games when trailing after two periods. That stat would come back to haunt the Kings in the third period.

As the game started, the Ducks took charge and stormed out to an early lead, when Jason Blake snuck on past Kings goalie Jonathon Quick. Throughout the first 10 minutes, the Kings looked sluggish and out of sync. In fact, this was what I expected on Tuesday when they played the Rangers.

But the Kings got their groove back, when the Kings' Anze Kopitar scored to tie it up. They proceeded to reel off three more goals (from Wayne Simmonds, Michal Handzus and Jack Johnson) to take charge of the contest. And the Kings were well on their way to improving their record to 22-0-0 when leading after two periods.

I hate to make this tired analogy, but it's my blog so tough crap. This being Hollywood, the Ducks came back with a vengeance. Anaheim rallied with three straight goals from Troy Bodie, Matt Beleskey and Ryan Carter to tie the game. Like the Kings' Anaheim has found secondary scoring in their lower lines to keep teams honest.

For five excruciating minutes, the Ducks and the Kings went toe-to-toe in some of the most spirited hockey I've seen between these two clubs. And when Kopitar stole the puck behind the Ducks net and shot on Hiller, the resulting rebound found it's way to Dustin Brown's stick to break the deadlock. Staples breathed a sigh of relief.

And in a great shift klilling off time with under 2 minutes left, Ryan Getzlaf tripped up Brown to give the Kings a power play. And it was Anze Kopitar who popped one past Hiller for the nail in the coffin. He had four points on the night (2 goals, 2 assists), which tied his career high for points in row with eight in a row, and now tied for first in the league lead in power play points (with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos).

Another player who had a career game was Jack Johnson, who had his first four-point game (1G, 3A). Johnson has quietly had himself a career year and has recently turned a corner. Fans seem to focus on plus/minus, which is a worthless stat, since it's based on the other players on the ice. The Lombardi diss drama seems to have focused the Michigan native, and he is playing smarter.

Eight in a row is indeed rarified air, but I'm not too happy they way the Kings lost their three-goal buffer in 11 minutes. It shows that even though these Kings have much more to learn about keeping pressure on. There is NO reason they should've even let the Ducks sniff a tie Thursday.

The Kings face off against Detroit next, who comes into Staples Center. Let's see just how many Detroit fans show up in their red jerseys this game...

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Seven wins in a row can only mean one thing: we're going streaking!

This week, Jesse and I are in the same place at the same time, so the podcast is once again whole. We kick it off by exulting over the Kings' current win streak, which has reached seven games. We look back at the last week's worth of games, and break down how the Kings got to where they are now. We also crown a King of the Week, as well as take a quick look at the minor league system.

Then, we are joined by not one but TWO guests. Greg Wyshynski, editor of the Puck Daddy blog for Yahoo! Sports joins us as touch touch on myriad of topics surrounding the NHL, including the most recent trades of the past week, as well as touch on a dramatic trade that just might alter the course of two team's destinies. (O.K., maybe not. But it's wishful thinking.)

Then we are joined by Examiner.com Kings blogger Jon Moncrief, as we focus more on the Kings, from trade talks to the feeling in the locker room about all the hubris surrounding the trade talks that has been swirling around the team.

Don't forget, you can subscribe on iTunes, so you can get the podcast before anyone else does. It's an extended Hockeywood Insider,  brought to you with limited commercial interruption with a grant by Nabisco. (Not really, but I sure do love Golden Oreos, which I am munching now.)

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Game 56: Kings 2, Rangers 1

The KIngs, fresh off a 5-game sweep on the road, return to the friendly confines of Staples Center to take on the New York Rangers. Friendly? More like frustrating.

When the Kings were last at Staples, they only won two games out of five, and have been winning at a 57 percent clip. The concern was they would return to form after their roadie and lack focus.

Well, that certainly wasn't the case Tuesday night. In front of a sellout crowd, the Kings came out with determination, shutting down the new-look Rangers, 2-1. It was their seventh win in a row, and allows them to shrug off any poor starts at Staples in the past.

I'm not a goalie guy, but I find myself saying that despite whoever earned the first star of the game from the media is, they're always wrong. The first star of Tuesday night's game was Anze Kopitar, who is on fire as of late, and had a short-handed goal in the second period to start the scoring.

But it was definitely Quick who was the no. 1 star of the game, if for no other reason than for his work late in the third against a manic Rangers attack that could've tied the game.

His point-blank stops on Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury locked up the victory for the Kings. Maybe it's because the Kings goaltenders for the past three years have been so bad that my attention is solely focused on Quick.

But he has responded this season with flying colors, which amazes me even more. I don't even want to think what's going to happen next season when Jonathon Bernier shows up to camp to press for the top spot in goal. I'll cross that bridge next season. For now, I am going to relish the fact that L.A. now has a legitimate goaltender and leave it at that. He has sole possession of third place for wins on the season, and has Rogie Vachon in his sights next.

Kopitar's short-hander was impressive, and he continues to evolve from a good player to an elite player. In an article written by Matt Reitz over at ViewFromMySeats.com, I was asked whether Kopitar could be considered elite now. My response? Absolutely.

“Kopitar might not have the flashy numbers of Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby, but it’s his two-way play that sets him apart from others on the ice. He always had the potential, but when he was asked by Terry Murray last season to focus on playing back and improving the defensive aspect of his game, it was a huge adjustment, and his production slipped. I didn’t see Ovechkin or Crosby be asked to alter their game as much as Kopitar did last season.”

Kopitar's ascension to the throne has been exciting to watch as a hockey fan and as a journalist. So much, we see these cookie-cutter athletes from basketball, baseball and football come right out of college and high school, already polished and ready for consumption by the fans and the media. But in hockey, the players don't have the sheen of being mass-produced and trained in the media.

Kopitar was originally soft-spoken and unassuming when he cracked into the league. Fast forward to 2010, and he's settled into the role of leader on this team of young guns that's finally grown together as a cohesive unit.

Not to say Kopitar's the only player evolving. Dustin Brown has been rejuvenated with Ryan Smyth on his line. In the beginning of the season, I thought Kopitar would benefit the most with Smyth as a linemate. Now it's apparent, Smyth's solid game allows Brown to focus on his style of game. That speaks volumes of Smyth.

The Kings are now 13-3 against the Eastern Conference this season, tops in the league for out of conference play. The Ducks now come in on Thursday. The Ducks also have a new look from the major trades over the weekend, and will be playing the second of back-to-back games. Let's hope the Detroit Red Wings wear them down on Wednesday.

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