Game 19: Kings 5, Hurricanes 2

The Kings needed that win. After two lackluster performances against the Predators and the Blackhawks, Los Angeles needed to come into the game and recapture that swagger. And swagger they did.

Randy Jones made his L.A. Kings debut a memorable one, scoring what proved to be the game-winner, and adding an assist as well as blocking four shots. Showing no slowing down from his hip surgery, Jones made quite an impression on me.

I'm not the only one. From Hammond:

    He’s been around the team now for a couple weeks and I think thatreally helps, whenever you’re able to be around your teammates, in thelocker room and on the ice practicing. He’s got a good feel for what wedo as a team, and again, he’s a veteran.

Erik Ersberg finally got the start, after being rocked by the Rangers, and he played well enough to get the win. Do you know how to boost the confidence of a goalie, who's obviously been in the doghouse all season? You limit the number of shots he sees in the first period.

One game after being held to a season-low two shots in the third period against the Blackhawks, the Kings returned the favor by holding the struggling Hurricanes to two shots in the first period. Never mind the fact that they coughed up a 2-goal lead in the third period.

It made sense to roll Ersberg out there for another chance against Carolina. Like I said earlier, they are mired in a huge slump. If Ersberg couldn't get a win against the Hurricanes, all hope would be lost. Don't get me wrong, Carolina's good, but the Kings should've, and did, beat them handily. It took them a little bit to find that instinct to hold their skate blades against Carolina's jugulars in the third.

This should be a game they can build off of for their next game against the Thrashers. The good thing is Atlanta will be playing the second of a back-to-back when they return from New York City. I'm sure they'll roll out a backup against the Kings, and Quick will return between the pipes. The Thrashers may be tired, but the Kings will have to bring the pain for a full 60 minutes.

AP: Kings extend Hurricanes’ winless streak to 13

    “We were aware of (the Hurricanes’ losing streak), but we had our own pressure on ourselves to get off our two-game skid,” Kings captain Dustin Brown(notes) said. “It was about getting back to playing well.”

LAKings.com: Regal in Raleigh

    The Kings certainly didn't want to be remembered as the team on the wrong end when Carolina ended its historic losing streak.

They said it

    "It was a big lift. I don’t know if it was a relief, but a big lift, and then we just built off of that momentum. We kind of sensed, on the bench, after we scored that goal that it took a lot of wind out of their sails.” - Dustin Brown, on the relief felt after the third goal in the third.

Around the Kingdom

• The Throne Room: Welcome aboard, Mr. Jones

    Kings rebound pretty nicely from a DISMAL third period effort in Chicago. I have to admit, I was scratching my head over some of Terry Murray’s lineup changes heading into tonight’s game, but for the moment Coach looks like a genius. R

• LAKingsNews.com: Kings storm through Carolina

    Three game losing streaks are unnacceptable.  I know it.  You know it. The Kings know it.

• Kings Kool-Aid: Scoring benchmarks after Game 19

    Before the season started, I offered up the hypothesis that, if the Kings were to make the playoffs, they needed to increase their scoring to 246 goals and decrease their goals against to 230.

• Bleacher Report: The Slovenian Sport: Anze Kopitar of the LA Kings Is Freakishly Good

    That's right, the NHL scoring leader is actually older then the country he comes from. How's that for a Zen koan that'll keep you meditating on the meaning of life?

From across the aisle, the Carolina view
• NewsObserver.com: Canes' skid hits 13

    Williams was traded in March by the Hurricanes, a team he helped to the 2006 Stanley Cup. He had said he would have added motivation in his return to the RBC Center, and he was one of four Kings to produce a multi-point night.

• CanesNow: Kings 5, Canes 2

    The Carolina Hurricanes simply cannot win a game, even after rallying from a two-goal deficit to tie the score and seemingly wrestle away the game's momentum.

• CanesCountry: Another game, another loss

    The Canes came out flat and generated just two shots on goal during the opening period, their lowest total for a period all season long.  Matt Cullen was called for boarding at 3:34 and the Kings scored just seven seconds later on the powerplay.  It was the earliest goal the team had allowed all season.

• HFBoards: GDT "You Tried Your Hardest, And You Failed. The Lesson Is: Never Try" - Kings @ Canes

    dmonk: Kings were just way over our head in all aspects of the game - speed, size, skill, talent and last but not least in effort and determination.
    cptjeff: Kopitar is not a significant upgrade over Staal. Never really has been. His proportion of goals to assists is nearly identical to Staal's, and he scores less overall.
(Ed. note: My favorite exchange was between dmonk and himself)
    dmonk (After Ruutu scored to tie it) : Silly Kings, we suck, but we are still an NHL squad... you can't let it go and pocket 2 points by playing first 25 minutes only
    dmonk (After Jones' power play goal): Yep... and Kings woke up and figured they can't really lose to losers.

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