Rookie Left Wing Dwight King Has Been Quite The Surprise For Los Angeles Kings

March 13, 2012 by 4 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: Left wing prospect Dwight King, who turned heads for all the wrong reasons during a brief stint with the Los Angeles Kings last season, is doing so once again this season, but with dramatically different results.

Los Angeles Kings left wing Dwight King is turning
heads with some surprisingly solid play.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Left wing prospect Dwight King was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings on November 16, 2010, and made his National Hockey League debut the next night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But after a less-than-remarkable six-game stint with the Kings last season, one in which he generally looked lost, and like he did not belong on NHL ice, he found himself back with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, where he would remain for the rest of the season.

After that poor showing with the Kings, which was not entirely unexpected for a prospect who was a fourth round draft pick (109th overall, 2007 NHL Entry Draft) who was never thought to be a highly-skilled sniper or playmaker, King was written off by many as a prospect who would likely never be more than that…a prospect. Read more of this post

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No Looking Back For Los Angeles Kings, Who Have Their Eyes Aimed Directly Ahead

March 13, 2012 by Leave a comment

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Los Angeles Kings center Mike Richards played poorly at Detroit on
March 10, 2012, but bounced back with a strong performance
at Chicago the following night.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Returning home after a salvaging a four-game road trip through Nashville, Columbus, Detroit and Chicago, the Los Angeles Kings have no time to look back with just 13 games remaining on their schedule.

Through games played on March 12, the Kings find themselves in 11th place, two points behind eighth-place Colorado for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Kings are also three points behind seventh-place Phoenix, and five points behind the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars.

If not for a poor effort at Columbus on March 8, and some atrocious defensive zone play late in their game at Detroit the following night, the Kings could easily be in seventh place in the conference. Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings Have Good Reasons To Be Optimistic Heading Into Tough, Crucial Road Trip

March 6, 2012 by 4 Comments

Los Angeles Kings right wing and team captain Dustin Brown issued a challenge to his teammates heading into their crucial
four-game road trip, starting on March 6, 2012, at Nashville.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — As the Los Angeles Kings begin a tough, four-game road trip tonight in Nashville, they find themselves in ninth place in the Western Conference with 72 points, one point behind the eighth-place San Jose Sharks, and three points behind the Dallas Stars for the Pacific Division lead.

The Nashville Predators, currently fifth in the Western Conference with 83 points, are playing extremely well, especially at home, where they have earned a 21-7-5 record this season.

In fact, the Predators have not lost in regulation time in their last twelve home games, earning a 10-0-2 record during that stretch, their last home loss coming on January 5, a 4-1 loss to the Stars.

“[Nashville] is a tough place to play,” said Kings head coach Darryl Sutter. “They haven’t lost since Christ was a child.”

Moving right along…the Kings suffered a 2-1 loss at Nashville on February 27, a game in which they felt that they played well. Read more of this post

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No Time To Waste For Los Angeles Kings To Solve Offensive Zone Problems

March 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

What impact has newly-acquired forward Jeff Carter had
on the Los Angeles Kings’ offensive attack in his
first three games with the team?
Photo: David Sheehan

LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — With 18 games remaining in the Los Angeles Kings’ 2011-12 season, the numbers are certainly not their friend.

Last season, the eighth place Chicago Blackhawks earned the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 97 points, and if you look at that as a benchmark of sorts for this season, it doesn’t take much to figure out that the Kings are in deep, deep trouble in terms of earning an invitation to the National Hockey League’s post-season party.

Although it does not appear that it will take 97 points this season, as the teams ranked from sixth to 13th in the conference have been up and down in recent games, for argument’s sake, if they all continue at their current pace, the Phoenix Coyotes would finish atop the Pacific Division with 96 points, which would rank them third in the Western Conference.

The Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings are likely to battle it out for the conference championship, with the St. Louis Blues right behind them, possibly sneaking into the top spot in the conference. In any case, those three teams would take the first, second and fourth spots in the West. Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings Can’t Afford To Keep Giving Points Away

January 20, 2012 by 4 Comments

Los Angeles Kings Forward Trevor Lewis earned some solid praise from head coach Darryl Sutter after practice on January 20, 2012, at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California.
Photo: David Sheehan

LOS ANGELES AND EL SEGUNDO, CA — 48 games into the 2011-12 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings have a 23-15-10 record, good for 56 points. That puts them in second place in the Pacific Division, one point behind the San Jose Sharks (through games played on January 20), and in seventh place in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche, their next opponent (Saturday, January 21, 7:30 PM PST, Staples Center).

San Jose is third in the conference, and the Chicago Blackhawks, with 64 points, leads the West. As such, the Kings remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and could still come out on top of the Pacific Division, even though the Sharks have four games in hand. Read more of this post

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2011 Holiday Season Has Los Angeles Kings Looking To Darryl Sutter As Their Savior

December 25, 2011 by 2 Comments

Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi (left)
and newly-hired head coach Darryl Sutter (right), shown here
during a December 21, 2011 press conference.
Photo: Gann Matsuda

EL SEGUNDO AND LOS ANGELES, CA — On this Christmas Day 2011, families around the world are celebrating the holiday season, while young children, who have been dreaming for weeks about what Santa Claus might bring them, are, hopefully, waking to find that their dreams have come true.

For the Los Angeles Kings, they are hoping that Santa will bring them the extra goal or two per game that they have sorely missed all season long. They are also hoping that they have found their savior in new head coach Darryl Sutter, the 53-year-old native of Viking, Alberta, who was hired on December 20, replacing Terry Murray, who was fired on December 12, after the Kings slipped and slid their way through the last few weeks. Read more of this post

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