News Clips 3-25-15 - Los Angeles Kings

News Clips
3-25-15
FROM LAKINGSINSIDER.COM
MARCH 24, 2015 9:19 PM
MARCH 24 POSTGAME NOTES
-With the win, Los Angeles improved to 46-64-19
all-time against New York, a record that includes an
away mark of 20-36-7. The Kings improved to 5-42 in their last 11 trips to Madison Square Garden
(with one tie).
-Los Angeles improved to 15-12-4 against the
Eastern Conference and 6-6-3 against the
Metropolitan Division.
-The Kings failed to score a power play goal for
only the third time in their last 10 games. The
power play is 8-for-28 over that span.
-Los Angeles has killed off 48 of the last 51
penalties dating back to David Jones’ second period
goal in the 5-3 win over Calgary on February 12.
-The Kings improved to 3-4-1 on the second game
of back-to-back sets, 10-6-5 when tied after the first
period, 25-3-4 when leading after two periods, 1118-6 when the opponent scores first and 13-5 in
two-goal games.
-New York’s streak of limiting opponents to two
goals or fewer ended at 10 games.
-With his third period goal, Jake Muzzin (8-28=36)
scored his eighth goal of the season to establish a
new career-high. His previous career high was
seven goals, set in 2012-13.
-Dating back to February 7, Jonathan Quick is 15-42 with a 1.75 GAA, .933 Sv% and three shutouts
(1242:22 min / 538 shots against / 502 saves).
-Anze Kopitar has 14 points (3-11=14) in his last 11
games. By playing his 674th career game, he moved
past Mike Murphy into sole possession of eighth
place on the club’s all-time games played list.
-With his second period goal, Marian Gaborik now
has 12 points (9-3=12) in 12 career games against
New York.
-Drew Doughty logged a season-low 21:07 of ice
time. His previous low was 22:39, set in a 6-1 win
over Edmonton on October 14. Other than the game
in which he was injured at San Jose on April 3,
2014, it was his lowest ice time since he logged
20:05 in a 2-0 win at Chicago on December 28,
2011.
-Andrej Sekera logged a game-high 26:31 of ice
time, which was 5:36 more than his previous Kings
high of 20:55, set in the 3-1 win at New Jersey on
Monday night. It was his fourth highest ice time
total of the season, with the three previous
accumulations coming with Carolina.
-Los Angeles attempted 62 shots (35 on goal, 15
blocked, 12 missed). New York attempted 56 shots
(36 on goal, 11 blocked, 9 missed). The Kings
registered 26 shots on goal in the first 25 minutes of
the game. Tyler Toffoli finished with a game-high
nine shot attempts (3 on goal, 5 blocked, 1 missed),
while Justin Williams finished with a game-high six
shots on goal.
-Los Angeles won 34-of-64 faceoffs (53%). Among
regular performers, Mike Richards won 9-of-14,
Anze Kopitar won 11-of-21, Nick Shore won 7-of11 and Jeff Carter won 7-of-16.
MARCH 24, 2015 8:13 PM
ZONE ENTRIES AT NEW YORK: MARCH 24
Player
# of
successful
entries
Shots
generated
from
player’s
entries
Shots per
entry
# of
controlled
entries
Shots
generated
from
player’s
controlled
Shots per
controlled
entry
% of entries Failed
with control entries
Greene
Martinez
Muzzin
Sekera
Doughty
Kopitar
Gaborik
Cliffrod
Williams
Lewis
Brown
Richards
Shore
Regehr
Nolan
Toffoli
King
Carter
Team
Opp
10/11ARI
10/12WPG
10/16 STL
10/23 BUF
10/26 CBJ
10/30 PIT
10/31 DET
11/2 CAR
11/6 NYI
11/8 VAN
11/12 ANA
11/13 DAL
11/15 ANA
11/20 CAR
11/22 DAL
11/25 NSH
11/26 MIN
11/29 CHI
12/4 ARI
12/6 PHI
2
1
1
2
3
6
4
1
4
5
4
3
4
1
3
11
3
4
62
69
68
59
48
81
72
61
65
72
59
78
58
76
78
65
78
78
59
71
70
67
1
0
1
0
0
3
4
0
4
1
1
3
3
0
3
7
5
2
38
36
34
31
30
50
31
25
27
28
26
39
32
31
28
36
36
36
25
31
34
28
0.5
0
1
0
0
0.5
1
0
1
0.2
0.25
1
0.75
0
1
0.64
1.67
0.5
0.61
0.52
0.5
0.53
0.63
0.62
0.43
0.41
0.42
0.39
0.44
0.5
0.55
0.41
0.36
0.55
0.46
0.46
0.42
0.44
0.49
0.42
0
0
0
1
1
3
4
0
3
3
3
0
0
0
2
6
1
3
30
22
34
33
26
45
34
21
24
29
23
48
27
29
40
20
29
29
24
26
36
25
entries
0
0
0
0
0
3
4
0
4
1
1
0
0
0
3
7
2
2
27
18
24
22
15
39
21
12
17
15
16
32
22
21
23
18
18
18
17
18
23
19
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1.33
0.33
0.33
0
0
0
1.5
1.17
2
0.67
0.9
0.82
0.71
0.67
0.58
0.87
0.62
0.57
0.71
0.52
0.7
0.67
0.81
0.72
0.58
0.9
0.62
0.62
0.71
0.69
0.64
0.76
0%
0%
0%
50%
33%
50%
100%
0%
75%
60%
75%
0%
0%
0%
67%
55%
33%
75%
48%
32%
50%
56%
54%
56%
47%
34%
37%
40%
39%
62%
47%
38%
51%
31%
37%
37%
41%
37%
51%
37%
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
5
9
14
7
7
7
5
6
4
5
4
4
6
4
2
2
2
0
5
3
3
12/9 BUF
12/11 OTT
12/12 MTL
12/14 TOR
12/16 STL
12/18 STL
12/20 ARI
12/22 CGY
12/27 SJS
12/29 CGY
12/30EDM
1/1 VAN
1/3 NSH
1/8 NYR
1/10 WPG
1/12 TOR
1/17 ANA
1/19 CGY
1/28 CHI
1/31 BOS
2/3 WAS
2/5 FLA
2/7 TBL
2/9 CBJ
2/12 CGY
2/14 WSH
2/16 TBL
2/24 DET
2/26 OTT
2/27 ANA
3/1 WPG
3/3 EDM
3/5 MTL
3/7 PIT
3/10 COL
3/12 VAN
3/14 NSH
3/16 ARI
3/18 ANA
3/21 VAN
3/23 NJD
87
75
64
73
59
65
68
81
78
81
75
79
64
73
61
66
60
57
65
86
79
80
58
76
75
68
65
58
66
70
71
61
63
66
63
66
73
78
60
54
70
35
32
34
35
22
32
31
34
26
30
38
45
28
31
27
30
29
29
28
37
30
24
30
37
44
33
30
24
38
25
27
29
34
23
26
26
31
36
28
21
34
0.4
0.43
0.53
0.48
0.37
0.49
0.46
0.42
0.33
0.37
0.51
0.57
0.44
0.42
0.44
0.45
0.48
0.51
0.43
0.43
0.38
0.3
0.52
0.49
0.59
0.49
0.46
0.41
0.58
0.36
0.38
0.48
0.54
0.35
0.41
0.39
0.42
0.46
0.47
0.39
0.49
39
26
36
31
27
28
31
43
34
46
29
37
26
32
24
31
24
26
29
43
22
29
30
35
47
32
39
31
35
29
27
27
29
29
25
22
33
31
24
25
32
27
12
22
21
19
24
21
24
19
23
21
29
16
20
14
21
20
15
18
28
14
15
21
26
39
23
27
16
31
16
12
20
25
15
16
8
27
24
18
11
17
0.69
0.46
0.61
0.68
0.7
0.86
0.68
0.56
0.56
0.5
0.72
0.78
0.62
0.63
0.58
0.68
0.83
0.58
0.62
0.65
0.64
0.52
0.7
0.74
0.83
0.72
0.69
0.52
0.89
0.55
0.44
0.74
0.86
0.52
0.64
0.36
0.82
0.77
0.75
0.44
0.53
45%
35%
56%
42%
46%
43%
46%
53%
44%
57%
39%
47%
41%
44%
39%
47%
40%
46%
45%
50%
28%
36%
52%
46%
63%
47%
60%
53%
53%
41%
38%
44%
46%
44%
40%
33%
45%
40%
40%
46%
46%
3
5
5
7
6
1
4
1
3
7
5
8
8
6
2
2
3
1
7
5
7
11
6
4
2
3
3
3
4
8
5
7
5
6
3
4
1
1
3
2
4
This is an LA Kings Insider project where we track offensive zone entries by the Kings during 5-on-5 play. The
shots generated total includes all shots on goal, shot attempts that miss the net and shots that are blocked. The
overall goal of this is to have a statistical way of examining whose play is helping to generate the Kings’
offensive attack. Failed attempts include being turned away by the defense, turnovers and when the play goes
offsides. Controlled entries are when the puck is carried or passed successfully over the blue line. Successful
entries include all controlled entries and times the puck is dumped in. Keep in mind there are a lot of
spreadsheets, official and unofficial scoring information and algorithms trying to make this work in concert with
the subjective nature in the evaluation of play.
MARCH 24, 2015 8:00 PM
MARCH 24 POSTGAME QUOTES:
GABORIK, KOPITAR, GREENE
Marian Gaborik, on Anze Kopitar’s
performance:
He’s a dominant player out there. His position game
is great and he’s making plays. He’s good in all
three zones. He had a couple points tonight – a great
pass to me there and a great pass to Muzz. Yeah,
he’s playing very well.
Gaborik, on earning wins in both games of a
back-to-back:
To start off this road trip with four points is huge
for us. We just have to take it from here to Long
Island.
Gaborik, on whether the team has greater
confidence in important games:
I think there is a lot of experience in this room here.
We’ve been in this situation before and we know
what’s at stake. We’re playing good as a team and
every individual is playing their game. We did that
again tonight.
Gaborik, on whether they controlled the pace of
the game after the first five minutes:
Yeah we did. They had a good start, they scored
that first goal. We just started forechecking more
and playing in their zone and that was the key.
Gaborik, on whether there is extra meaning in a
win against the Rangers:
Yeah, I mean they’re leading the league in points
and to play in this building is very special. I was
fortunate to play here [for] almost four years. It’s
fun to beat them, that’s for sure.
Gaborik, on what they did to take away the
Rangers speed:
Just attacking their D. Forechecking with two
wingers there and just put pressure on them and we
really had the good third guy coming back over the
top to get those pucks in the middle. We’re creating
a lot of turnovers in their zone, which was a key,
and we sustained pressure. Just putting pucks on net
and driving to the net and that’s how we score
goals.
Anze Kopitar, on whether they controlled the
pace of the game after the first five minutes:
Yeah, obviously didn’t want the start that we got
with giving up a goal in the first minute, but we
came back strong. Dictated the pace right after that,
it was definitely a huge team effort.
Kopitar, on whether this was a prototypical
game for them:
Yeah, I think so. I think last night in the first period
and the third period was a good indication of that. I
think tonight we played pretty strong until maybe
the last few minutes when they really started taking
some chances and got that goal late. But I think
that’s how we have to play in order to win games.
Kopitar, on what the team needs to do to make
the playoffs:
Get as many wins as we can. It’s going to be tight,
everything is pointing towards that. We just have to
worry about what we can control, whether it’s
playing good or like this on a nightly basis and
trying to get the two points.
Kopitar, on whether a desperate mindset is
contributing to their style of play:
I think I’ve said it plenty of times, we definitely
don’t want to be in this kind of position. But it does
seem like we play good hockey when our backs are
against the wall. Again, didn’t want to be in the
position we’re in, but we dug ourselves a hole so
we’ve got to climb out of it.
Kopitar, on whether the success he had in the
game started in last night’s game:
I think so. I think we finished strong in the third last
night and just carried it over. Again, the start, the
first minute, definitely not what we wanted but I
think after that it was definitely a good effort.
Matt Greene, on whether the team executed how
they wanted to on the back-to-back:
Well yeah, we needed wins. So we played two
games, we got two wins right now. But we’ve got to
keep climbing. We’re still chasing a playoff spot
here and we’ve got to win as many games as we
can.
Greene, on whether the team can draw on past
experiences in big games:
We’ve got a real similar group to what we’ve had
the last few years, so we’ve just got to base it on
that. You’re back’s up against the wall, you’ve got
to get some points.
Greene, on whether it was a prototypical game
for them:
I thought our forwards did a good job of cycling
down low and getting a possession game. That’s our
game. That’s what we’ve got to do to be successful
and the forwards did a great job of doing that
tonight. You can’t get deterred. You know that there
are going to be games where you’re going to trail
and you’re going to have to come from behind and
that was a good job tonight out of those guys.
Greene, on how close the game was to their peak
performance:
I don’t know what the peak performance is in here.
You’re just trying to get wins anyway you can right
now. That’s it. I thought tonight was a good night.
A good response back after a back-to-back.
Greene, on whether he was happy with the
team’s performance:
It was good. We scored some goals, we had some
good cycling, we got some good O-zone time. That
was good game.
Greene, on whether the team was trying to
replicate their effort from the first period:
Yeah, you always want to get chances. That’s what
we’re trying to do right now, we’re trying to pick up
our goal scoring, get those opportunities and put
them in the net. The guys did a good job of burying
tonight.
MARCH 24, 2015 7:39 PM
MARCH 24 POSTGAME QUOTES: DARRYL
SUTTER
On whether the Kings have received a boost by
two wins to start the road trip:
We’re just trying to win games. We don’t get too
high and too low based on anything other than our
performance, and sometimes you win, sometimes
you lose.
On what the Kings did to forecheck well and
limit the Rangers’ speed:
I don’t know, you’d have to ask them. I mean we
just played our game and carried over from where
we were last night.
On how good the Kings’ cycle was:
It was really, really good in the first period. I think
at points during the game it controlled the game,
just the zone time. We’re good at that. That’s what
our team does. We spend time with the puck, and
we spend time in the offensive zone. You don’t
always get rewarded for it, and tonight we did.
On responding well after New York’s early goal:
We were playing well. I mean, one goes does not
change how you should play. I think good hockey
clubs, it doesn’t bother you.
On whether Anze Kopitar has been dominant in
recent games:
Kopi’s our best player, you know, and after the AllStar Game, I think that our team has played really
well since then, and so has Kopi. How many good
teams don’t have a top centerman who’s not a
dominant player? [Reporter: Not many. Got to have
‘em.] I’m telling you, you have to have it. Hey,
they’ve got a boy over there who’s having a pretty
good year, too. His numbers are just about the very
same as Kopi’s. Those guys don’t get enough credit,
those guys who played in the Stanley Cup Final last
year, and when they don’t play, they have two or
three bad games, and there are guys who can’t wait
to jump on ‘em, but they forget how important they
are.
MARCH 24, 2015 3:55 PM
GAME 73: LOS ANGELES AT NEW YORK
Los Angeles Kings 4, New York Rangers 2
Final
SOG: LAK – 35; NYR – 36
PP: LAK – 0/2; NYR – 0/1
First Period
1) NYR – Mats Zuccarello (13) (J.T. Miller), 0:51
2) LAK – Robyn Regehr (2) (Kyle Clifford), 7:40
Second Period
3) LAK – Marian Gaborik (23) (Anze Kopitar,
Justin Williams), 4:35
Third Period
4) LAK – Jeff Carter (26) (Dwight King), 1:05
5) LAK – Jake Muzzin (8) (Anze Kopitar, Trevor
Lewis), 5:28
6) NYR – Kevin Hayes (14) (Dan Boyle), 16:16
Los Angeles Kings (35-22-13) at New York
Rangers (46-18-7)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 4:00 p.m. PT
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Referees: #8 Dave Jackson, #5 Chris Rooney
Linesmen: #92 Mark Shewchyk, #56 Mark Wheler
NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, KABC 790 AM
LAK starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Jake Muzzin, D
Drew Doughty, LW Marian Gaborik, C Anze
Kopitar, RW Justin Williams
LAK scratches: D Brayden McNabb, D Jamie
McBain, F Andy Andreoff, F Jarret Stoll
NYR starters: G Cam Talbot, D Ryan McDonagh,
D Dan Girardi, LW Chris Kreider, C Derek Stepan,
RW Rick Nash
NYR scratches: D Kevin Klein, F Martin St. Louis
MARCH 24, 2015 2:35 PM
GAME 73 PREVIEW: LOS ANGELES AT
NEW YORK
Los Angeles Kings (35-22-13) at New York
Rangers (46-18-7)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 4:00 p.m. PT
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Referees: #8 Dave Jackson, #5 Chris Rooney
Linesmen: #92 Mark Shewchyk, #56 Mark Wheler
NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, KABC 790 AM
Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender –
Jonathan Quick
2014-15: 63 GP (62 GS) / 31-19-12 record / 2.27
GAA / .916 Sv% / 6 SHO
Career vs New York: 4 (4) / 2-2-0 / 2.48 / .901 / 0
Last Game vs New York: 1/8/15 / 59 MP / 22-26
shots / 3-4 L
2014-15, Away: 28 (28) / 11-11-6 / 2.58 / .907 / 1
New York Projected Starting Goaltender – Cam
Talbot
2014-15: 32 GP (30 GS) / 19-7-4 record / 2.13
GAA / .929 Sv% / 5 SHO
Career vs Los Angeles: 1 (1) / 1-0-0 / 3.00 / .903 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 1/8/15 / 60 MP / 28-31
shots / 4-3 W
2014-15, Home: 15 (13) / 9-1-3 / 1.64 / .943 / 3
2014-15 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (15-42=57)
Goals: Jeff Carter (25-28=53)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (15-42=57)
Plus/Minus: Tyler Toffoli (+20; 21-21=42)
Penalty Minutes: Kyle Clifford (83; 6-7=13)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (29:17; 5-36=41)
Corsi-For Percentage: Anze Kopitar (58.5%; 1542=57)
2014-15 New York Leaders
Total Points: Rick Nash (39-24=63)
Goals: Rick Nash (39-24=63)
Assists: Derick Brassard (15-39=54)
Plus/Minus: Rick Nash (+24; 39-24=63), Kevin
Klein (+24; 9-17=26)
Penalty Minutes: Chris Kreider (86; 18-19=37)
Time On Ice: Ryan McDonagh (23:08; 7-18=25)
Corsi-For Percentage: Dan Boyle (54.3%; 8-8=16)
Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – 18 / 2.64; NYR – 3 / 3.00
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 6 / 2.41; NYR – t-2 /
2.22
Power Play: LAK – 11 / 19.1%; NYR – 21 / 17.5%
Penalty Kill: LAK – 13 / 81.6%; NYR – 8 / 83.5%
Shots/Game: LAK – 13 / 30.7; NYR – 4 / 31.5
Shots Against/Game: LAK – 1 / 27.0; NYR – 15 /
29.5
Faceoffs: LAK – 12 / 51.4%; NYR – 29 / 46.7%
Save Percentage: LAK – 14 / .911; NYR – 3/ .925
Corsi-For Percentage: LAK – 1 / 54.8%; NYR –
19 / 49.9%
Los Angeles Projected Lines
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Dwight King – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Trevor Lewis – Nick Shore – Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Jordan Nolan
Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr – Andrej Sekera
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene
last 10 trips to Madison Square Garden (with one
tie). … Los Angeles is 14-12-4 against the Eastern
Conference and 5-6-3 against the Metropolitan
Division. … The Kings have registered a power
play goal in seven of their last nine games. The
power play is 8-for-26 over that span. … Los
Angeles has killed off 47 of the last 50 penalties
dating back to David Jones’ second period goal in
the 5-3 win over Calgary on February 12. … The
Kings are 2-4-1 on the second game of back-to-back
sets. … Dating back to February 7, Jonathan Quick
is 14-4-2 with a 1.73 GAA, .932 Sv% and three
shutouts (1182:32 min / 502 shots against / 468
saves). … Anze Kopitar has 12 points (3-9=12) in
his last 10 games. By playing his 674th career game
tonight, he’ll move past Mike Murphy into sole
possession of eighth place on the club’s all time list
of games played. … With 198 career assists, Drew
Doughty is two assists shy of 200 in his career. …
Marian Gaborik has 11 points (8-3=11) in 11 career
games against New York. In 255 games over four
seasons with the Rangers between 2009-13, he
registered 229 points (114-115=229). He is the last
Ranger to record at least 40 goals in a season (41 in
2011-12). Rick Nash currently has 39 goals.
