SoCal HockeyCast

Alex Burrows scored a hat trick to lead the Canucks in a romp over the Kings.

Who?

Exactly.

He just doubled his goal output for the 2005-2006 season.

The Kings hope to rebound against Calgary on Wednesday night.

Quick quiz here:  Which NHL team has five straight wins, is 9-2-1 since the Olympic Break, and recently beat Dallas and Nashville in this streak.  Think that team is Detroit or Ottawa?  Well, both of them have done really well since the break (the Red Wings are also 9-2-1 and the Senators are 11-1-1), but the team we're talking about is the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.  Their 6-3 win against the Predators almost looked too easy as they dominated the second period and received some timely saves by Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

They spotted Nashville a goal in the first period, then roared to life at the end of the first period and through the second, scoring five straight goals.  The Ducks got scoring from many places, and several of players had multi-point nights, including:  Teemu Selanne who registered two goals and two assists, Corey Perry and Chris Kunitz who each had a goal and an assist, Andy McDonald who had two goals and an assist, and Ryan Getzlaf who had four assists.  As with many of their recent games, the kids energized the team, Teemu was dependable at both ends of the ice, and Giguere made the big saves at the right times.  He made 36 saves on 39 shots and was especially strong in the first and third periods where the Predators out-shot the Ducks 32-17.

The win puts Anaheim in fifth place in the Western Conference.  They're not in the clear yet, but they're definitely peaking at the right moment.  They look to continue their streak on the road tonight against Phoenix (winners of three straight and four of the last five games).

Meanwhile, the Kings hope to impress new coach John Torchetti in their game tonight against the Predators.  They will get back Alexander Frolov and definitely have a lot to prove because they want to erase the memory of losing 11 straight games at the end of the 2003-2004.

Through rain, sleet, snow, Educational Technology conferences, and back troubles, we finally got out our Post-Trade Deadline Podcast! In this enhanced Podcast, we answer a voicemail, talk about the moves by the Ducks and Kings, and give our take on the moves by some of the other teams in the NHL.

How did the elite teams do this trade deadline? Who were the big winners on March 9th? Find out here!

Don't forget to call us with questions or comments at 206-337-1885.

The Kings were able to break out of their brief three-game losing streak by beating the Blues 3-1 in Los Angeles. After losing to San Jose, Phoenix, and Dallas, the Kings looked like they were about to embark on another extended losing streak.

Things didn't look much better after they went down 1-0 against the Blues off a power play goal by Mike Glumac in the 2nd period. They were outshot 17-12 in that period. However, the Kings were able to muster a comeback by scoring three straight goals in the third period. They came out firing in the third and outshot the Blues 18-3 for the final 20 minutes.

Mike Cammelleri scored the game-winner on the power play, his 14th power play goal and 4th game winner. Sean Avery had a goal and an assist, Brent Sopel got his first point in a Kings' uniform, and Eric Belanger added an insurance goal. Sopel was especially impressive, getting an assist on Avery's goal, posting a +2 rating, and playing a team high 23 minutes and 27 seconds. He was a steadying influence on the blueline and jumped up into the play several times in the third period, ending up with four shots on goal for the night.

The Kings were again playing without Pavol Demitra (concussion) and Alexander Frolov (separated shoulder). However, they did get a boost with Craig Conroy back in the line-up.

They continue their homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. The Avalanche are winners of three of their last four games. Los Angeles is currently tied for sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Colorado.

Hey folks,

A very busy conference schedule with poor internet connections kept me from doing my daily blog... unfortunately, I have three more big conferences this month for my Educational Technology work. This means that, most likely, I won't have a regular blog for most of March. It's funny, we actually wrote up three blog entries that we couldn't post because of the poor connections... then you wait a few days and it just seems so fruitless because they're late!

On other news, a back injury has hampered my production of this week's Podcast. Afterall, you can't really edit if you can't sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time. SO, I'll be getting the Podcast up as soon as I'm able. It's a good one, though! It's our Trade Deadline Wrap-Up Show.

Thanks for your patience and continued support!

NHL hockey's back and so are we! In this episode, Genevieve and Zoe do our usual Kings and Ducks Reports. We also give you some of the big news in ice hockey this week including information on Mario Lemieux's operation, Erik Cole's Injury, and Pat LaFontaine's honoring (hope that's a real word). We also have a special feature on the the playoff bound teams (and some teams that are close), and what they might be shopping for with the trade deadline quickly approaching. We're summoning our inner Nostradamus to make a few predictions based on teams' needs.

