Sport-scan daily brief

The modern day Jets are 1-0 on the season and return to Friendly Manitoba for their home opener, which should raise the decibel levels inside what is already regarded as the loudest arena in the National Hockey League. After handing the Minnesota Wild their first-ever loss in a home opener, can the Kings crash the Jets’ party? Bob Miller and Jim Fox will be on hand to offer a firsthand account as part of the first FOX Sports West broadcast of the season. Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans will also return to KTLK AM 1150, where they’ll remain for the rest of the season. Game two of 82 starts in just under two hours.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719545 Los Angeles Kings

Game 2 Preview: Los Angeles at Winnipeg

Posted by JonRosen on October 4, 2013

October 4, 2013 1:52 pm

Los Angeles Kings (1-0-0) at Winnipeg Jets (1-0-0)

Friday, October 4, 2013, 7:00 p.m. CT

MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Referees: #18 Greg Kimmerly, #13 Dan O’Halloran

Linesmen: #73 Vaughan Rody, #82 Ryan Galloway

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick

2013-14 Season: 1 GP (1 GS) / 1-0-0 / 1.85 GAA / .931 Sv% / 0 SHO

Career vs Winnipeg / Atlanta: 3 (3) / 1-1-0 / 4.13 / .868 / 0

Last Game vs Winnipeg / Atlanta: 10/12/10 / 60 MP / 31/32 shots / 3-1 W

2013-14, Away: 1 (1) / 1-0-0 / 1.85 / .931 / 0

Winnipeg Projected Starting Goaltender – Ondrej Pavelec

2013-14 Season: 1 GP (1 GS) / 1-0-0 / 4.00 GAA / .895 Sv% / 0 SHO

Career vs Los Angeles: 1 (1) / 1-0-0 / 0.00 / 1.00 / 1 SHO

Last Game vs Los Angeles: 11/13/09 / 60 MP / 38/38 shots / 7-0 W

2013-14, Home: No stats

2013-14 Los Angeles Leaders

Total Points: Doughty, Kopitar, Frattin, Voynov, Regehr, Carter tied (1)

Goals: Drew Doughty (1-0=1), Jeff Carter (1-0=1)

Assists: Kopitar, Frattin, Voynov, Regehr tied (1)

Plus/Minus: Slava Voynov (+1; 0-1=1), Robyn Regehr (+1; 0-1=1)

Penalty Minutes: Kyle Clifford (9; 0-0=0)

2013-14 Winnipeg Leaders:

Total Points: Dustin Byfuglien (0-3=3)

Goals: Michael Frolik (2-0=2)

Assists: Dustin Byfuglien (0-3=3)

Plus/Minus: Trouba, Jokinen, Bogosian, Frolik tied (+2)

Penalty Minutes: Dustin Byfuglien (6; 0-3=3)

Los Angeles Projected Lines:

Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams

Matt Frattin – Mike Richards – Jeff Carter

Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis

Kyle Clifford – Colin Fraser – Jordan Nolan

Robyn Regehr – Drew Doughty

Willie Mitchell – Slava Voynov

Jake Muzzin – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick

Ben Scrivens

Level of confidence in projected lines: B. It’s the second game of a back-to-back, and only three skaters – Carcillo, Ellerby and Martinez – took the ice with Ben Scrivens for the morning skate. Quick will be in. King may see shifts with Kopitar and Williams, but I’m projecting Brown to return for good alongside his familiar linemates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Daniel Carcillo make his Los Angeles debut during this tight schedule, but for whom is unclear. Kyle Clifford is doubtful to leave the lineup, and adjustments at center would have to be made if he were to replace Colin Fraser. Keaton Ellerby could also take warm-ups as an extra skater, though I’m projecting the same defensive alignments.

-Los Angeles visits Winnipeg for the second time since the franchise’s relocation from Atlanta during the 2011 off-season. The Jets defeated the Kings 1-0 on an Evander Kane overtime game-winner one week after Darryl Sutter made his debut as head coach.

“I remember we didn’t score a whole lot of goals coming in, and it was no different,” Anze Kopitar said of the December 29, 2011 affair.

MTS Centre’s reputation precedes itself. The setting is known as one of the more raucous environments around the National Hockey League, which can be looked at one of two ways. Either it will be exceptionally loud during the home opener, or it will be just like any other game played in the league’s smallest and most intimate arena. Darryl Sutter likely leans towards the latter.

