Pittsburgh Penguins @ Los Angeles Kings - 11/5/09 - 7:30PM

johnjm22 · 11-05-2009, 04:58 PM

.

Los Angeles Kings
(9-4-2, 20 pts)

VS.

Pittsburgh Penguins
(12-3-0, 24 pts)

7:30PM (PST) @ Staples Center Los Angeles, CA

TV Broadcast: FS-W (Home), FS-P (Away)
Radio Broadcast: KTLK 1150, XM 206
Online Video Stream: ATDHE.NET, YAHOO

GAME PREIVEW

Last 10 -- Penguins 8-2-0; Kings 5-3-2

Season series -- This will be the one and only meeting between the teams during the regular season. The Penguins have taken all three meetings from the Kings since 2005-06.

Big story -- The Penguins are trying to extend their perfection away from home and improve to 8-0-0 on the road. They also won in California for just the second time since 1999 when they beat Anaheim 4-3 on Tuesday. The upstart Kings would like to send a message to the rest of the League by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Team Scope:
Penguins -- The Penguins are trying to adjust to life without injured stars Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar -- and so far so good. They are 4-2-0 since Gonchar went down with an injured wrist and Malkin followed a few games later with a shoulder problem.

"We're just trying to do our best, and we're adjusting to new things," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think that it's difficult when you lose two guys (Malkin and Gonchar) like we've lost. We've just got to adjust and find ways to be successful."

One player who is adjusting just fine is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who hasn't missed a beat in allowing 12 goals in his last five games.

Kings -- It's not surprising to read about the League's leading scorer when the Penguins are involved in a game. Crosby and Malkin both have won the Hart Trophy, but on this night, the leading scorer in the NHL is wearing a Kings jersey in the form of Anze Kopitar.

"It's really nice and something I'm really proud of, but this is Game 12," he told the L.A. Times earlier this season. "After 70 more games, we'll see where I'll be."

The Slovenian center has played 15 games, and his 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) continue to lead the League.

Who's hot -- Penguins left wing Pascal Dupuis has just three goals this season, but he has two in his last two games. For the Kings, Ryan Smyth is coming off a two-goal, four-point night against the Coyotes in his last game.

Stat pack -- Fleury is 2-1-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average in three career starts against the Kings. However, he has a 3.44 GAA in his six road starts this season. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty has a six-game point-scoring streak (1 goal, 6 assists).

Puck drop -- Tonight marks the first meeting between Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi and the team he helped to win a Stanley Cup last season.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/preview.htm?i...vid=sb:preview

INJURIES

LOS ANGELES
Alec Martinez - Lower body (IR. Out until at least early November)

PITTSBURGH
Sergei Gonchar - Wrist (IR. Out until at least late November)
Maxime Talbot - Shoulder (Out until at least early November)
Evgeni Malkin - Shoulder (Out until at least mid-November)

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/injuries

RECENT MEETINGS

03/20/09 - LAK @ PIT 4-1 (Penguins)

*Kings All Time Record vs the Penguins: 69-57-18-1

http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=27159

LEADING SCORERS

Forwards
Kopitar, LA - 24PTS (11 G / 13 A, +7)
Crosby, PIT - 16PTS (9 G / 7 A, +10)

Defensemen
Doughty, LA - 13PTS (3 G / 10 A, +4)
Goligoski, PIT - 13PTS (6 G / 7 A, +13)

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

LOS ANGELES
Smyth - Kopitar - Williams
Parse - Stoll - Brown
Frolov - Handzus - Simmonds
Ivanans - Richardson - Purcell

Scuderi - Doughty
Johnson - O'Donnell
Drewiske - Greene

PITTSBURGH
Kunitz - Crosby - Guerin
Bourque - Staal - Fedotenko
Cooke - Adams - Dupuis
Conner - Rupp - Godard

Orpik - Letang
Eaton - Skoula
McKee - Goligoski

PROBABLE STARTING GOALTENDERS

Quick, LA - 14 GP (9-3-2)
GAA 2.61 / SV% .901

Fleury, PIT - 12 GP (10-2-0)
GAA 2.14 / SV% .916

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm

TEAM STATS

GAA
LA – 2.87 (T-14th)
PIT – 2.27 (T-3rd)

Avg. Goals For
LA – 3.40 (5th)
PIT – 3.20 (8th)

Power Play %
LA – 23.4 (T-8th)
PIT – 16.2 (22nd)

Penalty Kill %
LA – 74.1 (28th)
PIT – 82.5 (9th)

http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm...=nav-stn-confy

NHL GAMES TODAY

http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyday...=nav-sch-today

JDM · 11-05-2009, 04:58 PM

Ah, thar she blows!

Quote:

What does penguin taste like? Is it as yummy as duck?

The Pittsburgh Penguins make their way to the City of Kings (I don’t like the Angels, or Angels in general) tonight with an NHL record 7-0-0 road record to start their Stanley Cup hangover season. Not much of a hangover so far, but with a bit of grit and a few good bounces, the Los Angeles Kings are in prime position to give the Penguins a headache.

