LOS ANGELES -- The Columbus Blue Jackets weren't nearly as upset about losing to Los Angeles as they were about a check the Kings' Rob Scuderi put on Jason Chimera in the first period with his team holding a two-goal lead.

About nine minutes into Los Angeles' 6-2 victory on Sunday night, Scuderi sent Chimera somersaulting face-first into the ice with a classic old-school hip check along the right boards in the Kings' zone. Chimera came up bleeding from his right eyebrow, and teammate Derek Dorsett immediately came off the bench to go after Scuderi.

"I don't care what you call it. It was dirty hit," Chimera said. "I've been hip-checked before, but this wasn't a hip check at all. It was a direct hit on the knees. I mean, I landed on my face on the ice, and my neck was squished against the ice. I'm lucky I didn't come out with a concussion or something.

"There's no room in the game for that. There's got to be a level of respect out there," Chimera added. "There are too many guys that are carried out on stretchers because of dirty stuff. [The referees] had no explanation, so I don't know what they were thinking. When the guy takes your knees out, what are you supposed to do?"

Kings coach Terry Murray didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

"That's one of those hits that's been around for 50 years or longer. We used to see that all the time," Murray said. "The player skate toward you with his speed and his momentum carries him over your back. It seems that there's a lot of reaction to hits around the league now, and it was just the same scenario here tonight."

The incident resulted in a game misconduct for Dorsett and a 10-minute misconduct for Chimera, who had to be restrained by linesman Don Henderson when he tried to get near the Kings' bench. The Blue Jackets also got a bench minor for too many men on the ice, but the Kings came up empty on the ensuing power play.

SUNRISE, FLA. - Jack Johnson couldn't quite finish his end-to-end rush in overtime. The Los Angeles Kings defenseman didn't miss his chance in the shootout.

Johnson scored the only goal in the shootout, rallying the Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Monday night.

"I just wanted to make sure we got the two points," Johnson said. "In that situation, it's you against him (the goalie) and you want to make it count."

Johnson's rush in the final 10 seconds of overtime was the best scoring chance for either team in the extra period. He lost control of the puck after beating defenseman Jordan Leopold and skating in alone on Tomas Vokoun.

In the shootout, he scored after Anze Kopitar shot wide on Los Angeles' first shootout attempt. Johnson beat Vokoun after a deke to his forehand.

"I definitely wanted to help the team win in any way I could, whether it was in the overtime or the shootout," Johnson said. "I'm glad it worked out for us."

Jonathan Quick stopped Rostislav Olesz and Steven Reinprecht before clinching the victory with a stick save on Cory Stillman's backhand off a deke.

Los Angeles improved to 2-2 in shootouts, while Florida dropped to 4-2. Both teams had won their previous game in a shootout Florida at home against the Islanders, 5-4, and Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, 2-1.

"It could go either way (in the shootout)," Quick said. "You just try to make the stops and let the rest take care of itself."

Johnson and Jarret Stoll scored power-play goals, and Randy Jones scored short-handed for the Kings, who came back from a 2-0 deficit and closed out a five-game road trip at 3-2.

Quick finished with 26 saves for Los Angeles, which beat Florida for the fifth straight time.

Nathan Horton, Stillman and Victor Oreskovich scored for the Panthers. Vokoun, who came in with three shutouts in his previous five starts, stopped 31 shots.

"Obviously, shootouts are a lottery," Vokoun said. "They're fun to win, but they're not so much fun to lose. We came out on the short side today, but this game should have been won in regulation."

Los Angeles scored three consecutive times before Oreskovich tied the game at 3 at 14:55 with his first NHL goal. Bryan Allen's shot from the point went off someone in front of the net and floated to the side. Oreskovich put the puck down and put it into the open net.

"It hopped up there and I grabbed with my hand and had the whole empty net there," said Oreskovich, a rookie playing in his seventh NHL game. "It's great to get my first goal there, but if I would have missed that, it would have been pretty bad.

"It's pretty exciting. The timing made it a little sweeter, I guess, but it's unfortunate we didn't get the two points. ... Getting one is better than nothing."

Jones had given the Kings a 3-2 lead at 7:58 of the third. With teammate Alexander Frolov in the penalty box for goaltender interference, Jones scored off a rebound when Vokoun couldn't control Michal Handzus' high slap shot.