New York Projected Lineup
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Level of confidence in projected lines: B. The top
two lines should be accurate, though it’s possible
that there will be adjustments made within the Nick
Shore and Mike Richards lines. Last night, the
Kings started with a Clifford-Richards-Lewis and
Brown-Shore-Nolan alignment before evolving to
the lines shown above. Last night’s scratches and
Tanner Pearson skated this morning with Martin
Jones. Because Jones remained on the ice for a
lengthy skate, it is expected that Jonathan Quick
will start both games of a back-to-back set for the
first time since December 29 and 30, when he
stopped 32 of 36 total shots between a 2-1
regulation loss in Calgary and a 3-2 shootout loss in
Edmonton.
Notes and milestones: Los Angeles is 45-64-19 alltime against New York, a record that includes an
away mark of 19-36-7. The Kings are 4-4-2 in their
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Carl Hagelin – Kevin Hayes – Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – James Sheppard
Dan Girardi – Ryan McDonagh
Marc Staal – Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle – Matt Hunwick
Cam Talbot
Mackenzie Skapski
Notes and milestones: Lines via NHL.com Senior
Writer Dan Rosen … New York is expected to be
without Henrik Lundqvist (neck / IR), Martin St.
Louis (lower-body) and Kevin Klein (upper-body).
… The Rangers are 19-3-3 in their last 25 games.
… Six Hall of Famers played for both New York
and Los Angeles, including Wayne Gretzky, Terry
Sawchuk, Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille, Harry
Howell and Jari Kurri. Roger Neilson, in the Hall of
Fame as a Builder, coached both teams. … The
Rangers are 27-for-30 on the penalty kill over the
last 11 games. … With 99 points, New York is one
point away from reaching the 100-point plateau for
the eighth time in franchise history. … The Rangers
are the only team to rank in the top five in goals per
game and goals against per game in the NHL. …
New York has allowed two goals or fewer in 10
consecutive games. … Rick Nash has 17 points (710=17) in his last 16 games against Los Angeles.
Nash leads the league with 30 even strength goals.
… Keith Yandle has 13 points (3-10=13) in his last
12 games against Los Angeles.
MARCH 24, 2015 12:38 PM
CURRENT STANDING DRIVES EMOTION
MORE THAN CUP REMATCH
Yesterday, Alec Martinez returned to the lineup
after having missed 19 games. Today, he’ll be the
target of scorn from Rangers fans with any
semblance of a memory.
“Honestly, I haven’t even thought about that. But if
they [jeer me], so be it. That’s just part of the
game,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not
thinking about anything like that. This is a new
year, we have a new task at hand and that’s in the
past.”
It certainly is. Martinez’s Stanley Cup clinching
goal came nine months and 11 days ago, meaning
that the implications for tonight’s Kings (35-23-14)
game against the New York Rangers (46-18-7)
align towards postseason aspirations rather than any
lingering emotion from last June’s playoff series.
“I don’t think 70-something games later has
anything to do with last year,” Darryl Sutter said.
“They’re trying to win a President’s Trophy and
we’re trying to make the playoffs.”
So, while there will be a national television
audience and heightened emotions consistent with
late March action, it’s only because both teams have
clear and tangible results to play for.
“Well, we’re going to play with a lot of emotion.
I’m sure they will, too,” Drew Doughty said. “I’m
sure what happened last year is still not sitting well
with them, but we need wins and we’re going to
play with all the desire in the world and do
everything we can to get two points. “
While the boos may be slightly more vociferous, it
will be no different from when the Kings take the
ice in Uniondale, St. Paul, and in Chicago.
“I’d definitely say not just tonight, but every game
here on out is going to be revved up emotionally,”
Martinez said.
The Kings scored two quick first period goals but
dropped a 4-3 game to New York on January 8 as
part of a 7-11-7 stretch between early December
and early February. The season has been bookended
by strings of quality results, but if Los Angeles is to
gain ground in the playoff race, they’re going to
need wins on this late season trek. Fellow playoff
hopefuls Minnesota (at the Islanders) and Winnipeg
(at Vancouver) will also be playing on the second
night of a back-to-back.
“We got our rest. Every team plays back-to-backs,”
Justin Williams said. “When the Rangers came, I
think they played back-to-back. It obviously was
important getting a win in New Jersey, it seems like
every game from here on in is going to be the most
important game of the year, and tonight is that.”
Dustin Brown, on Andrej Sekera scoring his first
goal as a King last night:
I think when you come to a new team, you probably
want to get that out of the way as soon as you can
just to get it out of the way. Always getting one goal
helps, regardless of if you’re a new guy or a guy
who hasn’t scored in a while. It’s always good to
see a guy like him who contributes in a lot of other
different facets of the game get rewarded.
Brown, on returning to Madison Square Garden:
Obviously being here last year in the finals, you
always remember the buildings and probably the
biggest thing is they’re right at the top of the East,
so it’s a big challenge. At the end of the day, we
need points.
MARCH 24, 2015 10:44 AM
MARCH 24 MORNING SKATE QUOTES:
DARRYL SUTTER
On whether competing against multiple teams in
the playoff race is a good thing:
Well, with the new system that we have now, you
sort of have so many different options with the
division, the two, three teams getting in, and then
with the wildcards, with how that works. So there
are a lot of teams that play in a lot of different
situations.
On whether he has any type of message to a
“veteran team”:
Stick together is what we do. I wouldn’t say we’re a
‘veteran team,’ I’d say we’re an experienced team.
We’re not an older team or anything like that. You
know what? When you’re used to playing in big
games and used to winning, you take that. There are
losses, and there’s a little bit of misconception that
you’re going to go 82-0 or you’re going to go 5032, but at the end of the day, everybody’s goal is
just to get in, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
On whether Mike Richards could be a “big
factor” down the stretch:
I think his experience of winning championships
can help us for sure. I like having him in our lineup.
On whether playing the Rangers brings back
memories from last spring:
No, I think that being an Original Six team, the
biggest thing for me is coming back to MSG, as
always. Even sitting up here this morning, when
you sit in the stands, it’s still like a brand new
building to me, but it’s still got the nostalgia or the
history there. For me, on this trip, it’s the last time
we’ll see the old Coliseum, and getting to come to
MSG is awesome and getting to go to Chicago is
awesome. [Reporter: Do you like the renovations
here?] Beautiful. I mean, you sit in the stands here
and you look in the building, it looks like a brand
new building. It looks pretty awesome.
On tonight’s game being “not another game”:
Yeah, it is another game. It’s game 72 or three or
whatever the hell it is. Yeah, it is. They’re always
just another game. I mean, it’s not anything other
than that. [Reporter: I mean, the importance. The
fact that you played them last year, and that
emphasis.] I don’t think 70-something games later
has anything to do with last year. They’re trying to
win a President’s Trophy and we’re trying to make
the playoffs. I don’t think either team will put
anything more than that into it.
On whether it was good to see Andrej Sekera
score last night:
Yeah. I think he’s not a guy who scores a lot, but
he’s a guy can get the puck up the ice and play
against good players. I mean, I hope you’re not
hoping that he’s going to be a 15-to-20 goal scorer.
[Reporter: No, but you talked about the adjustment,
changing conferences, changing expectations. That
transition, has it been about what you’d expect? Has
it been faster? I mean, he’s been playing well.] I
couldn’t tell you. He’s supposed to play well.
On the importance of Anze Kopitar playing the
way he did last night:
I think Kopi’s played really well the last three or
four games. Just his energy level and his handling
the puck and making plays and being involved,
getting in the middle of the ice and wanting the
puck, all those things a top centermen do. [Reporter:
He might get a bit more sleep being on the road,
although I heard the baby’s cooperating.] Yeah.
He’s played really well since the little one was born,
so it hasn’t been any sort of a distraction for him.
MARCH 24, 2015 9:15 AM
THE VIEW FROM NEW JERSEY
NEWARK STAR-LEDGER
Rich Chere: Badly outshot, Devils fall to Los
Angeles Kings, 3-1 | Rapid reaction
“The Devils, who were outshot, 33-20, have lost
two in a row.”
Rich Chere: Cory Schneider: ‘Unless we want to get
embarrassed, we better keep it together’
“With no hope for a playoff spot and just seven
points away from elimination, can they hold it
together over the last nine games without seeing
things completely fall apart?”
BERGEN COUNTY RECORD
Tom Gulitti: Devils fall to the Kings, 3-1, at The
Rock
“Although it’s been evident for a while that they
probably aren’t going to make the playoffs for the
third consecutive season, the Devils haven’t let that
impact their play on most nights.”
Tom Gulitti: Devils notes: Kids are all right
“With the Devils out of realistic reach of a playoff
spot, they gave two of their prospects a chance to
show what they can do Monday, putting rookie left
wings Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher in the
lineup.”
NHL.COM
Dan Rosen: Kopitar, Kings start road trip with win
against Devils
“Los Angeles has 10 games remaining and is trying
to avoid becoming the first team to miss the
playoffs the season after winning the Stanley Cup
since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006-07.”
SB Nation – IN LOU WE TRUST
John Fischer: New Jersey Devils Outclassed by the
Los Angeles Kings, 1-3
“They played the sort of hockey I want the Devils to
play as they undergo the inevitable rebuild. They
were dominant against the Devils tonight. The
Devils deserved to lose 1-3.”
MARCH 24, 2015 7:46 AM
WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 24
The Los Angeles Kings allow the fewest shots per
game and are the top possession team in the league,
so when things are going well over a 60-minute
span, you’ll see results like last night’s game, a 3-1
defeat of the New Jersey Devils that could have
been secured by a wider margin if not for a typically
strong performance in net by noted nemesis Cory
Schneider. While the Devils have been a good
second half team, they’re not the Rangers, Islanders,
Wild or Blackhawks, so at the outset of this
challenging five-game trip, a win on the Prudential
Center ice was absolutely imperative given the
club’s standing. They helped secure that win with
one of their most impressive first periods of the
season, scoring once at even strength and once on a
five-on-three power play, drawing two penalties and
suffocating the Devils in their own zone during long
stretches of extended possession. Andrej Sekera got
on the scoreboard for the first time as a King with
his first period hammer, and Marian Gaborik had a
patient, pinpoint assist on Toffoli’s goal as part of a
strong 200-foot performance, but what stood out
most in last night’s game was the continued upward
trend in Anze Kopitar’s game. Furthering his
strong-on-the-puck tendencies exhibited over the
last two weeks, Kopitar’s one-goal, three-point,
plus-two performance over 20:24 of ice time was
among his finest performances of the season and
will need to be replicated over the coming games as
Los Angeles will look to rely heavily on its top
players during this stretch against heightened
competition. The goal he scored off the rebound of
a hard, low Jake Muzzin point shot showed
impressive force on a bouncing puck that could
have easily handcuffed him.
I was following the play more often than I was
following the individual efforts of Mike Richards
and Alec Martinez, but both were fine in the win.
Richards wasn’t used as widely, as his 11:41 of ice
time was fully logged at even strength, though he
was quick to the puck and checked well. From
upstairs, Martinez appeared to have not missed a
beat after a head injury caused him to miss the last
19 games. He checked well, joined the rush and
combined with Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik and
Drew Doughty on a four-on-four first period
sequence that resembled a power play and most
likely was the best four-on-four shift of the season.
It’s a difficult decision to remove Brayden McNabb
from the lineup given the progression shown by the
young defenseman this season – not to mention 23
points in 65 games from the blue line – but I
completely understand Darryl Sutter’s reliance on
experience during such a critical juncture. With 59
playoff games played and two Stanley Cups,
Martinez clearly has that.
MARCH 24, 2015 6:02 AM
GOOD MORNING, NEW YORK
Nope. No views, no skyline, no Munters, nothing
but the opposite wing of the hotel. This view is
more similar to last year’s Stanley Cup Final hotel
view than the glimpse of the city we received when
traveling through Manhattan on an unseasonably
warm pair of days in November, 2013.
There’s a Stanley Cup rematch tonight, and the
Kings have scheduled a morning skate for the
second game of the back-to-back set. So instead of
waxing poetic about the team’s travels and
embedding a video clip about khlav kalash, I’m
going to get to work on this morning’s recap. Enjoy
your (early) Tuesday morning, Insiders.
FROM LAKINGS.COM
Kings back at it; critical match up against Rangers at MSG
The Kings continue their crucial road trip tonight in New York
By Alex Kinkopf - LAKings.com
KINGS (35-23-14) at RANGERS (46-18-7)
4:00PM PT, TV: FOX SPORTS WEST; RADIO: AM 790 KABC
ON BROADWAY: Tonight marks the second and final meeting with the Rangers this season; the Kings fell to
New York 4-3 on January 8 at STAPLES Center. The Rangers have won seven of their last eight games; their
finishing a two-game home stand tonight, they’re coming off of a 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday
night. The Kings are playing the second of their five-game road trip; they’re coming off of a 3-1 win over the
New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
RED-HOT RANGERS: The Kings face a tougher task tonight in facing the Rangers, who are 17-3-3 in their
previous 23 games. New York is 8-1-1 in their 10 games played during the month of March so far. The Rangers
are the fifth-best team on home ice this season, sporting a 23-8-5 record at Madison Square Garden. New York
only has one regulation loss in their previous 12 home games, going 9-1-2 in that span. Can the Kings pick up a
critical win tonight at MSG?
LINEUP NOTES: The Kings held an optional morning skate today at Madison Square Garden. Martin Jones
took the ice for an extended period of time along with Brayden McNabb, Jamie McBain, Andy Andreoff, and
Tanner Pearson. This hints that Jonathan Quick will get the start tonight, with McNabb, McBain, and Andreoff
as the healthy scratches.
GABORIK – KOPITAR – BROWN
KING – CARTER – TOFFOLI
CLIFFORD – RICHARDS – WILLIAMS
LEWIS – SHORE – NOLAN
(ANDREOFF)
--------------------MUZZIN – DOUGHTY
REGEHR – SEKERA
MARTINEZ – GREENE
(MCBAIN – MCNABB)
RICHARDS, MARTINEZ: Mike Richards played his first game Monday night after missing 24 games when
he was assigned to the AHL. In 11:41 minutes of ice time, Richards logged 15 shifts, registering one shot. Alec
Martinez also returned to the lineup on Monday, playing for the first time after missing 19 games due to
concussion-like symptoms. Martinez logged 16:23 minutes of ice time, registering three shots and five hits. Can
the presence of Richards and Martinez help spark the Kings tonight?
GOALIE CAM: The Kings will see Cam Talbot in net tonight as Henrik Lundqvist continues to recover from
an injury that has kept him out of the Rangers’ lineup since early February. Talbot was in net for the Rangers on
January 8; he made 28 saves on 31 shots in the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Kings. Talbot comes into the night
with a 19-7-4 record, posting a .929 SV% and a 2.13 GAA.
PLAYOFF PICTURE: With 84 points in the standings coming into the night, the Kings find themselves
outside of the Western Conference’s playoff picture. The Kings are two points behind the Calgary Flames for
third-place in the Pacific Division, and four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second and final wild-card
spot. The Kings, though, have one game in-hand on each Calgary and Winnipeg. Can the Kings maintain pace
in the standings with a win tonight?
THE LAST TIME AROUND: In the Kings’ previous regular season visit to Madison Square Garden on
November 17 of last season, they beat the Rangers 1-0. Tyler Toffoli scored the game’s lone goal in the opening
minutes of the second period; Ben Scrivens was perfect, stopping all 37 shots he faced to earn a shutout victory.
WE’RE DOING IT LIVE: Catch the KINGS LIVE pregame show at 3:30PM PT on FOX SPORTS WEST,
followed with Bob and Jim on the live play-by-play call from Madison Square Garden for puck drop just after
4:00.
Kings rebound from early deficit, beat Rangers 4-2
The Kings pick up their second win in as many nights Tuesday in New York
By Alex Kinkopf - LAKings.com
The Kings picked up their second win in as many nights, beating the New York Rangers handily in their 4-2
win Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
For the Kings, the two points earned Tuesday keeps them at pace in the Western Conference’s tight playoff
race, but they still find themselves outside of the postseason picture. The victory was impressive in itself; the
Rangers came into the night having won seven of their previous eight, and 17 of their previous 23.
The evening didn’t start off so hot for the Kings; New York’s Mats Zuccarello took advantage of a turnover and
beat Jonathan Quick just 51 seconds into the game to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.
Zuccarello’s early tally didn’t hurt the Kings attack, as they fired away for 16 first period shots following New
York’s opening marker.
Robyn Regehr got the Kings on the board midway through the first, tying the game 1-1, when a wrist shot he
fired from the point caromed off of a Rangers defenseman and past Cam Talbot.
Marian Gaborik gave the Kings their first lead of the night when he slammed home an Anze Kopitar feed into
an open net just under five minutes into the second period. Just Williams initiated the play from behind the
Rangers’ net, finding Kopitar out front, who then fed a wide-open Gaborik to produce the goal.
Entering the third period with a 2-1 lead, the Kings were quick to find insurance to extend their lead. Dwight
King denied a New York clearing attempt along the left half-boards, carried the puck down low, then found Jeff
Carter, who was streaking to New York’s net with a perfect pass. Carter tapped King’s feed past Talbot to give
the Kings a 3-1 lead just over a minute into the third.
Just over four minutes later, and with 14 minutes remaining in regulation time, Jake Muzzin struck to give the
Kings a 4-1 lead. Anze Kopitar, after driving the puck into New York’s zone and circling around Cam Talbot’s
net, found Jake Muzzin open atop the point. Upon receiving Kopitar’s pass, Muzzin walked in and fired a wristshot high past Talbot’s glove side.