“We played last night in a building where the team had never lost the home opener, and we know that every night in here is like a home opener,” he said.

-Pleased with receiving two points in the standings, the Kings weren’t exactly satisfied with their overall play in Thursday’s season opener.

“We felt like we got away with one,” Anze Kopitar said. “It definitely shows character. Even though we didn’t play our best game, we battled, scored the late goal and won in a shootout.”

When asked about what needs to come together to generate wins away from home, Sutter referenced his chat with the media the previous day.

“It’s like you asked yesterday about

training

camp, what I learned from training camp. Well, I didn’t learn [anything] from training camp, because I’ve seen most of these players in tough situations,” Sutter said. “Winning situations. We’re playoff battle tested, so it’s the guys coming in that you’ve got to fight and figure out if they can. It’s the same thing when you’re asking about consistency and all that stuff. Well, you learn that through doing it over and over. Three or four of our older players last night and all of our new players were not very good players for us. At the end of the day, we get two [points], they get one.”

A unique challenge will be presented on Friday night as the Kings will face a team they have seen only once in the last two seasons, and without the benefit of comprehensive video sessions as they play on the second night of a back-to-back set.

Kopitar revealed the methods in which the team familiarizes itself with an unfamiliar opponent when ample video sessions don’t fit into the schedule.

“Well, you get some pointers, and there’s a video running in the room all the time,” he said. “You see that, but really in this time of the year, I guess, you’ve got to focus on your game, too. I think if we play our strong game, a solid game, we should be fine.”

Travis Golby / National Hockey League

Winnipeg Projected Lines:

Andrew Ladd – Bryan Little – Blake Wheeler

Evander Kane – Mark Scheifele – Devin Setoguchi

Eric Tangradi – Olli Jokinen – Michael Frolik

James Wright – Jim Slater – Chris Thorburn

Tobias Enstrom – Dustin Byfuglien

Zach Bogosian – Jacob Trouba

Mark Stuart – Paul Postma

Ondrej Pavelec

Al Montoya

Notes: Line projections courtesy of NHL.com’s At the Rink blog. … In his first career regular season NHL game, 19-year-old defenseman Jacob Trouba recorded a goal, an assist and four blocked shots in 25:02 of ice time. … Olli Jokinen, selected third overall in the 1997 NHL Draft by Los Angeles, is one goal away from 300 and two assists away from 400 in his NHL career. He was traded by the Kings to the New York Islanders along with Mathieu Biron, Josh Green and a 1999 first round draft pick on June 20, 1999 in exchange for Ziggy Palffy, Bryan Smolinski, Marcel Cousineau and a 1999 fourth round draft pick. Jokinen, who turns 35 in December, played 74 of his 1,088 NHL games with Los Angeles. … Winnipeg’s first two home games will be against teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back set. They’ll face the Ducks on October 6 after Anaheim plays at Minnesota on October 5. … The teams won’t play again until March, with Winnipeg visiting Los Angeles on March 6, 2014, and the Kings paying the Jets a return visit on March 29, 2014.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719546 Los Angeles Kings

October 4 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

October 4, 2013 12:57 pm

Posted by JonRosen on October 4, 2013

On the challenge of playing on the second night of a back-to-back:

That is the challenge that teams out west face all the time, a back-to-back with lots of travel. We do it 12 times. We did it once in preseason, so hopefully we’ve rehearsed it a little bit. It’s tough. You get used to the back-to-backs. Your players get used to it, and they learn how to handle it, and you have to use everybody. It’s not like you use a short bench. That’s always your toughest challenge. Hey, the Jets are used to that, too, playing in the other side and all the travel they had last year. Get ready for another home opener.

On what to expect from a Jets team that is “pretty much the same as last year”:

Not really. They brought in a pretty good young centerman. It’s a significant difference. And a defenseman, also. It’s not the same team when you put in two players like that. One, somebody that plays 20 minutes – somebody on the back – and somebody who almost plays that up front. That’s a big difference. It’s two significant players to that team.

On the challenge of developing the identity of a team that is difficult to play against:

It basically comes from the accountability from your players, and your leadership, and your top players, and that pretty much leaves it right there. [Reporter: Can you teach that?] I think the top players and your leadership and your group teaches it.