Johnson began the Kings' comeback at 9:10 of the second with a slap shot from just inside the blue line.

Stoll tied the game 2-2 at 2:23 of the third period with a slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that deflected off Leopold. Stoll scored off a feed from Kopitar, who came into the game as the NHL's scoring leader with 31 points.

"Last year, we might have packed it in after being down 2-0," Quick said, "but this year we have shown a lot of character."

Horton opened the scoring at 2:05 of the second with a power-play goal. He beat Quick over his right shoulder with a wrist from the wing.

Stillman scored 1:35 later on a 2-on-1 set up by a beautiful pass from Dennis Seidenberg from deep inside the Florida zone to Steven Reinprecht just inside the Kings blue line. Reinprecht then fed Stillman for a one-timer tip-in.

"I think the deciding factor for me was in the second period when we had two or three opportunities to extend the lead to three and put them away," said Florida coach Pete DeBoer. "We didn't do that. That's why we only ended up with a point."

NOTES

Kings LW Ryan Smyth sustained an upper-body injury in the third period and did not return. He will be evaluated on Tuesday.

Kings D Rob Scuderi missed the game because of a lower-leg injury sustained in Saturday's 2-1 shootout victory at Tampa Bay.

Kings coach Terry Murray coached the Panthers for two-plus seasons, starting in 1998.

Florida missed a chance to tie its longest winning streak of the season.

The Panthers haven't beaten the Kings since Oct. 26, 2001.

Kings coach Terry Murray contemplated making a lineup change Thursday night, but decided against it. In Wednesday's practice, Murray replaced Scott Parse with Teddy Purcell -- who had previously been a healthy scratch -- on the third line, and Murray indicated that he would think about making the change for Thursday's game. But after Thursday's morning skate, Murray decided to keep Parse alongside Alexander Frolov and Michal Handzus, with the warning that Parse needed to show a more consistent game.

-- It's been a long, cold East Coast road trip for the Kings, but a good one for defenseman Peter Harrold. Harrold, a native of Kirtland Hills, Ohio, was able to play in front of his parents twice this week, Saturday at Detroit and Thursday at Columbus. On Saturday, Harrold will get a chance to play at Boston, the city in which he played college hockey for four seasons, at Boston College.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's pretty special. You see the guys reaching 300, 400, 500, those big guys, and it's pretty nice. Now I've got it started, a little milestone, and I'm ready to score a couple more now, too." -- Kings center Anze Kopitar, who scored the 100th and 101st goals of his NHL career

The Kings' all-time goaltending list is admittedly not that impressive. Sure you have Rogie Vachon, Felix Potvin and Kelly Hrudey. But for each of those names, you have a Dan Cloutier, Jason LaBarbera or Rick Knickle.

So when a player can rise up and set a team record in goaltending, you tend to pay attention. That's exactly what happened Tuesday when Jonathan Quick tallied his 36th win of the season to break Mario Lessard's 30-year record.

The Kings picked up where they left off back in February, mainly kicking ass and taking names. Tuesday's team was the Dallas Stars, a team they have outright owned this season. And it was a perfect start to the pressurized stretch run.

I have to say, this "stretch" run is going to be more of a sprint than a run. The league closed up shop for the Olympics, and players couldn't even practice for a week while the Games were underway in Vancouver. But the time off wasn't wasted as teams got healthy and rested for the playoffs.

Sure, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Michal Handzus and Drew Doughty didn't get a break, but thank goodness Quick got some rest. The kid has been an iron man for the Kings this season, and it was nice for Burke to name him to the U.S. team. But let's face it, Quick was  the Christian Laettner of the U.S. Olympic hockey team. A good player in his own right, but wasn't going to see the ice unless something unforeseen happened.

The time off the ice probably gave Quick some time to think and focus on what he needs to do when he laces up the skates for the Kings. And he was able to come out and pick up where he left off for L.A.

Almost.

Quick had several flubs handling the puck. His paddle pass in the first period almost cost a goal. Another pass got away from him later in the game. But what little rust had settled on him was gone at the end of the game. I also heard that he and his wife are expecting a baby any day now. It's been a whirlwind season for Quick, and it's been exciting to see him evolve into the top-end goalie Kings fans have been thirsting for.

