SoCal HockeyCast

The Olympics are over. It was a great tournment for some... not so good for others. For us, we got a small break because we found it too hard with the odd times of the live games to continue the daily blog or Podcast. Due to the time difference and compressed, frenetic schedule, we would have been reporting on games that were two days old at times... so, as entertaining as some of the hockey was in the Olympics, it's good to have the NHL back in business again.

Look out for our Post-Olympic Wrap-up Podcast in the next few days that will summarize the medals for all things hockey and skating in the Torino Games. We will also take a moment to feature some thoughts on the injuries that happened during the Winter Games and wonder aloud about NHL involvement in the Olympics after 2010. Will there be NHL players present after Vancouver... hard to tell, but we'll talk a little about it.

We're also preparing for our Guide to the Stretch Drive Podcast coming out in two weeks. Zoe, Genevieve, and I will be talking about the teams that we think are playoff bound or on the cusp, trade rumors, and the next steps for the teams vying for the first pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

So stay tuned... our blog will be coming out almost everyday again and the Podcast is returning to its weekly schedule! In the meantime, you can still contact us with questions or comments through our email at technologyted@mac.com or via phone at 206-337-1885.

This enhanced Podcast features a look at the U.S. and Canadian Women's Olympic teams. We also bring in the Good, the Sad, and the Ugly as we close out the NHL action prior to the Olympic break. Hear why the New York Rangers are our pick for the Good Team of the week. We also report on the honoring of Jim Fox and Luc Robitaille in Genevieve's Kings Report. Zoe also talks over some Ducks' information in her Mighty Ducks' Report. We also pay tribute to the Chad Hedrick and Joey Cheek, two U.S. speedskating champions!

Don't forget, our phone number has changed to 206-337-1885!

For the second straight game, the Kings held a pre-game ceremony to honor a player; and for the second straight game, the Kings pulled out a gutsy, exciting win. This time it was Luc Robitaille who was honored and the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars who were defeated. Robitaille, who recently surpassed the legendary Marcel Dionne for the most career goals in a Kings' uniform, was honored in an emotional ceremony prior to the game. Then he went out and recorded a goal and an assist to help Los Angeles defeat Dallas 6-5.

Energized by the pre-game ceremony, the Kings played a solid first period and jumped out to a 2-1 lead off of goals by Pavol Demitra and Jeremy Roenick. However, as good as they looked in the first period, they seemed hesitant in the second. With several good bounces going their way, and a killer instinct to bury the chances they got, Dallas scored four straight goals to take a commanding 5-2 lead going into the third period.

Knowing that this would be their final period prior to the break for the Olympic Games, the Kings rallied for four straight goals of their own as they out-shot the Stars 16-6 in the final period and shut them down on both their powerplays. Los Angeles scored three goals to tie the game within the first three minutes of the period (they actually scored the three in 2:12). Then, with less than 7 minutes left in the game, Derek Armstrong scored a powerplay goal to win the game. The Kings were 2-for-10 with the man-advantage, and they only allowed one powerplay goal on five tries by the Stars.

During the Kings' slide, they weren't getting consistent scoring from their big line or key players. As with the Chicago game, the Kings' stars delivered. Demitra had a powerplay goal to go along with four assists, Lubomir Visnovsky recorded a goal and two assists, and Alexander Frolov added an assist. Now the Kings can go into the Olympic break with their heads held high after winning two straight games. They remain four points ahead of the Ducks and are only two behind Vancouver for fifth in the Western Conference.

Special Note: Our Podcast will be out a day later so that we can report on all the final NHL action prior to the Olympic break. Thanks for your patience. Don't forget, our phone number has changed. We can be reached at 206-337-1885.

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim go into the Olympic break mighty pleased with themselves. They have been on a tear of late, going 9-3-4 since January 9th. Their 4-1 win over the Blackhawks was another example of their recent disciplined, patient style. They've been utilizing their speed and work ethic to wear down opponents.

Going into the third period, the Ducks and Hawks had played even at 1-1. The Ducks had outshot the Hawks 12-7 in the opening twenty, but Adam Munro, Chicago's third string goalie was sharp in the first. Anaheim lost some focus in the second period, getting out-played and outshot 11-7. However, the Ducks were able to jump on the tired Blackhawks right away in the third. Dustin Penner scored the game-winner a mere 17 seconds into the third period and Corey Perry scored about three minutes later. Joffrey Lupul scored two goals to round out the scoring. Jean-Sebastien Giguere looked solid in goal, rebounding from his less-than-convincing 3-1 loss to Calgary on Wednesday night.

