FROM LAKINGSINSIDER.COM

Transcription

1 News Clips

2 FROM LAKINGSINSIDER.COM MARCH 8, :46 PM THE VIEW FROM PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE Sam Werner: Penguins Hornqvist scores winner in overtime The Kings outshot the Penguins in the first two periods, but couldn t crack Fleury, who looked sharp and well-rested after having the night off Friday, when Thomas Greiss started in net for the Penguins 5-2 win in Anaheim. The early shot totals might not have been very flattering for the Penguins, but they did keep pace with the defending Stanley Cup champions and generated a few scoring chances early on. I think it was kind of a playoff style game, not many chances on both sides, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. Seth Rorabaugh: Empty Netter Assists Recapping Penguins-Kings PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE Josh Yohe: Fleury s mastery, Hornqvist s overtime goal lift Penguins over Kings, 1-0 It was intense, physical and low-scoring. It was Kings hockey. The Penguins, exhausted after having played Anaheim one night earlier, took the Kings best shot and defeated the Stanley Cup champions at their own game at Staples Center, 1-0, in overtime Saturday. Josh Yohe: Malkin s impassioned play vaults him among NHL MVP contenders Assistant coach Rick Tocchet played with Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr. He knows the look. And he knows Evgeni Malkin has that look in his eyes right now. Malkin is playing some of the most inspired hockey of his career in recent weeks and might be willing himself into Hart Trophy discussion as the Penguins continue their California swing. You see it when he comes off the ice, Tocchet said. He wants right back out there. He lets us know. He just has that look in his eye when he comes off the ice. It s nice when your star players want the puck like that. Josh Yohe: Penguins notebook: Sutter expects surge in scoring production Center Brandon Sutter knows he must produce more. He believes the goals are coming. The last few games have been good, he said. I feel like I m moving in the right direction.' THE PENSBLOG Jesse Marshall: Gameday 65: Where have you gone, Mike Richards? After a complete dud against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, the Penguins got back on the winning path with an impressive 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. On the flip side, it s March and the Kings are the best possession team in the NHL with a 54.8 Corsi- For percentage. Would anyone be surprised to see them sneak into the playoffs with the last wildcard spot and run the table again? What we have tonight is a showdown of two premier defensive squads in the NHL. The similarities between these clubs is actually pretty start when you get down to the nitty gritty. SB NATION PENSBURGH Hooks Orpik: Penguins / Kings Recap: Hornqvist s OT goal and Fleury s shutout lead Pens

3 Ironically, there was only one goal scored on a night that the Los Angeles Kings held a celebration to unveil a statue for Luc Robitaille. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it came off the stick of Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist s goal with 1:44 finally broke the scoreless tie. After Paul Martin lifted the stick of Tyler Toffoli, the puck was sitting right there for Hornqvist who ripped a shot past Jonathan Quick. PITTSBURGHPENGUINS.COM Penguins Staff: 3 Impressions: Pens 1, Kings 0 (OT) Assistant coach Gary Agnew and Director of Content Sam Kasan share their impressions of Pittsburgh s 1-0 overtime win over Los Angeles. Penguins Staff: Infographic: Penguins 1, Kings 0 (OT) Penguins Staff: Digital Preview vs. Los Angeles Kings 3/7/15 MARCH 8, :12 PM WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: MARCH 8 The Los Angeles Kings were unable to find a big goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 1-0 overtime home loss on Saturday and were forced to settle for an unsatisfying single point in their playoff chase. It wasn t for the lack of a strong effort; the Kings won the territorial battle and worked heavily in the offensive end, even if the scoring chance discrepancy wasn t as wide as Los Angeles shots on goal advantage in a mostly even game. Both Jonathan Quick and Marc-Andre Fleury were excellent, and if you re looking for the backbone behind the Kings recent penalty kill success and their record over their last 14 games overall, it s because Quick has been playing his best hockey since October. Saturday s game was the sixth time in his last 13 games that he allowed either no goals or one goal, and by stopping 17 of 18 shots against the Penguins, he upped his save percentage over his 13-game span to.926. After outshooting Pittsburgh in each period and generating consistent pressure over the game s final 10 minutes, Los Angeles was done in by a wave of pressure in their defensive zone that they couldn t stem. Struggling to exit the zone and work the puck away from dangerous areas amidst a heavy Penguins forecheck, Jeff Carter s pass up the center of the ice to Tyler Toffoli gave the talented young winger a very short period of time to gauge the situation and make a play. He wasn t expecting Paul Martin to immediately apply pressure in a four-onfour situation, and instead of deflecting the puck away from a dangerous area, he tried to control the puck and lead a breakout to a neutral zone-bound Matt Greene. Martin forced the turnover, and topsix winger on the All Kings Killer Team Patric Hornqvist beat Quick with a wristshot above his blocker. There s so much chaos in hockey; there very may well have been a different outcome last night if Carter s first pass attempt hadn t banked off Brandon Sutter s skate and directly back to him, which allowed an extra second for Martin to decide to apply the pressure. The on-ice officials have a difficult job and face intense scrutiny and fan discontent, so it s only appropriate that they re commended when they make a split second judgment call that turns out, after multiple video replays, to be the right one. Referee Jean Hebert immediately waved off Jake Muzzin s third period wristshot that beat Fleury inside the far post when he deemed that Dustin Brown made incidental contact with Fleury s catching glove and left arm and prohibited the goaltender from being able to make a save on the shot. There s no controversy here; the call is correct. One of Brown s strongest qualities is his net-front presence and ability to screen goaltenders and get his stick on pucks headed towards the net, and the way that he plays, there will be one or two of these waved off goals each season. There was nothing blurry or grey about the play. It was not a good goal.