Jarret Stoll started the scoring off for L.A. in the first period. He had been struggling on the offensive side of the puck, so it was nice for him to light the lamp first game back.

An example of the beatdown L.A. put on Dallas was the fight Wayne Simmonds had with Jeff Woywitka. Over on hockeyfights.com ,over 85 percent of voters gave the fight to Simmonds. Woywitka hadchecked Simmonds into the boards, then tried to add insult to injury byknocking off Wayne's lid. All that did was awaken a sleeping lion, asSimmonds proceeded to layeth the smacketh down on Woywitka, who probably wished he hadn't kicked that hornet's nest.

The Kings responded by hitting their stride in the period. Goals from Alexander Frolov, Brad Richardson and Ryan Smyth had the Kings in the driver's seat in the second period. Dallas had one goal in the third period, and outshot L.A. 32-22. But the game really wasn't ever in question. When Anze Kopitar popped in his 29th goal with seven seconds left, all that was left was the whimpering of the hapless Stars.

Alexander Frolov, perhaps miffed on not getting the nod from Russia for the Olympics, had a goal and two assists. Despite have three assists, Olympic gold medalist Drew Doughty looked out of sync compared to how he played in Vancouver. However, he was good enough to get the second star. Quick rounded out the top three, giving L.A. a sweep of the top players on the ice.

More importantly, the win gave the Kings 80 points on the season, surpassing last season's total. Since I started blogging back in 2006, I have witnessed the team hit its rockiest seasons. But it has been great to see this team grow and turn into a force. With 20 more games left in the season, it's realistic to say the team won't crack the top three in the West. But many people are finally accepting the fact that L.A. is for real.

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Drew Doughty is entering his third year in the league after a 16-goal, 59-point sophomore season. Remember, he's a defenseman.

With his unbelievable spin move and high hockey IQ, Doughty has become a legitimate threat from the back end and should be in the conversation as one of the best defensemen in the league.

Now that a solid core has been build in LA, coach Terry Murray is more willing to open up gameplay and let his scoring players freewheel in the offensive zone in order to find the back of the net. This should allow Doughty more room to work and let it rip from the blueline

True to the legends of stoic hockey players who play through injuries that would make other athletes retreat to the disabled list for weeks, Kopitar came back in the third period and scored in the shootout on a backhander past Roberto Luongo .

Jonathan Quick had stopped Vancouver's first shooter, Mason Raymond, and he frustrated the next shooter, Ryan Kesler. When Jack Johnson scored on a wrist shot that clanged off the post, the Kings had completed an impressive rally against the team that had eliminated them from the playoffs last spring

"I wouldn't say revenge. More of a boost for [Sunday] to get off to a good start," Kopitar said, referring to the Kings' next game, at Calgary. "With the young guys coming into the league I'm sure they feel a little better after a win than they would after a loss.

"We knew it was going to be an emotional game. They beat us. No secret. But there's still three games left with those guys and every single one is going to be emotional and hard."

Kopitar said he had no quarrel with the lack of a penalty against Malhotra.

"The guy went to clear the puck and got me on the follow-through," Kopitar said. "Sometimes that is a penalty, sometimes not. In this case it wasn't. It's not like I had the puck and the guy high-sticked me."

He also said he never thought about staying in the locker room even though he was staggered by the shot to the face and had to be helped off the ice, bent over at the waist as he glided off.

"I had it in my head I was going to come back as soon as I left the ice surface," said Kopitar, who went off at 8:57 and was ready to go by the time the period ended.

Said Williams: "I was telling him I don't know what took so long. He looks fine."

Other than three needless penalties taken by Alexei Ponikarovsky in his Kings debut, the Kings looked solid throughout the game. Brayden Schenn filled in neatly for Kopitar, Kyle Clifford was a physical force and took no guff, and defenseman Jake Muzzin looked capable paired mostly with Davis Drewiske.

They came expecting a battle, and that's what they got.

The Canucks scored first, at 11:58 of the second period, during a power play. Daniel Sedin took a pass from his brother, Henrik — who was appointed the team's captain Saturday — and threw the puck in front. Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi got a stick on it but it bounced to Christian Ehrhoff, who tapped it in.

