Jan 31, 2000      Luc Tied With Stan Mikita

Lucky scored two goals giving the Kings a 5-2 win over the New york Islanders.  He is now tied with Hall of Famer Stan Mikita for 19th on the all-time list.   "(Mikita) was a great player," Robitaille said. "Growing up you heard about Stan Mikita. It is a pretty big honor to move into a tie with him."  Not bad for a ninth-round, 171st overall pick.
This was a win the Kings needed, and should have won, to keep from slipping out of the playoffs.  It could also help boost their confidence going into Thursdays game against the Red Wings.
Stumpy scored first into basically an open net after Lucky rebounded a shot from Ziggy.  That gave Lucky an assist to go along with his two goals.  "It was a nice play by Luc," Stumpel said. "I was just kind of waiting, holding up and I had an empty net. I'm concentrating on shooting the puck and passing. It's (the net) not always open to score, sometimes it opens for someone else."   Garry Galley took a pass from Bob Corkum, danced around the Islander players and fired at Weekes 2:12 later to make it 2-0.  Lucky struck early in the second period, off a feed from Stumpy. Ziggy passed to Stumpy standing at the left circle and he sent a pass to Luc, who rifled a one-timer past Weekes.  Glen Murray got his 21st goal just about four minutes later and the Kings were up 4-0.  Luc finished the second period scoring with his second of the night, picking up a rebound of Matty Norstrom's slap shot and flipped it past goaltender Kevin Weekes.  Although Ziggy didn't score against his former team, he did pick up three assists.  "A game like this, you have to take it just like any other game," Palffy said. "Whether you're playing the best or the bottom of the league. They had to trade me. Payroll had to go down, so I was the first guy I know. But, they didn't want to spend any money. A big, new contract had to be gotten rid of."
Jamie Heward and Mariusz Czerkawski scored for the Islanders, which had been hoping for a California Hat Trick, beating the Ducks and the Sharks.

Jan 29, 2000    Kings Let Another One Get Away

What happens when you only play 45 minutes of a 60 minute hockey game?  You only need watch a replay of the Kings game against Toronto to get the answer.  The Kings dominated the first two periods, and had a 2-0 lead going into the third.  "I think they got a couple of breaks," Fiset said. "It's one of those games every team that's down comes back hard in the third. They shortened up their bench and had their key players out. But it was not like they were doing anything spectacular or outplaying us. We made a couple mistakes and it cost us the game."  The Kings scored first when Smoke tried to pass the puck to Mini Me and it deflected off Toronto defenseman Tomas Kaberle's stick and into the net at 4:11 of the first period.  Jere Karalahti made it a two-goal lead on the power play with 6:24 in the period when he fired a  shot from the left point into the top right corner of the net. The goal ended the Kings' 0-for-16 power-play drought.  The third period started off well, but went sour real quick.
The Kings played some of their best hockey for 45 minutes then allowed two goals just 1:30 apart early in the third period.  Bryan Berard took a feed from Igor Korolev, skated between CJ and Blakey and backhanded the puck through Steph's pads.   Steve Thomas tied it 90 seconds later with a scramble in front of the net.   Standing in front of the crease, he picked up the rebound of Mats Sundin's shot, kicked the puck to his stick and flipped it over Fiset's left shoulder. It looke like we were in for overtime, when with just 20 seconds left in the third, Steve Thomas scored the game winner.  Blakey tried to clear the puck behind the net, but the puck hopped over Muzz's stick to Berard.  He ripped a slap shot from the point that Thomas deflected with his stick.   Game over.  Kings let one get away ... again.
"Some people made some mistakes," said coach Andy Murray after the Kings finished their road trip 1-2. "We had a chance to start something tonight. It's very disappointing."

Jan 27, 2000     Steph's Back!

