SPORT-SCAN NHL REPORT FOR 11/19/14 FOR YOUR EYES...

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SPORT-SCAN NHL REPORT FOR 11/19/14

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

SPORT-SCAN, INC. ♦ [email protected]

Anaheim Ducks

Ducks rookie forward William Karlsson (flu) was still scheduled to join the team later in Calgary. But he wasn’t going to fly until he was feeling better, the team said. Defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who recently recovered from the mumps, took part in the morning skate and Bruce Boudreau felt confident he would be able to play on Thursday in Vancouver.

Forward Devante Smith-Pelly missed his third consecutive game because of a shoulder injury but he skated during the team’s morning workout and is eligible to come off injured reserve Thursday.

Center Chris Wagner is not with the team after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday against the Kings.

D Mat Clark, RW Chris Wagner, G John Gibson (groin), D Sheldon Souray (wrist), D Ben Lovejoy (finger), D Francois Beachemin (mumps), C William Karlsson (sick), RW Devante Smith-Pelly (upper body).

Arizona Coyotes

Defenseman David Schlemko remained in the Valley, being officially recalled from the AHL on Tuesday to fill Brandon Gormley's roster spot on the blue line. . Gormley will be out at least a week and underwent tests Tuesday.

Chris Summers, who had been a healthy scratch for the last seven games, took Gormley's place on the ice Tuesday.

With winger Rob Klinkhammer day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered in Sunday's game, recent call-up Lucas Lessio made his season debut against the Capitals.

Despite skating Tuesday morning, center Martin Hanzal missed Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury. He's considered day-to-day.

Winger Dave Moss continues to skate on his own and is still considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Moss has been out since Oct. 23.

Boston Bruins

During Tuesday morning skate, Matt Fraser replaced Brad Marchand. The usual second-line left winger left the ice, and would not return to the skate nor to Tuesday night’s game against the Blues.

Both David Krejci and Kevan Miller were game-time decisions. Krejci returned for the first time since Nov. 6 against the Oilers

Defenseman Zach Trotman was sent back to Providence. He has played in nine games for the Bruins this season.

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is walking without a limp, but his return from a knee injury is not imminent.

Calgary Flames

C Max Reinhart, D Kris Russell (lower body), C Joe Colborne (wrist), C Matt Stajan (knee), C Mikael Backlund (abdomen), LW Mason Raymond (shoulder), LW Michael Ferland (concussion), RW David Jones (upper body).

Chicago Blackhawks

The Hawks continued to shuffle the roster to maximize the salary-cap relief they received by putting defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk on the long-term injury list. A day after recalling Stephen Johns from Rockford of the AHL, the Hawks sent the rookie back to the IceHogs and recalled defenseman Adam Clendening and forward Joakim Nordstrom.

Colorado Avalanche

Semyon Varlamov injured his groin late in Saturday's 3-2 victory at New Jersey. Avs coach Patrick Roy said Varlamov — who last month was on the seven-day disabled list with a groin injury — is day to day. But Colorado recalled goalie Calvin Pickard of the American Hockey League to back up Reto Berra in Thursday's game against the visiting Washington Capitals.

Avs defenseman Ryan Wilson will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday, and he has likely played his last game with the team.

Colorado has just six available defensemen, with Brad Stuart (hamstring) also out of action.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets made another move to bolster their injury-riddled blue line yesterday, claiming defenseman Kevin Connauton off waivers from the Dallas Stars.

The Blue Jackets traded a fifth-round draft pick in 2016 to St. Louis for veteran Jordan Leopold on Saturday.

Fedor Tyutin, Ryan Murray and Cody Goloubef are all out because of knee injuries. Murray, who has missed 14 of 18 games, is considered week to week. Goloubef is expected to be out at least three more weeks and perhaps longer. The Blue Jackets reassigned defenseman Frederic St. Denis to minor-league Springfield to make room for Connauton.

Previously injured Blue Jackets forwards Matt Calvert and Jack Skille were cleared to play but were healthy scratches. Coach Todd Richards said he wanted to stick with a lineup that had won two consecutive games and foster some internal competition.

The team activated forward Matt Calvert off Injured Reserve Tuesday. Calvert is 1-1-2 in nine games for the club this season. This gives coach Todd Richards options moving forward with healthy bodies coming back on the rostrer.

Dallas Stars

The Stars are working on a long-term contract extension with Jason Spezza. Stars general manager Jim Nill said: "We are having discussions, but I won't go any further than that."

Nill announced yesterday that defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka has been recalled from the Texas Stars, Dallas' development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Earlier yeserday, defenseman Kevin Connauton was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings were without Pavel Datsyuk for Tuesday night's game against the Blue Jackets. Datsyuk (groin) did not make the trip to Columbus.

Daniel Cleary returned to the lineup. He will be playing on a line with Darren Helm and Tomas Jurco.