The Kings tied it at 15:55 of the third period, also during a power play. Dustin Brown took a shot from above the left circle that glanced off Michal Handzus and to Justin Williams , who tapped it in for a goal that was reward for the punishment he took all night.

"They're a very aggressive defensive team," Williams said. "Their defense is always coming. You've always got to be ready to get hit."

The Kings had a chance to win it during an overtime power play, controlling the puck for just about the entire advantage and forcing Luongo to make several good saves. Luongo stopped six shots in overtime and 31 overall. Quick stopped 23, but he stopped short of saying it was a payback for the Kings' playoff loss last spring.

"At the end of the day it's one game, one game of 82, and we'll take it for what it's worth," he said. "We got the two points and that's what we came in for."

That made it easy for them to smile afterward, even Kopitar, through his pain.

The goal-starved Kings needed to know whether he could still make those chances go in.

He gave them a strongly affirmative reply Tuesday, lifting them to a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers before a Staples Center crowd that had not seen its heroes since April 25, when they lost a six-game playoff series to the Vancouver Canucks .

Smyth, taken off the top line and grafted onto a line with Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams , brought the Kings even when he backhanded a rebound past Chris Mason at 3:53 of the third period. He set up Jarret Stoll's go-ahead goal at 6:10 with a fine lead pass and scored into an empty net with 30 seconds left, delighting the announced sellout crowd.

The victory ended the Kings' 0-2-1 streak against the Thrashers and was their first over the Thrashers since Jan. 19, 2006.

"A guy like Smitty, he's been around so long, he's getting chances, you know they're going to go in sooner or later," said Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who made 31 saves. "That was a huge goal to tie it up there and from there we got a lot of momentum going our way and we were able to get the second goal."

After two unproductive games by Smyth, Coach Terry Murray had moved him off the top line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown and replaced him with rookie Andrei Loktionov. For the first two periods neither line seemed to have a lot of chemistry. But Smyth came out blazing in the final period and helped the Kings tie it at 1-1.

He scored from his usual close range, capping off a play that began with a fine pass by Kopitar to Williams, who took an unsuccessful swipe at the puck. Smyth cruised in deep on the left side for a 10-foot backhander, his first goal of the season.

The Kings pulled ahead at 6:10, after Smyth sent a lead pass to Stoll, who skated in on the right side and took a 35-foot shot that appeared to deflect off a Thrasher defender before getting past Mason's right arm and stick.

The first period was scoreless, and the Thrashers had a 12-9 edge in shots. The Kings killed three disadvantages, again quickly changing forwards and often sending Stoll out just for the faceoff and pulling him back to the bench as soon as the action permitted.

The Kings had a couple of other good chances. Wayne Simmonds hit the left post from about 25 feet away at the 10-minute mark, and Brayden Schenn pounced on the rebound but couldn't find the open left side of the net and instead sent the shot wide.

Seconds after Brown hit the right post from point-blank range in the second period, the Thrashers took the lead.

Schenn was credited with a faceoff win over Alexander Burmistrov in the neutral zone but the puck came to Atlanta's Chris Thorburn. He made defensemen Jake Muzzin and Davis Drewiske look bad by getting between them for a shot that Quick pushed aside. But the rebound came directly to Thorburn, who flicked a wrist shot past Quick at 2:26 for his second goal this season.

The fans became restless, but Smyth later rekindled all the emotions they had held in all summer with his feats.

"I played with Stollie a little bit in Edmonton, not a whole lot, and a little bit last year," Smyth said. "I had a chance to play with Willie most of last year. We work well off each other and hopefully this is the start of something."

As opposed to the end for Smyth, who seems to have some life in him yet.

Los Angeles Kings brass is really hoping that Bernier pans out for this team.  They used a high first round draft pick on him. 

If you look at the 2006 NHL Entry draft, there really isn't anyone that stands out after Bernier.  It appeared to be a no brainer to pick this kid!  Now he is going to get his shot as Quick's back-up for the 2010/2011 season. 

I'll be honest. I was one of the people that predicted that Bernier would overtake Quick as the Kings' number one goalie.  That being said, I didn't think it would happen until about December. 