4 FROM LAKINGS.COM Robitaille honored to have statue unveiled By Curtis Zupke - NHL.com Correspondent LOS ANGELES -- Luc Robitaille heard it through good authority that the 19-foot, 2,500-pound bronze statue of him was sculpted well. He knew because he had one condition when he was approached about it a while back. "I said, I don t want to see it, " Robitaille said. "I don t want to know. You guys do it and I ll see when it comes out. Just do me one favor: Show it to my wife [Stacia]. If my wife agrees with it I know it s all good." The verdict? "They showed it to her a couple of times, and at one point she told me, Yeah, it s pretty cool, " he said. "She s happy. I figured it s all good." Robitaille is so humbled and grateful that he would have been glad no matter how it turned out. His journey has taken him from a kid with big dreams growing up in Montreal to the public face of the Los Angeles Kings, first as a player and currently as their president of business operations. That s why the Kings saw fit to unveil a statue of him outside Staples Center on Saturday before they played the Pittsburgh Penguins. Robitaille is the second Kings player to have the honor, after former teammate Wayne Gretzky, whose statue is not far from where Robitaille s will stand. Dan Beckerman, president and chief executive officer of AEG, which owns the Kings, approached Robitaille about the idea of a statue last year, but it didn t really hit Robitaille until people recently began asking him about it. "It was truly one of the first times I really thought about it," he said. "I don t know. I think it s special. Someone asked me [Thursday]. I was 13 years old; I remember 1979 I had a picture of Wayne Gretzky in my room. Every time I could see him I had to watch Gretzky. Now there s a Gretzky statue and it s Gretzky and me. It s kind of weird. But it s certainly humbling and very special." Robitaille s 668 goals and 1,394 points are the most among left wings in NHL history. The Kings retired his jersey in 2007, but the statue puts him alongside Gretzky, former Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West, former Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn and former boxer Oscar De La Hoya among those immortalized in the plaza outside Staples Center that faces Chick Hearn Court. "They re worldwide-known athletes and they re very, very special people," Robitaille said. "What they meant to this city is truly incredible. To be there amongst that group, it s kind of hard to describe the feeling." Gretzky, Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, West and De La Hoya either never competed at Staples Center or have little history there. But each is an important part of the city s sports history, and Robitaille deserves his place for helping grow hockey in Los Angeles. Robitaille helped the Kings land the 2010 NHL Draft and the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium, the first outdoor regular-season NHL game played in California. He is the Kings ambassador for public events and is active in charity work. "If you think of how far hockey in California has come for the last two decades, a lot has been built around Luc," Kings assistant general manager Rob Blake said.

5 Blake, a former teammate and longtime friend, said Robitaille s transition off the ice seemed like a natural fit given his affability. Blake has witnessed it first-hand walking next to Robitaille in Montreal, where he s treated like a rock star, and has seen him interact with fans. "If you walk around the concourse here in L.A. it s the same thing," Blake said. "He ll stop and talk to everyone. "I always thought he was a good hockey mind, but I think his excitement toward hockey, if he stayed in the game, it would transpire that way. He s always been good with people." Robitaille had to leave Los Angeles to win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in But he said his experiences as a player helped him learn how to build a winning organization. He s equally proud of having his name on the Cup twice as an executive (2012, 2014). He s reminded of it every time he greets fans, especially after the success of the past three seasons. "I love the feeling that people, when they talk about the Kings, the passion [they have]," Robitaille said. "And now players want to play here it s an amazing feeling right now, and it s something we re going to keep pushing for many more years." Robitaille will have his family in attendance for the ceremony. Also expected to attend are Gretzky, Blake, West, and Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner and fellow Hockey Hall of Fame member Mario Lemieux. The emotion that Robitaille will have when the statue is unveiled will be simple yet poignant. "I m just a kid playing a game," Robitaille said. "I loved it. I gave everything I had every day. Everything that s happened to me since, I just feel blessed." Author: Curtis Zupke NHL.com Correspondent