Coach Mike Babcock said that is the only lineup change. Jakub Kindl is scratched for the second game in a row after being benched halfway through Friday's game vs. Chicago.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers had sent Steve Pinizzotto down to their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Now, after a few weeks with the Oklahoma City Barons, Pinizzotto is back in Edmonton.

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Florida Panthers

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov became ill Tuesday morning and was unable to participate in morning skate or the game, so the Panthers called up rookie forward Rocco Grimaldi from San Antonio, their AHL affiliate.

Injured Panthers Dmitry Kulikov, Sean Bergenheim and Brandon Pirri skated in the optional morning practice, but none played Tuesday. Center Dave Bolland (groin) continues to work off the ice.

Minnesota Wild

Josh Harding, who many expected to be the Wild’s No. 1 goalie before the season, cleared waivers Tuesday and was assigned to Iowa of the AHL.

The move came one day after the Wild lifted his team-implemented suspension for breaking his right foot in a non-hockey related incident before training camp.

New Jersey Devils

C Jacob Josefson, RW Jordin Tootoo, D Peter Harrold were the Devils scratches.

D Jon Merrill (arm), LW Ryane Clowe (head), D Bryce Salvador (lower body).

New York Islanders

Cal Clutterbuck (lower body) returned to the lineup after sitting out Saturday night's game in Tampa, with Cory Conacher a healthy scratch. Clutterbuck's shorthanded goal early in the second period tied the score at 1.

Michael Grabner (hernia surgery) skated Tuesday morning as he inches closer to making his season debut.

New York Rangers

Ryan McDonagh skated on his own before practice in Greenburgh on Tuesday for the first time since separating his shoulder on Nov. 1 against the Jets, coach Alain Vigneault said.

Lee Stempniak (maintenance day, day-to-day) sat out Tuesday’s practice and could be out of the lineup against the orange and black.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators will update the health of D Chris Phillips Wednesday. He didn't take part in Monday's skate

Expect G Robin Lehner to get a start soon.

Philadelphia Flyers

Scott Laughton will play in an NHL game Wednesday for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Flyers recalled the 20-year-old center from Lehigh Valley Tuesday night, and he will be in the lineup Wednesday in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.

The moves were made on a day in which the Flyers learned that center Claude Giroux would probably miss two games because of an apparent foot injury.

Blair Jones was sent down.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins remained mum about right wing Pascal Dupuis on Tuesday. Coach Mike Johnston said following the morning skate that the team still was awaiting a report on Dupuis, who did not make the trip to his home province of Quebec because of an illness.

Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was the Penguins' only healthy scratch against the Canadiens and apparently is the odd man out of the defensive rotation with Olli Maatta back in the lineup.

San Jose Sharks

Matt Nieto returned after he was too banged up to play in Carolina on Sunday. He replaced Tye McGinn.

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St Louis Blues

The healthy scratches Tuesday were forward Magnus Paajarvi and Chris Porter and defenseman Chris Butler.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning were getting healthy, they lost C Cedric Paquette in the first period on Tuesday. Paquette hobbled to the bench midway through the first period when he blocked a shot by Nick Leddy at the 8:29 mark while killing off a penalty. Paquette stayed on the bench briefly before departing for the locker room.

Paquette did not return from the remainder of the game with what the team called an unspecified lower body injury.

Defenseman Victor Hedman (fractured finger) is still a few weeks from being ready, though he's making good progress.

Hedman conitnues to skate in full gear, though is only able to stickhandle as he's not yet allowed to shoot, which will be the big test. Today was the four-week mark since his surgery, with him expecting to be out 4-6 weeks. "It's a long process, but you've got to be positive and be patient," he said. "Obviously it's a lot easier when the team is winning."

Toronto Maple Leafs

Joffrey Lupul (broken bone in hand) was the only Leaf not participating in the morning skate. Brandon Kozun (high ankle sprain) and David Booth (broken right foot) both particpated but were not expected to play.

Washington Capitals

Defenseman John Erskine (upper-body) and center Brooks Laich (shoulder).

Liam O’Brien did not participate in the morning skate and will not face the Coyotes. Laich did, though Barry Trotz predicted “a very outside chance” of the forward returning from his left shoulder injury on Thursday in Colorado.

Defenseman Dmitry Orlov (wrist) and forward Aaron Volpatti (neck) both skated with the team as well.

Winnipeg Jets

RW Anthony Peluso, D Grant Clitsome, LW T.J. Galiardi were the Jets scratches.

Vancouver Canucks

Zack Kassian returned to the lineup in his familiar third-line position Wednesday in Edmonton.