Quick has been incredibly quick to silence his critics this season.  I was at the opening game in Vancouver, and he was incredibly sharp.  His pads were looking stellar, and his play was the same.  Not only did he make a few key stops in the game, he also managed to not let in a weak goal (something that has become somewhat of a custom with Quick).  He played really well in Vancouver. 

The next night in Calgary, Jon Bernier played.  Although the Kings lost, he looked quite solid.  However, the Conroy goal wasn't anything that I would be writing home about.  I tried not to look at the replay; it was just so bad. 

In the next two games, Quick was back at the helm.  He managed to shut down the Atlanta Thrashers and then completely stone the Vancouver Canucks for the second time that week. 

So I ask you, which Jon Quick is the real one?  Is it the one that we saw last year down the stretch who looked weak and tired?  Or is it this agile, fast, great goaltender we have seen this season? 

You can't deny the stats.  Quick is running with a 0.97 GAA and a .963 save percentage.  Those stats are stellar.  He has yet to lose this season, and his confidence must be up in the clouds. 

People often thought of Bernier as the "goalie of the future" kind of guy.  Many hockey boards and rumour websites had the Kings trading Quick to a team like Philadelphia that looked as though it desperately need goal-tending. 

If I was Dean Lombardi, I wouldn't be so fast to trade Jon Quick.  He could quickly establish himself as the go to guy for the Kings.  It's a "problem" the Kings haven't had in a long time.  They have two guys that can comfortable play in that number one position.  We'll just have to see what the season brings. 

As of right now, Murray has made it quite clear that Quick is the number one guy. 

How long will this last? 

We are just out of October and the rumors are already starting to heat up on this young National Hockey League season.

With the New Jersey Devils off to the league's worst (and most surprising) start, it comes as no shock that many of these rumors focus on their players.

Everyone who follows the league knows of the Devils' salary cap woes. Luckily for them, Rolston went down early in the year. Could you imagine had the Devils needed to count his number against the cap? Yikes!

Let's backtrack to the summer months. So much was being made about Ilya Kovalchuk and his desire for a big contract. Make no mistake, the Kings tried desperately to sign this guy. It just wasn't in the cards.

In retrospect, general manager Dean Lombardi appears to have made the right choice. His team is off to a great start with a line-up that is firing on all cylinders.

There is no doubt that the Kings would love to add a top tier scorer to their forward lines. In the summer it looked as though Ilya Kovalchuk was going to be that guy.

If you read one of my earlier articles here on Bleacher Report, you will notice that I really think that Kovalchuk means more to the Kings than he ever will for the Devils. Kovalchuk just isn't a Lou Lamoriello type player. That's not to say that he isn't a good player or a talented player. I'm just saying that he doesn't really fit into the "team" concept that the Devils like to play with.

Wow, the Kings have the best record in the NHL and our future looks bright!

GO L.A.!!!!

Kings beat down the mighty Ducks 4-1

<p>The Kings don't expect Oscar Moller, called up from the minor leagues Wednesday, to be an equal to Justin Williams, who is out for the rest of the regular season because of a serious shoulder injury.</p>

<p>Williams ranked second on the Kings in points at the time of his injury, and he is a veteran NHL winger. Moller is a 22-year-old winger with skill, but one who hasn't come close to proving himself at the NHL level.</p>

<p>So as the Kings continue their playoff push -- they host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night -- coach Terry Murray is looking for the second- and third-line players to step up in Williams' absence.</p>

<p>"It's hard to match the production," Murray said. "(Williams) has had a good year. He has played well, right from the very first day. When you start losing offense, it seems like it never ends, where you're searching for that kind of a player. You can have a good hockey club, and you're still saying, 'Gee, we could still use a little bit more on the offensive part of the game.' So, I don't know. We're just going to have to find a way to get some scoring here from other places.</p>

<p>"I don't want to put anybody out there, but I'd like to see Poni (Alexei Ponikarovsky) score more. His resume shows that he's a 20-, 25-goal scorer. I'd like to see that start to come together. Simmer (Wayne Simmonds), his numbers are not where they were last year, but the potential is there to put some goals in the net. So, I think, just other people have to start to chip in, from the forwards right through to the back end."</p>