Many have talked about this game as a measuring stick. I prefer to think of it as a yard stick. Like the nuns in Sunday school used to have. Good for demeaning beatings. Sidney Crosby could use a good thwacking. Whether that comes from Dustin Brown making the golden child of the NHL more familiar with the boards at Staples than he’d like to be, or Anze Kopitar proving that there is a new superstar in the league, does not matter. Still, I’ll be rooting for both. Unfortunately, there is one Penguin the Kings’ won’t get a chance to properly thwack.

for the rest of the story, as well as a friendly reminder of why we must destroy these eastern foul, click here: http://lakingsnews.com/2009/11/05/pr...s-road-record/

GO KINGS GO!

Cabwaylingo · 11-05-2009, 05:04 PM

Lots of good matchups tonight. Nice GDT.

johnjm22 · 11-05-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

On how a team knows when they're becoming elite...

Crosby: "You go out there with the mentality that you expect to win, and I’m sure that’s something that is creeping into their minds right now. They expect to win, and they’re playing solid hockey. Kopitar is playing great. Everybody is playing great for them, but he’s really leading the way. So I would say, just beating good hockey teams builds confidence.”

More at:
http://lakingsinsider.com/?p=1140

RightKinger · 11-05-2009, 05:15 PM

Hoping for an exciting game and a Kings win. A win tonight would be huge for the teams confidence because it would be against the defending champs AND it would put an end to their road winning streak preventing the Pens from breaking the NHL record. I'm looking for a big game out of Kopitar because he is goig up against the NHL's best and he must continue his great play if the Kings want a "W" tonight.

johnjm22 · 11-05-2009, 05:16 PM

I'm looking for a big game out of Johnson. You know he wants to beat his bud Crosby.

JDM · 11-05-2009, 05:18 PM

I'd love to see one of Doughty's hipchecks on Crosby. But Scuderi's will do as well

Ollie Weeks · 11-05-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDM

I'd love to see one of Doughty's hipchecks on Crosby. But Scuderi's will do as well

With Crosby involved? Instant suspension.

JDM · 11-05-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoneface Vimes

With Crosby involved? Instant suspension.

True. But still...

Doughty will get him.

DAkings20 · 11-05-2009, 05:32 PM

should be an exciting game, but it will be tough to get 2 points imo: 5-4 pens in OT

DeeMeck · 11-05-2009, 05:34 PM

Acoording to the betting lines around the country....we are actually favorites tonight.

Cutty Sarkn3ss* · 11-05-2009, 05:36 PM

I always want this team to win but I won't be too upset if we lose. As long as it's a hard fought game, I'll be happy.

Cruel11 · 11-05-2009, 05:44 PM

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

The Dingo · 11-05-2009, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruel11

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

The Nerd? That's Steve Urkel. Show some respect

johnjm22 · 11-05-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruel11

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

LOL, where'd you get that pic?

I wonder what's in Doughty's cup...

Telos · 11-05-2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruel11

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

That is like the greatest thing I have ever seen

Kings man 4 life · 11-05-2009, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruel11

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

That is classic lol

Cutty Sarkn3ss* · 11-05-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruel11

Kings win 5-3.
Goals by the Nerd, the Pimp, Flavor Flav, Johnson, and Kopitar.

HAH, that's pretty funny

KopitarFAN · 11-05-2009, 06:16 PM

5-2 Pens

66-29-33 · 11-05-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeMeck

Acoording to the betting lines around the country....we are actually favorites tonight.

I would not be surprised. We are without Malkin, Gonchar, and Talbot (mr superstar himself) tonight.

Jill Sandwich · 11-05-2009, 06:30 PM

Hey guys, hope for a good game tonight, and go Rob Scuderi.

I find it funny that the NHL's own website believes that Evgeni Malkin has won the Hart trophy.

**kingsholygrail** · 11-05-2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fire Therrien

Hey guys, hope for a good game tonight, and go Rob Scuderi.

I find it funny that the NHL's own website believes that Evgeni Malkin has won the Hart trophy.

Maybe he got an honorary one mailed to him?

Here's hoping the Kings show up and play some great hockey. If they come away with point(s), I'll be happy.

KingsRule · 11-05-2009, 06:51 PM

The kings are going to win tonight! I have faith in them! This is the first time in years that i can actually say we have a shot at winning any game, and dont cringe when the opposing team is on the attack. go kings!!!

p.s. thanks tony

Cruel11 · 11-05-2009, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnjm22

LOL, where'd you get that pic?

I wonder what's in Doughty's cup...

My sister emailed to me. She said she was browsing around on Photobucket when she stumbled onto this.

DAkings20 · 11-05-2009, 07:29 PM

according to Barry, Crosby may be out tonight. Who knows if he's right though.