6 FROM LATIMES.COM Kings have scant margin for error in playoff scramble By Helene Elliott First, the Kings honored one of their own, Hall of Fame left wing Luc Robitaille, by unveiling a statue of him in Star Plaza outside Staples Center on Saturday. After celebrating one of hockey's most productive scorers, the current team went out to face the Pittsburgh Penguins and scored as many goals as Robitaille's statue did. A turnover set the stage for Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist to score from the slot 1 minute and 44 seconds into overtime and give the Penguins a 1-0 victory before a standing-room-only crowd at Staples Center. The Kings took 31 shots at Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, but he brilliantly handled them all. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick faced only 18 shots but came up with some sharp stops in the third period, as both teams began to press forward and allow their defensemen to join in the play in an effort to score. "Both teams were pushing for it," Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. "Both teams probably played as hard as they could." But that still wasn't good enough for the Kings to keep up the pace in the Western Conference playoff scramble. They needed two points but got only one (for the overtime loss), and they're left hoping it doesn't come back to haunt them. "It helps us, but these are the tight games that you've got to win," defenseman Matt Greene said. "At this time of the year, you've got to win the one-goal games. We've got to find a way to do that. We're chasing teams right now." There are two ways the Kings can get into the playoffs: by finishing second or third in the Pacific Division or by earning one of two wild card berths. The Kings, who have 75 points, are two points behind third-place Calgary and three behind second-place Vancouver, but the Flames and Canucks have more regulation and overtime wins than the Kings, the first tiebreaker when teams are even in games played. Minnesota and Winnipeg hold the two wild card spots with 79 and 78 points, respectively. The Kings, who had Sunday off and resume play Tuesday at Colorado, have little margin for error. They know it. "We played really well," Sutter said. "They're a tough nut to crack over there, with Fleury. I don't think there were a lot of chances either way, but there were a lot of good chances. That's the way it goes." Defenseman Jake Muzzin also had no quarrel with the team's effort. "Their goalie played well. He made some big saves," Muzzin said. "We had a lot of chances and a lot of pucks at the net, a lot of bodies at the net, but he made some big saves when he needed to. "We played well. Some games you're going to play well and lose, and some games you're going to play not so hot and win. That was a little bit of the case [Saturday]. We played solid but just couldn't get the goals."

7 FROM NHL.COM Around the League notebook for Saturday, March 7 NHL.com SATURDAY'S RESULTS Home Team in Caps Philadelphia 3, BOSTON 2 (OT) St. Louis 6, TORONTO 1 TAMPA BAY 5, Dallas 4 FLORIDA 4, NY Islanders 3 (SO) WASHINGTON 6, Buffalo 1 Colorado 4, COLUMBUS 0 Winnipeg 3, NASHVILLE 1 Montreal 2, ARIZONA 0 Pittsburgh 1, LOS ANGELES 0 (OT) Vancouver 3, SAN JOSE 2 PRICE, CANADIENS INCH CLOSER TO LEAGUE LEAD Carey Price denied all 29 shots he faced for his 32nd career shutout to help the Montreal Canadiens end a three-game skid and close their road trip with a record. * The Canadiens ( , 90 points) leapfrogged the Nashville Predators ( , 89 points) who lost in regulation for second place in the NHL and moved within one point of the idle Anaheim Ducks ( , 91 points) for top spot. Only six points separate the League's top eight teams. * Price earned his seventh shutout and 37th win of the season, one shy of his career-high in both categories ( ). He leads the NHL in wins, goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.936) and is tied for second in shutouts, two behind Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins). * Lars Eller opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season. His six game-winners are a career high and two shy of his career total before this season (286 GP). * Brendan Gallagher matched a career-high with his 19th goal; he has in 66 games this season, one point shy of his 81-game total from last season. * Montreal also ended a two-game skid against the Arizona Coyotes, which followed an run for the Canadiens dating to Dec. 14, LIGHTNING STAGE COMEBACK FOR FRANCHISE-RECORD 26TH HOME WIN Down 3-2 to start the third period, the Tampa Bay Lightning scored three straight goals including Brian Boyle's eventual game-winner into the empty net to win their fourth consecutive game at Amalie Arena and set a franchise record with their 26th home win this season. * The Lightning ( , 88 points) rank second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Atlantic Division rival Canadiens ( , 90 points). * Tampa Bay has won 15 of its last 17 games on home ice and is tied with Nashville for first place in the NHL for home wins and home points (53). The Lightning's 53 home points are three shy of the franchise record set last season ( , 56 points). * Ondrej Palat equaled a career high with his third three-assist performance of the season (also Dec. 23 vs. PIT and Dec. 31 at BUF). He ranks second on the Lightning with 37 assists this season, while his 52 points rank fourth. * Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn each scored for the second straight game. Kucherov ranks second on the Lightning with 25 goals this season, while