<p>KINGS 4, Sharks 3 (SO): At the end of a Wild third period, in which three goals were scored in the final four minutes of regulation, the Kings managed to record the extra point with the shootout win. Dustin Brown's second goal of the game gave the Kings the lead with less than two minutes remaining, but San Jose's Patrick Marleau tied the game with 4.1 seconds remaining. Brown then scored in the fifth round of the shootout, and goalie Jonathan Quick improved to 9-0 in shootouts this season.</p>

<br />

<p>The hobbled Kings now head home. They play three of their final five games at Staples Center, and the other two games will require only a quick flight to San Jose and an hour-long bus ride to Anaheim.</p>

<p>At least in terms of mileage, the Kings couldn't ask for much more, and they need all the help they can get these days, as they are playing without their top two scorers, center Anze Kopitar and winger Justin Williams.</p>

<p>Neither Kopitar (ankle) nor Williams (shoulder) is expected to return this season, making it increasingly likely that the Kings will need to rely on their defense-and-goaltending formula in order to have success.</p>

<p>Still, Kings coach Terry Murray isn't a fan of suggestions -- voiced by some in the hockey media -- that the Kings' chances for success in the playoffs might be "done" because of the recent injuries.</p>

<p>"I don't think that would be the right thing to say," Murray said. "I think it would be very ignorant to talk about being 'done,' when we've got a very good group of guys in a solid locker room. That's what we're going to rely on."</p>

<p>CANUCKS 3, KINGS 1: The Kings seemed on track to do the improbable</p>

<p>-- claim a point against the NHL's top team, while playing without their top two scorers -- but things got progressively worse starting from the middle of the second period. First, the Canucks tied the game, then took the lead with less than a second to go in the second period. Then, while still in the game, the Kings did not record a shot on goal in the third period for only the fifth time in franchise history.</p>

<br />

<p>The Kings hoped that Dustin Penner would be the answer on their first line and provide a solid complement to center Anze Kopitar. That didn't work out, and Kopitar suffered a season-ending ankle injury last week.</p>

<p>Kopitar's injury only increases the Kings' need for production from Penner. So far, it hasn't really arrived. Acquired in a Feb. 28 trade with Edmonton in exchange for prospect Colten Teubert and two draft picks, Penner has two goals and four assists in 15 games with the Kings, but Penner also has not recorded a point in eight consecutive games heading into the Kings' game Monday night at San Jose.</p>

<p>Kings coach Terry Murray looked to shake things up for Penner on Saturday, when he put the winger on the Kings' third line, alongside veteran center Michal Handzus and team captain Dustin Brown.</p>

<p>"To me, it comes down to hard work," Murray said of Penner. "It requires smart work. It requires an adaption to new structure, a new team, a new system also, and I'm very mindful of that. You get hesitant sometimes, in playing the game, because you don't want to get caught out of position on the checking part of the game, to give something up to the opposition coming back at you."</p>

<p>KINGS 3, Stars 1: The Kings played a solid defensive game and moved to the edge of clinching a playoff spot.</p>

<p>If the Kings get at least two points out of their final four games, or if the Stars fail to get at least two points for the rest of the season, the Kings will be in the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Matt Greene's unexpected goal -- his second goal of the season -- broke a 1-1 tie in the third period, and Dustin Brown added an empty-net goal as the Kings outshot the Stars 32-25 and went on to win.</p>

<br />

 

Kings look for improvement in the faceoff circle

The Sports Xchange
April 22, 2011   Kings look for improvement in the faceoff circle · Roster Report · Notes, Quotes  

In the day between Games 3 and 4 of this first-round series, Kings coach Terry Murray did his best to drive home a point to his team: it's easier to gain possession of a puck than regain possession of it.

Meaning, success starts in the faceoff circle, and to this point -- Game 5 of the series will be played Saturday night in San Jose -- success in the faceoff circle has been a mixed bag at best for the Kings.

The Kings were strong on faceoffs in the regular season -- they ranked 10th in success percentage -- but the Sharks were better, as they ranked second. So far, those numbers have extend to the playoffs, as the Sharks won 50 percent of draws in Game 1, 60 percent in Game 2, 61 percent in Game 3 and 41 percent in Game 4.

San Jose has been particularly adept at power-play faceoffs, and Murray addressed the stat with his team.

"It's more than talking," Murray said before Game 4. "This is huge. This is a big, big thing. They're a very good faceoff team. They do put pucks to the net and arrive quickly to try to get a faceoff. That is part of the strategy."