NHL Daily Transactions

Arizona Coyotes David Schlemko Called up from minors, from Portland-AHL

Boston Bruins Zach Trotman Sent to minors, Providence-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks Joakim Nordstrom Called up from minors, from Rockford-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks Adam Clendening Called up from minors, from Rockford-AHL

Chicago Blackhawks Stephen Johns Sent to minors, Rcokford-AHL

Colorado Avalanche Calvin Pickard Called up from minors, from Lake Erie-AHL

Columbus Blue Jackets Kevin Connauton Claimed off waivers

Columbus Blue Jackets Frederic St-Denis Sent to minors, Springfield-AHL

Dallas Stars Jyrki Jokipakka Called up from minors, from Texas-AHL

Florida Panthers Rocco Grimaldi Called up from minors, from San Antonio-AHL

Minnesota Wild Josh Harding Sent to minors, Iowa-AHL

Philadelphia Flyers Scott Laughton Called up from minors, from Lehigh Valley-AHL

Philadelphia Flyers Blair Jones Sent to minors, Lehigh Valley-AHL

Sharks game against Sabres officially on, as snow blankets Buffalo

By Curtis Pashelka

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Tuesday's game between the Sharks and host Buffalo Sabres will be played, the Sabres confirmed via Twitter, as a lake effect snow storm continues to hammer parts of Western New York.

The Sabres held an optional skate Tuesday morning at First Niagara Center, where the Sharks will finish their seven-game road trip. Downtown Buffalo, where the arena is, has not been as greatly impacted by the storm as other areas, with reports of more than three feet of snow in West Seneca, N.Y., a suburb just south of Buffalo, with more on the way. The Sharks held a full team skate.

"Talking to a few people, especially the training staff who live outside the area in those snowbelt areas, it's pretty ugly," Sabres coach Ted Nolan said on WGR-AM 550 on Tuesday morning. "It doesn't look good to even make it to the rink this morning for our morning skate.

"For the vast majority of the guys that live close by, a short drive in, everything will be fine, but there won't be a whole training staff here to support them, so we'll just be cautious in that area and maybe just have a stretch."

Via San Jose Mercury News

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Arturs Irbe dresses for Buffalo Sabres in game against Sharks

By Curtis Pashelka

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Arturs Irbe was in the press box at the start of Tuesday's game between the Sharks and Buffalo Sabres, nattily attired in a suit and bow tie.

By the end of the second period, the former Sharks goalie was near the Sabres bench, wearing a No. 35 Sabres jersey and goalie equipment that didn't quite fit.

After an first period injury to Sabres starting goaltender Michal Neuvirth, Irbe, Buffalo's 47-year-old goaltending coach, was called upon to be the team's emergency goalie. Jhonas Enroth came in for Neuvirth and made 10 saves for Buffalo in its 4-1 win over the Sharks at First Niagara Center as Irbe watched close by.

"If I would go in, I would have fun, I know that," Irbe said. "Once a goalie, always a goalie."

Irbe, who played 183 games for the Sharks between 1991 and 1996, and 568 games in his NHL career, had not played professionally since 2007, when he was in Slovakia.

But after Neuvirth's injury, and a directive from Sabres head coach Ted Nolan, Irbe signed a professional try-out contract and wore a pair of Enroth's pads. He also wore a glove and blocker that used to belong to Ryan Miller, now with Vancouver.

"It's not the comfortable equipment I'm used to," Irbe told reporters. "But I had to preserve, put it on. It took a while. Much longer than it usually takes -- it's been seven years. And that was it. By the start of the third period, I was, just in case ready. It was a fun feeling."

Irbe last played in the NHL in 2007, but is perhaps best known locally for his early years with the Sharks, when he helped the team upset then No. 1 seed Detroit in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. San Jose lost to Toronto in seven games in the second round.


San Jose Sharks lose road trip finale to Buffalo Sabres 4-1

By Curtis Pashelka

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- All of the magic and merriment of goalie Troy Grosenick's first NHL start just two days earlier evaporated in less than three hours Tuesday night.

Grosenick allowed three goals on 13 shots, but was hardly the only Sharks player at fault for a 4-1 loss to the NHL-worst Buffalo Sabres. Defensive miscues and a lack of aggression on offense paved the way for another Sharks' loss to the Sabres, their eighth straight, as San Jose finished its trip with a 3-4 record that also included losses to below-.500 teams Florida and Columbus. The Sharks are now 0-7-1 against the Sabres since Jan. 23, 2010.

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said the first period was probably his team's best, but "we come out in the second and third period and play dumb hockey. Just flat-out dumb. Pinching, giving up two on ones, three on twos. We had only given up 10 shots after two periods and we're down (3-1). Just dumb hockey.

"You don't win at any level playing like that. You don't beat any type of team playing like that."

In the second period with the game tied 1-1, Brian Gionta scored from a sharp angle, beating Grosenick with 8:06 left. Then just before the period ended, Gionta chipped a loose puck past Sharks defenseman Matt Irwin to create a 2 on 1 the other way. Gionta fed Brian Flynn with a perfect pass, and Flynn fired it past an outstretched Grosenick for a two-goal Sabres lead.