Andy McDonald had an assist on Lupul's first goal, extending his scoring streak to 11 games. Prior to the game, the Anaheim organization honored Teemu Selanne for his recent entrance into the 1,000-point Club.

Los Angeles hockey fans all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Kings snapped a seven-game losing streak in an ugly overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4. Joe Corvo scored an overtime powerplay goal 40 seconds into the extra period to pull out the win for Los Angeles. It was an up-and-down game that saw the Kings lose leads of 1-0, 3-1, and 4-2 before winning it. In the end, though, it won't be a question of how they won, just how many.

The Kings had a few defensive breakdowns, but for the most part, they out-played the Blackhawks and looked good. However, the main weak point was between the pipes. Jason LaBarbera only made 14 saves on 18 shots, looked bad on all four goals, and was pulled with ten minutes to go. Mathieu Garon saved the only three shots he faced to get the win for the Kings.

The Kings scored more than four goals for the first time since January 19th. They got a goal and an assist from Corvo, Pavol Demitra, Tom Kostopoulos, and Craig Conroy. Los Angeles also got a goal from Eric Belanger (his third in as many games) and two assists from Lubomir Visnovsky. Chicago battled back with goals from Brent Seabrook, Rene Bourque, Tyler Arnason, and Martin Lapointe.

Other than the win, the best news for the Kings was the offensive involvement of Demitra, Conroy, and Visnovsky. If the Kings are to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference, they'll need offense from their stars and more dependable goaltending. They get one more chance to test out their abilities before the Olympic break today against the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars.

The Kings held a ten-minute pre-game ceremony to honor their TV color commentator, Jim Fox, for his 25 years with the organization. Among the gifts given was a framed #25 jersey for his years with the LA Kings. The jersey was presented by Belanger and Luc Robitaille. Before today's game, the team will honor Luc Robitaille as the all-time leading goal scorer in Kings' history.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Ducks face-off against the Chicago Blackhawks in Anaheim.

Just in case you didn't hear, our phone number has changed! You can now reach us at 206-337-1885!

After a shaky outing against the Calgary Flames, the Mighty Ducks rebounded with a solid win against the Vancouver Canucks, 3-1. Anaheim dominated the play in the first and second periods and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first off of goals by Joe DiPenta, Andy McDonald, and Joffrey Lupul. The Canucks were only able to answer with a single goal in the first period by Markus Naslund.

The goal and assist by McDonald give him points in ten straight games. Meanwhile, Ilya Bryzgalov, making another start after Giguere's poor performance against the Flames, made 27 saves on 28 shots. He stood especially tall in the third period as the Canucks outshot the Ducks 14-7 in the final frame.

More importantly for the Ducks, the win puts them a mere two points behind the Kings in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Their next game will be agains the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. The Blackhawks, tied for third worst in the league, face the Kings on Saturday, so the Ducks, with their superior skating, hope to take advantage of a tired a team.

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The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were burned for three powerplay goals against the Calgary Flames and lost 3-1. All-World goalie Miikka Kiprusoff did the rest, making 31 saves on 32 shots. As spectacular as Giguere was in the shutout over San Jose, he looked rather ordinary on this night. The loss meant that the Ducks were unable to gain any ground on the Los Angeles Kings who lost against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The lone goal for the Ducks came from Andy McDonald, his 18th of the season. Meanwhile the Flames answered with goals by Matthew Lombardi, Daymond Langkow, and Chris Simon. Calgary only managed 24 shots on goal, but many of them were quality chances that were the result of less than stellar work by the Ducks' defensive coverage.

The Flames on the other hand allowed more shots, but they seemed to always be there to clear the rebounds away or lower the quality on the Ducks' attempts. This definitely was a game where the amount of shots didn't tell the whole story.

In this stretch prior to the Turin Olympics, the Ducks will face Vancouver and Chicago. The Kings will also face two opponents (Chicago and Dallas). Anaheim hopes to gain more ground and could possibly tie the Kings for eighth in the Western Conference by Sunday.

For a little over twenty glorious minutes, the Kings looked like they were going to play well and match up against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They took no penalties in the first period and were leading 3-1... wait a minute... this feels like deja vu. If the loss against the Wild was like the wheels falling off the cart, then this loss against the Blue Jackets was like the cart itself falling apart. Up 3-1, the Kings stopped playing, were out-shot 26-18 in the final two periods, and allowed five straight goals to lose 7-4. Seven goals! Seven losses in a row!