The Kings moved within seven points of first place Dallas Stars in a 6-2 win over the Nashville Predators.  Luc scored the all important first goal and Steph dominated the game stopping 34 of 36 Nashville shots.   He kept the game tied at 1-1 by stopping Greg Johnson on a shorthanded breakaway with 2:40 left in the first period.  "It was a very important save," Fiset said. "We would have had a very different game if that one got past me."  This is the way he played at the beginning of the season before taking a shot Nov 6 in pregame warmups on the blocker hand that sidelined him until Jamie went out with a concussion.  He was forced back too early, and struggled until the Colorado game last Sunday.  "It was huge," said Luc Robitaille."[Fiset] is back to where he was. He's playing really well."  With the game tied on a goal by Patric Kjellberg on the power play, Luc struck again making it 2-1 and just 16 seconds later, Marco gave the Kings a 3-1 lead.  But if not for Steph, it could have easily been 2-1 Predators.  "It's great when you get to ride a hot goalie," said Luc Robitaille. "It's good to see Steph play that way after all he's been through. We're going to need that down the stretch."  Smoke and Bob Corkum scored in the second period before Patric Kjellberg scored his second of the night.  Lappy added a goal in the third period, unassisted, to put the whipped cream on the cake.

Jan 26, 2000   The Curse Continues

What will it take to beat the Dallas Stars?  That's the question on everybody's mind, including the Kings players.  Could this really be a curse?  Who could have done such a horrible thing?
The Kings dominated most of the game, and outshot Dallas 39-18, but Eddie 'the Eagle' Belfour made saves any way he had to.  He dove, flopped, kicked, and used his mask.  A shot by Jere Karalahti hit Belfour's mask and deflected off to the right.  "What did we get, 37, 38 shots?"  Andy Murray asked.  But the curse continued as the Stars notched another win over the Kings in a 3-1 decision.  "We must have had 20 scoring chances," Murray said. "What did they get, four or five scoring chances?"  They only needed three.  Thats 22 games (0-17-5-1 since 1995) without a win against them.
CJ did at least make sure Belfour didn't get a shutout, and scored the only Kings goal in the first period.  Although the Stars didn't play particularly well, Modano, Zubov, and Hull scored for the Stars, and the rest was Belfour.  "I don't know if we could play better," winger Luc Robitaille said. "Well, we could have scored more. If we have that kind of effort [tonight] at Nashville, we might get eight goals."  We'll see.

Jan 25, 2000  Huard Traded
The Los Angeles Kings have traded left wing Bill Huard to the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations, Kings Senior Vice President/General Manager Dave Taylor announced today.
Huard, 32, played in one game with the Kings this season and had no points and two penalty minutes.  He has spent most of this season with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League, and has four points (2-2=4) and 65 penalty minutes in 13 games.  Signed as a free agent by the Kings on July 21, 1999, the 6-1, 215-pound native of Welland, Ont., has played in 223 career NHL games with the Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche), Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers, and has 34 points (16-18=34) and 594 penalty minutes.

Jan 25, 2000    Tsyplakov Traded to Buffalo

The Kings traded winger Vladimir Tsyplakov to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday for an eighth-round draft choice.  Tsypy and his agent Larry Kelly asked for the trade because he was in and out of the lineup, and not playing on a consistant basis.  "Taylor was first-class about the whole thing," Kelly said. "We told him
[Tsyplakov] has no interest in simply being around as insurance, and that it would make sense to get something for him now rather than nothing for him later [as a free agent]."
The Sabres, mired in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings and in the midst of a three-game losing streak, along with the loss of Primeau and Varada prompted the Sabres to acquire Tsyplakov.  He   is expected to play tonight.  "I know a little bit about him," Ruff said. "He's a skill player. He's got good
hands, good hockey sense. Speedwise, he's an average skater.  With all the trades L.A. has made - (Bryan) Smolinski, (Zigmund) Palffy - he's fallen out of the top three lines and out of the lineup. Maybe we can take a look at him on the power play.  We'll get him in here and evaluate him."
Tsyplakov had been one of the most versatile King forwards, subbing at various times for Luc Robitaille, Ziggy Palffy, Glen Murray and Donald Audette when they were injured, and taking an occasional turn with a checking line, though physical play is not his forte.