The Sharks had 30 shots on net, as Buffalo needed to play Jhonas Enroth in the second and third periods after Michal Neuvirth suffered an lower body injury. Amazingly, former Sharks goalie Arturs Irbe, the now 47-year-old Sabres goaltending coach, signed a player contract after Neuvirth was hurt and served as Enroth's backup.

"If I would go in, I would have fun, I know that," Irbe said. "Once a goalie, always a goalie."

Enroth made a remarkable save with his back on Jason Demers late in the second period and was generally solid in relief, but McLellan thought his team wasn't nearly assertive enough in creating chances.

"Offensively, we played on the outside. Pull up, and pass around the outside," McLellan said. "Don't want to penetrate or throw the puck to the net, so you're not going to score either. It was a disappointing night and we've got some things to correct."

The Sharks had two goals disallowed. Patrick Marleau had a goal overturned with less than five minutes left in the third period, as replay officials ruled that his shot that rolled off and past Enroth did not fully cross the goal line.

In the first period, with the Sharks killing a penalty, Justin Braun directed the puck past Neuvirth. But officials rules that Braun, who joined Matt Nieto on the two-on-one, made incidental contact with Neuvirth and the goal was disallowed.

Sunday against Carolina, Grosenick's 45 saves in a 2-0 Sharks win set a league record for most saves in a shutout debut in the modern era. Despite Tuesday's result, his confidence hasn't wavered.

"Just being up here and seeing what it's all about, it's been a great experience," said Grosenick, who was called up from Worcester on Wednesday. "Tonight's no different. Sometimes you have to lose a few games, and that's where you really learn the most."

The game took place before an estimated crowd of 6,200, which braved a lake-effect snowstorm that pelted areas south of the city to get to First Niagara Center. The weather was so bad Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta was snowed in and unable to make the game.

Kaleta lives in Hamburg, a town about a 20-minute drive south of Buffalo, where more than 4 feet of snow has accumulated since Monday night. Sabres assistant GM Mark Jakubowski and head athletic trainer Tim Macre also were snowed out.


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Sharks give Grosenick another start

By Curtis Pashelka

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Rookie goalie Troy Grosenick will get his second consecutive start for the Sharks as they look to end a seven-game losing streak to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at First Niagara Center.

Grosenick made NHL history Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes, as his 45 saves in a 2-0 Sharks win set a league record for most saves in a shutout debut in the modern era. The previous record was 41, set Dec. 23, 1967 by Andre Gill of the Boston Bruins.

"Been trying to get it behind me, really," Grosenick said Tuesday morning. "It's been hard with everyone reaching out, and that's great and all, but it's on to the next one and I kind of have to have a short memory and focus on tonight."

Sharks coach Todd McLellan shot down any notion that Grosenick's start was simply a way to help end his team's inexplicable losing streak to the Sabres, as just about every goalie the Sharks have had over the last four years has played against Buffalo.

Evgeni Nabokov was the last Sharks goalie to beat the Sabres, 5-2 in San Jose on Jan. 23, 2010. Since then Antero Niittymaki, Antti Niemi and Alex Stalock have all tried to beat the Sabres without success.

"Everybody's had a kick at them," McLellan said. "To think that we're changing up the goaltenders just because of a streak, that's not it. It's the fact that Troy played extremely well in Carolina, and he might have that confidence or aura around him that he can repeat that and I'd like to think that our players will give him a little better support than they did in Carolina tonight knowing that."

On Oct. 25 at SAP Center, the Sabres beat San Jose 2-1. That stood as Buffalo's only victory in regulation this season until they beat Toronto 6-2 on Saturday.

The Sharks didn't play with any urgency for the first 40 minutes in that loss, only scoring in the third period when they were already down two goals.

"We have to engage," McLellan said. "I thought when we looked back at the Buffalo game, we played more not to lose in the first 30 minutes than we did to win. We sat back, we were on our heels, teams that have had success against Buffalo have gone out and imposed their game on them, and have tried to go and play real hard, real fast and go after them early. Obviously we didn't do that."

The Sharks are 1-15 all time in Buffalo, with their only win coming in 2006 when Joe Thornton first played for San Jose after he was acquired via trade from Boston.

"We haven't had so much luck here," Thornton said. "It's been a long time, hopefully we can repeat it and get out of here with two points."

The Sharks are looking to finish their seven-game trip on a positive note, as a win would give them back-to-back victories for the first time since Oct. 26 and Oct. 28 against Anaheim and Colorado.

"It seems it's been win-loss, win-loss, so we need to be even better defensively," Sharks forward Logan Couture said. "Last game we gave up a lot of chances and our goaltender stood on his head, so we're looking to play two good ones in a row."

