BlogNation: Handzus caps comeback with OT goal
• AP: Handzus’ OT goal gives Kings 4-3 win
• AP: D Matt Greene signs 5-year extension with Kings
• LA Times: Kings gain confidence from 4-3 OT win over Carolina
• LA Times' Helene Elliott: Kings finally worth watching, but no one's showing up
Hockey remains a sport best watched in person because TV doesn't
capture the speed or precision of the passing plays. It's just a shame
that just when the Kings are providing compelling reasons to watch
them, the economy is putting up obstacles that might keep fans away.
• THN.com's Ryan Kennedy: The Straight Edge: Growing the game in tough economic times
• Daily News: Kings' extra effort pays off
• Canadian Press: Michal Handzus' overtime goal gives Kings 4-3 win over Hurricanes
"Last year in a game like this, we would have just folded the tent
and not done what we did tonight," LaBarbera said. "We weren't too happy with the first two periods, but we had a lot of jump and enthusiasm in the third."
• NHL.com: Doughty's play gives Kings no easy answer"It's fun coming to the rink this year. It's a fun group to be around. Everybody's enjoying each other, and that makes such a huge difference when you go on the ice."
Drew Doughty is still living in the Residence Inn by the airport in El Segundo, Calif. He's conveniently close enough both the Los Angeles Kings' practice facility and to a plane at LAX that could take him back to the Ontario Hockey League.
If he continues on his current path, the 18-year-old defenseman may want to hire a realtor to find him a posh Hollywood pad because he won't be leaving Southern California anytime soon -- except for Kings' road trips.
• Battle For California: Dean Lombardi is Stupid/Dean Lombardi is a Genius
Michal Handzus, hockey god? The oft-mocked and ridiculed center has been making all the assholes (read: me)
that made fun of him last season look like idiots. It's only 4 games
but Handzus looks like an honest to God bad ass out there. He had a
great chip-in goal while driving to the net (something I dont' think happened last season)
and made a beautiful dangle and shot to win the game last night in
overtime. The Frolov-Handzus-Simmonds line actually managed to win the
battle with Eric Staal's line and Frolov didn't even create a goal.
I've made my fun of Handzus in the past (he looks like Matt Stone from South Park... dammit, did it again!) but if he can play like this all season then the Kings are looking in good shape.
• The Royal Half: The Zeus is Loose
I realize that Patrick O'Sullivan will soon rejoin the top line (and he
did for most of the 3rd period) but I love watching him and Oscar
Moller skate together. They both skate so fast and have such great
hands. Moller seems to get better with each game, there is no way they
are sending him back to Juniors after 10 games.
• Crushed Purple Velvet: Kings 4, Hurricanes 3 (OT)
Now, LaBarbera. I was a pretty tough critic of him during preseason
but I was being honest but he could look like crap. He played ok
against San Jose and played well against Anaheim, although he was
hardly tested, but tonight he was ON. He did allow three goals tonight
but all of them came from shots that were deflected by at least two
players before they made it past him. The only way he could have saved
them was if he had stolen Hasek's lucky horseshoe that's been stuck up
his ass the past 15 years.
• Lord Stanley's Blog: Kings 4, Canes 3 (OT)
"When you're up 3-1, there's no reason you should lose the game," Hurricane Ryan Bayda
said. "For whatever reason we came out a little flat in the third and
they were jumping."
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