Jan 23, 2000   Steph Lifts Kings

Stephane Fiset lifted the Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, and it didn't hurt that Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel returned from injuries.  "They were worth two goals tonight, so certainly it helps," Los Angeles coach Andy Murray said of Murray and Stumpel. "But I think the biggest factor in the game was that we had solid goaltending. (Stephane) Fiset played very strong for us."  Glen scored a power play goal, second of the game, midway through the first period.  He missed three games with a bruised chest.  Jozef, returning after missing seven games with a bruised knee, scored the game winner about four minutes later.  His wrist shot from the right faceoff circle deflected off defenseman Alexei Gusarov and got past goaltender Marc Denis. Ziggy opened the scoring with a power play goal while Jozef tied up the penalty-killers.  Marco got the best of Peter Forsberg, who was off for roughing.  Ziggy took a pass from Luc behind goalie Marc Denis and shot the puck into an open net.  "It's just a little frustrating to us," Forsberg said. "I can't take that many penalties."
  Steph was stellar in goal, keeping it 3-0 through almost two periods.  He shut down Joe Sakic.  "Every time you get a 3-0 lead, it's easier [for a goalie]," Fiset said. "It doesn't matter who you are playing against."   But with Stumpy off for an unnecessary penalty, Adam Deadmarsh scored when Sandis Ozolinsh's slap shot from the top of the left circle hit his leg and deflected in.  Dave Reid scored the only third period goal.

Jan 20, 2000   Buffalo Pics Are Up!
Right here

Jan 20, 2000    Dallas Now 15-0-6-1 Against Kings

First rule of hockey - It's a 60 minute game.  And if you don't play the whole 60 minutes, your chances of a win diminish considerably depending on the team you're playing.  If that team is the Stanley Cup Champions, and you don't put in a 60 minute effort, you won't win even if lightning struck them down.  Such was the case with the Kings.  They did manage to keep the score 0-0 through the first period (credit goes to Jamie) even though they had 21 minutes in penalties.  But for the next two periods, it seemed several players were missing in action.  Blakey didn't hit, Ziggy had three shots, Luc had three shots, Matty lost the puck, and at times it looked like Jamie was seeing two pucks again.  How can this team come out flying and just skate all over the Sabres, doing everything right, and two nights later play with no intensity, smarts, or heart?   Dallas is 15-0-6-1 against the Kings, and it's the longest string of domination in the NHL.  Why?
I'm not going to give the gory details (check box score), but Modano and Hull scored.  Surprised?

Jan 18, 2000 -  2 PP Goals For Luuuuc..

Anyone who doesn't think Matty Norstrom should be named Most Inspirational Player should take a good look at his face.  In particular his nose.  He took over 30 stitches after a viscious crosscheck by San Jose's Tony Granato.  Matty left the ice, packed his nose, and came out to play the rest of the game on Saturday.  He was stitched up afterwards, taking the over 30 stitches in three layers, and the warrior that he is, didn't miss a beat in the Kings 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Staples Center.  BTW, the NHL decided not to suspend Granato who is repeat stick offender.  Boo to the league.
The Kings did almost everything right.  At least enough to send the Sabres out of L A with a wnm (over Anaheim) and a loss.  The 23 minutes of penalties won't due when they meet the Dallas Stars on Thursday.  "There are lots of things we liked about the game tonight," Murray said.  "And there are lots of things that are still areas of concern."  Our power play was successful, finally.  "The penalty killing was good," he said. "It was just overtaxed. We took, in my opinion, four unnecessary penalties."
Ziggy, who looked comfortable, started the scoring less than 5 minutes into the game.  Smoke got the puck to Ziggy on a breakaway and he beat Martin Biron on the inside of the left post.  Luc made it 2-0 on a power play goal when he batted in a puck that was first batted by Smolinski.  Brad Chartrand got his  fifth goal, 31 seconds into the second period, and put the Kings' ahead 3-0.  Brad's slap shot on net from just inside the blue line beat Biron and slid under his stick.  Michal Grosek countered only 34 seconds later on a cross-ice pass from Miroslav Satan. His shot glanced off Jamie's skate and into the net.  "That was my fault," Storr said. "[The pass] was too far in front of me to go out and stop and I lost the puck.  Then I felt it bounce off my skate."  Luc made it 4-1 midway through the second period.  His 20th goal was an easy tap-in off a pass from Ziggy.  Buffalo rookie Maxim Afinogenov got the Sabres within 4-2 with 9:19 left in the second period but Ziggy scored off a feed from from Rob Blake at the right point. Geoff Sanderson ended the scoring the scoring about half way through the third period, but the Kings prevailed.
It was a nice win, but we should remember that Buffalo is also struggling.  I've been following them all season, and lately they can't seem to win two in a row.