Matt Nieto will be back in the Sharks' lineup after missing Sunday's game because of a sore shoulder after a check he took into the boards by Columbus defenseman Jordan Leopold. He will skate on the third line with James Sheppard and Tommy Wingels. Tyler Kennedy is on the second line with Couture and Patrick Marleau.

Michal Neuvirth will start in goal for Buffalo.


Instant Replay: Sharks embarrassed by league-worst Sabres

By Kevin Kurz

In their two wins against the Sharks this season, the Sabres have outscored San Jose a combined 6-2, including a 4-1 win at First Niagara Center on Tuesday night.

In their other 17 games, Buffalo is a combined minus-40.

For the second time in less than a month, the Sharks were embarrassed by not only the worst team in the NHL this season, but – with all due respect to some recent Edmonton teams – probably one of the most dreadful clubs in the past decade.

[REWIND: Sharks falter in third, fall to Sabres 2-1]

All of the scoring, other than a late empty net goal, came in the second period.

Nicolas Deslauriers got it started. On a two-on-two rush, Cody McCormick directed a shot towards the net that hit Mirco Mueller's skate. The puck went right to the stick of Deslauriers, who deposited his second goal of the season – both against the Sharks – at 5:25 of the middle frame.

The Sharks tied it on the power play. Joe Thornton teed up Brent Burns in the high slot, and a rocket to the top corner midway through regulation ended a streak of four straight games without a power play goal for San Jose. The marker came shortly after Patrick Marleau appeared to get away with a hook on a Torrey Mitchell breakaway.

Instead of gaining the momentum and putting their foot on the throat of a weaker opponent, though, some poor play by the third defense pair ruined any chance of the Sharks concluding their road trip with a winning record.

First, Jason Demers backed off of Torrey Mitchell, who was bringing the puck into the offensive zone. The former Sharks forward fed Brian Gionta cutting to the net, and Gionta found space past Troy Grosenick and inside the far post for his first of the season at 11:54.

Demers was on the ice for the Sabres’ third goal, too, which came on a two-on-one after Matt Irwin was caught in deep. Gionta passed through Demers to Brian Flynn on a goal that came with less than 12 seconds to go before the second intermission.

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Each team had a goal waved off in the first period. Tyler Ennis clearly ran over Grosenick for a goalie interference minor at 12:29 that negated a Zemgus Girgensons goal for an easy call.

Justin Braun thought he had a goal soon after that, as he chopped in a Matt Nieto rebound. It was curiously overturned even though it appeared that it was Ennis who ran into his own goalie, Michal Neuvirth, who had to leave after the first period with a lower body injury most likely due to that entanglement.

Training 3-1 late, the Sharks appeared to get back to within one with 4:44 left, when Marleau’s backhander squeezed through Jhonas Enroth after a slick pass through the slot from Barclay Goodrow. At the last moment, though, Matt Moulson swept the puck out just before it completely crossed the line.

Gionta, who had with three points, finished the game off with his second goal after Grosenick was pulled for an extra attacker at 19:18 to cap the scoring.

The Sabres earned just their third regulation win, with two of them coming against San Jose, including a 2-1 triumph at SAP Center on Oct. 25.

The Sabres have won eight straight against the Sharks, and are 16-1-0 against San Jose all-time in Buffalo.

The crowd was estimated at 6,200, due to a snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area.

Special teams

Burns’ goal ended an 0-for-11 streak by the San Jose power play. The Sharks finished 1-for-4.

Buffalo was 0-for-2. The Sharks have killed off 14 of 15 opponent power plays over their last six games.

In goal

Grosenick was making his second straight start after his 45-save shutout on Sunday in Carolina in his NHL debut. He took the loss with 10 saves on just 13 shots.

Neuvirth made 10 first period saves before he had to leave the game. In relief, Jhonas Enroth earned the win with 19 saves on 20 shots.

Lineup

Matt Nieto returned after he was too banged up to play in Carolina on Sunday. He replaced Tye McGinn.

Up next

The Sharks will begin a stretch of 11 of 13 games at home, including six straight, when they host the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Florida beat San Jose on Nov. 11, 4-1.

Overall, 20 of the next 31 games San Jose will be as SAP Center.

Via Comcast SportsNet.com

In the Crease: Sharks' Grosenick gets call after historic debut

By Kevin Kurz

Where they stand

Sharks: 10-8-2, 22 points, 5th Pacific Division

Sabres: 4-13-2, 10 points, 8th Atlantic Division

The latest

Sharks: Troy Grosenick stopped 45 shots in his NHL debut to key a 2-0 Sharks win in Carolina on Sunday. Tomas Hertl was the lone goal-scorer in the game until Joe Thornton’s empty-netter sealed the victory for Grosenick, who made the most saves by any NHL goalie in his debut since the 1979-80 expansion season. San Jose wraps up its seven-game road trip tonight (3-3-0), and will return home on Thursday against Florida to begin a stretch of 11 of 13 at SAP Center.

