Kings look ahead for November 16-22

November 16, 5:19 PMLos Angeles Kings ExaminerJonathan Moncrief

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Randy Jones has fit right in for the Kings

AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker

The Los Angeles Kings have passed the quarter point of the 2009-10 season. As they finish their second five-plus game road trip of the season Monday in south Florida, here’s a look ahead to what’s on tap this week for them and the league.  By the way, be sure to check out Matthew Barry's take on the Kings at the quarter pole at Hockey Buzz by clicking here.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 16
KINGS @ Florida – The good news for this last game of the trip is that the Kings haven’t lost a game in Broward County since October 26, 2001. Of course, they’ve only played two games in the lower half of the Sunshine State during that span. Another week begins with Anze Kopitar leading the NHL in points with 31 and tied for the lead in goals with 14. The number 14 also leads Florida – as in 14 points by former King Steven Reinprecht leading the Panthers in points.

New Jersey @ Philadelphia – The Devils attempt to equal a record established by the Buffalo Sabres with ten consecutive road victories to open the season. Some have recently suggested (even jokingly) that maybe Martin Brodeur is on the down slope of his career. Too bad the numbers don’t bear that out: he’s tied for the league lead in victories, ranks fifth in GAA, and in his last five games (which include two versus Washington and one versus Pittsburgh) he has surrendered just eight goals.

Anaheim @ Pittsburgh – A shout out to our buddy Kat Kealy, who covers the Ducks (as well as the Kings) but grew up following the Penguins of Mario, Jagr, and Ronnie Francis. Evgeni Malkin returned to the Penguins lineup after missing seven games, and he’s still second on the club in scoring. The Ducks are trying to avoid a winless four game road trip that has seen losses in New Jersey and Detroit and a shootout loss at Columbus.

Other games: NY Islanders @ Boston, Edmonton @ Columbus, Tampa Bay @ Phoenix

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17
KINGS practice in El Segundo – The team has a 12:30 scheduled practice after a cross-country flight returns them to southern California. If you go to the Ralph’s USC Store between 11am-2pm and donate a turkey to the Salvation Army and the 1736 Family Crisis Center, you can receive two tickets to a future Kings game.

Washington @ NY Rangers – Word is that Alexander Ovechkin is slated to return to the lineup just in time for an important game against the team he and the Caps rallied from down 3-1 to knock off in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Mike Knuble has been a solid acquisition so far for Washington, with five goals and 15 points to go with a +10 rating through his first 19 games with the Caps. Meanwhile for the Blueshirts, Marian Gaborik trails only Kopitar in scoring in the NHL with 25 points.

Colorado @ Calgary – The Avalanche got off to such a fast start that you knew they’d eventually return to reality. Still, 5-4-1 in their last ten doesn’t look as bad when you pair it with their fast start. Meanwhile, the Flames are 7-2-1 in their last ten contests to close the gap to just one point for the top spot in the Northwest Division.

Other games: Carolina @ Montreal, Toronto @ Ottawa, San Jose @ Nashville

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18
Philadelphia @ KINGS – If you are looking for a letdown because the club is playing its first home game following a long trip, consider this: the Kings all-time record in first home games following a road trip of five games or longer is 42-37-16-1 and since the 1999-00 season is 8-5-4-1. Back on October 22, the Kings defeated Dallas the last time this opportunity presented itself. Remember to bring perishable food today and Saturday for donation to the LA Food Bank.

Dallas @ Detroit – The Stars begin the week at 8-5-6 and 22 points, tied for third in the Pacific Division and ninth in the Western Conference. One reason the Stars are playing well is the healthy production from Brad Richards, who leads the team in assists and is tied for the club lead in points. Meanwhile, Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings was named first star of the week last week in the NHL after posting nine points, two game-winning goals and a +5 rating.

Phoenix @ Minnesota – The other team tied for third in the Pacific is Phoenix as the week begins. Keith Yandle has been a solid contributor for the Coyotes on the blue line with eight points and a +5 rating this season. The Wild enter the week four games under .500 but with a 5-2-0 mark at home. To say Martin Havlat has been a disappointment for the Wild (two goals, eight points, -13 rating) is an understatement.