Jan 15, 2000 - Kings Drown In Shark Tank
When you're a team struggling for wins, you can't keep playing catch up hockey.  The Kings woes just keep on coming.  If you only score two goals a game, you won't win many hockey games.  We came close this time, making it to overtime, but came up short again.  San Jose won 3-2 in overtime from a goal by Jeff Friesen.  Owen Nolan score twice, and Brad Chartrand and Luc scored to put the game into overtime.
Brad Chartrand scored the first goal for the Kings after San Jose went up 2-0.  Both teams are battling slumps. It was the fourth win in 11 games for San Jose, while the Kings have won just twice in 11 games.  Luc scored the tying goal late in the third period on a power play, but the Kings couldn't put the Sharks away in overtime.  "Those are the players that are supposed to score, the guys on the power play," Los Angeles coach Andy Murray said. "They got it done on the last power play, but obviously there were some opportunities that we needed to finish off."  The Kings had a 5 minute power play early in the third period when Tony Granato was sent off for cross checking Matty Norstrom, and did nothing with it.
Maybe Jamie should have had a few games down in Long Beach.  The Kings are sinking.  Somebody please throw them a life preserver.

2000 All-Star Roster
Roster for the 2000 All-Star Game in Toronto.
 

Jan 13, 2000  -  Kings Drop Second Straight
Smoke scores the first goal. Glen's shot deflects off Smoke.
Rob Blake puts a crushing hip check on Jochen Hecht.  The crowd roars.
Persson takes a punch at Ziggy in front of the ref, no call.
Jamal Mayers scores the second.  The puck was rolling on end when it hit the boards and came out rolling and curled in a weird way.
Third goal. Double deflection. First off Blues stick then off Blakes skate.
Bad penalty by Gregson on Galley for holding.
And on and on and on .... the Kings just can't seem to catch a break lately.
Scott Young's power-play goal with 13:25 remaining snapped a tie as the St. Louis Blues beat the Kings with a 3-2 victory.  The King penalty was interference.  The Blues were outshot 26-16.  Didn't matter.
The Kings had chances to score in the final minute, but Blues goalie Roman Turek covered up the puck during a scramble in the crease and MacInnis blocked Luc Robitaille's blast from the right side with just over 10 seconds left.
Bryan Smolinski scored both goals for the Kings, (not bad for a throw in of the Palffy trade), making him the team's leading scorer.   And what's up with Palffy anyway?  The Kings were among the NHL leaders a month ago but are 2-9-1 in the last 12 games.
The Kings have to start clearing the traffic in front of their net, and start creating traffic of their own in front of the opponents net.  When you don't keep traffic away, deflections happen.  Deflections happen, and pucks go in.  Although Steph has appeared to be struggling lately, not making the timely saves, I don't think he is entirely responsible for this slide.
"In this streak of misery we're on right now, we are trying to grind up some offense," Kings coach Andy Murray said. "We wanted to play real solid in the third period and recognizing with Glen Murray out, we knew we would have to be real solid.  St. Louis is on a roll right now and things are happening for them that happen when you are playing real well."  Glen was injured during the first period after he was checked hard into the boards.   X-rays were negative, but he suffered a chest contusion and did not return.
Jamal Mayers and Lubos Bartecko also scored for St. Louis.

Jan 11, 2000 -  Penalties Kill Kings

The Kings can't keep taking stupid penalties if they expect to be playing hockey after April 9th.  Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille must start setting a good example for the team, and Ziggy Palffy has to show why we gave up our young guys to get him here in L.A.  He's been nearly invisible since his back spasms started.  I know we've been hit by injuries, but let's face it, so have many other teams, and the Kings proved earlier in the season that injuries were no excuse.  The most irritating thing is we play horrid, and lose by one goal .. time after time.
The penalties started early, and Ottawa made the most of them, scoring two PP goals by Juneau in the first period.  This happening in under three minutes.  Ottawa won for the first time in seven games at Los Angeles beating the Kings 4-3.
The Kings came back to tie it late in the opening period on a shorthanded goal by Danny B and a goal by Luc.
McEachern scored 48 seconds into the second period when Aki Berg lost the puck while skating in his own end. In defense to Aki, there seemed to be a problem with the ice.  When Arvedson put the puck over Steph's glove only 2:38 later, that was it for him, and Cousineau took over.  While Cousineau played well, he is at best, a backup.  Steph IS the number 1 goaltender, and he has to find a way to get back to his game.
Matty Norstrom's lone goal in the third didn't make a difference.
Luc's misconduct penalty half way through the second was just plain undisciplined.  And the punch he gave the camera was amusing, but stupid.