Sabres: Buffalo exploded for a season-high six goals in beating the Maple Leafs on Saturday, 6-2, including a pair of markers from Zemgus Girgensons. The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Sabres (0-4-1), who own an NHL worst -38 goal differential (Edmonton is 29th at -16).

Keep an eye on…

Sharks: Troy Grosenick. The 25-year-old Wisconsin native will get a chance to follow up on his historic performance on Tuesday as he gets the call for the second straight game. Grosenick’s 45 saves against the Hurricanes were the most-ever by a Sharks goaltender in a shutout; he became the first Sharks goalie to ever record a shutout in his debut; and the Sharks became the first team in NHL history to have three goalies record shutouts in their season debut, as Antti Niemi and Alex Stalock blanked their opponents in the first two games of the season. This is the third season the Sharks have had three goalies each record at least one shutout.

Sabres: Tyler Ennis. The Buffalo forward is tied for the team lead with six goals, and brings a three-game scoring streak into tonight’s matchup (2g, 3a). Ennis has nine points in his last nine games (3g, 6a) and had a team-high 21 goals last season.

Vitals

Sharks

Goals per game: 2.70 (13th)

Goals-against per game: 2.55 (14th)

Power play: 22.6 percent (7th)

Penalty kill: 83.3 percent (12th)

Sabres

Goals per game: 1.47 (30th)

Goals-against per game: 3.53 (30th)

Power play: 7.0 percent (30th)

Penalty kill: 78.4 percent (22nd)

Injuries/Scratches

Sharks: Raffi Torres (right knee), Mike Brown (left hand) and Alex Stalock (lower body) are out.

Sabres: Josh Gorges (lower body) is day-to-day.

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Odds and ends

*The Sharks have only won one game in Buffalo in the franchise’s history (Dec. 2, 2005).

*Joe Thornton made his Sharks debut on Dec. 2, 2005 at Buffalo. He also appeared in his 700th career NHL game on Dec. 8, 2007 vs. Buffalo.

*The Sharks are 5-6-1 against the Eastern Conference, and 1-3-0 against the Atlantic Division.

*The Sharks are 0-for-9 on the power play in their last four games.

*Joe Pavelski’s next goal will be the 200th of his career.

*Mirco Mueller’s 26 blocked shots leads all NHL rookies.

*The Sharks are 11-1-3 when Tomas Hertl scores a goal.

*Chris Stewart leads all Sabres with 10 points (3+7) in 20 career games against the Sharks.

*John Scott played in 90 games for the Sabres from 2012-2014, totaling one goal and 194 penalty minutes.

Season/All-Time series

Buffalo won the first meeting of the season, 2-1 at SAP Center on Oct. 25. Cody Hodgson and Nicolas Deslauriers scored third period goals on Alex Stalock in what was a rare afternoon start in San Jose. Michal Neuvirth got the win in net with 29 saves in what was one of just two regulation wins for the Sabres this season.

The Sabres have won seven straight against the Sharks, and are 15-1-0 all-time against them in Buffalo. The Sharks are 7-19-6 all-time vs. the Sabres.

Quoteable

“It’s kind of a dream come true. Just like you write it up when you’re a little kid.” – Troy Grosenick, after shutting out the Hurricanes on Sunday in his NHL debut

Via Comcast SportsNet.com

Sharks vs. Sabres pregame: Cause and (lake) effect

By Curtis Pashelka

It’s game on tonight, as the contest between the Sharks and Buffalo Sabres will be played despite a lake effect snow storm that has blanketed parts of Western New York in snow. Particularly hard hit is the area just south of Buffalo, which has received between three and four feet of snow as of this afternoon, with more to come.

I promise not to complain about Bay Area ‘cold’ temperatures ever again. Even though there’s not much snow downtown, the wind chill is just brutal, and I can personally attest that your skin will freeze after just a few minutes outside.

I’ve posted a short story on the news, but if you want the best coverage of the severe weather in Buffalo, go here.

The bigger news for the Sharks today is that they will start Troy Grosenick in net for a second straight game as they seek to end a string of consecutive losses (0-6-1) to the Sabres. San Jose’s most recent win against Buffalo was in January of 2010, when Evgeni Nabakov was in net.

“They’re actually a pretty pesky team,” Joe Thornton said. “They grind you out. We’ve always had problems with them for whatever reason, so we’d kind of like to get that off our back and finish this trip up nicely.”

Grosenick has had a ton of messages from friends, family members and former teammates, particularly in the hours after his record-setting shutout win over Carolina.

“I tried to respond to as many as I could. but it was little bit overwhelming the first couple hours,” Grosenick said. “But I think it’s behind me now, and I’m just going out ready to do the job tonight.

You can read more about Grosenick’s start here.