By the time the Kings woke up and began fighting for loose pucks, there were less than five minutes to play in the third period. Easy tap-ins were the story for the Blue Jackets as Garon was left out to dry too often. Columbus got goals from Letowski (2), Balastik, Vyborny, Federov, and Chimera (2). The Kings answered with goals by Belanger, Brown, Gleason (his first ever), and Armstrong. The line of Belanger, Brown, and Kostopoulos was the lone bright spot for Los Angeles. They seemed to be the only ones skating hard for the Kings and winning individual battles. Blue Jackets' goalie Marc Denis hardly out-played Mathieu Garon, but the sheer amount and quality of shots that Garon faced was a big reason he allowed more. However, Denis did come up with a few spectacular saves to rob Kings' players in the second and third periods, whereas Garon didn't seem to pull off as many miracles.

The Kings' losing streak is now at seven straight and they are in eighth place in the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Mighty Ducks. Los Angeles will try to rebound on Saturday against one of the worst teams in the league, Chicago.

For a little over twenty glorious minutes, the well-rested Kings looked like they were going to have a solid game and match up against the Minnesota Wild. They only took two penalties in the first period as they out-shot the Wild 7-6. Then the second period began, and the wheels fell off of the cart.

Once again, penalties and the Kings' penalty-killing proficiency (or lack thereof) were at the root of the troubles for Los Angeles. They allowed five powerplay goals enroute to a ludicrous 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Wild. As the Kings' frustration level increased, they took more foolish penalties, leading to more powerplay goals and more frustration. The defensive coverage for the Kings was non-existent as they allowed five straight easy tap-ins by Minnesota players. Time and time again, Mathieu Garon was left alone to deal with trying to make miraculous saves on any number of Wild players a few feet away.

Eric Belanger, scored the lone goal for the Kings, and the team was only able to generate twenty shots on goal. Minnesota got a goal by Brian Rolston and two apiece from Gaborik and Dupuis. Manny Fernandez stood tall in net and saved nineteen shots. The Kings hope to end this six-game slide tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the leagues hotter teams the last few weeks.

Our Features Section is skipped this week in lieu of an expanded Good Section with the Players of the Month. We've got big trades, notable news, and an expanded Ugly Section to talk about some long losing streaks the past two weeks. Scott Stevens had his number retired by the New Jersey Devils, and we give a tribute to the defensive warrior.

Zoe and Genevieve do their Kings and Ducks Reports, and we also take a moment to talk about our recent press. Yes, folks, we were mentioned in the Sharkspages (a site about the San Jose Sharks, hockey, and San Jose sports) a few weeks ago, but this past week, we were the Podcast of the Week at LAist. If you've never heard of LAist, they're a great site that talks about all the happenings in and around Los Angeles. They were very complimentary of our Podcast and our analysts. They even made a point of mentioning Genevieve and her very honest assessment of how the Kings have been doing. It was a huge honor to be their very first Featured Podcast. You can find LAist by clicking here. You can also find the Sharkspages by clicking here.

Don't forget, if you have any questions or comments, email technologyted@mac.com or call 206-600-6216.

Have a great week of hockey!

Tomorrow night, the Ducks take on the Edmonton Oilers for a re-match of their embarrassing 3-6 loss on January 25th. This was the game that Jean-Sebastien Giguere lost his cool and decided to show Ryan Smyth his fighting spirit enroute to gathering 16 minutes of penalties. Unfortunately, his imitation of "Battling" Billy Smith didn't include stopping the puck particularly well, as he allowed five goals on only 25 shots.

Anaheim hopes that Giguere will show the same mettle he did in Saturday night's game against the Sharks, where their #1 netminder blanked San Jose for his second shutout of the season. Edmonton has been on a strong streak. They have four wins in their last five games. However, their goaltending has been suspect, and the Ducks quick transition game may generate more scoring chances.

The Kings continue their much needed rest. After playing the most games in the NHL, the Kings have been able to relax and take a few days off. The last game they played was Thursday against the Coyotes. Their next game will be in Minnesota on Tuesday night. Los Angeles is mired in a five game losing streak, but the last two games have seen more consistent play and a return to the fundamentals that saw the Kings lead the Pacific Division for much of the first half of the season.