New York’s Kevin Hayes got the Rangers back to within two with under four minutes to play, but that’s as
close as they would get. The Kings secured a 4-2 victory; their second win in as many nights.
The Kings now have 86 points in the standings, but are still outside of the Western Conference’s playoff
picture. They’re tied with Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division, but the Flames own the
tiebreaker. The Kings are two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second and final wild-card berth.
Anze Kopitar (2A) led all Kings players in points scored (2), Justin Williams in shots taken (6), Dustin Brown
in hits delivered (5), Alec Martinez in shots blocked (4), and Andrej Sekera in minutes played (26:31). Jonathan
Quick made 24 saves in the win.
With the win, the Kings’ record improves to 36-23-14; their mark on the road away from STAPLES Center
jumps to 14-14-7. The Kings are now 2-0-0 on their current five-game road trip. The Kings will pay their final
visit to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night, when they take on the New York Islanders –
the puck is slated to drop just after 4:00PM PT.
FROM LATIMES.COM
Kings not nostalgic, but they beat Rangers, 4-2
By LISA DILLMAN
The magical Stanley Cup memory lane tour … the soft music, the super-slo-mo shots, the rosy glow of Madison
Square Garden.
Turns out Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is as adept at stopping the sentiment as making an athletic save. There
were not any fuzzy memories of last season’s Stanley Cup Final against the New York Rangers for him when
he took the ice Tuesday night.
“That’s old,” he said, matter-of-factly.
Of course, it’s not advisable to bask in past glories, not when the defending Cup champion Kings are dealing
with an uncomfortable present, currently out of a playoff spot, tied with Calgary, with the Flames holding the
tiebreaker. Still there are increasingly encouraging signs, the latest being Tuesday’s 4-2 victory against the
Rangers at the Garden.
“It’s going to be tight. Everything is pointing toward that,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. “We just have to
worry about what we can control.”
Kopitar did just that, continuing his dynamic play with two more assists, giving him five points in the last two
days. Linemate Marian Gaborik scored his 23rd goal of the season, center Jeff Carter scored his 25th and the
Kings got offensive production from their defense.
“Kopi’s our best player,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. “How many good teams have a top centerman that’s
not a dominant player? I’m telling you: You have to have it.”
Said Gaborik, who put the Kings ahead for good at 4:35 of the second period, making it 2-1: “He’s a dominant
player out there. His possession game is great and he’s making plays. He’s good in all three zones. Again, a
great pass to me there and a great pass to Muzz.”
Defenseman Robyn Regehr recorded his second goal of the season and defenseman Jake Muzzin his eighth, a
career high. It is the first time the Kings have had two goals in a game from the defense since Muzzin and Drew
Doughty scored against Edmonton on Dec. 30.
Then there was Quick, who played in games on consecutive nights for the first time since late December. He
did not win either of those games, at Calgary or at Edmonton, but he produced back-to-back wins this time. His
workload was considerably heavier than Monday night in New Jersey as he faced 36 shots. The Rangers scored
on their first shift of the game as Mats Zuccarello beat Quick only 51 seconds into it.
“I thought we came really well in the first five [minutes] to be honest,” Quick said. “They got a lucky bounce
on that first one, that first shift there. That’s the way it goes. We just stuck with it and played our game.”
This was his 64th game of the season and Quick said the location of the two games made the back-to-back
situation that much easier.
“It’s not bad here because it’s easy travel,” Quick said. “The East is easy for the most part, a lot of cities are a
bus or a train ride. Back-to-back out West is a little tougher because you’re flying a couple hours and you’re
changing time zones, stuff like that.
“So it’s a little bit easier out here.”
After the Kings gave up the goal in the first minute, they scored four unanswered goals. It was the first time in
11 games that the Rangers had yielded more than two goals. The Rangers’ Cam Talbot had been in goal for all
but one of those games during that stretch.
“We knew that we were going to come out against a desperate team tonight,” Talbot said. “They’re fighting for
their playoff lives over there. We jumped on them quick there, but I think after that they kind of turned the table
on us.”
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick likely to start against New York Rangers
By LISA DILLMAN
Barring some late development, it appears as though Kings goalie Jonathan Quick will start against the New
York Rangers on Tuesday night, making it the second time this season he has played back-to-back nights.
Now this didn’t come from via a pronouncement from Kings Coach Darryl Sutter. That would be out of
character for Sutter to start disclosing information about his goalies. It had to do with backup goalie Martin
Jones getting in some work with the extra players -- defensemen Brayden McNabb and Jamie McBain and
center Andy Andreoff on Tuesday morning at Madison Square Garden.
Quick last played on consecutive nights in late December on a Kings’ trip to Alberta. They lost, 2-1, to the
Flames on Dec. 29 and suffered a shootout loss to the Oilers on Dec. 30.
It makes sense when you add the fact that the Kings are in the tightest of playoff races and that Quick didn’t
face much work on Monday against the Devils, at least until the third period. He faced 20 shots, in all, and just
eight through the first 40 minutes.
The phrase for Quick should be: 73 or bust.
Already, he has played in 63 games and will hit 73 appearances if he plays in every game the rest of the way.
His career high is 72 games played, in the 2009-10 season.
Sutter spoke about Kings center Anze Kopitar, who had a three-point night against the Devils, the tight playoff
race and the recent recall of center Mike Richards from the minors, saying, "his experience at winning
chamionshps can help us for sure."
Kopitar had a goal and two assists on Monday night.
“Kopi’s played really well the last three or four games,’ Sutter said. “Just his energy level and handling the
puck and making plays, getting in the middle of the ice and wanting the puck. All those things the top
centermen do.”
Kopitar’s daughter was born on March 14.
“He’s played really well since the little one was born,” Sutter said.
FROM NHL.COM
Quick, Kings rebound from early goal to top
Rangers
Wednesday, 03.25.2015 / 1:12 AM
Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer
NEW YORK -- For the second straight night, the
Los Angeles Kings did what they need to do to stay
in the race for a Stanley Cup Playoff berth in the
Western Conference. They still need some help.
The Kings defeated the New York Rangers 4-2 at
Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to improve to
2-0-0 on what is a crucial five-game road trip that
continues Thursday against the New York Islanders
at Nassau Coliseum.
"I've said it plenty of times, we definitely don't want
to be in this kind of position, but it does seem like
we do play good hockey when our backs are against
the wall," Kopitar said. "We dug ourselves a hole,
so we've gotta climb out of it."
They've worked toward that by playing vintage
Kings hockey the past two nights.
Los Angeles controlled possession and won 3-1
against the New Jersey Devils on Monday. They
again dominated possession Tuesday, or at least
they did after Mats Zuccarello's goal 51 seconds
into the game and until New York started taking
chances down three goals in the third period.
Center Anze Kopitar had two assists, giving him
five points in the first two games on this trip, 14 in
the past 11, and the Kings got goals from Robyn
Regehr, Marian Gaborik, Jeff Carter and Jake
Muzzin. Los Angeles (36-23-14) has seven goals in
its past two games after scoring five in its previous
four.
The Rangers had the final 14 shots on goal to finish
with a 36-35 edge in that department, but the Kings
had a 35-22 advantage when Muzzin gave them a 41 lead at 5:28 of the third period.
"We needed wins, so we played two games and
we've got two wins right now, but we've gotta keep
grinding," Kings defenseman Matt Greene said.
"We're still chasing a playoff spot here and we gotta
win as many games as we can."
"At points during the game, we controlled the game,
just the zone time," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.
"We're good at that. That's what our team does. We
spend time with the puck and we spend time in the
offensive zone. You don't always get rewarded for
that, but tonight we did."
Los Angeles remains on the outside of the playoff
picture because of the regulation/overtime wins
(ROW) tiebreaker. The Kings and Calgary Flames
each have 86 points through 73 games in their battle
for third place in the Pacific Division, but the
Flames have the advantage with two more ROW
(36-34).
Calgary plays Wednesday against the Dallas Stars.
The Kings are two points behind the Winnipeg Jets
for the second wild card into the playoffs from the
Western Conference. The Jets lost 5-2 to the
Vancouver Canucks, who lead Los Angeles and
Calgary by four points for second in the Pacific
Division.
Los Angeles never really let New York play with
the speed that has made it so dangerous this season.
The Rangers (46-19-7) lost in regulation for the
second time in the past 11 games and the fourth
time in 24 games without goalie Henrik Lundqvist,
who is planning to return to the lineup either at the
Boston Bruins on Saturday or at home against the
Washington Capitals on Sunday.
New York fell behind the Montreal Canadiens in
the race for the Presidents' Trophy and the top seed
in the Eastern Conference. Montreal became the
first team in the NHL to 100 points when it earned
one point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville
Predators.
The Rangers have 99 points and two games in hand
on the Canadiens. The Tampa Bay Lightning in the
East and the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks in
the West also have 99 points, but each has played
more games than the Rangers.
"It's very hard to explain," New York coach Alain
Vigneault said of the Rangers' performance
Tuesday. "We were second on the puck and we
were second on 1-on-1s. Our execution wasn't what
it needed to be against such a strong opponent, and
we paid the price for it.
"I know that coming into this game everybody
knew what we were up against and that it was going
to take a real strong effort and our 'A' game. We
didn't have that tonight. I can't explain why."
Carter and Muzzin lifted the Kings to a 4-1 lead in
the third period before Rangers forward Kevin
Hayes made it a two-goal game. Carter scored his
26th at 1:05, and Muzzin his eighth at 5:28. Hayes
scored at 16:16.
Kopitar had the assist on Muzzin's goal; it was his
second assist of the night.
"He's our best player," Sutter said. "After the AllStar Game, I think our team has played really well
since then, and so has [Kopitar]. How many good
teams don't have a top centerman that's not a
dominant player?"
Gaborik's goal at 4:35 of the second and Carter's
goal, which wound up being the game winner, each
was a result of a defensive-zone turnover by the
Rangers created by the Kings' aggressive forecheck.
On Carter's goal, New York defenseman Dan Boyle
had his pass knocked down by Kings forward Tyler
Toffoli. The puck came to forward Dwight King on
the left side, and he quickly found Carter in the slot
for a tap-in goal.
Gaborik gave the Kings a 2-1 lead after Rangers
goalie Cam Talbot's pass behind the goal line was
intercepted by forward Justin Williams. He moved
it up to Kopitar, who quickly moved the puck across
to Gaborik for a one-timer from below the right
circle that Talbot had no chance on.
"That's how we have to play in order to win games,"
Kopitar said. "We just have to worry about what we
can control, and it is playing like this on a nightly
basis."
At times it looked like the Kings were playing keepaway from the Rangers. They were plus-21 in total
shot attempts through 40 minutes (56-35) and had a
31-21 advantage in shots on goal despite losing 25
of 40 faceoffs through two periods, including 15 of
21 in the second period.
The Kings had a 32-18 advantage in total shot
attempts in the first period, including a 17-12 edge
in shots on goal. The game was tied 1-1 after 20
minutes on goals by Zuccarello and Regehr.
"To start out this road trip with four points is huge
for us," Gaborik said.
Tuesday's NHL Capsules
Wednesday, 03.25.2015 / 1:25 AM / News
The Canadian Press
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Marian Gaborik snapped a
second-period tie, and Jonathan Quick shook off an
opening-minute goal to lift the Los Angeles Kings
to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on
Tuesday night in a rematch of last year's Stanley
Cup Final.
The Kings, fighting for a chance to defend their
title, have won the first two games of a five-game
trip on successive nights. Robyn Regehr scored a
rare goal in the first period, and Jeff Carter and Jake
Muzzin extended the lead in the third. Anze Kopitar
had two assists.
Quick made 34 saves.
Los Angeles, which beat the Rangers in five games
for the 2014 title, is tied in points with third-place
Calgary in the Pacific Division, but the Flames hold
the tiebreaker.
Mats Zuccarello scored 51 seconds in, and Kevin
Hayes made it 4-2 with 3:44 left, but that was the
only offence for the Rangers two days after a 7-2
victory over Anaheim. New York entered with an
NHL-leading 99 points.
points back of Minnesota and two ahead of Los
Angeles, which has a game in hand.
Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots and allowed more
than two goals for the first time in 10 appearances.
WILD 2, ISLANDERS 1, SO
PREDATORS 3, CANADIENS 2, OT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Filip Forsberg scored
a power-play goal at 1:54 of overtime, and
Nashville rallied to beat Montreal in a game
between two of the NHL's top teams.
Pekka Rinne made 27 saves in his 39th win. He
pulled within a victory of the Canadiens' Carey
Price in this showdown between the league's
winningest goalies this season.
Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis scored for the
Predators, who stayed a point behind first-place St.
Louis in the Central Division.
Brendan Gallagher and David Desharnais scored in
the second period for Montreal, which had won
three in a row. With the point, the Canadiens
became the first NHL team to reach 100 this season
as they try to hold off second-place Tampa Bay in
the Atlantic Division.
CANUCKS 5, JETS 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Radim
Vrbata had two goals and an assist, leading
Vancouver to its third straight win.
Henrik Sedin had an empty-net goal and two assists
for the Canucks. Chris Higgins and Yannick Weber
also scored, and Eddie Lack had 26 saves.
Vancouver (43-26-4), which also got two assists
from Daniel Sedin, is second in the Pacific
Division, four points up on Calgary.
Winnipeg had won five in a row. Jiri Tlusty and
Blake Wheeler scored for the Jets, and Michael
Hutchinson stopped 25 shots.
The Jets (38-24-12) are in control of the second
wild card in the Western Conference. They are three
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Zach Parise scored
the tying goal midway through the third period, then
added another in the shootout to help Minnesota
beat New York for its 10th straight road win.
Parise's shootout attempt hit the post to the right of
Jaroslav Halak and trickled in after it bounced off
the goalie's leg.
Devan Dubnyk made 37 saves for the Wild.
John Tavares broke a scoreless tie late in the second
when he jammed his team-best 34th goal of the
season past Dubnyk at 19:36.
Tavares, Okposo and Frans Nielsen all failed to
convert in the shootout for the Islanders.
Parise tied the game at 11:45 of the third with his
29th goal.
BLUES 3, PENGUINS 2, OT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alexander Steen redirected
Zbynek Michalek's shot from the point into the net
35 seconds into overtime, lifting St. Louis to a win
over Pittsburgh.
The Blues snapped a three-game losing streak. They
rallied from a two-goal deficit on scores from
former Penguins Robert Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc.
Steen got his 24th of the season on a pretty
deflection of a slick feed from Michalek, who spent
two seasons in Pittsburgh earlier in his career.
Jake Allen stopped 22 shots for St. Louis as the
Blues remained atop the Central Division at the end
of a six-game road trip, their longest of the season.
Blake Comeau and Steve Downie scored for
Pittsburgh. Marc-Andre Fleury made 33 saves.
BLUE JACKETS 5, DUCKS 3
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Scott Hartnell had his
eighth career three-goal game and Columbus
rebounded from a two-goal deficit to beat Anaheim
for its fourth win in a row.
Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, and Nick
Foligno also scored for the Blue Jackets. Sergei
Bobrovsky made 36 saves — stopping the final 18
shots after the Ducks took a 3-2 lead.
Ryan Kesler, Andrew Cogliano and Matt Beleskey
scored for the Ducks, who have lost the first two
games of a five-game road swing. John Gibson had
20 saves.
It was the first hat trick by a Blue Jackets player
since Cam Atkinson had three goals at Colorado on
April 5, 2012.
LIGHTNING 4, PANTHERS 3
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Callahan and Nikita
Kucherov scored in the third period to send Tampa
Bay past Florida.
Kucherov tied it at 3 with a wraparound for his 27th
goal at 1:30. Callahan skated from behind the net
and snapped a shot past Panthers goalie Roberto
Luongo from the left circle with 2:28 left.
Brenden Morrow and Tyler Johnson also scored for
the Lightning, who have won four in a row and
eight of 10.
Jussi Jokinen, Brandon Pirri and Jonathan
Huberdeau scored for Florida. Luongo made 21
saves.
COYOTES 5, RED WINGS 4, OT
DETROIT (AP) — Mark Arcobello scored his
second goal of the game in overtime, and Mike
Smith made 33 saves to lead Arizona over Detroit.
The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the
Coyotes, who have the worst record in the Western
Conference. David Moss also had two goals for
Arizona — his second and third of the season.
John Moore had the other goal for the Coyotes.
The Red Wings have lost seven of 10 and are
clinging to third place in the Atlantic Division, five
points ahead of surging Ottawa.
Luke Glendening, Justin Abdelkader, Jakub Kindl
and Gustav Nyquist scored for the Red Wings, who
played without injured centre Pavel Datsyuk and
defenceman Niklas Kronwall. Right wing Erik Cole
exited after the first period with a lower-body
injury.
Clock Malfunction: LAK @ NYR
Tuesday, 03.24.2015 / 9:25 PM
2014-2015 Situation Room blog
At 6:24 (13:36 clock time) of the third period in the
Los Angeles Kings/New York Rangers game, the
game clock at Madison Square Garden
malfunctioned. The Official Scorer, in consultation
with the Video Goal Judge, confirmed using their
stopwatches that the next whistle occurred at 7:34
(12:26 clock time). The game clock was reset to
show 12:26 and play resumed unaffected.
LAK @ NYR - 3:41 of the Third Period
Tuesday, 03.24.2015 / 9:12 PM
2014-2015 Situation Room blogPrintE-mail
At 3:41 of the third period in the Los Angeles
Kings/New York Rangers game, video review
supported the referee's call on the ice that the puck
did not cross the New York goal line. No goal Los
Angeles.
At the Rink: Kings at Rangers
Tuesday, 03.24.2015 / 1:14 PM
By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer / 20142015 At the Rink blog
NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Kings played the
way they wanted to Monday in defeating the New
Jersey Devils 3-1, but the two points earned merely
allowed them to keep pace in the Stanley Cup
Playoff race in the Western Conference because the
Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets also won.
The Kings are still on the outside looking in at the
playoff picture. They are two points behind the
Flames for third place in the Pacific Division and
four points behind the Jets for the second wild card
into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
They're trying to stay upbeat even though time is
ticking and they have only 10 games remaining.
They have a game in hand on the Flames and Jets.
"We have to just focus on ourselves; there's not
much we can do about what other teams do," Kings
defenseman Drew Doughty said. "Obviously you
kind of look at the standings this morning and see if
anything happened, but besides that it's just about us
winning games. If we can win every single game for
the rest of this season I think we'll probably make it
in. That's all we've gotta focus on doing."
The games are only getting tougher, particularly
before their current five-game road trip finishes.
The Kings play the red-hot New York Rangers at
Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET,
NBCSN). The Rangers are 17-3-3 in their past 23
games, all without goalie Henrik Lundqvist. They
are first in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.
The Kings also play at the New York Islanders on
Thursday, at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and at
the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
"We have to focus on what we do and go from
there," Kings forward Marian Gaborik said. "We
knew it was going to be tight and we'd have to go
all the way to the end, leave our hearts out every
game."
The good news for the Kings is the blueprint for
what they need to do to be effective is fresh in their
minds. They dominated the first period against New
Jersey by winning puck battles on the boards,
forechecking hard and forcing penalties, two of
which resulted in a 5-on-3 goal.