There are some tweaks to the Sharks’ lineup tonight, as Matt Nieto will be back on the ice after missing Sunday’s game in Carolina with a sore shoulder. Nieto will be on the fourth line with James Sheppard and Tommy Wingels. Tyler Kennedy is on the second line with Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau.

Nieto was hurt by a hit from Columbus defenseman Jordan Leopold late in the third period of Saturday’s game and didn’t return. He said he got an x-ray and nothing came out of it.

“I got tangled up. It was kind of a weird collision to start with, and then I just tumbled awkwardly into the boards,” Nieto said Tuesday. “My shoulder was the first one in, hit the boards pretty hard and awkwardly. But it’s felt a lot better since then.”

The game also marks the return of John Scott to Buffalo. Scott spent two sometimes tumultuous years — his words — with the Sabres before he signed as a free agent with the Sharks this summer. Scott appears to be a healthy scratch, though, along with Scott Hannan and Tye McGinn.

Asked to describe his role with the Sharks, Scott said, “Forward, defense, fighter, grinder, defense, forward. Living the dream.”

“It’s been a good move. I loved playing here in Buffalo, it was a lot of fun. But change is good sometimes, and I’m on a pretty successful team and it’s a good group of guys.”

Describing his two years in Buffalo, where he thought he would resign, “There were lots of issues obviously with upper management and all of that stuff, it was just kind of a strange couple of years with the coaches, GMs, (Pat) Lafontaine and all that stuff. But other than that, it was great. I loved it here, I loved the fans, the staff, you can’t beat it. It was a sad day when I had to leave, but it is what it is. It’s business. I’ll always have good memories about Buffalo, that’s for sure.”

Via Working the Corners

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Pizarro: San Jose Sports Hall of Fame inducts a quartet of stars

By Sal Pizarro

The 20th annual class of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in a gala ceremony Monday night at SAP Center, was filled with stars: Soccer icon Julie Foudy, former A's owner Steve Schott, former NFL coach Dick Vermeil and former Sharks captain Owen Nolan. But the milestone show had to go on without its regular host, Sharks announcer Randy Hahn.

A daring plan was devised to fly the broadcaster to San Jose between Sunday's Sharks game in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Tuesday's game in Buffalo, but the terrible weather on the East Coast put that idea on ice -- or snow.

Robert Braunstein, the host of Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area, donned his tux and did a great job filling in as host, though the honorees themselves provided all the entertainment the packed audience of 800 people needed. Foudy, the Stanford soccer player who went on to a stellar career with the U.S. Women's National Team, may have had the line of the night when she said that people sometimes confuse her with teammate Brandi Chastain, famous for her "sports bra moment" as the U.S. won the 1999 World Cup.

"Now I'm the one with the big bust in the SAP Center," Foudy joked. Of course, Chastain's own bronze likeness isn't far away -- she was inducted in 2012.

STAGE FRIGHT: Nathan Stark is having a ball singing the lead role of Mustafa in Opera San Jose's "The Italian Girl in Algiers," but on opening night Saturday at the California Theatre, he almost had too much fun.

At one point in the energetic action, he took a leap onto a giant circular pouf -- which unexpectedly slid across the stage like a skateboard before careening into some pillars. Tenor Michael Dailey and baritone Matthew Hanscom were unaware of the shenanigans going on behind them and kept singing.

Fortunately, the show is already a comedy, so the near spill fit right in. Hilarity ensues at the show through Nov. 30, and you can get ticket information at www.operasj.org.

LITERACY GOAL: In addition to the Gift of Reading book drive that I wrote about this week, the Sharks Foundation and Comerica Bank are having a collection drive Friday to support their "Reading is Cool" program. Goaltender Alex Stalock will be signing autographs at 3:30 p.m. at Comerica's banking center at 444 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos. Just bring a new or gently used kids book to donate.


Sharks snowed under by Gionta, Sabres

By The Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Brian Gionta had two goals and an assist in leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in front of a sparse, snowstorm-depleted crowd on Tuesday night.

Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Flynn also scored for Buffalo, which won its eighth straight against San Jose, dating to the 2009-10 season. Jhonas Enroth stopped 20 shots over the final two periods after replacing starter Michal Neuvirth who did not return after sustaining a lower body injury in the first period.

Brent Burns scored for San Jose, which finished 3-4 on a seven-game road swing.

The Sabres improved to 16-1 all-time at home against the Sharks. Buffalo, coming off a 6-2 victory over Toronto on Saturday, also won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak late last February.

Too bad there weren't many to cheer on the Sabres.

The game was played in front of an estimated crowd of about 6,200, who turned up on a day a severe lake effect snowstorm dumped more than 4 feet of snow on communities south and east of Buffalo.

The storm even stranded Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta, who was snowed in and unable to leave his home.

The biggest cheer went up with 4:44 remaining when San Jose's Patrick Marleau had a goal overturned on a video review. Marleau got to the front of the net and backhanded a shot that sneaked in behind Enroth and was rolling over the line before Buffalo's Matt Moulson swept it away.

