Princes Look to Seize Throne
by David Carty
Remember how sick we all got of SportsCenter's "Who's Now?" competition this summer? One day of ESPN parading it's panel of celebrity experts in what was akin to a high school popularity contest was too much for many sports fans to digest. For all the wonders Jessica Biel so generously provides a society of drooling men, sports talk is not one of her greatest assets. And I'm not too sure Keyshawn Johnson is good for anything, on the field or off.
In the court of public opinion, the Anaheim Ducks are the "Now" team of the NHL and their Golden State counterparts, the Los Angeles Kings, are "Next," about 27 miles separating today's Stanley Cup contenders from next year's crop of Championship hopefuls.
Well, guess what? The Kings are sick of the "Who's Next?" competition. Shoved into the spotlight far from home in the 02 Arena in London, England, the Kings were intent on proving the league and the world that this year counts too.
Michael Cammalleri opened up the scoring with a one-timed snap from Lubomir Visnovsky. The 25 year-old's power play tally will be the first of many to come on a growing special teams unit. Los Angeles finished tenth in the league with the man advantage last season, but boast a staff that could easily improve upon those numbers. Anze Kopitar may be the league's best kept secret, notching 61 points in his rookie campaign and two assists in the season opener. Combined with Cammalleri and yearly Norris contender Visnovsky running the point, the Kings can hurt you from anywhere on the ice.
The Kings took advantage of every power play opportunity so generously given to them by the sometimes foolish Ducks, peppering Ilya Bryzgalov with 11 shots on net during the power play and recording three goals, two by Cammalleri, in the 4-1 upset over the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks.
The Kings' abilities weren't just evident on offense. Keeping up with the Ducks from a physical standpoint proved particularly difficult for opponents last season en route to the franchise's first ever championship. There must be something in the water. Kings franchise defenseman Jack Johnson stood toe-to-toe on several occasions with George Parros, who recorded more fights than three NHL teams last season. While there are lessons to be learned for the 20-year old, his play in the defensive end was solid in his 18 minutes of ice time.
Also stealing a line from the Ducks, the line of Murray, Ivanans, and O'Sullivan were not afraid to throw their weight around playing a physical game all day.
But it is perhaps the Kings offseason acquisitions that will put them over the top. Michal Handzus played very effectively on the penalty kill and collaborated very well with fellow Czech Ladislav Nagy. If Handzus can avoid injury and Nagy has finally found an organization into which he can gel, the Kings will have a tremendous secondary attack when Kopitar's line is off the ice.
A season of stability will also do wonders for Kyle Calder, who has looked excellent in his efforts thus far with the Kings. The blue line acquisitions of Brad Stuart and Tom Preissing have silently turned the Kings defensive corps into one of hockey's best. If Rob Blake continues to drink from drink from the fountain of youth (of which Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom frequent), the Kings will have the perfect cast to help along Johnson's development.
Between the pipes, of course, is what has Kings fans grimacing. Dan Cloutier looked like, well, Dan Cloutier last season. He will start the season in Manchester, leaving Jason LaBarbera and top prospect Jonathan Bernier to fight for the starting job. Bernier was not expected in Los Angeles for another season or two, but played magnificently in his first career NHL start. Bernier held Anaheim scoreless until fellow top prospect Bobby Ryan scored his first NHL goal just past the halfway mark in the third period. If Bernier continues to play this well in net, look for the Kings to surprise everyone and make a run at the Pacific Division crown.
With the NHL opener come and gone, the Kings may just be ready to take the California throne with their impressive performance across the pond. All the pieces are in place for a deep playoff run for the Los Angeles Kings. Despite whatever projections exist for this core of youngsters down the road, the Kings look to create a much more interesting "Who's Now?" competition. And they won't wait 'til next year.