On Jeff Carter being more than “a guy that just wanted to score goals”:

Well, I think that reputation was created by somebody that didn’t know Jeff Carter. It’s funny, I told Jeff and Mike when we got in here last night that even though we played in a game here – one of my first games I coached with the Kings was here – but one of my best moments of remembering those guys was the World Junior tournament, and if you were here watching, you would have said Jeff Carter was a pretty impactful player…and Jeff’s been that. Look what he did in Philly, and the numbers he put up, and then he was traded, and really never got going in Columbus. Quite honest, he was hurt for most of that time. And then we got him. He was a big part of our cup team. Scored big goals, played two positions, played lots of minutes, killed penalties, played on the power play, and then last year in the lockout he was the leading goal scorer in the Western Conference, so it speaks for itself.

On Carter being able to score from the outside:

Actually, he scores most of his goals from around the net, which is something that nobody talks about. You look at the highlights because of his speed and his shot – that’s what you see. But most of his goals are all- [Reporter: The goal last night was in the slot.] And that’s where he wants to play. You know what? Those are the types of players you’re looking for, in today’s game, anyways. Guys who don’t take penalties and play hard.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719547 Los Angeles Kings

Waking up with the Kings: October 4

October 4, 2013 8:44 am

Posted by JonRosen on October 4, 2013

-It was a two-point night for the Los Angeles Kings after they snuck out of the Xcel Energy Center having cooked up the ingredients necessary to steal a win on the road. For L.A., opportunity was key. The Kings didn’t generate a bevy of scoring opportunities, but when there were chances, there were often goals. Jonathan Quick kept his team in it by stopping the final 18 shots of the game – including 13 in a bland second period – before Jeff Carter pounced on a rebound in front of the net with 6:46 to play after Mike Richards shook off Ryan Suter with some nice separation to set the game-tying goal in motion. Minnesota appears to have a strong number one power play unit, and credit the Kings for withstanding a late Wild power play after Willie Mitchell’s “marginal” interference call gave the home team an opportunity to win the game late in regulation. The Kings were 4-of-5 on the penalty kill, with the fourth successful kill the most important and timely of the evening.

-Credit Jonathan Quick and the team’s experienced composure in replying quickly after a questionable goal call stood in the early moments of the game. 6:36 after Matt Cooke’s purposeful redirect, Drew Doughty’s power play blast off some give-and-take with Slava Voynov evened the score at one. There are so many full-sheet-of-ice aspects the defenseman has added to his game since then, but the last time Doughty scored in the opening month of the season came in the 2009-10 season opener. I really liked the composure the team showed after Cooke’s goal 1:04 in was determined to be legitimate. The Kings were quickly able to generate some A-scoring chances as Jeff Carter and Matt Frattin forced Nicklas Backstrom to make several outstanding saves before Doughty one-timed Voynov’s feed past the Finnish netminder. With a pair of righthanded shooters on the point, Voynov is able to put those types of feeds right into Doughty’s wheelhouse.

-It wasn’t the finest display of puck possession and dictating play by Los Angeles, which was somewhat to be expected when facing a quality opponent in its home opener. For the first two periods time of possession heavily favored the Wild before the Kings were able to steal some momentum through stretches of the third period. Minnesota eventually padded its shots on goal advantage with a late power play and heavy pressure over the waning minutes of regulation – credit Jonathan Quick and Trevor Lewis for preserving the late tie – before settling for a plus-11 shot discrepancy. Los Angeles finished third in the league with an average of 25 shots against per game a season ago and was rarely on the wrong end of a minus-11 shot differential. The Kings faced a minus-11 shot differential only twice in 2012-13 while outshooting their opponents by at least 11 shots 13 times.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.05.2013

719548 Los Angeles Kings

Good morning, Winnipeg

October 4, 2013 7:27 am

Staff

Good morning from the intersection of Portage and Main in central Winnipeg.