8 Killorn's goal stretched his point streak to four games (2-2 4). Victor Hedman (1-1 2) and Anton Stralman also found the back of the net for the Lightning. * Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves, including 14 in the third period, to earn his second straight win and boost his record to in 12 career appearances. PENS, CAPS WIN AS METROPOLITAN RACE TIGHTENS The No. 3 Penguins ( , 85 points) and No. 4 Washington Capitals ( , 82 points) each earned victories on Saturday to inch closer to the New York Islanders ( , 88 points) who lost in a shootout for top spot in the Metropolitan Division: * Marc-Andre Fleury denied all 31 shots he faced and Patric Hornqvist scored the lone goal at 1:44 of overtime to lift the Penguins to their eighth win in their last 11 road games (8-2-1) and third straight victory in Los Angeles. * Fleury earned his League-leading ninth shutout, extending his franchise record for a single season. His 37 career shutouts also are a franchise record and rank third among all active goaltenders behind Roberto Luongo (68) and Henrik Lundqvist (55) * Fleury also shut out the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 30 at CONSOL Energy Center. Elias says he is the first goaltender to blank the defending Stanley Cup champions twice in the same season since Martin Brodeur shut out the Penguins twice in * Fleury improved to in his last five appearances and reached the 30-win milestone for the seventh time in his career. * Hornqvist scored his 27th career game-winning goal and first in overtime. His 22 goals this season (52 GP) match his 76-game output from with Nashville. * After falling behind less than three minutes after the opening face-off, the Capitals scored six unanswered goals, highlighted by a goal and two assists from Curtis Glencross, to rally past the Sabres. * Glencross, who was acquired on March 1 from the Calgary Flames, registered three points for the first time since March 22, 2014 at Edmonton (w/ CGY). He has two goals and four points in three games with Washington, and 11 goals and 32 points this season. * Alex Ovechkin (1-1 2) earned his third straight multi-point performance and 23rd this season in his return from a one-game absence. The goal was his League-leading 44th and 20th via the power-play (also a League high). * Nicklas Backstrom earned two assists to eclipse 50 for the fifth time in his career. He also moved into a tie with Michal Pivonka for first place on the Capitals' all-time assist list with 418; Ovechkin ranks third with 417. * Ovechkin ( ) and Backstrom ( ) are tied for second in the NHL scoring race, one point behind John Tavares ( ). MARCHAND (AGAIN) RALLIES BRUINS After falling behind 2-1 with the less than five minutes left in regulation, Brad Marchand scored the tying goal and overtime winner to lift the Boston Bruins past the Philadelphia Flyers and to a record in their past four games. * At (74 points), the Bruins maintained a two-point edge over the Florida Panthers ( , 72 points) for the final wild-ard spot in the East. * Marchand tied the game with 14.1 seconds remaining in the third period before scoring at 3:52 of the extra frame. Elias says the only other Bruins player to tie a regular season game in the final minute of regulation and score in overtime was Rick Middleton on Mar. 1, 1984 against the Kings (since the five-minute overtime format was introduced in ).

9 * However, Saturday marked the second time this season that Marchand scored both the tying goal (at any time) and overtime winner he also accomplished the feat in a 3-2 OT win at the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 30 (14:30 of third and 1:20 of OT). * Overall, Marchand has four career overtime goals, including three this season (also Nov. 4 against Florida). He has goals in three straight games, equaling his longest run of the season and one shy of his career high set from Jan , * Tuukka Rask made 29 saves, including 13 in the third period and overtime, to improve to in 12 career appearances against Philadelphia (1.82 GAA,.937 SV%). * The Bruins swept their season series with the Flyers for the second straight season (3-0-0 each time). The only other instance of a team winning every matchup in back-to-back seasons between these clubs was in and when Boston went in each campaign.... PANTHERS RALLY TO KEEP PACE The Panthers surrendered three one-goal leads, including a 3-2 advantage in the third period, but Jonathan Huberdeau scored the only goal of the shootout to help them improve to in their last five games. * At (72 points), the Panthers remain two points behind the Bruins ( , 74 points) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. * Huberdeau earned his fourth career gamedeciding goal and first this season. He also scored in regulation to stretch his point streak to four games (2-4 6). * Dan Ellis made 25 saves and denied all three shootout attempts to earn his first NHL victory since Feb. 1 at Anaheim (with the Dallas Stars). He also improved to in career tiebreakers. * Eric Gudbranson and Nick Bjugstad also found the back of the net for the Panthers. Bjugstad extended career highs in goals (23) and points (40); he continues to lead Florida in both categories. BLUES STAY HOT IN TORONTO, MOVE CLOSER TO DIVISION LEAD Vladimir Tarasenko and T.J. Oshie each had a goal and an assist to power the St. Louis Blues to a sweep of their two-game season series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and help them finish their road trip with a record. * The Blues ( , 87 points) moved within two points of the Predators ( , 89 points) who lost in regulation for first place in the Central Division. St. Louis holds two games in hand, but Nashville owns the ROW tiebreaker (NSH: 35, STL: 33). Nashville won the season series with a record (STL: 2-3-0). * Tarasenko and Oshie each have in their last eight games. Tarasenko shares fourth in the League with 32 goals and ranks seventh with 64 points. * Alexander Steen and Jori Lehtera each tallied three assists to match and set career highs for assists in a game, respectively. Steen leads the Blues with seven three-point efforts this season; Elias says Pavol Demitra was the last Blues player with as many three-point games in a season (11 in ). * Steen, the Maple Leafs' first-round pick (No. 24) in the 2002 NHL Draft, has five goals and 12 points in seven career games against his former team. * Brian Elliott made 23 saves to improve to in his past six road decisions (1.60 GAA,.945 SV%). He is in 13 career games against Toronto, including in his past seven appearances. * Jaden Schwartz, Chris Butler, Paul Stastny and David Backes supplied the other goals for the Blues, who have scored at least six goals a Leaguehigh nine times this season.