Remember, this is an enhanced Podcast with images, URL links, and bookmarks. It's viewable in iTunes (free for any Windows or Mac) or any player that supports the AAC file format (also known as .m4a and mp4). Devices like the iPod and PSP also support the AAC format. We use this because it's dynamic!

You can leave comments here on our Libsyn site, or you can call us at 206-337-1885. Thanks for tuning in and have a great week of hockey!

Speaking of deja vu... The Kings must have felt a little of it after getting tied by an opponent 2-2, sticking to their game plan, and coming up big with the the game-winner in the third period. It was a similar situation to their last game but a different opponent. This time it was the Columbus Blue Jackets who were victimized by the Kings' newfound effort and determination.

The Kings opened up the scoring with two goals by Sean Avery (one of them shorthanded), but Columbus tied it up on two goals by Nikolai Zherdev in the third period. Mike Cammalleri, one of the scorers in the win over the Wild netted the game-winner with 5:55 left to play. Although not as spectacular as his sliding-on-his-knees goal against the Wild, this powerplay goal made him the hero against the Blue Jackets.

For the second straight game, the Kings had a distinct advantage on face-offs. In this game, they dominated the face-off circle, winning 44 out of 62 face-offs. Also, for the second straight game, the Kings were able to kill off all their penalties. Although they weren't as disciplined as they were against the Wild (only two penalties), the six penalties taken were spread out and never put the Kings in too bad of a position. For the most part, whenever the Blue Jackets did get a scoring chance, Mathieu Garon was there to thwart them. He ended up with 24 saves on 26 shots.

The win (their fourth straight) puts them six points behind the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars and six above the Mighty Ducks (ninth in the Western Conference). As the race for the playoffs heats up, the Kings have picked a perfect time to begin pulling out of their downward spiral. The Kings begin a pivotal four-game road trip on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.

It's a known recipe for success: Lose a tough game where you didn't play your best, take on a tired team that played the day before, and prove that you're not as bad as you were the other game. It worked for the Ducks last night as they beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2. It must have felt like deja vu for the Wild who came back to tie the game after being down 1-0 and 2-1. However, newly reinstated defenseman, Sandis Ozolnish reminded everyone how valuable he is by scoring the winner in the third period. Teemu Selanne added an empty-net goal to round out the scoring. The Wild almost went through the exact same situation last night against the Kings.

It was a nice win for the Ducks who were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in their last game. The Ducks also had a shorthanded goal by Sammy Pahlsson and a power play tally by Corey Perry. Ducks' goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere had a very good game, making 36 saves on 38 shots. He made some great saves in the first period when Minnesota out-shot the Ducks 15-9. The Wild ended up out-shooting the Ducks 38-32 for the game.

The win brought the Ducks back within four points of the Kings who are seventh in the Western Conference. They take on the Columbus Blue Jackets Sunday afternoon... another team that will have played the Kings the day before.

The visiting Minnesota Wild came into Los Angeles looking for blood. At the beginning of the night, they were a mere five points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they were taking on the Kings, a team playing without two of their top scorers (Demitra and Frolov). Instead, it was the Kings who got the best of the Wild, winning 3-2 in a tight match. It was a tough battle against one of the best defensive (and boring) teams in the Western Conference.

Mike Cammalleri got the scoring started on the power play by putting in a beautiful shot while sliding on his knees. Although he was hooked on the play, Cammalleri was able to have the presence of mind to keep control of the puck and put it over a surprised Manny Fernandez. The Minnesota goalie ended the night with 35 saves on 38 shots. Mathieu Garon was equally spectacular, making 29-of-31 saves. It was due to Garon's stellar play that the Kings stayed in the game during the third period, despite being out-shot by the Wild 13-7.

Luc Robitaille also scored a goal in the second period off of a great no-look pass by Craig Conroy (two assists on the night). Unfortunately, the Kings' 1-0 and 2-1 leads didn't last. Marian Gaborik scored a pair of goals to tie the game with less than five minutes to play in the third period. However, as with their two games prior to the Olympic Break, the Kings found a way to win. This time it was Lubomir Visnovky, the leading point-scorer among NHL defenseman, who netted the game winner. With less than three minutes to play, Eric Belanger won a key faceoff, and Tom Kostopoulos got the puck over to Visnovsky who blasted in a slap shot from the right point.