They had a 2-0 lead and a 16-3 advantage in shots
on goal on the Devils after 20 minutes.
The Rangers, though, present a different challenge
altogether. They're faster than the Devils and they
are playing with as much confidence as any team in
the League is right now.
The Rangers also beat the Kings 4-3 in Los Angeles
on Jan. 8.
"Obviously this team is faster," Gaborik said. "They
have good goaltending and they're playing with a
lot of confidence. We did some video and … we
have to try to eliminate their speed, obviously put
the puck deep and go on the forecheck. We know
they have fast forwards and we know how they're
playing."
The last time the Rangers played the Kings at the
Garden was Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The
Kings won that series in five games. Rangers center
Derick Brassard said he still has bad thoughts when
he thinks of the Kings, so clearly the bitterness of
losing hasn't gone away.
"I think this game will always have a history to it,
whenever the Rangers play the Kings, for a long
time," Rangers forward Rick Nash said.
Nash is stuck on 39 goals because he has gone six
consecutive games without scoring. Prior to this
slump, Nash's longest scoring drought this season
was three games (five times).
"Chances are there, just can't put the puck in right
now," Nash said. "It's not going off my body and in
the net like it was early on. It's coming. You just
have to keep consistent with your game."
Here are the projected lineups:
KINGS
Marian Gaborik - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams
Dwight King - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford - Mike Richards - Trevor Lewis
"If we can play 60 minutes like that I think we'll
win most games," Doughty said.
Jordan Nolan - Nick Shore - Dustin Brown
Jake Muzzin - Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr - Andrej Sekera
Alec Martinez - Matt Greene
Status report: The Kings morning skate was
limited to the players who were scratched Monday.
McNabb is expected to miss his second consecutive
game after playing in 19 straight. He was replaced
in the lineup by Martinez, who returned Monday
after missing 18 games with a concussion.
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Scratched: Andy Andreoff, Jamie McBain,
Brayden McNabb
Injured: Tanner Pearson (leg), Jarret Stoll (upper
body)
RANGERS
Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Rick Nash
J.T. Miller - Derick Brassard - Mats Zuccarello
Carl Hagelin - Kevin Hayes - Jesper Fast
Tanner Glass - Dominic Moore - James Sheppard
Dan Girardi - Ryan McDonagh
Marc Staal - Dan Boyle
Keith Yandle - Matt Hunwick
Cam Talbot
Mackenzie Skapski
Who's hot: Kopitar had three points on a goal and
two assists against New Jersey; he has 12 points in
the past 10 games. … Yandle had three assists and
Stepan had two goals and an assist in New York's 72 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. …
Miller and Fast have scored in back-to-back games.
Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist resumes practicing 7
weeks after puck hits neck; may play on
weekend
Tuesday, 03.24.2015 / 12:25 PM / News
The Canadian Press
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Henrik Lundqvist practiced
with his Rangers teammates Tuesday for the first
time since he was forced from the lineup by a neck
injury in February, and could be back in goal by this
weekend.
Lundqvist took the ice several hours before the
Rangers hosted the Stanley Cup champion Los
Angeles Kings in a rematch of last year's finals. He
faced all kinds of shots from teammates, who were
happy to have their No. 1 goalie back.
Cam Talbot was to start Tuesday night, and New
York coach Alain Vigneault says it would be "a
stretch" for Lundqvist to be in the lineup Thursday
at Ottawa.
Scratched: none
Injured: Henrik Lundqvist (neck), Kevin Klein
(upper body), Martin St. Louis (lower body)
Lundqvist says he felt good after being on the ice
for about an hour and aims to play this weekend
when the Rangers have back-to-back games.
FROM ESPN.COM
Jonathan Quick, Kings prevail in Cup rematch against Rangers
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings are still on the outside of the Western Conference
playoff race.
The way the veteran goalie sees it, that's just a temporary situation.
Quick shook off a goal in the first minute and allowed just one more the rest of the way in the Kings' 4-2 victory
over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
When asked whether his club -- the defending Stanley Cup champion -- is a playoff team, Quick provided an
emphatic "Yes."
"I believe we are," said Quick, who made 34 saves.
The Kings, fighting for a chance to defend their title, have won the first two games of a five-game trip on
successive nights. Marian Gaborik snapped a second-period tie, and Los Angeles cooled off the Rangers in a
rematch of last year's Stanley Cup finals.
Robyn Regehr scored a rare goal in the first period, and Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin extended the lead in the
third. Anze Kopitar had two assists, giving him a goal and six assists in four games.
"It was a good performance by everyone," Gaborik said of the Kings, 7-2-2 in their past 11. "After that fourth
goal, we slowed down a little bit. Other than that, we were better than (Monday) night. We just have to ramp
things up."
The Kings won 3-1 at New Jersey on Monday, and still have stops at Long Island, Minnesota and Chicago
before heading home. They had scored only eight goals in their previous five games.
Los Angeles, which beat the Rangers in five games for the 2014 title, is tied in points with third-place Calgary
in the Pacific Division, but the Flames hold the tiebreaker.
"We need points. That's the bottom line," Gaborik said.
Mats Zuccarello scored 51 seconds in, and Kevin Hayes made it 4-2 with 3:44 left, but that was the only offense
for the Rangers two days after an impressive 7-2 victory over Anaheim. New York entered with an NHLleading 99 points.
Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots and allowed more than two goals for the first time in 10 appearances. The Rangers
had held opponents to fewer than three for 10 straight games for the first time since 1971, according to the Elias
Sports Bureau.
"We knew that we were going to come out against a desperate team," Talbot said. "They're fighting for their
playoff lives. We jumped on them quick, but after that they kind of turned the table on us."
New York leads the rival Islanders by six points in the Metropolitan Division.
Talbot's time as the Rangers' starting goalie is running short, with Henrik Lundqvist practicing Tuesday and
eyeing a weekend return to the lineup. New York is 17-4-3 since a neck injury sidelined Lundqvist in February.
Gaborik gave the Kings a 2-1 lead 4:35 into the second with his 23rd goal. It came at the end of a fine passing
play in which Justin Williams dug the puck out of the left corner and sent it to Kopitar at the left of the net.
Kopitar quickly slid the puck to the right to Gaborik, who had an easy redirection inside the right post.
Gaborik, who played parts of four seasons with the Rangers from 2009 to '13, is the last one to score at least 40
goals for the Broadway Blueshirts when he netted 41 during the 2011-12 season. New York's Rick Nash is on
the verge of the milestone, but he hasn't scored in seven games.
The Kings outshot the Rangers 14-9 in the second and held a 31-21 edge through 40 minutes.
"They had some momentum and scored that first goal. Afterward we took over," Gaborik said. "We were all
over them."
Carter's 26th goal at 1:05 of the third made it 3-1, and Muzzin pushed the lead to three at 5:28.
For the second straight game, the Rangers scored quickly. They connected on their first shot when Zuccarello
beat Quick from the slot for his 13th goal.
In Sunday's win, Chris Kreider put the Rangers in front at 1:24. Just like in that one, this lead was short-lived as
Regehr tied it with his second of the season.
The Kings put plenty of pressure on Talbot, firing 17 shots at him -- the same amount he faced in the first
period against Anaheim two days earlier. He made a brilliant left pad save on Trevor Lewis, who ended up
alone in front after a Rangers turnover in the defensive zone.
"Our execution wasn't what it needed to be against such a strong opponent," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault
said. "We paid the price for it."
Game notes
Regehr had gone 41 games without a goal, dating to Nov. 18 against Florida. ... Quick played in his 399th NHL
game. ... The Rangers, who won in Los Angeles in January, are 2-2 in their past four games. ... New York fell to
35-6-3 when scoring first.
Kings playing from position of familiarity
By Arash Markazi | ESPNLosAngeles.com
NEW YORK -- This is a familiar position for the Los Angeles Kings, but don't confuse it with a comfortable
position.
Like a habitually procrastinating honor student constantly pulling all-nighters to get an A, the Kings know they
can win it all again despite currently being out of the playoffs if the season ended today. But it won’t be easy. It
never is with this team.
"We definitely don't want to be in this kind of position," Kings center Anze Kopitar said. "But it does seem like
we do play good hockey when our backs are up against the wall. Again, we didn't want to be in this position,
but we dug ourselves a hole and now we have to climb out of it."
Of course, the Kings aren't just looking to make the playoffs, they're looking to win a third Stanley Cup in four
years, something that hasn't been done in 25 years.
"I look around our room and I see nothing but confidence," Kings forward Justin Williams said. "I see guys that
are willing to go the extra mile and have been there when push comes to shove.
"We're here to defend our title."
And really, who are we to doubt them?
This is the same group that said it had the San Jose Sharks right where it wanted them after falling behind 3-0 in
a first-round series last season. The Kings went on to become the fifth team in North American professional
sports to win a series after losing the first three games.
This is the same group that last season became the first team to advance to the Stanley Cup finals by winning
three straight Game 7s, all on the road.
It's the same group that just barely qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed three years ago and steamrolled
through the top three seeds -- winning the first three games in each series -- to became the first North American
professional sports team to win a title as an eight seed.
The Kings have been through it all over the past three years. So it's no surprise that after beating the New York
Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to move to 2-0 on their crucial five-game trip, they were
unmoved by being out of the playoffs at this point -- with nine games left in the regular season.
The Kings are tied with the Calgary Flames at 86 points for third in the Pacific and eighth in the conference, but
the Flames have 36 non-shootout wins to 34 for the Kings. Both teams play each other April 9 in Calgary in the
penultimate game of the regular season.
While the Kings are confident they will find a way to make it into the playoffs, they're also disappointed to be
in this position of having to battle. Despite being the only team to win the Stanley Cup, twice no less, after
finishing lower than the fifth seed, they could have been a top-four seed this season had they finished off close
games. When they look back at their schedule, it is littered with points squandered in games they felt they
dominated.
"There are a lot of things you can look at," Williams said. "Our overtime record, our shootout record, we've lost
a few games where we've had the lead going into the third period. There are obviously a lot of things you can
look at, but the main thing is we're here because we put ourselves in this position. We got our backs against the
wall, and it's time to step up and give ourselves a chance to repeat."
The Kings have won only 12 of their 35 one-goal games this season and to Williams' point are 3-14 in
overtimes and 2-7 in shootouts.
There are a number of reasons why the Kings aren't as good in close games as they have been in the past. Their
defense isn't what it used to be after the loss of Willie Mitchell in the offseason to free agency and Slava
Voynov in October after his arrest on domestic violence charges and pending court case. The Kings' trading last
month for Andrej Sekera, who scored in Monday's 3-1 win over New Jersey, has certainly helped.
This also is a team that has played into June the last three years. The Kings are the first team since the Detroit
Red Wings, who won back to back titles in 1997 and 1998, to win two Stanley Cups in three years. And that's
also not taking into account the five current Kings players who played in the Olympics in 2014. But the Kings
aren't necessarily an old team, with an average age of 27; they’ve just played more hockey than any current
team over a three-year span.
"Stick together is what we do," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "I wouldn't say we're a veteran team. I'd say
we're an experienced team. We're not an older team or anything like that. You know what? When you're used to
playing in big games and used to winning, you take that. There are losses, and there's a little bit of
misconception that you're going to go 82-0 or you're going to go 50-32. But at the end of the day, everybody's
goal is just to get in, and that's what we're trying to do."
While Jarret Stoll and Tanner Pearson are still on the outside looking in, the Kings welcomed back Mike
Richards and Alec Martinez to the lineup Monday to begin their trip. And the fact that the team has responded
with two victories over the Devils and the Rangers isn't a coincidence.
"It certainly feels like one of our family members is back," Williams said. "Mike's been an impact player for us
for years. We don't expect him to come back and just be there; we expect him to make an impact on the result of
games, and he will."
As much as the Kings draw on their past when it comes to their confidence in pressure situations, they also
realize what they did last year or two years ago means nothing in regard to this year's playoff push.
"This is a 'what have you done for me lately?' game," Williams said. "The past is the past, and nobody cares
about it. We're proud of what we did last year, but that was last year, and we have to prove ourselves all over
again."
Rangers' bad night no cause for concern
By Danny Knobler | Special to ESPNNewYork.com
NEW YORK -- Last June is a long time ago, and this June is still a long ways away.
What happened to the New York Rangers Tuesday night had little to do with either one. The Rangers had a rare
bad night in their 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and if the opponent wasn't irrelevant, it was hardly a cause
for concern, either.
The Kings are the same team that beat the Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals, but the circumstances are so
different now that the Rangers seemed to treat Sunday's game with the Anaheim Ducks as a bigger deal than
Tuesday's meeting with the Kings. They were at their best against the Ducks, who came in with the league's best
record. They were at their worst -- recent worst, anyway -- Tuesday against the Kings.
"We had trouble everywhere," Derek Stepan said, when someone mentioned the lack of an effective forecheck.
"It's very difficult to win hockey games in this league, especially down the stretch when teams are fighting to
get into the playoffs. You have to be ready to compete at a high level.
"And we had a lot go wrong. We just didn't have it."
Earlier in the season, the Rangers had a few games like this, and when it happened too often there was plenty of
soul-searching. But the Rangers have played as well as any team in the NHL for months; one bad game was
hardly going to shake their confidence.
This was a bad one.
The Rangers scored in the game's first minute, but the Kings quickly took control. They had the puck
constantly, and for parts of the first period and long parts of the second, the entire game seemed to be played in
the Rangers' zone.
Cam Talbot didn't have his best game -- his giveaway led to the goal that put the Kings ahead 2-1 early in the
second period -- but coach Alain Vigneault was right when he said Talbot wasn't really to blame for this loss.
The Rangers allowed the Kings to have chance after chance, and eventually some of those chances were going
to end up in the net.
"We were second on the puck, and we were second on one-on-ones," Vigneault said. "Our execution wasn't
what it had to be against a strong opponent."
The Kings are a strong team, even though they're going to need a strong final few weeks to even make the
playoffs. The way they played Tuesday will no doubt have plenty of potential playoff opponents hoping that
they don't make it.
That list would include the Rangers, but June is too many days and too many games away to think much about a
potential finals rematch. The Rangers wouldn't have minded helping knock the Kings out, but more because of
those distant memories than because of what could lie ahead.
"You remember that," Dan Girardi said, referring to last June's finals loss. "We had a good chance to take a bite
out of their playoff hopes."
The Rangers themselves don't need to worry about qualifying. Their magic number for clinching a playoff spot
remained at four, but they have 10 games left on the schedule. They lost their spot atop the league standings to
the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, but the Rangers have two games in hand.
It's easy to think that the most significant Rangers development Tuesday was Henrik Lundqvist's return to
practice for the morning skate, rather than the loss to the Kings.
Lundqvist's return could well have a lasting effect, and impact the Rangers' chances in the playoffs.
Tuesday night's loss almost certainly will not.
FROM SPORTSNETWORK.COM
NHL Game Summary - Los Angeles at NY Rangers
(Tuesday, March 24)
Final Score: Los Angeles 4, NY Rangers 2
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Facing the team they defeated for the Stanley Cup last spring, the Los
Angeles Kings rediscovered their championship form to shut down the NHL's hottest club.
Jonathan Quick led a strong all-around effort with 34 saves and the Kings got another needed boost to their
playoff chances by putting together an impressive 4-2 decision over the New York Rangers.
Los Angeles entered this season-high five-game road trip on the outside of the Western Conference playoff
standings, but has since drawn even with Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division following Tuesday's
result and Monday's 3-1 verdict over New Jersey.
"It does seem like we do play good hockey when our backs are against the wall," said Kings center Anze
Kopitar. "We dug ourselves a hole, so we've gotta climb out of it."
The Kings were able to gain ground by outplaying the Rangers on both ends on the ice to deal New York just its
second loss in nine games. The Blueshirts had allowed two goals or fewer in their last 10 outings, a streak that
was put to an end on scores by Marian Gaborik, Jeff Carter, Robyn Regehr and Jake Muzzin.
"Our execution wasn't what it needed to be against such a strong opponent, and we paid the price for it,"
Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said.
Quick shook off a goal by Mats Zuccarello in the opening minute and Kopitar added a pair of assists to help the
Kings down a Rangers squad coming off a season-high scoring output in Sunday's 7-2 rout of Pacific-leading
Anaheim.
Kevin Hayes accounted for New York's other goal and Cam Talbot finished with 31 saves.
The Rangers picked up right where they left off on Sunday by scoring on their first shot -- Zuccarello's wellplaced wrister over Quick's shoulder set up by teammate J.T. Miller winning a puck battle in the Kings' end -- to
move ahead a mere 51 seconds in.
Hayes was able to beat Quick on a drive that redirected off Los Angeles center Mike Richards with 3:44 left to
play. In between those two goals, however, the Kings were in complete control.
Talbot briefly kept it a 1-0 game by denying Trevor Lewis from point-blank range midway through the first
period. A minute later, though, the Rangers netminder was handcuffed by a puck flung towards the net by
Regehr that appeared to hit New York defenseman Keith Yandle and change direction.
Los Angeles, which put up 17 first-period shots, continued to apply pressure early in the second. Justin
Williams intercepted a clearing attempt from Talbot and dropped a pass to Kopitar, who sent the puck to
Gaborik without hesitation for the ex-Ranger to bury into an opening with 4:35 elapsed in the stanza.
"At points during the game, we controlled the game, just the zone time," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We're
good at that. That's what our team does. You don't always get rewarded for that, but tonight we did."
Carter put New York down by two when the veteran sniper raced to the net to tip in Dwight King's on-target
centering feed just 65 seconds into the third period. It was 4-1 at the 5:28 mark of the frame after Muzzin onetimed a wraparound give from Kopitar into the top right corner of the New York net.
Those goals came on two of the Kings' four shots for the final period.
Game Notes
The loss was only the Rangers' third (11-2-1) in 14 games against Pacific Division teams this season ... Kopitar
now has 11 assists and 14 points over his last 11 games. The Kings are 11-1-3 this season when he records a
multi- point effort ... The Rangers' 10-game streak of yielding two goals or less was the franchise's longest since
a 12-game run from Feb. 20-Mar. 18, 1971 ... New York won the first matchup between the clubs since last
year's Stanley Cup Finals, a 4-3 triumph in Los Angeles on Jan. 8.
FROM MAYORSMANOR.COM
LA Kings Prospect Tracker, Plus Playoff Matchups Set
March 24, 2015
By Brittany Patko
All Canadian major junior leagues have now completed their regular seasons and playoff matchups have been
set. Every Kings prospect playing in the OHL and QMJHL qualified for post-season action, with two of them
even set to square off in the opening round as Spencer Watson (Kingston) will face Mike Amadio (North Bay).
The Kings don’t currently have any prospects in the WHL. Additionally, the NCAA tournaments have wrapped
up, and play is set to being this weekend in college hockey’s 16-team post-season finale.