10 * The Blues are in their past nine games against the Maple Leafs and are in their past 11 visits to Toronto dating to April 1, VRBATA, CANUCKS CREATE SPACE IN PACIFIC Radim Vrbata scored twice, including the gamewinning goal at 5:21 of the third period, to help the Vancouver Canucks overcome an early 2-0 deficit and earn a season-series victory against the Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks (VAN: 3-2-0, SJS: 2-3-0). The Canucks improved to in the past seven games between the teams following nine straight without a win (including the Stanley Cup Playoffs). * At (78 points), the Canucks opened a two-point lead over the idle Flames ( , 76 points) for second place in the Pacific Division. They also have three more points than the Kings ( , 75 points) and six more than the Sharks ( , 72 points). * Vrbata earned his second multi-goal performance of (also Nov. 19 at EDM) and fifth gamewinning goal. He has in his past four games and ranks third on the Canucks with this season, three points shy of his total from (with Phoenix). * Bo Horvat became the first Canucks rookie since to reach double digits in goals; he has 10 goals and 19 points this season. Daniel Sedin ( ) contributed two helpers and continues to rank second on the club in assists and points, behind brother Henrik ( ). * Eddie Lack turned aside 38 shots three off his season-high set twice to improve to in and earn his first career win against the Sharks. JETS STRENGTHEN GRIP ON WILD CARD... After the Winnipeg Jets surrendering the tying goal midway through the second period, Blake Wheeler regained lead 35 seconds later to guide the Jets to their second win against the Predators this season in the finale of their five-game series (NSH: 3-2-0, WPG: 2-3-0). * With the victory, the Jets ( , 78 points) opened a three-point lead over the Kings ( , 75 points) who lost in overtime for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and pulled within one point of the idle Minnesota Wild ( , 79 points) for the first wild-card spot. * Wheeler (1-1 2) earned his 20th career gamewinning goal and fourth this season, matching a personal best set in He ranks third on the Jets with * Drew Stafford also had a goal and an assist for his second multi-point effort in a Jets uniform. He has 12 goals and 30 points this season, including three goals and 6 points in 10 games with Winnipeg. Tyler Myers, who was traded from Buffalo with Stafford, had the primary assist on the gamewinner. He has points in three straight games and two goals and eight points with the Jets. * Michael Frolik opened the scoring to stretch his point streak to a career-high six games (4-2 6). His 15 goals this season (66 GP) match his 81-game total from last season. * Michael Hutchinson (20 saves) improved to in 34 appearances this season. His 20 wins lead all rookies and match the franchise record for wins by a rookie goaltender established by Kari Lehtonen in VARLAMOV, AVALANCHE BLANK BLUE JACKETS TO STAY IN RACE The Colorado Avalanche opened a 3-0 lead before the 10-minute mark of the first period and Semyon Varlamov denied all 44 shots he faced for his 18th career shutout and help the Avalanche improve to in their last five visits to the Columbus Blue Jackets * At (69 points), the Avalanche remain nine points behind the Jets ( , 75 points) for the final Western Conference playoff spot. The

11 teams play once more this season Apr. 9 at Pepsi Center. * Varlamov earned his career-high fifth shutout of the season, three of which have been 40-plus save performances (40 saves vs. NYI, Oct. 30; 54 saves at CHI, Jan. 6). Elias says Varlamov is just the third goaltender in the NHL's expansion era (since ) to have three shutouts of at least 40 saves in a season. The others: Bill Ranford in w/ BOS and Mike Smith in w/ PHX. * Jarome Iginla, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene contributed the goals. Iginla's goal was the 174th power-play goal of his career, propelling him past Ray Bourque into 28th place in NHL history. * Iginla ( ,211) also surpassed Bobby Clarke ( ,210) for the 43rd spot on the NHL's all-time points list; Jeremy Roenick ( ,216) and Larry Murphy ( ,216) share 41st place. * Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Alex Tanguay scored the other goals for the Avalanche, while Tyson Barrie (0-3 3) matched a career high for assists and points in a game. Barrie has 10 goals and 43 points this season, one point behind Iginla and Landeskog for the Avalanche lead. LOOSE PUCKS Islanders captain John Tavares (1-2 3) earned his 20th multi-point effort and fourth three-point game to move into first place in the NHL with His 32 goals are a career high... Jakub Voracek reached the 20-goal milestone for the third time (also and ) to move within three goals of his career high set last season (82 GP). He paces the Flyers and is tied for fifth in the NHL with a career-high in 66 GP... Stars forward Tyler Seguin scored twice in his return from a 10-game absence to eclipse the 30- goal milestone for the second straight season. His 31 goals are tied for seventh in the NHL... Teammate Vernon Fiddler also scored twice, while Colton Sceviour had two assists... Jay Beagle (1-1 2) and Mike Green (0-2 2) had multiple points for the Capitals. Washington improved to when Beagle scores a point this season... Dougie Hamilton had two assists for the Bruins... Teammate Ryan Spooner had an assist in overtime; he has a goal and five points in his past six games, including a four-game point streak that began with his first NHL goal in overtime at the New Jersey Devils on Feb Sharks forward Joe Thornton (1-1 2) had multiple points for the 13th time this season. He ranks second on the Sharks with in 62 GP... Joe Pavelski stretched his point streak to five games (1-5 6)... Lightning forward Tyler Johnson had an assist to extend his point streak to six games (2-6 8)... Coyotes forward Shane Doan played in his 1,379th career game, taking sole possession of 39th in NHL history... Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards worked his 400th game behind a NHL bench... ICYMI: The 1995 Stanley Cup champion Devils reunited for a charity hockey game to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise's first championship... The Kings unveiled a bronze statue of Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille before the Penguins-Kings game. Former teammates Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Rob Blake were among those who attended the ceremony.

