Game 11: Kings 5, Coyotes 3

The Kings look like they have shrugged off the flu and their recent three-game losing streak with another winning streak. Streaky? Perhaps, but as long as the winning streaks are longer than the losing streaks, that's fine with me.

Dustin Brown made Phoenix frown when his last-second shot counted at the end of the game, giving him two goals. That's four goals in 11 games. Think Dustin has his groove back?

How did Anze Kopitar do to follow up his hat trick against the Stars?Assist on three goals against the Phoenix Coyotes. Can you say First Star of the week?

And how about Wayne Simmonds? From refusing to be sent down to the minors last year with his play, Wayne is filling in for the injured Justin Williams on the top line. And if he keeps playing the way he does, he's gonna make it hard on Murray to drop him to the second line. The cream always rises to the top, and if Simmonds keeps putting up numbers, Murray will have to ink his name with Kopitar and Smyth.

Speaking of making a statement, what do you think of Scott Parse? First NHL game, and he he assisted on Jarret Stoll's second goal in the third. Then, as Phoenix was making a move, who was out there but Parse, showed the poise of a veteran.

These two hungry players hopefully will ignite the competitive fire in these players. You would think professional players wouldn't need any motivation. But when you have several players who are stepping up their game in a big, bad way, it makes it a perfect winning environment.

Now, speaking of streaky, the Kings turn around and have a game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Can L.A. shake off the previous night's fatigure and bring it to Staples Center? Can the Jackets, who are coming off a hard win against the Ducks on Saturday, rebound with the same level of intensity? I say L.A. will triumph tonight.

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that last night was the second and last time all 30 teams play on the same day. With the NBA season starting to crank up, I'm sure that is a major factor to the puck franchises who share arenas with roundball clubs. But I kind of like it when all the teams play. It makes it feel like the NFL, where you could flip it around and get your hockey fill.

I contend that Gary Bettman should look into making one of the days of the weekend (say Sunday) as a mandatory day where all 30 teams drop the puck. Will it garner interest? Can you say Hockey Night in America? Why not? Oh yeah, they have a crappy TV deal. Still, that would work.

By the way, I found this great shot from Lets Go Kings: tremendous



• AP: Kings beat Phoenix Coyotes, 5-3

    "I really like the way our team adjusted in several different areas of our game," said Coach Terry Murray.  "It was an attitude to want the puck, to want to make plays and to hold on to the puck. We started doing that more the middle of last season but started getting away from it a little bit."

• Canadian Press: Stoll, Brown each score twice for Kings

    Jarret Stoll scored his first two goals of the season and Dustin Brown also scored twice in the Los Angeles Kings' 5-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night.

• Yahoo: Team report

    Unlike Thursday, when the Kings coughed up a 4-1 third-period lead and needed overtime to beat Dallas, they played a steady third period against Phoenix. The Kings scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the third period, then held on after the Coyotes pulled within one goal with 7:30 to play. The Kings benefited from a costly too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty with 63 seconds remaining.

• LAKings.com: Kings beat Coyotes 5-3

    Some nights, it's scoring. Other nights, it's playmaking. Every night, it seems, Anze Kopitar is making something happen for the Kings. With three assists Saturday night in the Kings' 5-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena, Kopitar became the NHL's leading scorer.

They said it

    "Obviously I love to play with those guys, but I think Willy (Justin Williams) will have something to say about that when he gets back in the lineup. I’m just trying my best to fill Willy’s shoe, and I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it," – Wayne Simmonds, on playing like he doesn't want to come off the first line
    "Yeah, I think our lines are now kind of all over the map, but it’s nice to score for sure, and contribute. It’s been a while since I put one in, so it’s a good feeling, and a great feeling to get the win, especially in this building the way they’re playing and all the momentum that they’ve so far created this season. It’s nice to come in here and get a big two points." – Jarret Stoll, on on his line providing some secondary scoring

Around the Kingdom

• Frozen Royalty: Don’t Look Now…LA Kings Center Anze Kopitar Leads The NHL In Scoring

    Kopitar has melted the ice to start the season, scoring eight goals while contributing eleven assists for nineteen points in the team’s first eleven games.

• The Throne Room: Kings lead the Pacific, Kopitar leads the NHL in points

While it might not be realistic to expect a Pacific Division title, or to expect Kopitar to win the league’s scoring race, there’s a lot to be happy about.

• Battle Of California: Kings Gameday: Anze!

...Ted Purcell is really screwed.  Scott Parse played his first NHL game yesterday and did very well, notching his first point (a great assist on Jarret Stoll's second goal) and more importantly showing good defensive responsibility and nice work along the boards.

• LAKingsNews.com: Confidence, an intangible Wayne Simmonds possesses in spades.

Wayne’s play tells Murray and Lombardi that they made the right choice.  Our second year player has been playing like a first line forward and now, he’s talking like one.

• Caligiuri's Corner: Winning can be costly

    I’ve seen win dollar figures range anywhere from $100 (standard fee for trainers) to $2500 per player, per game. Total amounts have often exceeded $5000 per game and sometimes tally closer to $10,000.
    (Ed. note: for those of you confused on how teams can get away with ga,bling on their own team, check out Justin Bourne's column)

From across the aisle, the Phoenix viewpoint

• The Arizona Republic: Kings end Coyotes' winning streak

The loss in front of 7,968 at Jobing.com Arena ended a four-game winning streak in which the Coyotes had allowed only five goals. (Ed. note: less than 8,000 fans showed up? Yikes.)

• Five For Howlings: Kings Make the Most of Coyotes Mental Lapses, Beat Phoenix 5-3

    Anze Kopitar beat the PK defense and Jim Vandermeer had to cover both him and Brown. Kopitar took it to the outside and made a perfect pass after Bryzgalov committed for an easy goal. Bryz was visibly angry after the second goal of the night went in on a slap shot on a 5 on 3 power play for the Kings.

• Hipchecks: Somebody save me I need a Jesus

    It was a disappointing loss, especially since it was to LA. I had commented after the Wings game to someone that Saturday was going to be a big game. I said that because LA is also hot right now and we always seem to be competing with them for last place.

• HFBoards: Kings @ Coyotes (10/24/09)

    zz: Other than Doan and the Czech line, everyone sucked ass. It was the same exact **** we've been seeing for the past 5 years. Except now I get to hear some ******* with a Kings cap tell me I really shouldn't care so much since the team won't be here next year. EDIT: one more thing. The skill difference between us and the Kings was so frigging obvious during this game. We've got nothing resembling Smyth / Brown / Kopitar. Wel,, we've got Doan, alone among a bunch of pylons.
    Alberta Yote: I'm sorry folks. And I do feel bad for posting this as I'm kind of useless in helping to build any following for this team down there. If you can't put people in the seats when you're trying to save your team and you're playing mostly good hockey you're kind of lost.
    mp: Michalek doesn't have a vicious bone in his body and I don't believe for a moment that he cross-checked Brown into the boards with that much force. If Brown doesn't launch himself into the boards, nobody thinks about that play twice, and the Coyotes don't get screwed into another 5-on-3.
    hoa chi: Brown either has the legs of an atrophied six year old girl, or he completely sold that crosscheck.

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