The temperatures have dipped since departing balmy and damp Minnesota, with the expected high in Manitoba’s capital expected to rise to 46

degrees

.Enough of the weather report. The Kings will look to crash a party for the second time in as many nights. While Minnesota’s home opener raised the decibel levels, we’re all excited to visit what may be the loudest and most intimate venue in the entire National Hockey League. The only time these teams have met – and this is referring to the 2011 expansion Jets, of course – was a 1-0 overtime loss in Winnipeg on December 29, 2011, one week after Darryl Sutter made his Los Angeles coaching debut. Chris Mason and Jonathan Bernier battled to a scoreless tie through 61 minutes and nine seconds of action in that game before Evander Kane scored the game-winner by harnessing a loose puck in the low slot and chipping it past Bernier.

719549 Minnesota Wild

Upon further review Wild still had good game, bad result

Article by: Michael Russo

October 5, 2013 - 12:20 AM

Often coaches have a take after a game, sleep on it, Watch video and change their tune the next morning.

That wasn’t the case Friday with coach Mike Yeo, who still felt the Wild outplayed the Los Angeles Kings in Thursday’s season opener and deserved better than the one point received in a shootout loss.

“We played a really good game, but obviously it wasn’t enough, so let’s be prepared to play a great game [Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks],” Yeo said, adding later: “I don’t think we should sit here and just pat ourselves on the back too much. Bottom line is we didn’t win.

“We played a good game, and I know if we continue to play better and grow every part of our game, then the wins will come.”

There were plenty of good signs Thursday. The Wild controlled large portions of the game. The team scored a power-play goal, registered 10 power-play shots, held the Kings to 11 shots through two periods and showed signs of a faster, more aggressive offense.

Yeo was happy with checking-line center Kyle Brodziak, who is looking to rebound after last year’s tough season. He assisted on Matt Cooke’s goal, had three hits, three shots and won seven of nine faceoffs.

“I was really happy to see him, the way he was skating, he looked really confident out there, winning his battles,” Yeo said of Brodziak. “He has to be physical, and he had a couple real good hits and that has to be part of his game.

“We can only say it so many times, ‘Let’s hit the reset button and everything,’ but we’re kidding ourselves if we think it’s not in the back of our minds. For him to get off to a good start, I think that really allows him to hit that refresh button and focus on this year now.”

Linemate Mikael Granlund also impressed the coach, as he did much of the preseason. Granlund assisted on both goals, skated well, was often first or second in on the forecheck and blocked two shots, including one that led to a quick rush up ice and drawn power play that could have won the game.

“He’s learned some other tricks,” Yeo said. “He’s adapting, and that’s what he needed.”

Second-year defenseman Jonas Brodin, looking to contribute more offensively after a terrific rookie year, scored a power-play goal.

It already makes for an interesting coaching decision for Yeo. Brodin was on the second power-play unit because rookie Matt Dumba was scratched. Veteran Clayton Stoner played instead of Dumba and “complemented [Keith Ballard] well” in a strong game.

Yeo wasn’t saying yet if Dumba will make his NHL debut against the Ducks, but if he does, it sounds as if Brodin will continue on that second unit. Yeo liked Brodin’s overall play on the man advantage and said, “It’s tough to take off a guy that’s scoring goals.”

The Wild went back to work in Friday’s practice, and the tone was set early when power-play consultant Andrew Brunette took a puck to the chin. He received four stitches inside his mouth and eight outside.

“I’ve had enough stitches to stitch a baseball in my career. I thought when I retired, ‘That’s it,’ ” Brunette said.

The Wild moved on without Brunette and worked on the “little things” that needed repair from Thursday. The tying goal by Jeff Carter came after Coyle was skated around in the neutral zone by Mike Richards. Coyle then glided into the zone and didn’t pick up Carter in time after a rebound.

It put a damper on an otherwise solid game for Coyle.

“You think you’re there, but you’re not,” Coyle said. “Just those little things, those inches. They play a big part in the game. Those things are huge. I pick up that guy and we win 2-1, you never know. It’s just little things that really matter.”

“That’s the thing you end up living with a little bit with young players,” Yeo said. ‘‘Young players, a lot of times they think they’ve got a guy, they’re close to a guy, but they don’t really have him.”

But Yeo added the Wild can’t “accept it,” and it’s up to the coaches to correct those mistakes.

“It was a solid game for the most part, so we’re not going to hang our heads,” Coyle said.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.05.2013

719550 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Anaheim gameday preview

MICHAEL RUSSO

October 4, 2013 - 9:37 PM

wild gameday

7 P.M. VS. Anaheim • Xcel Energy Center • FSN, 100.3-FM

Preview: The Wild is coming off its first home-opener loss ever, having been defeated Thursday in a shootout by Los Angeles. The Ducks, one of the surprise teams in the West last year, should be surly, having lost their first game 6-1 at Colorado on Wednesday.