12 FROM ESPN.COM Hornqvist scores OT winner in Penguins' 1-0 win over Kings LOS ANGELES -- To beat the defending Stanley Cup champions in their building, the Pittsburgh Penguins knew they needed to buckle down defensively, weather a big shots disparity and play for a game-changing goal. In an instant deep in overtime, Patric Hornqvist provided it. Hornqvist scored on a Kings turnover in the slot 1:44 into overtime, and the Penguins beat Los Angeles 1-0 on Saturday night for their sixth victory in seven games. Hornqvist pounced when Jeff Carter made a curious clearing pass from the corner to Tyler Toffoli in front of the Los Angeles net. Toffoli bobbled the puck to Hornqvist, who ended it with his 22nd goal. "We've been playing really good, and today was a grind," Hornqvist said. "We knew it was going to be that way, and everybody bought in and stuck with it. That was the first OT goal for me, so it was great." Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves in his ninth shutout of the season for the Penguins, who completed a Southern California sweep after beating NHL-leading Anaheim on Friday night with two goals from Hornqvist. "Now we know we can play against anyone, and we have to build on that," Hornqvist said. The Kings outshot the Penguins in 60 minutes of tense regulation hockey, but got nothing past Fleury, who said the shot disparity was "something we expected" from the high-volume Kings. "They came hard at us, but we stayed patient and nobody panicked," Fleury said. "We had a few good chances, and it was nice to get that goal at the end." Jonathan Quick stopped 17 shots for the Kings, who had won 10 of their previous 13 games. Despite a pronounced shot advantage for the Kings, Pittsburgh shut out the champs in both of their meetings this season, including a 3-0 win back in October in which Los Angeles outshot Pittsburgh "We had a lot of chances, a lot of pucks to the net," defenseman Jake Muzzin said. "We were good on the rush, and our breakouts were very good. We played a lot of the game in their zone. One lucky bounce, quick transition, bing bang, and then a shot on net. That was it." Los Angeles lost a 1-0 game for the third time this season, including twice in its last three home games. Although the Kings grabbed a point, they're still one point behind Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division. "It was just a bad bounce," Kings defenseman Matt Greene said. "We played a good game tonight, but we have to find a way to get it done and find a way to get on the board." Although Los Angeles outshot the Penguins in the first two periods, Pittsburgh had most of the high-quality scoring chances. Captain Sidney Crosby put a shot off the crossbar after a mindboggling move to get past Drew Doughty, his Canadian Olympic teammate. "They always come out pretty hard, here especially," Crosby said. "And them knowing that we played last night, we expected them to really try to be physical early. They were, but we weathered the storm." Muzzin put a long shot into Fleury's net with 15 minutes left in regulation, but the goal was immediately waved off because Kings captain Dustin Brown made contact with the goalie in the crease.

