Game 32: Kings 5, Sharks 4 (overtime)

The December to Dismember is still going strong, with the Kings currently unbeaten in regulation so far in this, the last month of 2009.

What a difference a year makes. Since I became a father for the second time last year, it amazes me just how fast my son has grown in just the last 6 months. He went from a crawling, babbling booger and poop machine to a toddling, babbling,  poop and booger machine. Note I had to switch that last part around. I swear, that kid craps like a man.

I was at work Wednesday night once again, listening to Nick and Daryl on the radio while stealing peeks from the TV way across the newsroom. Once again, the radio feed was ahead of the action, so I gave away the result before it was shown on TV.

And I was fully into it, cheering when the Kings scored and muttering obscenities when San Jose would pot a goal. The overtime came, and as I was working, I could hear commercials from KTLK, so I figured there was a break in the action. I looked up to see Kings players piling on Brown, and I cursed out loud. People figured the Sharks won, and started laughing at me. I said "No, the Kings scored, and I missed it." They still laughed at me. Hmmm, maybe they were laughing "near" me.

Last year at this point, the Kings could only muster 11 wins, and lost four games by a goal as well as three games lost in the shootout. Jump in the DeLorean to the here and now, the Kings now have 19 wins, and have only lost one game by a goal. The shootouts are a wash, as they are split. But my point is, this team has turned that proverbial corner.

Look, I don't want to make too much of Wednesday's against the San Jose Sharks. It's still just one of 82 games. But this victory is very satisifying, regardless if a few of the goals, including Brown's game-winner should have been saved. The Kings have learned how to win as a team, as can hang with ANY team in the NHL, including San Jose.

The goal-scoring droughts all ended for Teddy Purcell, Anze Kopitar and Captain Brown in the same game, and you could see the relief on each of their faces when they scored. Anze's slump, in particular, has been the most frustrating. From the News Hound, Rich Hammond:

"You know, I was worried at first. When the referee pointed to thepenalty box, I thought we got a penalty and my goal was going to be disallowed. I would have been really sorry, but it’s a relief. I thinkit was 14 games for me."

The boys are playing good hockey after stumbling a little when Ryan Smyth exited the lineup. But they are too deep with three scoring lines to be held down very long. It could very well be that Smyth's injury was the thing that brought this team together. They had to take accountability for their actions on the ice, and they are bringing it together. Especially their special teams. Again, from Hammond:

“Some teams’ penalty killing is outstanding, and San Jose is one of those teams. So we’re going to have to have close support for each other, manage the puck very well, make some hard, strong plays on the power play and try to buy some time for some guys to be able to make some plays.”

The Sharks were tops in the league in penalty killing before the game. After two Kings power play goals, they dropped to second. The Kings' power play is starting to come around; they have scored at least one PP goal in four of their last five games. And their penalty-killing has improved after hitting rock bottom a few weeks ago.

And let's not gloss over Erik Ersberg's win. Sure, it wasn't pretty. When you stake a 4-2 lead on a team, you should win that game. And if it had gone into the shootout, I'm not sure he would've done well. But he notched a win against one of the premiere teams in the NHL, so let's hope that wakes him up.

The Kings now face another division rival, Phoenix, at Staples Center tonight. Quick will be in goal, and I'm sure the Kings will be riding this victory for a while.

• AP: Kings beat Sharks in overtime

    This matchup between the top two teams in the Pacific Division gave the Kings a chance to see how they measured up against the defending division champions. Los Angeles answered the challenge, beating the Sharks for the second time this season and moving within three points of San Jose.

• LATimes.com: Dustin Brown finally responds

    Kopitar acknowledged he was relieved and added, "I'm sure for Brownie and Teddy a couple of monkeys jumped" off their backs. Only a couple?  "We let the whole zoo out," Purcell said.

• LAKings.com: Dust-in Time

    The Kings didn’t merely win, didn’t merely beat the top team in the Western Conference in its own building and didn’t merely improve to 5-0-1 in their last six games. They were also able to celebrate slump-ending, exhale-inducing goals from three important players.

• NHL.com:  Brown's goal gives Kings 5-4 OT win over Sharks

    "Obviously it's huge for our team, not only in the standings but emotionally it's a big boost for us knowing we're capable of playing with these guys," Brown said. "To come in here and get points is a huge boost for us."

• Yahoo: Team report

    "That's a part of playing in the NHL that you have to be good at," coach Terry Murray said. "You've got to be able to win one-goal games. That is, historically, a conversation that coaches have with teams. You've got to know how to do it right. You've got to know how to check right and shut things down whenever it's needed.