Here is how all LA Kings prospects did last week, excluding players in the ECHL and AHL:
MIKE AMADIO: Forward, North Bay Battalion (3rd round pick in 2014, OHL):
Season to date stats: 24 goals, 47 assists, plus-30, 18 PIM
North Bay played one away and two home games this past week. Amadio contributed six assists in the three
games.
Next up, Amadio will play fellow prospect Spencer Watson, as the Battalion and Kingston Frontenacs will
begin a best-of-seven playoff series on Friday, March 27.
JONNY BRODZINSKI: Forward, St. Cloud State University (5th round pick in 2013)
Season: 20 goals, 17 assists, even, 49 PIM
The St. Cloud State Huskies played two games in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff over the weekend. They won their
first game against the University of North Dakota with the help of an assist from Brodzinski. The Huskies lost
their next game versus Miami University, despite him scoring. They finished the NCHC playoffs with a record
of 3-1.
The Huskies will now play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament versus Michigan Tech on March 27.
ALEC DILLON: Goalie, Tri-City Storm / USHL (5th round pick in 2014)
Season: 37 games played, 22-8-4 record, 2.12 GAA, .917 SV%
Tri-City played two home games last week. Dillon started and won both games, making a combined 52 saves on
57 shots.
The four points gained allowed Tri-City to remain first in the Western Conference.
STEVEN JOHNSON: Defenseman, University of Minnesota (4th round pick in 2014)
Season: 0 goals, 1 assist, plus-1, 2 PIM
The University of Minnesota Gophers won both of their games over the weekend to claim the Big Ten Men’s
Ice Hockey Tournament. This was the team’s first conference playoff title since 2007. Their win advanced them
to the NCAA Tournament. They will face their rivals, the Minnesota Duluth, on March 27 in the first round of
the Northeast Regional. Johnson was scratched for both games.
ADRIAN KEMPE: Forward, MODO (1st round pick in 2014, SweHL)
Season: 5 goals, 12 assists, minus-8, 42 PIM
* No new information this week
PAUL LADUE: Defeseman, University of North Dakota (6th round pick in 2012)
Season: 5 goals, 15 assists, plus-8, 10 PIM
The University of North Dakota played two games in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff this past weekend and lost both
contests, scoring only two goals combined. LaDue was a non-factor on the score sheet. UND, the No. 1 seed in
their region, will next play in the NCAA West Regional versus Quinnipiac University on March 27.
ZAC LESLIE: Defenseman, Guelph Storm (6th round pick in 2013, OHL)
Season: 11 goals, 37 assists, plus-6, 57 PIM
Guelph had three home games last week, in which they went 2-1. As we noted last week, Leslie had seasonending surgery a few weeks back and has not played since. Guelph will be facing Owen Sound in the first round
of the OHL playoffs. Inside the Kings locker room, that means Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown (Guelph) will
be looking for bragging rights over Trevor Lewis (Owen Sound).
ALEX LINTUNIEMI: Defenseman, Ottawa 67’s (2nd round pick in 2014, OHL)
Season: 7 goals, 29 assists, minus-5, 22 PIM
Ottawa lost their away game last week, but came out on top in both of their home games. Lintuniemi registered
three assists in the three games.
Their win on March 22 clinched home ice for their upcoming playoff series vs. Niagara.
JOEL LOWRY: Forward, Cornell University (5th round pick in 2011, BCHL)
Season: 4 goals, 4 assists, minus-1, 14 PIM
* season ended early due to surgery
KURTIS MACDERMID: Defenseman, Erie Otters (free agent signing)
Season: 8 goals, 32 assists, plus-20, 129 PIM
The Otters won all three of their away games this past week. MacDermid played in one of the games and
registered an assist. MacDermid received several honors in the recent OHL Coaches Poll, as noted here.
Erie will take on Sarnia in the first round of the OHL playoffs.
JAKE MARCHMENT: Center, Erie Otters (6th round pick in 2014, OHL)
Season: 4 goals, 7 assists, plus-3, 6 PIM
Marchment played in two of the Otters’ games last week. His only appearance on the scoresheet was with two
penalty minutes. Erie is set to play Sarnia in the playoffs.
JACOB MIDDLETON: Defenseman, Ottawa 67’s (7th round pick in 2014, OHL)
Season: 4 goals, 23 assists, plus-11, 62 PIM
In the 67’s three games last week, Middleton recorded one goal and one assist. Ottawa will now face Niagara in
the playoffs.
MATTHEW MISTELE: Forward, Oshawa Generals (6th round pick in 2014, OHL)
Season: 37 goals, 27 assists, plus-8, 34 PIM
Oshawa had two road losses last week. Mistele did not register any points. The team will now face
Peterborough in the OHL’s opening round of the post-season.
NIKOLAI PROKHORKIN: Forward, CSKA (4th round pick, 2012, KHL)
Season: 9 goals, 11 assists, plus-18, 15 PIM
Prokhorkin’s CSKA team played three games in the KHL’s Western Semi-Finals this past week, winning two
games to take the series 4-1. Prokhorkin played in two of the games, registering only one SOG total. CSKA will
now play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on March 26.
SPENCER WATSON: Forward, Kingston Frontenacs (7th round pick in 2014, OHL)
Season: 20 goals, 28 assists, plus-10, 10 PIM
Kingston played two away and one home game last week, winning two and losing one. In the three games,
Watson was credited with a goal. The Frontenacs are set to open the playoffs Friday vs. North Bay. Wasson
placed in the top three of two separate categories of the recently announced OHL Coaches Poll.
VALENTIN ZYKOV: Forward, Gatineau Olympiques (2nd round pick in 2013, QMHL)
Season: 21 goals, 25 assists, plus-4, 60 PM
Zykov and the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques won both of their games last week. He recorded two goals and
one assist. The Olympiques are going to play Armada in the first round of the playoffs.
FROM FROZENROYALTY.COM
What’s It Going To Take For The LA Kings To Make The Playoffs: By The Numbers, March 25, 2015
Edition
MARCH 25, 2015
BY GANN MATSUDA
LOS ANGELES — Despite a dominating performance in a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison
Square Garden in New York on March 24, giving them a strong 2-0 start to their five-game road trip, things just
got a bit tougher for the Los Angeles Kings, in terns of their playoff hopes.
While the Kings were handing the Rangers a decisive loss, the Minnesota Wild beat the New York Islanders, 21 in a shootout. That was followed by the Vancouver Canucks defeating the Winnipeg Jets, 5-2.
Also making things tougher for the Kings was that the Calgary Flames defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2,
on March 23.
As of this writing, the projected finishes for Western Conference teams still battling for a playoff spot have
changed:
•
•
•
Vancouver and Minnesota are now projected to hit the 101-point mark, and are likely out of reach for
the Kings.
Winnipeg is now projected to earn 98 points.
Calgary and Los Angeles are now projected to hit the 97-point mark.
As reported on March 22, the Kings were projected to need 97 points to make the playoffs. But now, three days
later, they are projected to need 98 points. In other words, they will need to earn a 6-3 record, or the equivalent,
in order to earn twelve out of a possible 18 points, a .677 winning percentage). That would put them ahead of
the projected finish for Calgary and tie them in points with Winnipeg.
As of this writing, the Kings hold the tiebreaker against Jets (more regulation/overtime wins), and would earn a
wild card spot over them.
FROM RINKROYALTY.COM
The Kings Have Returned: Los Angeles Kings Drop 4-2 Win on the New York Rangers at MSG
by Eric Fleischmann
Tuesday night the Los Angeles Kings went two for two in two nights.
The Kings won their second straight game of their current five-game road trip. The victim? The New York
Rangers in their home arena of Madison Square Garden.
The 4-2 victory squared the regular season series 1-1. The Rangers beat the Kings 4-3 at Staples Center on
January 8th. The defending champs picked up a valuable 2-points against a Ranger team that is surely still sore
from last year’s loss suffered in the Stanley Cup Finals at the hands of the Kings.
It didn’t look good early.
51-seconds into the game Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello found himself open in the slot with the puck on his
stick from teammate J.T. Miller. Zuccarello zipped a shot over Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick’s glove.
Halfway through the first period Kings defensemen Robyn Regehr took a wrist-shot from the point that hit
Rangers newly acquired defensemen Keith Yandle and deflected past goaltender Cam Talbot. It was Regehr’s
2nd goal of the season.
Talbot shot himself in the foot in the second period. Attempting to play the puck behind the goal the Ranger
netminder passed the puck to the stick of Justin Williams. Williams quickly moved the puck out to Anze
Kopitar who one-touched it over to Marian Gaborik who ripped a one-timer snap-shot into the half-open goal.
It was a quick change of momentum.
Kings leading scorer Jeff Carter boosted the Kings lead, picking up his 26th goal of the season on a beautiful
cross-crease pass from Dwight King. Carter just had his stick down and tapped the puck into the corner by
Talbot.
Beauty Kinger.
4:23 later Kopitar brought the puck into the Rangers zone, circled behind the net and all the way out to the far
wing and threw a pass across the ice to Jake Muzzin who came cutting into the zone. The fast movement
disabled the Rangers from any real chance of getting a shot block, and Muzzin cashed-in the opportunity.
Of course the Kings had to make it interesting.
Ranger defensemen Dan Boyle was able to find his teammate Kevin Hayes open in the slot. Hayes lifted a
wrist-shot over a screened Quick, making it 4-2 with 3:44 left in the regulation.
It was a hard-fought game, and though they led 4-1 at one point the Kings did not dominate. Actually, L.A. was
outshot 36-35 in the game.
Jonathan Quick made the difference. Quick came up big for the Kings on a number of plays, finishing the night
with a .944 save percentage.
Quick is now tied for the NHL lead in games started, and games played in with 63 and 64 respectively. With
the playoff race coming down to the wire, and the Kings needing every point, Quick is the answer to all their
problems.
Rangers star Rick Nash was held without a point. Nash, who was on fire early in the season, has cooled off
considerably.
It’s no surprise, it’s the end of the year and playoffs are around the corner.
Nash now has 1 goal and 4 points in his last 10 games. That’s puts Nash’s totals at 39 goals, 24 assists and 63
points in 71 games.
Here’s a stat you wouldn’t guess: Drew Doughty was 4th among Kings defensemen in ice-time. Doughty
registered 21:07 Time On the Ice.
First?
Andrej Sekera. That’s right. Sekera had 26:31 TOI, followed by Regehr with 24:16, and Jake Muzzin with
21:46.
It’s only news because the Kings superstar mega-maniac Drew Doughty, who is having a Norris Trophy like
season, has led the NHL in TOI for most of th season. Doughty is still the current leader with an average of
29:10 TOI per game.
Alec Martinez is showing just how valuable he is to this team.
Martinez can move the puck. He takes a lot of shots from the point; from all over the place. It makes the other
team scramble in their zone: trying to block shots, chasing wide shots and rebounds. This allows the Kings to
capitalize on the chaos.
Martinez is also a reliable presence in the defensive zone. Marty as his mates call him, gives the Kings
forwards more confidence. It allows them to take chances, which leads to more offensive opportunities. And
that’s exactly what the Kings need right now.
So, either it’s Martinez or it’s the magic of Mike Richards. Since both players have returned to the Kings lineup
L.A. is 2-0-0 in 2 games.
Say what you will about his lack of production, but the reality seems to be that the Kings players are all
breathing a sigh of relief to have their two teammates back in the Silver and Black.
The Kings next game is Thursday against the New York Islanders. Puck-drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST.
FROM PROHOCKEYTALK.NBCSPORTS.COM
Kings top Rangers as playoff battle tightens
Ryan Dadoun Mar 24, 2015, 9:56 PM EDT
The New York Rangers would have certainly liked to beat their 2014 Stanley Cup Final adversary, especially
given how badly Los Angeles needed to win tonight. However, the Kings would not allow New York to slow
them down as they claimed a 4-2 victory.
Rangers goaltender Cam Talbot made 31 saves and it would be wrong to put this loss squarely on his shoulders.
That being said, he did have some questionable moments tonight, including Robyn Regehr‘s goal midway
through the first period.
A turnover by Talbot also led to Marian Gaborik scoring early in the second period to give the Kings a 2-1
edge. Jeff Carter was credited with the game-winning marker at 1:05 of the third frame.
Los Angeles has kicked off its five-game road trip with back-to-back wins. The Kings are now tied with the idle
Calgary Flames in the battle for the third Pacific Division spot with 86 points. Both squads have nine games
remaining, but the Flames have the edge in the tiebreaker ROW so if the regular season ended today, Los
Angeles would still be eliminated.
The Kings and Flames are scheduled to play against each other on April 9.
NHL on NBCSN: Kings’ crucial road trip continues tonight in New York
Dhiren Mahiban Mar 24, 2015, 8:45 AM EDT
NBCSN will continue its coverage of the 2014-15 campaign tonight as the New York Rangers host the L.A.
Kings at Madison Square Garden, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game
and pre-show online.
The New York Rangers will look to add to their lead in the Presidents’ Trophy race Monday night when they
play host to the L.A. Kings in the second and final meeting between last season’s Stanley Cup final participants.
New York (46-18-7) won the only other meeting between the two clubs 4-3 on Jan. 8.
The Rangers enter the game winners of seven of their last eight games while Kings (35-23-14) snapped a twogame skid with a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils Monday night.
Tonight is the second of a five-game road trip, which could make or break the Kings’ playoff aspirations.
The Kings currently sit outside the playoff picture trailing the Calgary Flames by two points for the third seed in
the Pacific Division. L.A. is four points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card spot in the Western
Conference.
L.A. is looking to avoid being the first team since the 2006-07 Carolina Hurricanes to miss the playoffs the year
after winning the Stanley Cup.
Mike Richards returned to the Kings’ lineup for the first time since Jan. 21 on Monday. The 30-year-old was a
minus-1 in 11:41 of ice time in the win. Monday also marked the return of Alec Martinez to L.A.’s lineup.
Martinez had been sidelined since Feb. 7 due to a concussion.
The Rangers are coming off a 7-2 thumping of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night at the garden.
New York is 16-4-5 against the Western Conference and 11-1-1 against the Pacific Division.
The Rangers are 17-3-3 in 23 games since starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was sidelined due to a vascular
injury. Cam Talbot is 15-3-3 with a 2.12 goals-against average in Lundqvist’s absence.
Jonathan Quick made 19 saves against the Devils last night. He is 6-3-2 with a 1.86 GAA and two shutouts
while making 11 straight starts. Quick owns a 1.97 GAA while winning six of nine meetings with New York,
including spring’s Stanley Cup final.
FROM SPORTS.YAHOO.COM
Have the LA Kings turned the corner after back-to-back wins?
By Greg Wyshynski
NEW YORK – Jonathan Quick made 53 saves on 56 shots. The Los Angeles Kings collected four out of four
possible points from the New Jersey Devils on Monday and the New York Rangers on Tuesday, giving them 86
on the season.
Are the Stanley Cup champs finally turning the corner at the right time?
“No. It’s two points,” said Quick, winning back-to-back starts with a 4-2 win over the Rangers.
“Just like yesterday was. It’s not more 'turn the corner' than yesterday was or any of the other wins.”
Yet watching the Kings dominate the Rangers, arguably the best team in the East at the moment, one gets the
sense that this veteran team is finding another gear at a critical time. The Kings have 10 games left. The teams
they’re chasing for a Western Conference playoff berth keep winning. It’s time to crank up that machine that’s
produced two championships under coach Darryl Sutter.
“We don’t want to be in this kind of position, but we do play good hockey when our backs are against the wall,”
said center Anze Kopitar, who had two assists in the win.
“It’s going to be tight. Everything is pointing towards that.”
The Rangers started off well.
Mats Zuccarello struck first on a busted play in the Kings’ end, one that was helped along by Los Angeles
standing around a bit. J.T. Miller blazed in on left wing and circled behind the Kings’ net. He lost the puck in
the corner, gained it back, attempted to move to the front of the net for a chance, lost it again … right to
Zuccarello, who fired it past Quick for the 1-0 lead at 51 seconds.
The Kings tied the game later in the period as a Robyn Regehr shot from the point deflected off Keith Yandle
and then off Talbot into the net.
Los Angeles took the lead in the second after Talbot stopped point-blank shots from Justin Williams and Marian
Gaborik, Anze Kopitar found Gaborik with a cross-ice feed in front of Talbot. Gaborik potted it home to make
it 2-1
It was 3-1 when Dwight King sent a perfect pass to the stick blade of Jeff Carter in the Rangers’ crease. The
layup at 1:05 of the third period, with Marc Staal failing to mark his man, came as the Kings were outshooting
the Rangers 33-21. For Carter, it was goal No. 26.
The Kings took a 4-1 lead when Kopitar found defenseman Jake Muzzin in the slot at 5:28 for his eighth of the
season. Kevin Hayes cut the lead late for the Rangers, but the Kings had it well in hand.
The Los Angeles locker room was subdued as expected. Workmanlike. They know the task at hand – seven
games on the road, three at home – and aren’t looking for harbingers of momentum. They’re looking for points.
“We’re just trying to win games,” said Sutter. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
NHL Playoff Death Watch: Everyone wins in the West (except Avs, Sharks)
By Greg Wyshynski
Since we're down to the final moments of postseason life for teams in contention, Puck Daddy solemnly begins
a daily countdown to annihilation.
The Western Conference bubble teams all did their duty on Monday night, as the Flames, Wild, Jets, Kings and
even the Stars kept pace with regulation victories.
Alas, the Avalanche lost to Calgary, dropping their tragic number to 10 and leaving them with a 0.7 percent
chance of making the playoffs.
Alas, the San Jose Sharks were the jobbers to the Ottawa Senators juggernaut, dropping down to 12th place in
the West and seeing their playoff chances down to under one percent.
On Tuesday night, the Wild are at the New York Islanders; the Kings play at the New York Rangers; and
there’s a Canadian showdown between the Canucks and Jets in Vancouver that could shake things up.
Here are the current standings. The Death Watch tracks the final Wild Card spot and the teams that are chasing
it. Their “tragic number” is the number of points gained by the final wild card team or lost by the team chasing
it.
All playoff percentages are from Sports Club Stats; tragic numbers and other figures via the NHL. A team is
eliminated from play-offs when their "Tragic Number" hits 0.
Here’s the Eastern Conference picture:
The Senators moved into sole possession of the last wild card spot last night with their regulation win over the
Sharks. As you can see, they control their own destiny with a game in-hand over the B’s.
The Panthers face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight in their game in-hand on Boston, and can close to within
two points of the Bruins and three of the Senators. Don’t sleep on the Cats: Especially when they have two
games with Boston and one with Ottawa left on the schedule.
The Penguins host the St. Louis Blues, looking to keep pace with the Islanders and create some bubble space
from the Capitals. Pittsburgh has 90 points, while Washington has 88. This is the Penguins’ game in-hand on
the Caps.
Meanwhile, in the West …
The Canucks’ game against the Jets is their game in-hand vs. Calgary, as Vancouver tries to make a little
breathing room with the Flames. They do currently own the ROW tiebreaker.
The Predators host Montreal and despite all that free-fallin’, they can move back into first in the Central with a
win and a Blues loss in Pittsburgh.