Jan 9, 2000   -   Kings Super Skills

The Kings held their Fedex/NHL Super Skills competition today at Staples Center.  A crowd of over 4,000 fans watched as the players, divided into two teams, Black & White, went through several drills.  Team White emerged the victor over Team Black, but it was close.  The win came on the last shift of the breakaway competition, when Team White scored three giving them 10 goals.
The drills started with a puck control relay, where the players skated through a course of pylons, moving the puck. Tsyppy, representing Team White posted the  best individual time. Team White won the relay.
Fastest skater competition came next.  Skaters were timed while taking one lap around the ice.  Modry gave it all he had for Team Black, but CJ of Team White was the fastest with a time of a little over 14 seconds.
My favorite drill was next, the hardest shot.  Player take two shots on net and the two are combined.  Blakey had stiff competition this year. Glen Murray won hands down with a 103.5 mph shot, that finally gave Team Black a goal.  He currently holds the record in this years competition, and Foxy just HAD to get pointers from him.
The shooting accuracy contest was next with Len Barrie, Luc, and Karalahti tying the competition breaking all four targets in six shots. Lappy and Kaberle were the official puck passers for Team White and Team White won the goal for accuracy.
Last came the breakaway with each player getting two chances to score.  Plenty of action with Modry, Corkum, Glen, Glen again, Smoke, Smoke again, and others getting their chances.  Luc, representing Team Black scored twice and Team black came back to tie it 7-7, but Team White had the last turn and scored three goals on Steph to win it 10-7.
Thanks to Bob Miller and Foxy for a job well done.
 

Jan 8, 2000   -   Blake Voted Starting All Star
Kings Captain Rob Blake was today named as a starting defenseman for the North America team in the 2000 NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 6, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  It is the first time that Blake has been voted to the starting lineup, and the third All Star appearance of his career (1994 and 1999).  Blakey, 30, was voted through fan balloting as a starter to the North America team along with St. Louis Blues defenseman Chris Pronger, Detroit Red Wings left wing Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim right wing Paul Kariya and Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph.  The World team starting lineup includes Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek, Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Jaromir Jagr, Toronto Maple Leafs center Mats Sundin, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim right wing Teemu Selanne, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh.  This season, Blake leads all NHL defensemen in goals (13), power play goals (eight) and shots (158), and is tied for eighth in league scoring among defensemen with 26 points (13-13=26).
The 2000 NHL All-Star Game will start at 11:30 a.m. (PT) and will be broadcast on ABC.
 