Coaches bench players when they want them to work harder and think about how they've been playing. This is one of the few strategies that coaches have for getting results from the players they have. It looks like the Ducks' Randy Carlyle did the right thing by benching number one goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere for four games. Starting in his first game since a 3-6 loss to Edmonton on January 25th where he amassed 16 penalty minutes, Giguere responded by shutting out the San Jose Sharks 2-0.

The only scoring Anaheim needed was a second period goal by the normally ham-fisted Todd Fedoruk. Giguere made all 35 saves and Teemu Selanne added an empty-netter (his 26th of the season) to round out the scoring. Nabokov and the Sharks continued their splotchy play, mounting some serious, sustained attack, but not able to cash in on their chances. Although they out-shot the Ducks 35 to 23, Nabokov was unable to out-play Giguere, and the Sharks lost their second in a row.

Giguere really was the story of the game. He showed the brilliance, fire, and athleticism that made him the 2003 NHL Playoff MVP. The Ducks have a re-match with Edmonton on Monday, and they will need Giguere to play as well as he did tonight to beat the Oilers. It will also help if he doesn't lose his cool and chase down any of the Oiler players like he did the last time these two teams met up.

The story of the night was the goalie battle, and how Cujo (goalie Curtish Joseph) was spectacular and stole a win for the Coyotes. Newly acquired forward Steven Reinprecht's lone goal of the shootout won it for Phoenix. The 2-1 loss gave the Kings five straight losses, a season high, but the night's news wasn't all bad.

How are five straight losses a good thing? Well, it's not, but there was a silver lining to this current black cloud the Kings have been in. This was the second straight overtime loss for Los Angeles, and they played their second straight solid game. Getting one point is always preferable to no points. Almost all their injured players are back, and even Mattias Norstrom, who had his jaw wired shut after getting hit by a puck, was able to play. They only allowed one powerplay goal on seven tries by the Coyotes, and they outshot Phoenix 38 to 35. Garon was Joseph's equal until the shootout, matching him almost save for save for the night.

So there were some encouraging signs that the Kings will break out of this funk and retain their playoff spot. They currently hang onto sixth in the Western Conference by a fingernail over Colorado (one point ahead) and Edmonton (two points ahead). Anaheim is a mere seven points back and are in ninth place.

Coming off of three straight wins, the Ducks played fairly well against the struggling Sharks. However, Jonathon Cheechoo, who previously had a hat trick against the Ducks on December 20th, had another to help the Sharks win 6-4. Anaheim outshot San Jose 39 to 34, and were buzzing the net toward the end of the game. Dustin Penner scored with 23 seconds left to pull the Ducks within one of the Sharks, but Evgeni Nabokov made some key saves to preserve their victory.

The Ducks, who led 1-0 and 2-1 before the Sharks came to life, also had goals from Selanne, McDonald, and Kunitz. This was Bryzgalov's first loss in four games. The Sharks also had goals from Mark Smith, Tom Preissing, and Nils Ekman.

Tonight, the Kings, with an almost healthy line-up, take on the Phoenix Coyotes. Los Angeles hopes to stop their current slide which has seen them lose four straight games.

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, looking to win their fourth straight game, face off against San Jose tonight at The Pond. Winners of the last three games, the Ducks are finding strength from some unlikely players. Rookie goalie Ilya Bryzgalov will likely start his fourth straight game. His strong play in net has been one of the big reasons for Anaheim's recent surge. They have also gotten scoring from many of their youngsters like Chris Kunitz and Joffrely Lupul.

Veterans Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer also hope to continue their hot streaks. Their experience has really helped the club mature quickly. Selanne, who became the 70th player in league history to score 1,000 points, looks to continue his "fountain of youth" season. Niedermayer, playing with cartilage damage in his knee, has been dominant the last few games.

The inconsistent Sharks have struggled lately, losing their last three games to Anaheim, Phoenix, and Dallas. They have had a difficult time playing solidly for more than two games at a time.

This enhanced podcast features a shout out to some notable players who achieved some notable milestones. We bid adieu to Super Mario who retired for the second (and final time) in his career. His irregular heartbeat was the final obstacle that did something that no defender was able to do consistently... stop Lemieux.

We also take a look at our picks for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this week. Hockey analysts Zoe and Genevieve also talk frankly about the Ducks and Kings this week, and TechnologyTed blasts the lack of respect in the NHL these days. We have returned to the studio and are LOVING it! The new portable USB microphones are good, but they don't compare to a good home studio set-up.

Don't forget... you can contact us with questions or comments at technologyted@mac.com or 206-600-6216.