FROM THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM
Power Rankings: No. 1 Rangers strong and getting strongerKen Campbell
By: Ken Campbell on March 24, 2015
The New York Rangers are clearly emerging as a team that can play the game any way you want it. They’ve
won seven of their past eight games. In the first seven of those games, they scored a total of 11 goals. Then on
Sunday, facing the high-flying Anaheim Ducks, they poured seven into the back of the net.
The Rangers are strong and with goalie Henrik Lundqvist coming back any day now, they’re getting stronger.
They’re doing a lot of damage without Martin St-Louis and Kevin Klein. And that’s why they hold down the
No. spot in thn.com’s Power Rankings for the second straight week. (Last week’s ranking in parentheses.)
1. N.Y. RANGERS (1): We said in this space last week that Lundqvist would return to the Rangers net tonight
against Los Angeles. Well, we didn’t count the baby factor, which caused him to miss a couple of days. Look
for him to start either Thursday or Saturday. Coming up: They can derail a few playoff hopes. Home to the
defending Cup champs tonight, then on the road in Ottawa and Boston.
2. MONTREAL (7): With his next shutout, Carey Price will hit double figures, becoming the first Canadiens
goaltender to hit 10 shutouts in a season since Ken Dryden for the juggernaut Habs in 1976-77. Coming up:
Price will go head-to-head with Pekka Rinne in Nashville tonight, then it’s off to Winnipeg.
3. TAMPA BAY (5): Steven Stamkos got in the second fight of his career and it energized his team so much
that it beat the Bruins for the first time in 10 games. God bless old-time hockey. Coming up: At home to Florida
tonight and Nashville Thursday, then on the road for five straight.
4. OTTAWA (10): The Senators were 14 points out of a playoff spot on Feb. 8, then finally after a burgerthrowing flurry, the Senators found themselves among the playoffs cool kids with a 5-2 win over San Jose
Monday night. Coming up: Andrew Hammond’s 14-0-1 record will be put to a huge test Thursday night when
the Senators host the Rangers.
5. WINNIPEG (17): Fresh off being named first star of the week, the rejuvenated Ondrej Pavelec stopped 33
shots in a game in which the Jets were outshot by double figures, but defeated Edmonton 4-1. Coming up: In
Vancouver tonight, then home for four straight as the march to the playoffs continues.
6. MINNESOTA (6): The Wild chalked up its ninth straight road win in Toronto Monday night. The Wild’s
penalty killing, ranked first in the league, has been as good as their power play, ranked 27th, has been bad.
Coming up: On the road tonight against the Islanders, then five straight at home.
7. CHICAGO (4): Captain Jonathan Toews, who has quietly put together an MVP-type season, earned an assist
in Chicago’s 3-1 win over Carolina Monday night to notch the 500th point of his NHL career. Coming up:
Games in Philadelphia and Winnipeg separated by a home game against Columbus.
8. ST. LOUIS (2): In their loss to Detroit Sunday the Blues gave up two goals – one off the face of defenseman
Chris Butler and the second from a broken stick. Good teams know how to shake off those kinds of games and
the Blues are a good team. Coming up: A mammoth seven-game road trip ends tonight in Pittsburgh, then the
Blues get four days off.
9. ANAHEIM (2): After watching his team lose 7-2 to the Rangers Sunday, Bruce Boudreau was almost as
upset as he was a couple of years ago during his expletive-laced tirade on The Road to the Winter Classic.
Almost. “We looked more like No. 30 than we did No. 1 tonight,” he said. Coming up: A five-game road trip
through the Eastern Conference continues tonight in Columbus.
10. NASHVILLE (14): The Predators 3-0 win over Buffalo Saturday marked the first time in seven games and
the second in 10 that they had scored more than two goals in a game. Since it was against the Sabres, does it
even count? Coming up: At home to Montreal tonight, then their last two Eastern Conference opponents this
season on the road in Tampa and Washington.
11. VANCOUVER (13): The Canucks continue to surprise. Their 22 wins on the road is best in the Western
Conference and second only to the Rangers for the overall NHL lead. Of their 42 wins, 38 have come in
regulation or overtime. Coming up: A huge game when they host Winnipeg tonight, then home to Colorado and
Dallas.
12. DETROIT (8): Red Wings fans are holding their collective breath at the moment. Pavel Datsyuk practiced
Monday, but has no set timetable for a return from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the past three
games. Coming up: Home to Arizona tonight, then the Red Wings host San Jose and Tampa Bay.
13. N.Y. ISLANDERS (11): In a decision that raised more than a few sets of eyebrows, coach Jack Capuano
made top-four defenseman Calvin de Haan an healthy scratch for the Islanders 3-0 win over New Jersey
Sunday. Coming up: Next three at home starting tonight against Minnesota, all against Western Conference
teams.
14. CALGARY (16): Pop quiz: Who leads the NHL in scoring in the month of March? By golly, it’s Jiri
Hudler, who has 8-9-17 totals in just 11 games. Coming up: Home to Dallas Wednesday night, then what could
be a season-defining five-game road trip, with four of them against Central Division opponents.
15. PITTSBURGH (15): Evgeni Malkin is still out and coach Mike Johnston assessed his chances of playing
tonight against St. Louis as “50-50 or a little bit longer.” The reeling Penguins need all the help they can get.
Coming up: A tough one tonight, then three winnable games in Carolina and home to Arizona and San Jose.
16. WASHINGTON (9): With four days off, the Capitals are approaching this week like a mini training camp.
Without a playoff spot officially sown up, the Caps should benefit from the rest. Coming up: Thursday night at
home to New Jersey, then Saturday afternoon against Nashville.
17. FLORIDA (21): If the Panthers are going to make the playoffs, they’re going to have to do it the hard way.
They open a five-game road trip, all against teams in the Atlantic Division, tonight in Tampa Bay. Coming up:
Starting tonight in Tampa, then it’s Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Boston.
18. DALLAS (22): The Stars pretty much have to run the table in their last nine games to have any hope of
making the playoffs, and that might not even be enough to get them in. Coming up: A three-game road trip
through Western Canada that begins Wednesday night in Calgary.
19. LOS ANGELES (18): The Kings usually wait until the last five games of the season to clinch a playoff
spot, but they’re really playing with fire this season. Really, recalling Mike Richards is the answer here?
Coming up: A six-game road trip continues with a rematch of the Stanley Cup final tonight against the Rangers.
20. BOSTON (12): What’s so mystifying about the Bruins is not only that they play so poorly at times, but that
they do so with such a lack of urgency. “You look at other teams we’re battling and they’re going at it every
single night,” Brad Marchand said after Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. “We don’t know if we’ll get that each
night.” Coming up: Home to Anaheim Thursday and the Rangers Saturday.
21. COLORADO (19): The Avs have not been officially eliminated from the playoff race, but their 3-2 loss to
Calgary Monday night certainly had that kind of feel to it. They’re 10 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games
to go. Coming up: Back-to-back road games against Edmonton and Vancouver Wednesday and Thursday night.
22. COLUMBUS (26): And in this installment of the NHL’s favorite game show, Who’s Hurt on the Columbus
Blue Jackets This Week? we present Brandon Dubinsky, Alexander Wennberg, Artem Anisimov and Rene
Bourque. Coming up: Bourque will likely miss grudge matches tonight at home to Anaheim and Friday night in
Chicago.
23. SAN JOSE (20): The Sharks talked about being in desperation mode prior to their game Monday night in
Ottawa, but after a 5-2 loss, sounded a lot like a team that is resigned to missing the playoffs. “We’re not good
enough right now to compete against good teams in the NHL,” Logan Couture said. Coming up: Three in four
nights on the road in Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh starting Thursday night.
24. PHILADELPHIA (24): Flyers GM Ron Hextall held a conference call on Monday and said, while he’s
disappointed with the results, he’s happy with the compete level. “I wouldn’t say effort is a problem here,”
Hextall said. “We’ve got a pretty good group of people.” Coming up: Home to Chicago Wednesday, then San
Jose on Saturday.
25. CAROLINA (25): The Hurricanes have earned two points in their past four games, which isn’t bad
considering they’ve scored only four games in that time span. Coming up: Former Hurricanes GM Jim
Rutherford returns for the second time as the GM of the Penguins when Pittsburgh visits Thursday night.
26. NEW JERSEY (23): Mike Cammalleri returned Monday night after missing two games with the flu, but he
couldn’t help the flagging Devils win. “Unless we want to get embarrassed, we better keep together,” goalie
Cory Schneider said cryptically after a 3-1 loss to Los Angeles Monday night. Coming up: On the road for three
of the next four, starting Thursday night in Washington.
27. EDMONTON (28): Well, at least Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will have a hot stick going into the World
Championship this year. He’s posted 7-11-18 totals in his past 12 games. Coming up: Home to Colorado
Wednesday and Ottawa Friday, then three straight on the road.
28. BUFFALO (30): For all you conspiracy theorists out there, the Sabres led the Dallas Stars three times
Monday night and lost the lead three times before losing 4-3. Coming up: In the space of five days, the Sabres
play Arizona twice, once at home and once on the road. The best chance of getting Connor McDavid hangs in
the balance.
29. TORONTO (27): Any notion that this team is playing the game the right way and losing has been smashed.
The Leafs have lost six in a row and have been outscored 25-10 in those games. Coming up: The march toward
the end of another dismal season continues with the next three at home, starting with Florida Thursday night.
30. ARIZONA (29): Goaltending coach Sean Burke has been given permission to seek elsewhere and it’s likely
the highly regarded former NHL goalie will find it. Good for him. The Coyotes are a tire fire. Coming up: The
Coyotes play Buffalo twice in the next week, once at home and once on the road. That should be interesting.
FROM CBSSPORTS.COM
NHL Daily Picks: Kings face Cup Final foe Rangers in crucial game
By Chris Peters | Hockey Writer
March 24, 2015 9:36 am ET
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their
predictions for select games every day.
Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN
When the Kings look around Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, perhaps they'll feel the twinges of a
similar sense of urgency as the last time they were in the iconic building – for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley
Cup Final. This time, the Kings have a title to defend and pride as well. A loss at the hands of the Rangers is
another nail in Los Angeles' postseason coffin. Currently trailing the Calgary Flames by two points in the
Pacific Division standings and the Winnipeg Jets by four for the last wild card spot, two points couldn't be
bigger. The last time these two teams played at all was back at Staples Center in January. The Rangers earned a
4-3 win in that one and have been the best team in the NHL since about mid-December. They've also been
excellent on home ice all year with a 23-8-5 record. All signs point to this being an absolute battle for the
Kings. Their backs are against the wall again and we've seen what that can look like before. If they don't find
that desperation again, they could find themselves in a less familiar place – out of the playoffs. Pick: Kings 3,
Rangers 2
St. Louis Blues at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
The St. Louis Blues have been in a tight race all season for the Central Division title. They've overtaken the
Predators for now, but suddenly there's heat from the Chicago Blackhawks. St. Louis is just one point ahead of
Nashville and three ahead of Chicago. So this is a pretty big one. It's big for the Penguins, too, as they chase the
Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division, thus earning home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Neither the Penguins nor the Blues come into this one looking all that great of late. St. Louis has lost three
straight, while Pittsburgh has lost five of its last seven. Both clubs are among the better teams in the NHL, but
their records over the last week-plus hasn't really reflected that. Pick: Penguins 4, Blues 2
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Panthers are running out of time to climb back into the playoff picture. They trail new wild card occupant
Ottawa by five points for the second and final spot. They'll also be lining up across from their interstate rival
Tuesday night, which presents a pretty big challenge. The two sides have split the first two meetings of the
season and will have one more after Tuesday night. The Lighting still have a shot at winning the division and
the Presidents Trophy, so each opportunity to take two points from here on out is big. It's fun to see this rivalry
get to have some high stakes this late in the season. Pick: Lightning 4, Panthers 1
Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET
The Predators are trying to figure things out as they sputter at the end of the season. With nine losses in their
last 12 games, they opened the door for the Blues to take the Central lead and now Nashville is even at risk of
falling to third place in the division. They are just one point behind the Blues, but only two ahead of idle
Chicago. The season has turned very quickly and with nine games to go, they need to start getting better results
again. That race somewhat overshadows the probable matchup between two of the league's very best
goaltenders this season. Carey Price and Pekka Rinne have been the gold standard between the pipes and now
they both have a lot to play for at opposite ends of the ice. The Habs still have a good shot at winning the
Atlantic and the Presidents Trophy, but have to hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning to do it. Earlier in the season,
it was near impossible to pick up a win in Nashville. Now the Preds have to prove that they can protect home
ice. Pick: Predators 2, Canadiens 1
Other games on Tuesday's schedule
Minnesota Wild at New York Islanders, 7 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
Arizona Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m. ET
Three Stars
1. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators: Going head-to-head with Carey Price could bring out the best in Rinne,
who has struggled right along with his team at times. The 32-year-old is expected to make his 58th appearance
of the season and has been strong against Montreal in the past. In five career appearances against the Habs,
Rinne is 3-1-1 with a .952 save percentage and a pair of shutouts.
2. Justin Williams, Los Angeles Kings: The reigning Conn Smythe winner was a big factor in the Stanley Cup
Final against the Rangers with seven points last year. More recently, he had two goals in the January meeting
between the two clubs. Over 27 games in his career against New York, Williams has 18 points including nine
goals. The Kings could use another great performance from Williams right now.
3. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning: Johnson ranks second in the NHL with 52 points at even strength.
Two of those points have been goals against the Florida Panthers earlier this season. He has four goals in seven
games over his career against the Panthers. He's also been a little too quiet lately with just one point in his last
five games.
FROM THEHOCKEYWRITERS.COM
Can the Defending Champion Kings Defend Their Crown?
by Dan Rice | March 25, 2015
Yes. Yes they can. As long as they get in the playoffs that is. Would you be willing to bet against the Los
Angeles Kings in a seven-game series? There are only two things that can keep the Kings away from being the
favorite to clinch their third Stanley Cup in four seasons: injuries and not making the playoffs. The latter is the
one of more immediate concern — as of press time Los Angeles is not in a playoff spot, but they are right there
and this likely won’t be settled until the final week of the season.
With eleven games left in the regular season the Kings embarked on a five-game road trip to the east coast with
their season hanging in the balance. There are now nine games left after LA picked up wins on consecutive
nights against the New Jersey Devils (3-1) and New York Rangers (4-2). For maybe a lesser team the prospects
of heading out on a late-season road trip (through multiple time zones) in must-win situations might be too
daunting of a task, but not these Kings.
“It is what it is; our schedule, that’s the way it is,” said Marian Gaborik, almost nonchalantly when The Hockey
Writers asked him about it following the win in New Jersey. “So we just have to take care of business. You
adjust to everything.” Gaborik, who was a huge factor as a deadline day acquisition in the Kings’ postseason
(22 points in 26 games) seemed very confident his team is still very alive to make another one this spring.
Marian Gaborik has proven to be quite the playoff performer with goals like this one:
“Every game is big, we just have to build off this one. We have a quick turnaround tomorrow against the
Rangers; we have to be ready,” he said. “I try not to look ahead; we have a lot of work to do. This is an
important trip, we just have to stay on top of our game.” The 33-year-old Slovakian sniper is heating up at the
right time as he has four points (2g-2a) in his last three games and six goals in his last ten games.
The remainder of this trip will see the Kings play the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild and Chicago
Blackhawks, three teams that will definitely be stiff competition. But they just beat one of the ‘better teams’ in
the Rangers (perhaps giving the East contenders the blueprint on how to beat the Blueshirts?) and their top
players are starting to play like their top players — see: Quick, Jonathan; Kopitar, Anze. Also they got one of
their top-6 defensemen back in Alec Martinez who had missed 19 games with concussion-like symptoms (a
concussion) before returning against New Jersey.
Alec Martinez knows what it takes to win postseason games. “It’s fun to be back, around the guys; going on the
road – I missed two road trips,” said Martinez after the win. “It’s a fun time of the year, obviously a real serious
and important time of the year; but it’s a fun time of the year (for me). I’m just happy to be back and be a part
of it.” His teammates and coaches are happy he’s back also: in the two games he has blocked nine shots and put
four shots on goal while averaging 15 minutes.
“If you want to win the whole thing you have to be able to win on the road,” said Martinez. “We haven’t really
been too happy with our road record (14-14-7) this year so these are some big points out there for us down the
stretch.” The 27-year-old was no more excited about the win over the Devils to start the road trip than Gaborik
was, knowing they still had much work to do. “One thing I’ve kind of learned (is that) each season has its own
story, but you obviously can tap into your experiences that you have gone through before.”
“Ever since I’ve been here it’s always been really tight in the West and you have to play playoff hockey months
before the playoffs even start,” he added perhaps explaining why the Western Conference teams seem to be the
more dominant ones lately. “You see all the teams jockeying for spots, it’s always really tight. You can move
up or drop down and you didn’t even play that night; it’s good to have gone through it before.”
Again, just like Gaborik, Martinez also seemed unfazed by the late season trek to the East out of their time zone
and conference; telling THW he never even thought of it that way. “The Rangers will be a good test for us; our
schedule had kind of been the same, at least since I’ve been here. We’re home in January, gone a lot of
February and March. I don’t even really think about that, it’s part of, it comes with the territory; part of our
job.”
Marian Gaborik and Alec Martinez combine to beat the Ducks in the 2014 playoffs:
Just like it was written in this space last season it is going to be an upset of epic proportions if someone
eliminates the Kings in a seven-game series without one of their major players suffering an injury. The last two
full NHL seasons they have walked away with the Stanley Cup, if they snuck in as the 8-seed how good would
their chances be to take down the Anaheim Ducks or St. Louis Blues (two teams that they conquered in their
two runs)? To be the kings (of the NHL) you’ll have to beat the Kings…or prevent them from getting into the
playoffs. How many NHL teams would breathe a sigh of relief if Los Angeles failed to qualify?
FROM NYDAILYNEWS.COM
Cam Talbot allows four goals in Rangers’ loss to Kings as Henrik Lundqvist begins practicing again
BY PAT LEONARD
KINGS 4, RANGERS 2
The Rangers weren’t going to win out, but it would be nice if they didn’t get dominated when they lost, as in
Tuesday night’s 4-2 drubbing by the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at the Garden.
Two nights after lighting up the Anaheim Ducks for a season-high seven goals, the Blueshirts (46-19-7, 99
points) substituted tallies for turnovers, committing defensive-zone giveaways before three of the Kings’ four
straight goals to cough up an early 1-0 lead.
“This was a tough game for us,” defenseman Dan Girardi said of getting thumped by the same team that denied
the Rangers of a championship last spring. “We had a great start, but it seemed like we were second to every
puck, and we couldn’t make that second pass out of our zone.”
Los Angeles (36-23-14, 86 points), which is fighting for a Western Conference playoff berth as the ninth seed,
needed the two points way more than the hosts, and both teams played like it.
“They were playing like a desperate team, fighting for their playoff lives, and they’re the Stanley Cup
champions,” Girardi said. “They have a way they like to play. They did everything we expected, and they
executed it to a ‘T.’”