They said it

    “You try not to think about it, but it’s always there. You watch somehockey on TV, on your off days, and you see soft goals going in and youthink, `I might as well get one of those.’ I’ll take one right off myass. You try not to think about it, but it sure affects your game. Thenet looks smaller, or the goalies look bigger. But now it’s behind me,behind us, I should say, and we’re up and running now.” – Anze Kopitar, on the relief of seeing the puck finally go in.

    "We’re maturing. We’re starting to bring it together as a better team, a better group of guys. Everybody is working hard for each other. The power play, here tonight, showed real good composure. Settle things, move the puck around. They believed in the structure that we’ve been talking about, and you got a result." – Terry Murray, on beating San Jose

    “It was off a broken play. They threw it out of our zone and I just got a jump on it. It was 2 on 1 with a backchecker. They backchecked pretty hard, and I just cut to the middle. I had it on my backhand and I just spun and shot. Obviously it wasn’t the hardest shot, but I think I got him when he was moving. I’m not really sure.” – Dustin Brown, on his spin-o-rama, drought-breaking, game-winning goal

Around the Kingdom

• HockeyBuzz's Matthew Barry: The Snake is Dead - Kings Beat S.J. in O.T. 5-4

    The ever patient Terry Murray remained confident in Teddy Purcell and put him on the power play. With Michal Handzus parked in front of Evgeni Nabokov, Purcell hit the post and it actually went in, giving the Kings a much needed power play goal and a 1-0 lead just 6 minutes into the 1st period.

• The Royal Half's Chris Kontos: Drought resistant

    The Kings are playing with incredible confidence right now... how confident are they? The Kings are so confident, they can blow snot rockets while they celebrate a goal being scored.

• Deep Inside the Kings: Playoffs? Yes, playoffs

    There. I said it. It’s quite obvious that this team… this different, unique, self-made team is nothing like what LA has seen before. And they are exploding before our very eyes. There is no doubt in my mind that they now have every tool necessary to make the playoffs this year. And, there is plenty of room for improvement. This team is built to last. (Ed. note; this a new Kings blog to me. Welcome to the fray!)

• LAKingsNews.com: Kings win heart throbber over Sharks

    Up and down action, bone rattling hits and goals, goals, goals. This one had it all. The Kings showed tangible evidence of what Terry Murray means when he harps on the team to “dig in”.

• Mayor's Manor: Keeping up with the Joneses

    The most beautiful goal I can ever recall from the Captain, DustinBrown. Skating in on the right side, he crossed the ice laterally, spunaround...in what seemed like slow motion - the good kind, where you canenjoy it...then shot the puck. Bamn, it slid under Nabokov and into thenet. KINGS WIN!

• Battle of California's Rudy Kelly: Kings-Sharks recap: Booyah!

    Drew Doughty is awesome.  His assist to get Kopitar off the schneid was a beautiful play.  He patiently held onto the puck until the Sharks overcommitted then slid the puck between two defenders to a wide open Kopitar.  His goal was just straight heat.  I always thought it was kind of bullshit when he talked about how he felt more comfortable because he changed his stick blade, but maybe that actually worked.

From across the aisle, the San Jose viewpoint

• Mercury News: San Jose Sharks' penalty kill falters in overtime loss to Los Angeles Kings

    "Our penalty kill let us down," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "We're talking a lot about our power play, but our penalty kill did some uncharacteristic things tonight, trying to stretch themselves, trying to go on offense. That's not how we've done it."

Message board meltdown

• Fear the Fin: Gameday Open Thread: Kings @ Sharks

    denver_diaspora: how old does it get? this game was a microcosm of the sharks i know and love. incredible plays, bad luck, big hits and hard skating followed by sustained periods of coasting and awful passing and decision making, defense that opts to wave the stick in passing lanes rather than pressure and force mistakes, and in the end, a fail.
    hit4thecycle:  These loses are becoming chores to watch 
         G_M:   we will NEVER win anything with Nabby in the net… the guy is shit when it counts.
              mymclife: It would be awesome if Blake scores. Actually, it would be awesome if any Shark scores.

• HFBoards: GDT n00b edition.

hockeyball: Joe is a generational talent, he's amazing, but he's so damn lazy mostgames. I almost wish we'd trade him for Lecavalier. I know that'sstupid, but just in the back of my mind I think I'm getting tired of his crap.
    winshark: Kings have sucked for so long, its hard to get up a good hate. Best Ican do is apathy. But if you SOB's keep playing like a really good team, I might be convinced to hate you.
         Shape: I hope the little Queen fans enjoy being so close to the division lead. It's not going to last. It's cute to watch them with all their hope and what not though.

Peeping the dailies



<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=foxsports&vid=8cc87c6a-ecfe-46d6-8a00-7f77dae4a529" target="_new" title="Kings sink Sharks in OT">Video: Kings sink Sharks in OT</a>