Players to watch: Wild C Mikko Koivu is two points short of 400 for his career and is one goal from passing Andrew Brunette for first in Wild history. RW Mikael Granlund assisted on both Minnesota goals Thursday for the first multiple-point game of his career. RW Dany Heatley has scored 10 goals and 22 points in 26 games vs. Anaheim. Ducks RW Corey Perry and C Ryan Getzlaf each has 28 points in 29 games vs. the Wild.

Numbers: The Wild is 23-20-4 all-time vs. the Ducks, 13-7-3 at home. … At home, Minnesota has lost three consecutive one-goal games to Anaheim after beating the Ducks the previous five times.

Injuries: Wild LW Mike Rupp (knee) is out. Ducks RW Teemu Selanne, 43, is getting the game off. Coach Bruce Boudreau says Selanne will split some back-to-backs this season and the Ducks play in Winnipeg, where he used to play, Sunday.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.05.2013

719551 Minnesota Wild

Wild still optimistic after Thursday's loss, preparing for Ducks

Blog Post by: Michael Russo

October 4, 2013 - 2:06 PM

Afternoon from the X, where scrappy Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is currently below on the ice surface putting Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and the rest of the Anaheim gang through a practice.

The Wild coaches are in the stands watching. The Ducks coaches, including some goalie coach who looks strangely like Dwayne Roloson, did the same during Minnesota's workout.

Painful start to practice. You know how coaches ask players to "pay the price." Well, the coaches apparently do, too.

Andrew Brunette, who once upon a time -- actually in two different stints -- wore a Wild sweater, took a puck to the chin immediately at the start of practice. Afterward, Bruno emerged with a chin the size of Jay Leno's, four stitches on the inside of his mouth and eight on the outside.

“I’ve had enough stitches to stitch a baseball in my career. I thought when I retired, ‘That’s it,’” Brunette said.

The Wild moved on with practice without Brunette and Yeo put the Wild through battle drills and execution drills. They worked on the "little things."

Charlie Coyle, who had a solid game at junctures, also had some young mistakes. On Jeff Carter's tying goal, he was walked in the neutral zone and then was slow to get into the zone and pick up Carter.

Coyle took a swan dive on the knife today and basically said if he picks up his guy, the Wild maybe wins 2-1.

Still, the atmosphere was good Friday after playing well Thursday.

Yeo was real happy with guys like Kyle Brodziak, who had a stellar game (probably would have loved to bury that goal with a minute left), and Mikael Granlund, who assisted on both Wild goals, was often first or second in on the forecheck, blocked two shots and drew a power play that could have won the game in the final minutes.

"He maturing in a lot of ways," Yeo said.

Niklas Backstrom will start vs. the Ducks. Yeo wouldn't say yet if Matt Dumba will make his NHL debut. Clayton Stoner played well yesterday alongside Keith Ballard and Jonas Brodin played well and scored a goal on the second power-play unit.

My gut though is Dumba plays for Stoner. I just get the sense that the Wild doesn't want to have Dumba sitting for long. At some point you want him to debut and probably at home, not on the road. Plus, I think the team flew in Dumba's folks for these games.

Everybody practiced today. Yeo admitted the top line looked tired late in yesterday's game, but he also said so did L.A.'s top line and those are "heavy, hard minutes" when you go head to head vs. Anze Kopitar.

If you want to get a laugh, I was pretty surly on Twitter today with some folks. Go take a gander. Just seems to be silly season on Twitter and some of the comments got to me.

It's one game folks, a game in which the Wild outplayed one of the best teams in the league for the majority of it.

Just an fyi: I put out a tweet last night that had an error with Year 1/4 salary/bonuses for Jason Pominville's contract.

The correct numbers are:

2014-15 $6 M

2015-16 $5.75 M

2016-17 $6.25 M

2017-18 $5 M

2018-19 $5 M

Frankly though, unless you're Craig Leipold, you don't need to care about those numbers. The one that matters is his salary-cap hit, $5.6 million, which is the average of the contract -- $28 million by five years.