SHARKS 6, KINGS 3: The Kings faced a 3-0 deficit in the middle of the second period, then closed the period strong with two goals.

Unfortunately for the Kings, the Sharks got a chance to regroup during the second intermission, and the third period couldn't have looked any different. The Kings, on their heels from the opening puck drop of the third period, gave up two goals within the first five minutes and couldn't rebound.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - The Los Angeles Kings have traded Ryan Smyth to the Edmonton Oilers for forward Colin Fraser and a seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft.

The 35-year-old Smyth had 23 goals and 24 assists in 82 games last season with Los Angeles. He started his NHL career with the Oilers in 1994 and spent more than a decade with the team before being dealt to the New York Islanders in a surprise deadline deal in February 2007.

His return to Edmonton had been rumored for days, but the deal hit several snags before the two sides came to an agreement.

Fraser had three goals and two assists in 67 games with the Oilers last season.

LA Kings agree to terms with Simon Gagne

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Although the Los Angeles Kings lost the Brad Richards sweepstakes, they got a nifty consolation prize a few hours later.

Left wing Simon Gagne agreed to terms Saturday on a two-year, $7 million deal with the Kings, adding much-needed scoring punch to Los Angeles' lineup.

Gagne is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who spent his first 10 NHL seasons with Philadelphia, scoring a career-high 47 goals during the 2005-06 season, before reaching the Eastern Conference finals last season with Tampa Bay.

The Kings quickly signed Gagne after failing to land Richards, who agreed to a nine-year deal with the New York Rangers. Gagne didn't mind being most teams' second choice in that free-agent derby, and he chose the Kings partly on his familiarity with forwards Mike Richards and Justin Williams, his friends and former teammates with the Flyers.

"I've got a couple of buddies there, and everybody knows that I had great success playing with Mike," Gagne said. "It's almost like Philadelphia on the West Coast, so it was definitely a place where I know they were looking to get me, even last year when I was willing to waive my no-trade clause."

The two-time All-Star rejoins Mike Richards, the former Philadelphia captain who was acquired by Los Angeles in a trade late last month, and Williams, who came up in the Flyers' system alongside Gagne. Richards and Gagne usually played on the same line to devastating effect during Gagne's final three years with the Flyers, and the tandem played a major role in Philadelphia's run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010.

Kings coach Terry Murray also is familiar to Gagne after spending four years with the Flyers as an assistant coach, while Kings assistant coach John Stevens was Gagne's head coach in Philadelphia.

"I had some really great seasons with those two coaches," Gagne said. "John was the head coach in Philly for two years, so it's good. When you change teams, sometimes you need to adjust to the coach, and I feel that I know those guys already."

The Flyers traded Gagne last summer, and he had 17 goals and 23 assists with the Lightning, who reached Game 7 of the conference finals against Boston. Gagne also excelled in the postseason with five goals and seven assists, but said Tampa Bay made almost no attempt to re-sign him,

The two-time Canadian Olympian has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, sitting out with several concussions, a serious groin injury and a neck injury. Those injuries might have pushed down Gagne's price in free agency, but the Kings professed no doubts about his skills.

"We're really close together, very tight," Gagne said of Richards and Williams. "We kept in touch all last year. (Williams) texted me last night that I look to be a good fit. He was kind of pushing for me to sign in L.A. It's always fun to hear stuff like that, and I had a chance to talk to Mike Richards this morning, and we're excited to play on the same line again and do the old stuff that we did in Philly."

The Kings have overhauled their front line in the past two weeks, most notably shipping Wayne Simmonds and top prospect Brayden Schenn to Philadelphia for Richards. Los Angeles also traded Ryan Smyth to Edmonton after the veteran center demanded to be sent back to Alberta, and the Kings allowed forwards Michal Handzus (San Jose) and Alexei Ponikarovsky (Carolina) to leave as free agents.

Los Angeles is making moves to score more goals. With an outstanding defensive team built around goalie Jonathan Quick and young defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, the Kings' biggest need is offense: Among last spring's 16 playoff teams, only Montreal scored fewer goals than the Kings' 219.

General manager Dean Lombardi has been working to fill the talent gap, courting Ilya Kovalchuk for two months last summer and trading for power forward Dustin Penner last spring.