13 "I knew he pushed me off," Fleury said. "You always hope the ref sees it, and he did. It was a good call by him." Los Angeles limited the Penguins to one shot in the first 14 1/2 minutes of the third period, but neither team had a golden chance late. Game notes Just six of the Kings' final 17 games are at home. Los Angeles was awful away from Staples Center this season before last month's eight-game winning streak. The Kings are still just on the road.... Steve Downie returned to Pittsburgh's lineup, and Craig Adams was a healthy scratch. Their roles were reversed Friday in Anaheim.... The Kings wore their gold-and-purple throwback jerseys. Kings unveil Luc Robitaille statue LOS ANGELES -- Luc Robitaille is the latest Los Angeles sports great to be immortalized in bronze in front of Staples Center. The Los Angeles Kings' Hall of Fame left wing became the seventh sports icon honored with a large statue in front of the downtown arena Saturday night, recognizing his prolific hockey career spent mostly in Southern California. The slow-skating forward with a brilliant scoring touch was greeted by a huge contingent of Kings fans at a ceremony to unveil the statue of Robitaille in his 1990s Kings uniform, his stick high above his head in an apparent goal celebration. "I would hope this statue symbolizes that if you put your heart and soul into something, dreams do come true," Robitaille said. "I would hope this statue symbolizes that if you put your heart and soul into something, dreams do come true," Luc Robitaille said at his statue unveiling. Robitaille was a ninth-round draft pick from Quebec who eventually scored 668 career goals in 19 pro seasons. The highest-scoring left wing in NHL history won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, and he became the Kings' president of business operations in 2007 after his retirement. Wayne Gretzky, Rob Blake, Mario Lemieux and Marc Bergevin joined Lakers great Jerry West at the twilight event, the buildings in the LA Live entertainment complex echoing with the L.A. fans' signature "Luuuuuuuc!" cheer. Robitaille's son, father, brother and sister sat with his wife, Stacia, who gave a heartfelt speech. "You teach me every day how to never give up," she said. "Let this statue be a remembrance that nice guys do not finish last." But the speakers also didn't hesitate to take jabs at Robitaille's infamously unimpressive skating abilities. Blake jokingly speculated that he hoped the statue would show Robitaille "flying through the neutral zone." "Just so none of you are confused, that's not Luc in action," longtime Kings play-by-play announcer Bob Miller cracked after the curtain was pulled off. "That's an actual statue." Robitaille thanked Staples Center executives "for giving me a great piece of real estate in front" of the arena near the street. He thanked his father and remembered his late mother: "I know my mom is going to make sure there's no pigeons that land on this thing." Robitaille then thought back to draft day in 1984, when he waited seven hours for his name to be called 171st overall. "I was just a boy with a dream," Robitaille said. "Many people said this boy was too slow, not strong enough." Robitaille won the Calder Trophy in 1987 and spent eight seasons with the Kings, playing alongside Gretzky in the 1993 Stanley Cup finals. The Kings traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings' opponent at Staples Center on Saturday night. The Penguins prevailed 1-0 in OT.

14 Another trade sent Robitaille to the New York Rangers for two seasons, but he returned to Los Angeles in 1997 and led the Kings back to the playoffs and into their new downtown arena home. After winning a Cup in Detroit at 36 years old, he returned for two final seasons in Los Angeles. The eight-time All-Star went straight into the Hall of Fame in The other statues in Star Plaza honor Gretzky, West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya and Chick Hearn.

15 FROM MAYORSMANOR.COM Luc Robitaille: From 1985 Scouting Report to 2015 Statue By John Hoven When it comes to the long and storied career of Luc Robitaille in Los Angeles, one could go on for days and days reliving the highlights of his time with the Kings all the way from his playing days on the ice to leading the business side of the organization in more recent years. However, there might not be any better place to start than a scouting report narrated by Nick Nickson during a televised game 30 years ago. Playing on March 1, 1985 in Edmonton, this was the update on Robitaille, then just an NHL prospect: Fast forward to later today, and the player nicknamed Lucky soon after NHL legend Marcel Dionne took a liking to him as a rookie, will be immortalized with a statue outside Staples Center. To hear him tell it, Robitaille might be the only person in hockey surprised this honor has finally arrived. I really thought I was done [being celebrated], he said, during an informal gathering with the media earlier this week. Last year, when Dan Beckerman [AEG CEO] asked me about it, I was shocked, I was taken aback. Anytime your CEO wants to talk to you one-on-one, you don t know what you ve done wrong. Most of the time, that s what you think first. Then, when he mentioned what he wanted to talk about, I didn t even know what to say at the time. I said, You know me, I m all about the Kings. I just want the kings to be relevant. We just need more hockey guys out there. Whether it s me or another guy, as long as we have more hockey guys, I m happy. So, I ll take it, if it s me. Of course, Robitaille needed a statue. He is the NHL s all-time leading scorer among left wings, has scored more goals in a Kings uniform that any other player, has his jersey number retired inside the arena, and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. I loved to play the game. I love the Kings, I love working for the Kings [and] I love what we ve accomplished. To have turned this franchise around, as a group everything that we re doing, we re not perfect, but we re trying to be perfect. And to me, that s what makes it a lot of fun to be part of, he continued. In 92-93, I really thought we d be right back the next year. That s how hard it is to win a Cup. We didn t even make the playoffs for five or six years after that, I think. It s special as a player and I m glad I got to win it as a player because I feel like what I learned, when I won, I was able to even bring it in the front office. To have my name on the Cup twice as a King is just as special as if I would have been a player at this point. I think that I learned what it took as a player. You have to know what it takes to really know how to become a real champion. I take those values and lessons that I learned, whether when I was in New York or even for a short time in Pittsburgh, and certainly in Detroit. I take a lot of pride in the fact that we re building our organization and we re getting to be one of those top organizations now. Although he has known about the statue since last summer, the official unveiling prior to tonight s game vs. the Penguins will still bring a tinge of surprise for Robitaille. I still haven t seen it, he shared. When Dan Beckman and Mike Altieri [Kings VP] asked me what I wanted to do, I told them I didn t want to see it, I didn t want to know. You guys do it and I ll see when it comes out. Just do me one favor, show it to my wife. If my wife agrees with it, I know it s all good. So they showed it to her a couple times and at one point she told me it was pretty cool so, it s going to be pretty special to see it come out and truly be the first time.