Also of note was the highly disciplined play of the Kings. They took no penalties in the first and third period, and only had four minutes total for the game. They also came up big in the second period by killing off a brief two-man advantage. This was the first game that the Kings didn't allow a power play goal in the last twelve contests. If the Kings hope to continue their momentum, and extend their three-game winning streak, they need to prove that playing with discipline isn't a fluke. The Dallas Stars, losers of three straight, are only eight points ahead of the Kings. Los Angeles continues this homestand against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

The Ducks, hoping to take advantage of a tired team that played the night before, were surprised by the focus and intensity of the Red Wings and lost 2-0. Detroit's five Swedish gold medalists, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronval, and Mikael Samuelsson completed a 30-hour flight to help lead the club to a victory over Anaheim. In fact, Holmstrom and Zetterberg scored the two lone goals 46 seconds apart during the first period. That was all Chris Osgood needed as he stopped all 24 shots he faced.

The Ducks lacked focus and effort in the first period and didn't challenge for the majority of the game. Jean-Sebastien Giguere had a solid effort, making 31 saves on 33 shots, but it wasn't enough because the players in front of him were unable to generate any real scoring opportunities.

The good news for Ducks' fans was the surprise return of Scott Niedermayer who had arthroscopic knee surgery a little over two weeks ago (16 days). He recovered quickly and said that he felt fine. Sandis Ozolnish also returned to action after sitting out 20 games in a substance abuse program.

In the end, the return of those two gifted defensemen wasn't enough to boost the Ducks. They were the ones who looked like they had played the night before or flown for 30 hours prior to the game. Holmstrom commented that this was a "three Red Bull night." Perhaps the Ducks should try that as their next pre-game meal.

The Kings return to action tonight against Minnesota. After snapping a seven-game losing streak with two straight wins before the Olympic Break, the Kings hope to continue their momentum. If they do, it will be without without two of their top players, Pavol Demitra and Alexander Frolov. Demitra took a puck to the face during the Olympic Games and suffered a broken nose and bleeding behind an eye. Frolov had a partially separated shoulder and will likely miss two weeks of action.

Ahhhh... life after the Olympics. For many, the Olympic Games were the eye of the storm... a slight bit of calm before the frantic finale to the regular season in the NHL. The Mighty Ducks return to action tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks will be facing a Detroit team full of Olympic medalists who missed their 5-1 loss to San Jose last night. Detroit will be looking to prove that the previous night's loss was a fluke due to their five missing players.

The Ducks hope to continue the momentum they had prior to the break. They're led by the amazing Teemu Selanne who had a terrific tournament in Torino while helping Finland win the silver medal. He was playing great before the break and he was one of the most dominant players in the Olympic Games. Ducks and Finnish fans should all be proud of Teemu!

The Ducks should also be getting back Sandis Ozolnish who has been re-instated after missing the season so far while in substance abuse rehab. His steady defensive play and accurate puck movement will be welcome in the absence of a hugely important part of blueline... they may be without team captain Scott Niedermayer who had surgery during the Olympic break on his injured knee.

At 27-19-11, Anaheim is in third place in the Pacific Division and ninth place in the Western Conference (just three points behind Edmonton for the final spot in the playoffs). If they want to make a movie, now is the right time because they only have 25 games remaining.

This episode features a summary of the women's and men's Olympic hockey tournaments. We give our thoughts on what worked and didn't for the different teams in this year's Winter Games. In addition to sounding off on some of the big disappointments of the tournament, we also honor the winners and overachievers... like the Canadian, Swedish, and U.S. Women, and the Swedish, Finnish, and Czech Men... and those are just the winners! We also admired the play of the Swiss and Slovakian Men's teams.

Although the Canadian and U.S. men's teams were very disappointing in the Torino Games, we give our thoughts on why the NHL should continue their involvement in the Winter Olympics.

Finally, we also honor a few of the notable speedskaters who won medals in the Olympics. Yes, it's not ice hockey, but it's on ice, so it's good enough for us. Besides, Apolo Anton Ohno, Joey Cheek, and Cindy Klassen are just so darn likeable that we need to mention them!

Next week marks the return of our regular NHL-focused Podcast, and we will feature our predictions and advice for the remaining quarter of the season.

Please call us with questions or comments at 206-337-1885. Have a great week of hockey!