Jan 6, 2000   -   Action On and Off The Ice

Len Barrie scored twice and Jaroslav Modry added the deciding goal in the second period as the Kings snapped a two-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers.
There was plenty of excitement on and off the ice, with Peter Worrell goating Blakely all night which finally ended up taking Blakey off the ice.  Worrell got away with TOO much.  He ruffed Blakey so hard it knocked his helmet off, and then slashed him when he was checked into the boards by Blakey, prompting the fans to daunt "Worr-ell". Panther's Ray Whitney got a five minute major for butt ending Marco in the stomach.  The Kings looked pretty pathetic on that power play, and the Panthers didn't even appear out of breath.
Off the ice, in section 110, there was a scrum.  No, there was a fight.  From what I coud see, there were two guys beating up, yes, beating up, on one guy.  It seemd to take security FOREVER to get there, and a very long time to settle things down.  A few minutes later people were being ushered out, and at least 2 1/2 rows were empty.  Later in the game, there was a long delay, maybe because the fans behind the Panther's bench were a bit unruly.  Actually, it spanned out over several sections.  They were standing, yelling, and banging on the glass.  Probably partly because of their ire over Worrell.  "There was stuff coming at us and pounding on the glass," Terry Murray said. "It was really loose glass. . . . People were leaning on it and it hit me in the back.  It took security a while to get there."
 The Kings outshot Florida, 41-17, including a 26-5 advantage in the second period. The 26 shots tied a team record for one period that was last happened on October 14, 1993 against the Oilers.
The lines being mixed all night, because of injuries to Jozef Stumpel, Ian Laperriere and Craig Johnson.  Because of this, Barrie ended up centering two lines and scored once with each.  Len tied it, 1-1, at 8:26 of the opening period after Florida's Ray Sheppard scored first.  He took the puck in the slot and put a wrist shot past goaltender Mike Vernon for his first goal since November 24.  He found himself in open ice, and went left, then moved right, and the puck went between Vernon's legs.  "That's what I bring to the team," Barrie said. "I can play the first or fourth line, right wing or left wing. I think that's what (coach Andy Murray) looks for from me -- to give a spark whenever I can."  Barrie scored again at 2:58 of the second period when he batted a rebound past Vernon, who probably deserved a better fate.  He had stopped a breakaway by Palffy, but the puck lay loose between his pads and Robitaille kept it alive for Barrie, who had a nearly open net as a target.  "I remember earlier in the year, you kind of expect Ziggy to score on breakaways because he did all the time, and I didn't follow up," Barrie said. "I kind of enjoyed watching him. "This time I said, 'I'm going to follow him,' and I went to the net."
Modry scored on the power play with 4:39 left in the second.  Donald Audette lifted a shot in close that hit the crossbar but Modry slapped in the rebound for his second of the season.
Robert Svehla scored his sixth goal for Florida to cut the margin to 3-2 with 8:46 left in the third, but Glen Murray added an empty-netter in the final minute.  It was Glen's 14th of the season.

Jan 4, 2000  -    Luc's 1000th Game

The Kings have been hit hard by the injury bug with Stumpy, Lappy, Ziggy and Storzie out nursing various bumps and bruises.  Still they managed to fend off a hot team and keep the St Louis Blues from a win with a 2-2 tie.
Lucky played in his 1000th game, and came up with the eventual game tying goal that looked like it might be the game winner.  Mike Eastwood ruined that when he scored with just under five minutes left in the third.  Still, it was a good game, with the Kings showing signs they might be coming out of the slump they find themselves in half way through the season.  "Every point for us is golden," said Coach Andy Murray.  "It was probably as assertive as I've been all year.  I was looking at where we are at and where we have come from. I was talking about the first 30 games of the season, how other teams' pro scouts were talking about our team.  How we were a hard-working team, how we were tough to play against."  With all the injuries, lines were shuffled, and the Kings found themselves a winger short, so Steve McKenna was told minutes before the game to put on his skates.
Scott Pellerin scored first with just over four minutes left in the first period.  Corkum's game-tying goal in the second period got everybody's attention.  "[McKenna] kept the puck alive and [Jaroslav Modry] got it to me, and Dan [Bylsma] pretty much wiped out the goalie," said Corkum, who has been a King for about a week.  Robitaille's goal, at 51 seconds of the third period, was kind of an accident.  "I was trying to pass it to Glen and it hit the defender in the knee," Robitaille explained.  Said McLennan: "It was like he had a magnet in his stick."
The Kings had two shots in overtime and kept the Blues at one.  Considering their recent record, they took the one point and ran.

Jan 3, 2000    -    Dallas Loves L.A.

They played 'I Love L.A.' last night in Dallas, and no wonder.  It's the same old story.  The Kings are now winless in 20 straight games against Dallas.  The Kings started the season on top, and are quickly falling to the bottom.  There is no hitting, no grit, noone standing up for our scorers ... no heart.
The Kings outshot the Stars 27-14 and still couldn't avoid a 4-1 loss.  Brenden Morrow and Mike Keane scored 66 seconds apart in the first period.  Mike Modano added a power-play goal and an assist, and Zubov scored a shorthanded goal into an empty net.
"You can't afford to get down, 2-0, to them," Blake said. "We didn't come out the way we did against Edmonton [a team the Kings beat, 8-2, Thursday].  That's the way we've got to come out every game."  But they don't.  "It's very difficult to allow a couple of early goals to Dallas and have to play catch-up," Kings coach Andy Murray said. "When we got down 2-0 early, you try to rally the troops and stay after it and continue to work hard. I thought we worked hard for 50 minutes and it would have been nice to get some kind of reward. But the bottom line is you don't win too many games when you score one goal."
Yep, Dallas loves L.A.