16 In addition to his wife, Stacia, Robitaille will have several other family members in town for the special honor, including his father, brother, and sister. Even with all the planning and preparation going on this week not to mention the countless other celebrations of his career that have taken place since retiring in 2006 ol No. 20 couldn t help but think back to when he was a teenager and just dreaming of playing in the NHL. I was 13 years old, I remember in 1979 I had a picture of Wayne Gretzky in my room and I would watch him. Every time I could see Edmonton I had to watch Gretzky. And now there s the Gretzky statue and it s [going to be] Gretzky and me. It s kind of weird, he continued. [The players represented in the other Staples Center statues] are legendary; Jerry West, all those guys. They re worldwide known athletes and they re very special people. What they ve meant to city is truly incredible. To be there amongst that group, it s kind of hard to describe the feeling; I don t even know what to say except that it s very humbling and very special. In the end, Robitaille just wants everybody to know one thing, he still has more work to do when he gets back to the office on Monday. There is a lot more to accomplish. We love what we ve done here with the Kings. We have a lot more to give. As an organization, we have a lot more to accomplish. I love the feeling that when people talk about the Kings they re passionate about it fans and now the players want to play here. We are slowly but surely becoming a first class organization. To me, it s an amazing feeling right now, and it s something we re going to keep pushing for many more years, he said. I don t know [which Kings player will be next to get a statue], but I do believe there is room for a few more people. The Kings have been so relevant. Staples Center wouldn t be here if it weren t for the Kings.

17 FROM NJ.COM Los Angeles Kings castoff Mike Richards now struggling to produce in AHL By Randy Miller What's going on now with Mike Richards? The demoted Los Angeles Kings center wasn't scoring in the NHL, and now he's not even producing in the minors. After a good start in the AHL, Richards hasn't done much for 2 ½ weeks. Richards was scoreless again Saturday night for the Manchester Monarchs in a 3-0 loss to the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins. His Friday night was similar: No points in a 6-3 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Kings wanted Richards' offensive game to pick up when they sent him to the minors in late January, and his overall numbers are respectable: 3 goals, 13 points in 17 games. A closer look, however, reveals Richards piling up 11 points in his first eight games and two over his last seven. The problem, according to people in the know, is that Richards' skillset isn't what it used to be even though he just turned 30 last month. Before Richards was waived, not claimed and then sent to the AHL, he had just five goals and 15 points in 47 games with the Kings. This nightmare for Richards, who had two 30-goal seasons for the Flyers, is just beginning because of he's only seven seasons into a 12-year, $69 million contract that carries a $5.75 million cap hit through the season. And the Flyers thought Vinny Lecavalier's contract was bad. His $4.5 million cap hit will be off the books three years before Richards' expires. And while Lecavalier has been a healthy scratch a bunch of times since December, he's still at least an NHL player whose a season removed from scoring 20 goals. Richards needs to pick up his game a lot to earn another NHL opportunity. And if he doesn't, he could be stuck in the minors for a long time because there's no way he's retiring with another $29 million in guaranteed money on his contract. At some point, you've got to figure the Kings will give Richards another shot... perhaps only because of a need on their fourth line due to injuries, perhaps because they want to see if time in the minors motivates him to do more in the NHL. Regardless, it would behoove Richards at the very least to become more of a consistent AHL point producer.

18 FROM PATCH.COM L.A. Kings' Robitaille Honored With Statue Wayne Gretzky was on hand. By Mirna Alfonso (Patch Staff) A bronze statue of Luc Robitaille, the NHL s highest scoring left wing, will be unveiled outside Staples Center Saturday night. Wayne Gretzky, the NHL s scoring record holder, fellow Hockey Hall of Fame member Mario Lemieux and basketball legend Jerry West are among those joining Robitaille in taking part in the ceremony, which is set to begin at 6 p.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to arrive early because viewing space is limited. The ceremony will be shown live on Fox Sports West and on screens inside Staples Center before the Los Angeles Kings-Pittsburgh Penguins game. The nearly 19-foot statue was created by Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany. It will be the seventh in Star Plaza, joining those of West and fellow retired Los Angeles Laker stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin Magic Johnson, the late Lakers announcer Chick Hearn, Gretzky and retired boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya. Robitaille was selected by the Kings in the ninth round of the 1984 draft, five rounds after they chose Tom Glavine, a Massachusetts high school hockey star who instead opted for a career in baseball and was elected to that sport s Hall of Fame last year. Robitaille scored 668 goals during a 19-season NHL career, the 12th most in NHL history. Robitaille scored 557 goals in 14 seasons with the Kings, a team record. The unveiling coincides with the final game of the Kings three-game Legends Series. The Kings will wear their vintage gold jerseys with a crown on the front. Robitaille has been the Kings president of business operations since May 25, 2007.