Other games: Florida @ Buffalo, Colorado @ Edmonton

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19
KINGS have a scheduled day off today. By the way, if you go to Ralph’s Wiltern store location (670 S. Western Avenue) between 11am and 2pm and donate a turkey to Midnight Mission, you can receive two tickets to a future Kings game.

Chicago @ Calgary – This marks the second meeting of the season between these two teams that met in last year’s playoffs. In their first meeting, the Flames built a 5-0 lead before the Blackhawks stormed back to win 6-5 in overtime. Since that game, the Flames are 8-3-1. Chicago leads the Central Division as the week begins.

Tampa Bay @ Anaheim – The Ducks return home to face a Tampa Bay club that has seen great goal scoring from both Steve Stamkos and Ryan Malone, both of whom have combined for 25 goals this season. After an early season struggle, the top trio of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Bobby Ryan, has rebounded nicely to produce 23 goals and 35 assists for Anaheim.

Other games: Toronto @ Carolina, Boston @ Atlanta, Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, Phoenix @ St. Louis, New Jersey @ Nashville, Columbus @ Dallas

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20
KINGS practice in El Segundo – While it’s good to see the Kings doing well in the standings this early in the season, it’s also encouraging to note that their AHL affiliate in Manchester is leading the Atlantic Division with an 11-4-1-1 record, third best in the AHL. Andrei Loktionov leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 14 points, which also leads the Monarchs. In the ECHL, the Ontario reign have a 7-8-0-0 record, good for second place in the Pacific Division.

Boston @ Buffalo – Here’s a good old-fashioned Adams Division throw down. The Bruins will need to deal with the goaltender playing the best in the league so far this season in Ryan Miller. He was named the third star in the league this past week after winning all three games against Philadelphia, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Philadelphia @ San Jose – The Sharks start the week in familiar territory, atop the Pacific Division with a league best 32 points. Their last loss in regulation was on October 22 at Tampa Bay. Things normally don’t work this way, but is it possible that Dany Heatley could score 28 power play goals this season? He’s on pace to do so.

Other games: Montreal @ Washington, Florida @ Detroit, NY Islanders @ Minnesota, Colorado @ Vancouver

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21
Calgary @ KINGS – In an afternoon tilt at Staples, the Kings entertains Calgary. The Flames are celebrating their 30th season in Alberta, having relocated from Atlanta in the summer of 1980. The first time they visited Los Angeles, they beat the Kings 4-2 on December 8, 1980 – the same day John Lennon was assassinated. The Kings are 38-37-7 all-time in home games versus Calgary, but lost all four decisions versus the Flames last season.

Detroit @ Montreal – Anytime that the Red Wings travel to Montreal, it only serves as a painful reminder of the glory days for the Canadiens and their fans. It was 14 years ago next month that the Red Wings posted an 11-1 rout of the Habs, and the game featured the famous benching of Patrick Roy which led to his trade to Colorado just days later. The Canadiens have won just four playoff series since, the longest such drought in franchise history.

San Jose @ Anaheim – They met in the playoffs last season, just the second ever all-California Stanley Cup playoff series (the Kings defeated the Oakland Seals in seven games during the first round of the 1969 playoffs). Once again, Evgeni Nabokov is playing well in the regular season, posting a 12-3-4 record with a 2.16 GAA so far this season. Of course, as Ducks fans will remind Sharks fans, you don’t win the Stanley Cup in November.

Other games: Washington @ Toronto, Buffalo @ Ottawa, Florida @ NY Rangers, Tampa Bay @ Carolina, Pittsburgh @ Atlanta, NY Islanders @ St. Louis, Columbus @ Nashville, New Jersey @ Dallas, Philadelphia @ Phoenix, Chicago @ Edmonton

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22
KINGS practice in El Segundo – Sunday’s workout leads into a week featuring a two game in two night swing through western Canada over the American Thanksgiving holiday.  It was on this day ten years ago that Wayne Gretzky was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Of course, Americans certainly know the other somber anniversary of what happened 36 years ago today as well.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta – The Thrashers continue to be one of the surprise teams in the league, currently second in the Southeast Division with 21 points. Ilya Kovalchuk returned to action last week after missing six games and was named the NHL’s second star of the week, posting three goals and five assists in three wins for Atlanta.

Other games: Chicago @ Vancouver