Lombardi patiently built the Kings' core with homegrown talent, but giving up top youngsters Simmonds and Schenn showed the Kings intend to join the Western Conference's elite immediately - and they might not be done.

Los Angeles still has ample salary cap room even after signing Gagne. The Kings' West Coast travel schedule apparently turns off some free agents, and their low-scoring system also probably doesn't help - but Los Angeles still seems poised to be among the West's top teams in the fall.

"If you look at the last two years, they're a really good team," Gagne said. "They're a young team, but those guys play like veterans already. Adding veterans like myself and Mike Richards will really help us to get to the next level. ... When I had some choice, the Kings were at the top of the list, because I know good things are going to happen for the next couple of years."

D Drew Doughty missed a second consecutive game because of an upper-body injury, but Doughty did make some progress Thursday. While the Kings were playing in Arizona, Doughty was back in Los Angeles, doing some conditioning skating. Doughty, who suffered an injury in the first period of an Oct. 15 game at Philadelphia, was placed on injured reserve the next day, meaning he will not be eligible to return until at least the Kings' Oct. 25 home game against New Jersey. That could be in line with the estimate of 7-10 days the Kings placed on Doughty's return.

--LW Ethan Moreau made a subtle change recently but one that seems to be paying dividends for him game. Moreau, a left winger for most of this first 14-plus NHL seasons, started this season on right wing but moved back to his natural position this week. Both Moreau and coach Terry Murray said Moreau is more comfortable on the left side, but Moreau said he wouldn't hesitate to play on the right side again if the situation dictated it. Moreau is now playing on the Kings' third line, with C Jarret Stoll and RW Brad Richardson.

--RW Trent Hunter was the feel-good story of the Kings' training camp -- he arrived as a non-roster player and earned a one-year contract through his strong play in the preseason. But the regular season hasn't been as kind to Hunter. Hunter started the season on the Kings' third line but has been a healthy scratch in three of the first six games. "I want Hunter to be a little bit better in some areas of the ice. That's been communicated to him," coach Terry Murray said. Hunter was benched in favor of RW Kevin Westgarth, who skated on the fourth line.

MEDICAL WATCH

--D Drew Doughty (upper-body) was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 16 and would be eligible to return for the Oct. 25 game against New Jersey.

GOALTENDERS

--Jonathan Quick.

--Jonathan Bernier.

DEFENSE PAIRINGS

--Willie Mitchell, Slava Voynov.

--Rob Scuderi, Jack Johnson.

--Alec Martinez, Matt Greene.

FIRST LINE

--LW Simon Gagne, C Anze Kopitar, RW Justin Williams.

SECOND LINE

--LW Dustin Penner, C Mike Richards, RW Dustin Brown.

THIRD LINE

--LW Ethan Moreau, C Jarret Stoll, RW Brad Richardson.

FOURTH LINE

--LW Kyle Clifford, C Trevor Lewis, RW Kevin Westgarth.

LOS ANGELES -- With Jonathan Quick in net, the Los Angeles Kings feel confident enough to beat any team in the NHL.

Now the only question is how long can Quick keep his shutout streak going.

Quick became the first goaltender in the franchise's 44-year history to record three consecutive shutouts and defenseman Jack Johnson scored in the third period of a 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

"It feels great to have that done - but at the end of the day, it's one game and two points. That's all I was focused on," Quick said after his 17th career shutout.

"It's a long season, and we have to keep this momentum going. We've got guys battling at all areas of the rink, especially in the D-zone, where they're battling along the wall and in front of the net and clearing out rebounds. They're doing their job extremely well, and it's making my just that much easier."

Quick, who had three shutouts last December, joined Felix Potvin as the only Kings goalies with three shutouts in two different months. Potvin had a club-record four in March 2001.

"He deserves this as much as anyone, and we're so happy for him and really excited for him," Johnson said after scoring his third game-winner of the young season.

"All the top goalies in the league like Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller, they all have the same characteristic -- they never quit on a play. Even when it seems like Quicker is down and out, he keeps coming and makes that miraculous save."

Coming off victories against St. Louis and Phoenix, Quick stopped 28 shots to help extend the Kings' winning streak to four games and end Dallas' at five.