Cam Talbot (31 saves) and the Rangers surrendered more than two goals for the first time since Feb. 28 in
Philadelphia. They are still 17-4-3 since Henrik Lundqvist’s blood-vessel injury, but they slipped into second
place in the East and the overall NHL standings behind Montreal (100 points).
“(The Kings) had a lot on the line tonight,” Talbot said. “They were tough to slow down and seemed to be
finding space in our zone.”
Mats Zuccarello opened the scoring 51 seconds in on Jonathan Quick (34 saves), but a Tanner Glass giveaway
led to a game-tying Robyn Regehr wrist shot at 10:38 of the first. Ex-Ranger Marian Gaborik capitalized at 4:35
of the second on a Talbot turnover. And Jeff Carter scored off a Dan Boyle turnover 1:05 into the third, before
the Kings’ Jake Muzzin and the Rangers’ Kevin Hayes rounded out the scoring.
The Blueshirts have 10 regular-season games remaining, and they aren’t fighting to get into the playoffs, just
for seeding. But five of their remaining games will be against opponents battling for postseason berths,
including Ottawa on Thursday, Boston on Saturday, and Washington on Sunday.
Alain Vigneault said his team’s focus should be on “continuing to play well” against so many “desperate”
opponents in “a lot of tight games.” Efforts such as Tuesday night’s, however, can’t be repeated.
“If we’re not gonna win a game, we need to have a good effort no matter what the bounces are,” Girardi said.
“But we can’t dwell on this loss. We have another desperate team coming up in Ottawa.”
Henrik Lundqvist returns to practice with Rangers, expects to play either Saturday against Bruins or
Sunday against Capitals
BY PAT LEONARD
Derek Stepan skated onto the Garden ice Tuesday morning and yelled: “Hen-reek!” Then Derick Brassard
hugged Henrik Lundqvist after he stopped his first shot on goal from Rick Nash.
Third-string rookie goalie Mackenzie Skapski was relocated to a narrow locker across the room next to Kevin
Hayes. And there, in his typical stall in the back right corner, sat the King.
Lundqvist is back, and after his first skate with teammates since Feb. 2, the healthy 33-year-old Swede
announced his goal is to return to a game by this weekend’s back-to-back: Saturday afternoon in Boston or
Sunday afternoon at the Garden against the Washington Capitals.
“That’s my goal, yeah,” Lundqvist said. “I think I need at least one or two more skates just to work on my
timing, but I feel close. If you ask me, I wanted to play last week right away when they cleared me, but you
have to be realistic about it, too. When I come back I want to make sure I’m, if not 100 percent, at least really
close to it.”
Cam Talbot remained the starter for Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. He also is expected
to start Thursday night in Ottawa opposite Senators rookie phenom Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond.
Coach Alain Vigneault called it a “stretch” that Lundqvist might play in Ottawa, but he added that goalie coach
Benoit Allaire “doesn’t think it will be a very long time ... for Hank to find his rhythm and his level of play.”
An invigorated and anxious Lundqvist said he feels “pretty close to ready,” and by Thursday night, he’ll have
Wednesday’s noon practice in Greenburgh and a Thursday morning on-ice workout in Ottawa under his belt.
Skapski is expected to travel to Ottawa, though, perhaps to back up Talbot one last time.
“We had the discussion last week and we kind of planned a little bit how to do this week,” Lundqvist said. “I
think we’ll talk in the next couple days, as well, to see what day is the best day to come back. I’m expecting to
play this week, but when, I’m not sure.”
Lundqvist had been sidelined since Feb. 2 with a partially torn blood vessel in the back of his neck, but he was
cleared by doctors last Tuesday to practice, and he’s been anxious to play ever since. He was supposed to return
for his first practice last Friday but skipped it for the birth of his second daughter, Juli.
“I think (for) every player, when you’re injured and you do your own thing for that long, it feels wrong, because
you play a team sport.” Lundqvist said. “You want to be a part of the group, and that’s a big part of why it’s so
much fun now to be back.”
The Rangers stunningly carried a 17-3-3 record in Lundqvist’s absence into Tuesday night’s game against the
Kings, putting them at the top of NHL standings with a 46-18-7 overall mark and 99 points. But seeing
Lundqvist on ice put an extra jump in their step.
“It’s awesome,” veteran center Dominic Moore said. “It’s great to see him back on the ice, working hard as
usual, with a smile on his face, no doubt.”
Lundqvist said when he first took high shots last Wednesday from coaches, “it was a little uncomfortable at
first,” but Tuesday morning he assured teammates that high shots are not only allowed; they’re welcomed.
“Some guys I think were a little scared,” he said. “They said, ‘I’m not going high today.’ But I’m fine. They can
go high and hard and I’m not worried about it … Physically I feel pretty close. I don’t get too tired. I think my
speed is there, my legs are there. So it’s more just mentally being comfortable with everything. Playing goal, the
biggest part is the mental aspect.”
FROM NEWSDAY.COM
Rangers lose to Kings in Stanley Cup rematch
By STEVE ZIPAY steve.zipay@newsday.com
Here come the Kings.
After the Rangers' big win over the Ducks on Sunday, they were muffled by the other Southern California team
Tuesday night. The Kings looked like defending Stanley Cup champs, outplaying the Blueshirts in a 4-2 win at
the Garden.
The Rangers didn't win battles and had turnovers aplenty. They couldn't enter the offensive zone or leave the
defensive zone with any consistency, And for the first time in 11 games, they couldn't hold the opponent under
two goals.
Trailing 2-1 after the second period in a game in which the Kings owned the puck, the Blueshirts couldn't keep
the margin to one.
Dan Boyle couldn't clear the Rangers zone, and Jeff Carter sneaked behind everyone to end up untouched in
front to deflect Dwight King's pass past Cam Talbot at 1:05 of the third period. Then, at 5:28, it was pretty
much over when Jake Muzzin ripped a shot over Talbot's glove for a 4-1 lead. The Rangers hadn't allowed four
goals since losing in Philadelphia, 4-2, on Feb. 28.
"They came out ready to play. They had a lot on the line," said Talbot, who stopped 31 of the 35 shots he faced.
"They were tough to slow down. They just seemed to be finding the space in our zone."
With 3:44 left in regulation, Kevin Hayes fired a shot from the high slot between the circles that hit Mike
Richards and bounced past Jonathan Quick. It was the rookie's 14th of the season and cut the lead to 4-2, but the
score wasn't indicative of the way the Kings -- battling for a final playoff spot in the Western Conference -dominated.
For the Rangers (46-19-7, 99 points), the start was promising. On the first rush into the Kings zone, J.T. Miller
won a battle at the end boards and skated by the right post, drawing Quick (34 saves) over. He found Mats
Zuccarello, who zipped a shot top shelf for a 1-0 lead at 51 seconds. The Rangers were 35-5-3 when they had
scored the first goal.
But the Kings, in danger of becoming the first defending Stanley Cup champion since the Hurricanes in 2007 to
miss the postseason the following year, had the better of the play for the rest of the period, outshooting the
Blueshirts 17-12. Dan Girardi saved at least one goal, stopping former Ranger Marian Gaborik from shoving in
a loose puck in front, and broke up two odd-man rushes.
"We had a good chance to take a little life out of their playoff hopes but they came out with a great effort and
they were very desperate," Girardi said. "They're playing for their lives a little bit. It would have been nice to
have a better effort."
Talbot made a superb pad save on Trevor Lewis' point-blank shot at 9:37, but Robin Regehr's soft shot went in
at 10:38. After Talbot lost the puck, Gaborik's chip shot made it 2-1 at 4:35.
The Rangers, who need a combination of four points gained by them or lost by the Bruins to clinch a playoff
berth, will practice Wednesday and then fly to Ottawa for Thursday's game. They are six points ahead of the
Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.
"It's really difficult to win hockey games, especially down the stretch when teams are fighting to get into the
playoffs. You have to be ready to compete at a high level, and tonight we had a lot of things go wrong for us,"
Derek Stepan said. "It's frustrating. We just didn't have it tonight.''
Rangers' J.T. Miller filling in well with Martin St. Louis out
March 24, 2015 10:36 PM
By COLIN STEPHENSON. Special to Newsday
What could have been a huge void created by the injury to Martin St. Louis, the Rangers' second-leading scorer,
hasn't turned out to be so bad so far, and one reason has been the play of young winger J.T. Miller.
Even in a listless, 4-2 loss to the Kings Tuesday night, Miller created one of the Rangers' few highlights. He set
up the opening goal only 51 seconds into the game, sending a cross-ice pass to Mats Zuccarello, who scored his
13th to get the Garden crowd buzzing.
For Miller, the Rangers' first-round pick in 2011, it marked the third straight game in which he has registered a
point. He scored a goal in each of the two previous games after stepping up onto the second line on the left of
Derick Brassard and Zuccarello.
"I do believe his teammates and the coaching staff have a level of trust in his play that he's going to make the
right decision with the puck,'' coach Alain Vigneault said of Miller. "And when he needs to come back [on
defense] and come back hard, he's going to make the right reads.
"Still, like I've mentioned many times about any young player that's going through the process of understanding
the game, it's not going to be perfect, but he's getting better.''
Miller, who turned 22 March 14, remains susceptible to the ups and downs, of course, and that was on display
Tuesday night as well. In the second period, with the score tied 1-1, Miller fell asleep on the broken play that
allowed the Kings to take a 2-1 lead.
The Kings' Justin Williams intercepted goalie Cam Talbot's intended clearance along the boards and relayed the
puck to Anze Kopitar. Miller was the unfortunate Ranger seen in the television replay failing to get a body on
former Ranger Marian Gaborik, who skated unimpeded down the slot to tap in Kopitar's feed behind a helpless
Talbot.
After that goal, the Rangers seemed to sag, and the Kings would get two more early in the third period to go up
4-1.
Kevin Hayes scored with 3:44 left in the period to give the Rangers some life. Miller could have given them
more if he had finished a shot from below the slot less than a minute later, but goalie Jonathan Quick stuffed
him with 3:05 remaining.
FROM NYTIMES.COM
Kings Awake From Slumber Against Rangers
By PAT PICKENS
MARCH 24, 2015
The Los Angeles Kings have scuffled through a Stanley Cup hangover this season, but in a rematch of the Cup
finals on Tuesday, the Kings looked more like the team that dispatched the Rangers in five games last spring
than the one that has struggled for months to earn a postseason bid.
Los Angeles controlled possession for large stretches, and Jeff Carter netted the game-winning goal early in the
third period in the Kings’ dominant 4-2 win at Madison Square Garden.
“Coming into this game, everybody knew what we were up against and that it was going to take a real strong
effort and our ‘A’ game,” Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault said. “We didn’t have that.”
The Rangers dropped their second game in regulation to a Western Conference opponent (the Blackhawks were
the other) in their past four.
Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, and Cam Talbot had 31 saves. Rick Nash, who has
been stuck on 39 goals since March 10, led the Rangers with five shots on goal.
The Connecticut native Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots as Los Angeles pulled into a tie with idle Calgary for
the Pacific Division’s third playoff spot.
Marian Gaborik, who spent parts of four seasons in New York before being dealt to Columbus in 2013, scored
his 23rd goal of the season to give the Kings the lead for good at 4 minutes 35 seconds of the second period,
drawing boos from the capacity crowd.
“Playing in that building is special, and I was fortunate enough to play here four years,” Gaborik said.
The teams split the season series. The Rangers claimed a 4-3 victory in Los Angeles on Jan. 8 — part of the
Kings’ 4-7-6 swoon from late December through early February that appeared to damage their playoff
prospects.
Los Angeles is hoping to avoid joining dubious company, the 2006-7 Carolina Hurricanes and 1995-96 Devils,
as the only teams since 1970 to miss the postseason the year after winning the Cup.
Hoping to further dash their cross-country rivals’ playoff hopes, the Rangers struck first when Zuccarello scored
just 51 seconds into the game. The newly minted line of Zuccarello, Derick Brassard and J. T. Miller created the
play. Miller won a battle through Gaborik and the standout defenseman Drew Doughty, finding Zuccarello for
his 13th of the season.
“We want good starts, and we scored 51 seconds in — that’s usually a good start,” Derek Stepan said. “I don’t
think we did a very good job from then on.”
But after that sluggish start — indicative of a team that had played the night before — it was all Kings. Los
Angeles swarmed Talbot, peppering 17 first-period shots on goal.
“We knew we were going to come out against a desperate team tonight,” Talbot said. “They’re fighting for their
playoff lives over there.”
Seconds after Talbot robbed Trevor Lewis on a breakaway, Los Angeles tied the game when Robyn Regehr’s
point shot hit defenseman Keith Yandle and trickled between Talbot’s legs at 10:38.
It was Regehr’s second goal of the season and his first since Nov. 18, a span of 41 games.
With the score 2-1 after two periods — despite Los Angeles’s 31-21 shot advantage and 56-35 shot-attempt
margin, the Kings pulled away in the third. Carter’s 26th goal of the season at 1:05 — his eighth in the past 12
games — made the score 3-1, and Jake Muzzin lifted the advantage to three just 4:23 later.
Quick, making his N.H.L.-most 63rd start of the season, stopped 30 straight shots after Zuccarello’s goal before
surrendering Hayes’s tally.
Slap Shots
The Rangers’ No. 1 goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, who has been sidelined since Feb. 6 with a vascular injury in his
neck, took shots against teammates in practice for the first time since being placed on injured reserve. Lundqvist
said his goal is to return Saturday on the road against the Bruins or Sunday at home against the Capitals.
FROM BLUESHIRTSUNITED.COM
RANGERS VS. KINGS 3.24.15: POSTGAME
NOTES
Team Notes
KILL ZONE – The Rangers were 2-for-2
(4:00) on the penalty kill in the contest. The
Blueshirts are 22-for-24 (91.7%) on the penalty kill
over the last nine games and are 29-for-32 (90.6%)
on the penalty kill over the last 12 contests. The
Rangers have not allowed a power play goal in 15
of the last 20 games (48-for-54; 88.9%) and they are
110-for-128 (85.9%) on the penalty kill over the last
48 games.
HITTING MACHINE – New York was
credited with 40 hits in the contest, as 16 different
skaters recorded at least one hit and six different
skaters registered at least three. The Rangers have
been credited with 40 or more hits in two of the last
three contests (they recorded a season-high 46 hits
on Mar. 21 at Carolina).
SHOOTING GALLERY – The Rangers
recorded 36 shots on goal in the contest, as 15
different skaters registered at least one and 10
different skaters were credited with two or more.
New York has registered at least 30 shots on goal in
46 of 72 games this season and has registered 35 or
more shots on goal in 25 contests in 2014-15.
FIRST IN SCORE – The Blueshirts have
tallied the first goal of the game in 27 of their last
42 games, in 35 of their last 54 contests, and in 44
of 72 games this season.
Blueshirt Breakdown
Mats Zuccarello tallied a goal and recorded
two shots on goal in 16:11 of ice time. With the
goal, Zuccarello extended his point streak to three
games (one goal, three assists over the span). He
has recorded 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in the
last 26 games and has notched 10 points (one goal,
nine assists) in the last 13 games, including nine
points (one goal, eight assists) in the last 11
contests. Zuccarello ranks fourth on the team in
even strength goals (13) and ranks fifth on the team
in points (44) this season.
Kevin Hayes recorded a goal, registered three
shots on goal, was credited with two hits, and won
four of seven faceoffs (57.1%) in 15:47 of ice time.
Hayes has registered a point in three consecutive
games (one goal, three assists over the span). He
has also tallied 11 points (four goals, seven assists)
in the last 15 games, 18 points (seven goals, 11
assists) in the last 23 games, 20 points (eight goals,
12 assists) in the last 26 games, and 21 points (nine
goals, 12 assists) in the last 29 games. Hayes ranks
fifth on the Rangers in even strength goals (12) and
ranks sixth on the team in goals (14) this season.
J.T. Miller notched an assist and was credited
with three hits in 15:36 of ice time. With his assist,
Miller extended his point streak to three games (two
goals, two assists over the span). Miller’s threegame point streak is tied for his career-high (he also
tallied a three-game point streak from Jan. 3 to Jan.
8 during this season). He has recorded five points
(three goals, two assists) in the last seven games.
Dan Boyle tallied an assist, recorded three
shots on goal, was credited with one hit, and
blocked one shot in 20:48 of ice time. He ranks fifth
on the Rangers in blocked shots (62) this season.
RANGERS FALL TO THE KINGS 4-2
Looking to carry the good feeling from Sunday's 72 thrashing of the Anaheim Ducks into their Stanley
Cup Final rematch with the Los Angeles Kings
Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers
instead stubbed their toe, losing 4-2 to the team that
also beat them for last year's championship.
The loss was only New York's second in regulation
over the past 11 games (8-2-1). It also marked the
first time in the past eleven contests that the
Rangers surrendered more than two goals in a
game. The Blueshirts last allowed more than a pair
of goals in a February 28th 4-2 loss to the Flyers in
Philadelphia.
"It's hard to explain," said head coach Alain
Vigneault after the defeat. "We were second on
the puck, we were second in our one on one
(battles), and our execution wasn't what it
needed to be against such a strong opponent, and
we paid the price for it."
Cam Talbot played well enough--with 31 saves in
goal--but the Rangers did not match the Kings level
of commitment and execution nearly all night in the
teams' first meeting on Garden ice since New
York's Game Four 2-1 win over L.A. back on June
9 in the Cup Final a year ago.
"It's obviously a tough one for us tonight," said
Talbot. "They came out ready to play. They had
a lot on the line tonight. They were tough to slow
down. They just seemed to be finding the space
in our zone tonight."
The Rangers started quickly Tuesday night, scoring
less than a minute into the game, but the Kings
slowly and decidedly took the game over while
carrying a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
J.T. Miller and Mats Zuccarello teamed up to put
the Blueshirts on the scoreboard just 51 seconds
into play. Miller used his speed to gain entry into
the offensive zone, then his size to win a pair of
puck battles behind the Kings net, before sliding the
puck into the slot where Zuccarello corralled the
disc and zipped a shot past Jonathan Quick.
The goal was Zuccarello's 13th of the season, while
the assist gave Miller four points (2-2-4) in a threegame point-scoring streak.
New York nearly doubled its advantage 6:45 into
the first period when a seemingly-unsteady Quick
juggled a Kevin Hayes right-wing shot, with the
puck flipping back towards the net before the Kings
goaltender snatched it out of mid air.
"We had a good start, we get a goal, but they
just kind of turned the tide quick, I'm not really
sure what they did," explained alternate captain
Dan Girardi, who logged a team-high 21:52
worth of ice-time and blocked a team-high three
shots. "I think we had a good chance to take a
little life out of their playoff hopes, but they came
out with a great effort and very desperate--
they're fighting for their lives over there--but we
needed to have a better effort."
Talbot, who would stop 16 of 17 first-period shots,
made his best save at 9:37 when he stoned Trevor
Lewis with a one-on-one left-pad save after a
Rangers turnover. However at 10:38 Los Angeles
tied the game when defenseman Robyn Regehr
somehow snuck a long shot past Talbot's blocker
after the puck first glanced off Rangers defenseman
Keith Yandle in front.
