NEWS BY DIVISION
- Northeast GMs still filling roster holes Northeast
- 'Boogey Man' no laughing matter Atlantic
- Halak must prove he isn't all hype Central
- Iginla likes Calgary signings of Jokinen, Tanguay Northwest
- If Kovy stays in the East, then what? Pacific
- FAs not expected to fly Southeast this summer Southeast
COLUMNS
- Drafting well: not an easy task Justin Bourne
- Stock Up, Stock Down Justin Bourne
- Beards And Bruises: The De-evolution of Looks Justin Bourne
| Anatomy of a winning streak |
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| Pacific |
| Written by J.P. Hoornstra |
| Tuesday, February 09, 2010 07:09 |
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Pacific Division notebook: In 1991-92, when they matched the team record for consecutive wins, they had Wayne Gretzky and advanced to the first round of the playoffs. Saturday’s comeback victory against the Detroit Red Wings was the Kings’ ninth straight, a franchise record. Who they beat – the two-time defending Western Conference champions – was impressive. So was how they won – spotting Detroit a 3-0 first period lead, then coming back to win on a Michal Handzus goal with less than a minute to play. Six of their nine victories were by virtue of comebacks. And unlike the 1991-92 streak, the Kings’ gutty effort has come without a true superstar leading the way. “We have not had one or two guys win the games for us,” said captain Dustin Brown. “Obviously Quicker [goaltender Jonathan Quick] has been really strong in the net for us. When you can get scoring from every line, like we have, it is difficult to play against.” But nor has the Kings’ success been a fluke, which was the case in ’72-73. Through Saturday, their 75 points trailed only the 1974-75 team (79 points) for the fastest 58-game start in team history. No Kings team ever reached 36 wins faster, and no goalie since Mario Lessard in 1980-81 had won 34 games in a Los Angeles uniform before Quick’s victory Saturday. The most impressive victory of the nine came Jan. 31 in New Jersey, where the Devils led 2-1 with less than two minutes remaining in the third period. L.A.'s comeback win extended their road streak to seven, never accomplished since 1974-75, a streak that was snapped Monday night in Anaheim. For the first time in years, the Kings seem intent on making the playoffs. Good intentions haven’t taken this team far in the past. At least this time, history is on their side. SAN JOSE Days of trade rumors culminated Sunday when the Sharks acquired D Niclas Wallin from the Carolina Hurricanes and a fifth-round 2010 draft pick for a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. Wallin, 34, is in the final year of a contract that pays $1.725 million this season. The San Jose Mercury News reported that the deal does not involve a contract extension, which was rumored to be a sticking point. … Prospect Thomas Heemskerk is currently fourth in the WHL in goals against average (2.63) and tied for fifth in save percentage (.915). The 6-foot goalie was ranks 10th in the league in wins after winning seven straight games throughout the end of January. … The only defenseman to appear in every game this season? Try Kent Huskins. … The Sharks are 11-1-2 in their last 14 games and have opened up a six-point lead on the Chicago Blackhawks for the Western Conference’s top seed. PHOENIX Despite losing forwards Shane Doan, Vernon Fiddler and Joel Perrault to upper-body injuries at midgame, the Coyotes beat the Oilers 6-1 on Monday. Matthew Lombardi switched to left wing from center for the first time and recorded a career-high five points (two goals, three assists). … RW Radim Vrbata played his 500th career game against the Oilers. … D Adrian Aucoin scored the game-deciding shootout goal in back-to-back victories in Nashville and Chicago. … The Coyotes have won seven of eight to hold off the Kings for second place in the Pacific Division standings. … C Joel Perrault was recalled from AHL San Antonio on Thursday and Mikkel Boedker was returned to the Rampage after a brief NHL stint. … They aren’t flocking to Glendale in droves, but greater Phoenix is tuning in to their ‘Yotes on television: According to Nielsen Media Research, ratings for Coyotes telecasts on Fox Sports Arizona are up 50 percent over their ratings for last season. ANAHEIM D Ryan Whitney, a Boston native, was named a replacement for the U.S. Olympic roster on Thursday. … The Ducks are riding a franchise-record tying 10 straight wins at home entering Wednesday’s game against Edmonton. … Teemu Selanne scored his 215th career power-play goal against the Kings on Monday, which tied Joe Nieuwendyk for 10th place on the all-time list. He is now four goals from matching Jari Kurri at 17th on the all-time goals list with 601. … X-rays on the left ankle of Ryan Getzlaf were negative after the center left Monday’s game in the second period. An MRI was scheduled for Tuesday. … G Vesa Toskala took part in his first practice as a Duck on Sunday, one week after he was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Jason Blake for Jean-Sebastien Giguere. G Justin Pogge was returned to AHL San Antonio. … Playing where his NHL career began in Blake scored his first goal as a Duck in Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Kings. DALLAS Owner Tom Hicks discussed the sale of the team, and criticized the NHL’s spending model, in a Monday afternoon press conference.. … The Stars activated C Mike Ribeiro (throat) from IR and recalled RW Raymond Sawada and LW Francis Wathier from AHL affiliate Texas on Monday. … Steve Ott had an emergency appendectomy Monday morning and will be out until after the Olympics, as will Mark Fistric, who will have arthroscopic surgery on his knee. … C Warren Peters was returned to AHL Texas on Sunday. hockey news, 2010 NHL Trade Deadline, olympic hockey coverage, hockey headlines, hpt radio, nhl news, nhl power rankings, hockey video, podcasts, world hockey, hockey headlines |
