Kings look ahead for November 9-15

November 10, 5:20 PMLos Angeles Kings ExaminerJonathan Moncrief

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Will Friday be the day that Erik Ersberg returns in net?
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

For the second time this season, the Los Angeles Kings will head out on the road for a road trip of at least five games. As we look ahead to this week’s action, the Kings began the trip on Monday with a 4-1 loss at Chicago. So now the Kings hope to get things back on track as they travel through the southeast.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10

KINGS practice in Raleigh – Anze Kopitar scored his league leading 14th goal of the season, and begins play Tuesday as the league leader in points with 28. The team should be spenfing part of Tuesday reviewing and working on the power play, which is just one for their last 15 opportunities.

Calgary @ Montreal – It’s not ‘Hockey Day in Canada’ but all six Canadian based clubs are in action, with four of them going head-to-head. This includes a match-up of teams that contested both the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals. Seven members of the current Flames’ squad have at least four goals so far this season.

Edmonton @ Ottawa – A matchup of two teams over the .500, just one season after both clubs missed the playoffs. Whatever diet the Oilers have incorporated into Dustin Penner’s routine, they not change anything. Through 17 games, Penner has ten goals and eleven assists while posting a plus/minus rating of 10. The Sens have seen an increase in production from Mike Fisher, who is tied for the club lead with six goals, second in points with 13, and leads in power play tallies with four.

Other games: Pittsburgh @ Boston, Minnesota @ Toronto, Vancouver @ St. Louis, Nashville @ San Jose

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 11

KINGS @ Carolina – The date was January 20, 2001. George W. Bush was just being sworn in for his first term as President of the United States; the country marked the 20th anniversary of the release of the 52 hostages from Iran; Pete Carroll had been on the job at USC less than a month; and it marked the last time the Kings won a hockey game in Carolina. Ziggy Palffy scored two goals and added an assist in that 6-3 victory.

Anaheim @ New Jersey – Scott Niedermayer and the Ducks visit his brother and his former team, the Devils. The Ducks enter the contest one game below the .500 mark, while New Jersey finds itself two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division. By the way, Rob still has more goals than Scott this season.

Detroit @ Columbus – It may only be the second month of the season, but it is still odd to see the Blue Jackets ahead of the Red Wings in the standings. This also marks the first meeting between these two Central Division foes since last season’s playoffs, when the Red Wings swept Columbus four straight.

Other games: Edmonton @ Buffalo, NY Islanders @ Washington, Colorado @ Chicago

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 12

KINGS practice in Atlanta – The Kings have had enjoyed more success playing the Thrashers in Atlanta as opposed to playing the Flames. Since the Thrashers joined the NHL in 1999, the Kings are 3-1-0-1 in games versus the Thrashers. Meanwhile, during an eight year run from 1972 through 1980, the Kings were 6-8-4 against the Flames before their move to Calgary.

Dallas @ San Jose – The Sharks have quickly resumed the top spot in the Pacific Division, and enter Tuesday with a four point lead over the Kings. Evgeni Nabokov has been stellar in goal for the Sharks, posting an 11-3-2 record so far with two shutouts. The Stars netminder, Marty Turco, has also been impressive with a 5-2-4 mark and a 2.21 GAA.

Nashville @ St. Louis – Another key divisional game in the Central Division pits the Predators, now at .500 following Saturday’s win at Staples Center, travelling to St. Louis. The Blues have struggled at home with just two wins in eight games, and need David Backes to get back to how he was scoring last year. He has just one goal and two points in 15 games.

Other games: Florida @ Boston, Atlanta @ NY Rangers, Ottawa @ Philadelphia, New Jersey @ Pittsburgh, Minnesota @ Tampa Bay, Vancouver @ Detroit, Montreal @ Phoenix

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13

KINGS @ Atlanta – As the Kings make their way down Peachtree Street, will this game mark the return of Erik Ersberg to the ice? Last week, Terry Murray suggested that Ersberg, who has only played in one game in goal so far for the Kings this season, will likely play in at least one of the games on the road trip. Ersberg hasn’t won a regular season game since December 13, although he has only started nine games since then. Ersberg played in last year’s only meeting between the two teams, a 7-6 shootout win by the Thrashers.

Toronto @ Chicago – Since these two ‘Original Six’ teams are in opposite conferences, it’s always good to highlight when they face each other. Chicago begins the week tied with Columbus atop the Central Division, while Toronto has just three wins in their first 15 games. A bright spot for the Maple Leafs has been Mikhail Grabovski, who is second on the club in points with 12 and assists with nine.

Other games: Minnesota @ Washington, NY Islanders @ Carolina, Anaheim @ Columbus, Calgary @ Buffalo

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14

KINGS @ Tampa Bay – Anytime these two teams meet, one name quickly comes to mind: Chris Kontos. He is best remembered for his playoff scoring performance during the 1989 playoffs, when he scored nine goals to help the Kings upset the defending champion Edmonton Oilers in Wayne Gretzky’s first year in Los Angeles. Then in 1992, he led the Lightning to a surprise victory in their franchise opening game against Chicago with four goals, a mark that has not been surpassed.  As a reminder, this will be the third game in a week not to be televised locally.

Buffalo @ Philadelphia – Both of these teams begin the week with identical records. Yet the Flyers find themselves in fourth place in the stacked Atlantic, while the Sabres stand alone atop the Northeast. Barring an injury, you can put Ryan Miller on the roster for Team USA, and probably as the starting goaltender. Miller is 9-2-1 for the Sabres with a 1.89 GAA and a .936 save percentage.

Vancouver @ Colorado – Speaking of goaltending, Craig Anderson continues to impress between the pipes for the Avalanche, a team that begins the week five points ahead of Calgary and six ahead of Vancouver in the Northwest. Anderson has a record of 11-4-2 with a 2.32 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Roberto Luongo returns for the Canucks this week, yet the Canucks can thank Andrew Raycroft for doing the job in his absence. Raycroft posted a 1.60 GAA and .936 save percentage while winning four of five games.

Dallas @ Phoenix – Attention fantasy hockey team owners: if you are looking for a left winger that is under the radar and can help your club, look no further than James Neal of the Stars. In 15 games, he has a club high nine goals, is second in points with 17, and leads the team in plus/minus rating at +7. As for the Coyotes, general manager Don Maloney should be given tremendous credit for signing Adrian Aucoin and Robert Lang, especially considering how hamstrung the Coyotes front office has been. The two veterans have combined for five goals and 12 assists so far this season.

Other games: Calgary @ Toronto, NY Rangers @ Ottawa, Washington @ New Jersey, NY Islanders @ Florida, Anaheim @ Detroit, Boston @ Pittsburgh, San Jose @ St. Louis, Montreal @ Nashville

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15

KINGS practice in Sunrise, FL – Memo to Kings players (I know you read this) preparing for Monday's road trip finale against the Panthers: stay away from South Beach. However, since you’ll be staying near the Sawgrass Mills, I do recommend watching NFL games at Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill in Plantation, owned by the former Miami Dolphins defensive end.

Minnesota @ Carolina – Clearly the Carolina defense will need to be on their toes against Brett Favre… oops, wrong league. These two clubs start the week with a combined total of eight victories. The goaltending has been what either team expected. Niklas Backstrom is 6-8-0 with a 2.63 GAA, which isn’t great for a team struggling to score goals. Of course, the Hurricanes would take those numbers from Cam Ward, who is just 2-9-3 this season with a 2.97 GAA.

Other games: Edmonton @ Atlanta, San Jose @ Chicago