The Rangers showed grit in the opening period-Tanner Glass recorded four of the team's 17
registered hits--but the Kings played with
desperation befitting a team fighting for the final
playoff spot in the Western Conference. That
carried over into the second period when it seemed
that L.A. had the puck in the Rangers end of the ice
most of the period, though they only managed to
outshoot the Blueshirts 14-9 in the middle twenty.
One of those shots, though, found its way into the
back of the Rangers net. Former Blueshirt Marian
Gaborik--who hurt his ex-teammates with a pair of
clutch goals in last spring's Stanley Cup Final--dished out some more punishment the Rangers way
when he potted a wide-open gimme 4:35 into the
second, his 23rd goal of the season.
A sharp Talbot made a variety of solid stops on tips
and deflections and straight-on shots the rest of the
period, keeping the deficit at two. That would
change early in the third period when L.A. scores
twice in under six minutes to pull away with a 4-1
lead.
Jeff Carter netted his 26th on a virtual slam-dunk
just 65 seconds into the final period of play, and
Jake Muzzin scored his eighth after a pretty feed by
Anze Kopitar at 5:28 to send the Rangers on their
way to defeat.
Kevin Hayes did score the 14th goal of his rookie
season with 3:44 remaining in regulation to cut the
deficit 4-2, but it was too little, too late, for the
Blueshirts.
"It's frustrating all the way through," stated
center Derek Stepan. "We just didn't have it
tonight. You don't ever want to lose any hockey
games. Tonight we just didn't have it right from
the start."
On a more positive note, injured goaltender Henrik
Lundqvist took part in the morning skate Tuesday
and afterwards said his goal was to play sometime
this upcoming weekend. He is expected to practice
again on Wednesday, though he likely will not dress
Thursday night when the Rangers next play, in
Ottawa against the Senators. The Rangers follow
with games in Boston against the Bruins on
Saturday afternoon and at The Garden Sunday
against the Washington Capitals.
Jim Cerny
BlueshirtsUnited.com
RANGERS VS. KINGS 3.24.15: PREGAME
NOTES
NEW YORK RANGERS vs. LOS ANGELES
KINGS
Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2015, 7:00 p.m. ET
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Kings: 35-23-14 (84 pts)
Rangers: 46-18-7 (99 pts)
TONIGHT’S GAME
The Rangers play their 72nd game of the 2014-15
season tonight, Mar. 24, against the Los Angeles
Kings at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m. ET —
TV: MSG Network; Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM). New
York has earned at least one point in 19 of its last
21 games (16-3-2), including nine of its last 10
games (8-1-1). The Blueshirts have won 16 of their
last 20 contests (16-2-2), including 12 of the last 15
games (12-2-1) and seven of the last eight games
(7-1-0). The Rangers have also recorded at least one
point in 22 of their last 25 games (19-3-3). The
Blueshirts have won 39 of their last 53 games (3911-3), including 37 of their last 50 games (37-10-3)
and 35 of their last 46 contests (35-8-3). The
Rangers have earned at least one point in 52 of their
last 67 games (45-15-7), including 45 of their last
57 games (40-12-5). The Rangers have posted a 4618-7 record this season (99 pts), following a 7-2 win
against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, Mar. 22 at
MSG. The Kings have posted a 35-23-14 record this
season (84 pts).
RANGERS VS. KINGS
All-Time: 67-44-16-1 record (37-19-6-0 at home,
30-25-10-1 on the road)
2014-15: Tonight’s game is the second and final
meeting between the Rangers and Kings this season,
and the only meeting between the two teams at
MSG. The Rangers have posted a 1-0-0 record (0-00 at home, 1-0-0 on the road) against the Kings,
following a 4-3 win on Jan. 8 in Los Angeles. Four
different Rangers tallied a goal and 10 different
Blueshirts recorded a point in the contest. Dan
Boyle (one goal, one assist) and Derick Brassard
(two assists) each notched two points in the contest,
while Cam Talbot made 28 saves to earn the win.
The Rangers have earned at least one point in six of
their last eight regular season games against the
Kings, dating back to Dec. 17, 2008 (5-2-1 record).
New York has won 11 of its last 16 regular season
home games against Los Angeles, dating back to
Oct. 31, 1990 (11-4-1-0).
RANGERS-KINGS CONNECTIONS
Several Hockey Hall of Famers played for both the
Rangers and Kings, including Wayne Gretzky,
Terry Sawchuk, Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille,
Harry Howell, and Jari Kurri. Roger Neilson, who
is in the Hall of Fame as a Builder, was a head
coach for both teams during his career.
Marian Gaborik played for parts of four seasons
with the Rangers (2009-10 - 2012-13). He is the last
player who recorded at least 40 goals in a season
with the Blueshirts (41 in 2011-12).
Dan Girardi and Dustin Brown were teammates in
juniors with the Guelph Storm (OHL) for part of
one season (2002-03).
INDIVIDUAL CAREER STATISTICS VS.
KINGS
Rick Nash - 36 GP, 15-17-32 - Nash has tallied
three assists/points in two regular season games
against the Kings as a member of the Rangers. He
has notched 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in his
last 16 games against Los Angeles.
Keith Yandle - 41 GP, 5-19-24 - Yandle has
recorded 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in his
last 12 games against Los Angeles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
New York has posted a 14-1-1 record when
outscoring its opponent on special teams in 2014-15
Power Play:
• The Rangers were 1-for-2 (2:45) on the
power play on Mar. 22 vs. Anaheim
• The Blueshirts have posted an 18-6-4 record
in games which they have tallied a PPG this
season
Penalty Kill:
• The Rangers were 1-for-1 (2:00) on the
penalty kill on Mar. 22 vs. Anaheim
• The Blueshirts rank eighth in the NHL on
the penalty kill this season (83.5%; 172-for206)
• New York is tied for fourth in the NHL and is tied for first in the Eastern Conference
- in SHG (eight) this season despite playing
the seventh-fewest minutes shorthanded of
any NHL team (350:59). The Rangers are
tied for second in the NHL in SHG (18)
since 2013-14.
• The Rangers are 20-for-22 (90.9%) on the
penalty kill over the last eight games and are
27-for-30 (90%) on the penalty kill over the
last 11 contests. The Blueshirts have not
allowed a power play goal in 14 of the last
19 games (46-for-52; 88.5%) and they are
108-for-126 (85.7%) on the penalty kill over
the last 47 games.
FEWEST GAMES IT HAS TAKEN TO EARN
100 POINTS IN ONE SEASON IN FRANCHISE
HISTORY
SEASON # OF GAMES
1971-72 67
1970-71 73
1972-73 73
2011-12 75
1991-92 76
1993-94 77
2005-06 77
TOP OF THE HEAP
The Rangers enter the contest with the top record in
the NHL this season. The Blueshirts are the only
team to rank in the top five in the NHL in both
goals per game and goals against per game in 201415. The Blueshirts are also the only team to rank in
the top three in the NHL in all of the following
categories: point percentage (first - .697), goal
differential (first - plus-54), wins (tied for first - 46),
points (tied for first - 99), regulation/OT wins
(second - 42), goals against per game (second 2.22), and goals per game (third - 3.00). The
Blueshirts also have the fewest regulation losses
(18) and fewest overall losses (regulation +
overtime/shootout; 25) in the NHL this season.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
• Marc Staal - 3 assists away from 100 in his
NHL career
• Dan Girardi - 4 points away from 200 in his
NHL career
WINNING WAYS
The Rangers earned their 45th win of the season on
Mar. 21 at Carolina. The Blueshirts have won at
least 45 games in each of the last two seasons and
they reached the 45-win plateau for the eighth time
in franchise history. The Blueshirts reached the 45win plateau in 70 games, which is the secondfewest contests it has taken a Rangers team to earn
45 wins in franchise history (1971-72 - 67 games).
The Rangers have earned at least 23 wins both at
home and on the road in the same season for the
third time in franchise history (also accomplished
the feat in 1993-94 and 2011-12).
100-POINT CLUB
The Rangers, who have earned 99 points in 71
games this season, are one point away from
reaching the 100-point plateau for the eighth time in
franchise history.
TWO GOOD
New York has allowed two goals or fewer in ten
consecutive games and in 39 of 71 games in 201415. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the
Blueshirts have allowed two goals or fewer in at
least ten straight games for the first time since Feb.
20 – Mar. 18, 1971 (12 consecutive games). The
Rangers have posted a 35-2-2 record when allowing
two or fewer goals in a contest this season.
third - four), takeaways (sixth - 66), and plus/minus
rating (tied for eighth - plus-24). He is the only
NHL player who ranks among the top 10 in all of
those categories.
HOME COOKING
New York has won six of its last seven home games
(6-1-0) and has earned at least one point in 11 of its
last 12 home games (9-1-2 record). The Blueshirts
have won 15 of their last 20 home contests (15-3-2)
and 18 of their last 24 home games (18-4-2). The
Rangers have also earned at least one point in 28 of
their last 34 home games, dating back to Oct. 16
(23-6-5 over the span).
TOO HOT TO YANDLE
Keith Yandle tied single-game career-highs with
three assists/points on Mar. 22 vs. Anaheim.
Yandle's third assist of the game was also his 40th
assist of the season. He has reached the 40-assist
plateau in each of the last two seasons and in three
of the last five seasons (three of the last four 82game seasons). Yandle is also the only NHL
defenseman who has registered three 40-assist
seasons since 2010-11. He leads all NHL
defensemen in power play assists (25) and power
play points (27), ranks second among NHL
defensemen in assists (40), and is tied for 10th
among NHL defensemen in points (45) this season.
MAKING NOISE ON THE WESTERN FRONT
The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in nine
of their last 10 games against Western Conference
opponents (7-1-2) and have posted a 13-3-2 record
in their last 18 games against teams in the Western
Conference. The Rangers have posted a 16-4-5
record against Western Conference opponents this
season, as well as an 11-1-1 record against teams in
the Pacific Division.
A STAR ON BROADWAY
Cam Talbot has allowed two goals or fewer in each
of his last nine appearances. Talbot has posted a 61-0 record, along with a 1.13 GAA, a .965 SV%,
and 2 SO in his last seven appearances. He has also
posted a 7-1-1 record, along with a 1.13 GAA, a
.965 SV%, and 1 SO in his last nine games. Talbot
has posted a 10-2-1 record, along with a 1.52 GAA,
.951 SV%, and 2 SO in his last 13 games. He has
earned at least one point in 17 of his last 19
appearances, posting a 14-2-3 record, along with a
2.03 GAA, a .936 SV%, and 2 SO over the span.
Talbot has also earned at least one point in 18 of 21
appearances since Feb. 4, posting a 15-3-3 record,
along with a 2.12 GAA, a .930 SV%, and 2 SO
during the stretch.
RICK ROLLING
Rick Nash enters the game ranked among the top 10
in the NHL in all of the following categories: even
strength goals (first - 30), SHG (tied for first - four),
goals per game (second - 0.56), games with a goal
(tied for second - 32), goals (third - 39), SOG (third
- 268), GWG (tied for third - eight), SHP (tied for
INJURIES (102 Man-Games Lost to Injury):
• Kevin Klein - upper-body - 3-4 weeks
• Henrik Lundqvist - neck - injured reserve
• Martin St. Louis - lower-body - 10-14 days
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
None
DESPERATE TEAMS ON HORIZON FOR
BLUESHIRTS
Tuesday night marks the first time the Los Angeles
Kings visit Madison Square Garden since last year’s
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. While those
memories — both good and bad — still linger for
the Rangers in uniform from last June, the focus is
on this year and this team.
“I’m sure there’s a little bit, yeah,” Rangers
captain Ryan McDonagh said when asked about
the carryover feelings from last spring. “Once
you see the guys on the ice … you remember
those games from last year. It’s been a long time
since. It’s a new year. We’ve got a good thing
going again, so we’ve got to focus on this group.”
The two finalists from last year find themselves in
very different positions this time around. The
Rangers enter tonight’s game tied for the League
lead in points with 99, though they’ve played at
least two fewer games than the other two teams its
tied with. They lead the Metropolitan Division by
seven points over the Islanders despite playing two
fewer games.
The Kings, on the other hand, find themselves in
familiar territory. After a slow start to the season,
Los Angeles has found its game in recent weeks and
are back to within just two points of a playoff spot,
as it trails Calgary by two points for the final spot in
the Pacific Division, though L.A. has played one
fewer game.
“I think for us, our goal is to win against every
team, every night,” said Carl Hagelin, who is
expected to remain on a line with Kevin Hayes
and Jesper Fast. “We want to get two points and
this is the team that ended our season last year.”
The Rangers enter Tuesday’s game the more rested
of the two squads, with Los Angeles playing in New
Jersey Monday night, a 3-1 win over the Devils.
This season the Rangers are 7-1-0 when they’re
rested and the opponent played the night before.
“We’re definitely going to come out there and play
as hard as we can,” Hagelin continued. “We know
they’re going to be flying. We know they play with
a lot of desperation, playing for a playoff spot. It’s
our job to come out tonight and get the two points.”
The Rangers are closing in on its first goal of the
season, as Alain Vigneault likes to say, in getting a
checkmark next to its name in the standings
signifying a playoff spot has been clinched. With
that said, the pedal is not coming off the gas in New
York despite some breathing room in both the
division and the conference.
Another Vingeault-ism is that there are no easy
games in the NHL, and a quick peak at what
remains for the Rangers in the final 11 contests
drives that point home. Outside of two games
against New Jersey and one against the Columbus
Blue Jackets, every other team on the horizon is
either in a playoff spot or within one spot of one.
“We’re trying to reach the top of the League, the
top of our division,” said Derick Brassard, who
recorded two assists in the Rangers’ victory over
the Kings in Los Angeles on Jan. 8. “[The Kings]
are battling for a playoff spot. The next couple
teams we’re going to face, I think they’re
battling for a spot. It’s going to keep us on our
toes.”
Hagelin said he views games against desperate
teams as a positive at this point in the season.
“You can feel they’re different types of games,”
Hagelin said. “I think when we played in Carolina,
it was a bit looser. It’s definitely good to play teams
that are battling for a playoff spot or know that
they’re going to play in the playoffs but are trying
to reach the playoff pace within the team.”
With games against Washington, Boston and
Ottawa coming up, the Blueshirts will be tested
before the postseason begins.
“We have a pretty tough schedule coming up,”
Hagelin said, “and we’re going to do everything
we can to win every game.”
By Matt Calamia
W2W4: RANGERS VS. KINGS 3.24.15
Who: New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Where: Madison Square Garden
When: Tuesday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and
NewYorkRangers.com
*****************************************
The Skinny:
Coming off one of their most impressive victories
of the season, a 7-2 thrashing of the Anaheim Ducks
Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the
Rangers (46-18-7, 99 pts) next face the team that
beat them in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, the Los
Angeles Kings (35-23-14, 84 pts), Tuesday night at
MSG. While the Rangers are currently sitting atop
the league standings--owning the tiebreaker over
both Anaheim and Montreal, both of whom also
have 99 points--the defending champion Kings are
in a wicked struggle to earn one of the wild card
berths in the Western Conference. The Kings will
find in the Rangers not only a team coming off a big
win in its last game, but one that has won two
straight, seven of eight, and is an incredible 35-8-3
since December 8. The Rangers own the league's
second-best goals against average, and have
allowed two goals or fewer in ten consecutive
games coming into play Tuesday. New York is also
third in the league offensively, averaging an even
3.00 goals per game. No team has lost fewer games
in regulation (18) or overall (25) than the Blueshirts
this season. Should the Rangers earn at least one
point Tuesday they will reach 100 points for the
second time in four years, and for the eighth time in
franchise history. Also should the Rangers reach
100 points Tuesday it would mark the second
fewest games the team has reached that particular
milestone in franchise history--just 72 games, five
more than the 1971-72 Blueshirts. New York will
play again without the injured Henrik Lundqvist,
Martin St. Louis and Kevin Klein, though
Lundqvist will take part in the morning skate--his
first team activity since the beginning of February.
The Kings have defenseman Alec Martinez back
from the injured list, though Tanner Pearson
remains sidelined. Veteran center Mike Richards,
who was sent to the minor leagues in January, is
back with the club and played in Monday night's 31 win over the Devils--which started a five-game
road trip for L.A. Cam Talbot will start in goal for
the Rangers while Jonathan Quick likely will get the
call for the desperate-for-points Kings, despite
playing the night before in New Jersey.
a double overtime victory over the Rangers in Game
Five and New York exacted a small measure of
revenge with a 4-3 win. Cam Talbot started in goal
for New York and stopped 28 of 31 shots, saving
his best for the final few frantic minutes as the
Kings tried to score the equalizer in that January
contest. The Kings had raced to an early 2-0 lead
before the Rangers scored four straight goals--with
Dan Boyle (1-1-2) and Derick Brassard (0-2-2)
pacing the attack with two points apiece. The last
time the Kings played at MSG it was Game Four of
the Stanley Cup Final, June 11, 2014, and the
Rangers kept their title dreams alive with a 2-1
victory. The most recent regular season contest
between these teams at The Garden took place on
November 17, 2013, a 1-0 Kings victory in which
Ben Scrivens filled in with a 37-save shutout for
L.A.
Players To Watch:
The Series:
Rangers-Cam Talbot: An injury prevented him
from dressing in any of the Stanley Cup Final
games last spring against the Kings, but Cam Talbot
will be making his second start this season against
the defending champions--on the same day Henrik
Lundqvist finally returns to the ice to practice with
his teammates during the morning skate. There's the
feeling now that Talbot's time as the team's starting
goaltender is winding down with Lundqvist inching
closer to game action after nearly a seven-week
layoff due to a vascular injury, but Talbot is not
letting that affect his play at all. Talbot stopped 36
of 38 shots in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Ducks, just
24 hours after backstopping a 3-2 shootout victory
in Carolina; and he now has allowed two goals or
fewer in each of his last nine starts (11 in total).
Talbot has started 21 of the 23 games Lundqvist has
missed with the injury, posting a remarkable 15-3-3
record in that span, helping the Blueshirts vault into
first place in the division, and as of Sunday first
overall in the league.
Last year's Stanley Cup finalists close out their
2014-15 regular season series Tuesday night at
MSG with the Rangers looking for a two-game
sweep of the Kings. Back on January 8 at the
Staples Center the two teams met for the first time
since the Kings captured the 2014 Stanley Cup with
Kings-Mike Richards: The veteran center and twotime Cup winner with the Kings was demoted to the
American Hockey League on January 26th and
spent two months with the Manchester Monarchs
before being recalled this past weekend. He
recorded 14 points (3-11-14) in 16 games with the
Monarchs after managing just 15 points (5-10-15)
and a minus seven plus/minus rating in 47 games
with the Kings. He skated on the third line Monday
night against New Jersey, and could be a valuable
addition to the lineup if he can re-establish his gritty
two-way game. A former 30-goal scorer from his
days with the Flyers when he was a real nemesis of
the Rangers--who can forget his memorable feud
with Brandon Dubinsky?--Richards scored one goal
and added an assist during the Stanley Cup Final
last June against the Blueshirts.