Initially called a goal that would have cut Buffalo's lead to 3-2, the review showed Moulson got to the puck before it crossed the line.

Gionta got the fans on their feet by breaking a 1-1 tie with 8:06 left, and 85 seconds after Burns scored. Corralling a rolling puck in the lower right circle on a pass from Flynn, Gionta slapped the puck inside the far post.

It was the team captain's first goal since signing with the Sabres in free agency last summer.

Gionta then set up Flynn on a 2-on-1 break to make it 3-1 with 12 seconds left in the period, and sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Sharks rookie goalie Troy Grosenick stopped 10 shots and didn't fare as well as he did in his NHL debut in a 2-0 win at Carolina on Sunday. That's when he stopped 45 shots to become the league's 22nd goalie to register a shutout in his first game.

Neuvirth stopped all 10 shots he faced in the first period. He appeared to be hurt with 2:41 left. He was doing the splits after stopping Justin Braun's shot, when Sabres teammate Tyler Ennis crashed into the goalie. Ennis knocked the puck across the crease, but the goal was disallowed because the referee ruled Braun interfered with Neuvirth.

Enroth was sharp in coming in to start the second period. His best save came when he wasn't looking. Enroth had his back to the play after attempting to stop Tommy Wingels wraparound attempt at the left post. The puck dribbled to Jason Demers, who fired a shot off the goalie's back.

Enroth had little chance on Burns' goal, a hard one-timer that found the top left corner.

In announcing the game would be played, the Sabres asked fans to respect numerous driving bans that had been put in place in numerous communities. Fans unable to attend the game were provided the chance to exchange their unused tickets for a future game.

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Postponing the game would have been difficult because the Sharks were traveling home to play Florida on Thursday night. San Jose makes only one more trip east: a seven-game swing from March 17-29.

NOTES: Sabres D Nikita Zadorov played his ninth game of the season. That leaves the Sabres needing to decide whether to have Zadorov's rookie contract kick in or return him to London of the Ontario Hockey League. ... After opening with 16 of their first 21 on the road, the Sharks head to San Jose for a six-game homestand. ... Sabres assistant GM Mark Jakubowski and head athletic trainer Tim Macre were also snowed in and unable to attend the game.

Via The Examiner

Gionta scores 2 in Sabres' 4-1 win over Sharks

By JOHN WAWROW

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- The more than 4-feet of snow that fell on parts of the Buffalo region wasn't much of a concern to Sabres captain Brian Gionta. A bigger worry was his season-long goal drought.

Gionta took care of that by heating up on a wintry night with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

''It was a big relief,'' said Gionta, who signed with Buffalo in free agency last summer. ''It's been a long time. It weighs on you a little bit.''

As for the weather that led to a sparse crowd of about 6,200 showing up, Gionta smiled and noted he's used to snow growing up in nearby Rochester.

''You feel for the people in the southern part of the city that are either hit hard or still in their cars,'' he said. ''But you've got to give credit to the fans that came out and battled that weather and were here to support us. On a night like this it's very easy to not show up.''

The Sabres certainly did in giving their winter-weary faithful something to cheer about. Coming off a 6-2 victory over Toronto on Saturday, Buffalo (5-13-2) won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game streak late last February.

Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Flynn also scored as the Sabres won their eighth straight against San Jose, dating to the 2009-10 season. Jhonas Enroth stopped 20 shots over the final two periods after replacing starter Michal Neuvirth, who did not return after sustaining a lower body injury in the first period.

''I was a little surprised when they did say we were going to play,'' coach Ted Nolan said. ''Buffalo's a tough city, and always finds a way to get through these types of things. And I was glad we did.''

The Sharks (10-9-2) were the ones who came up flat in closing a seven-game road swing at 3-4.

Brent Burns scored their lone goal in a game the Sharks lost despite outshooting the Sabres 30-14.

''I think we're figuring out who we are and I don't know if we like it at this point,'' Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. ''We've got to improve in a lot of areas.''

Odd-man rushes and turnovers proved costly.

After Burns tied it at 1 at the 10:29 mark of the second period, Gionta scored 85 seconds later by capitalizing on a 3-on-2 rush.

Corralling a rolling puck in the lower right circle on a pass from Flynn, Gionta slapped the puck inside the far post.

Gionta then set up Flynn on a 2-on-1 break to make it 3-1 with 12 seconds left in the period, and sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final minute.

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''Just dumb hockey,'' McLellan said. ''You don't win at any level playing like that.''

The Sharks also had a call go against them when Justin Braun had a goal disallowed in the first period.

After his initial shot was turned aside by Neuvirth, Braun stopped at the top of the crease, when Sabres forward Tyler Ennis crashed into his goalie and knocked the puck into the net. The goal was disallowed after Braun was whistled for incidental contact.

Neuvirth appeared to be hurt on the play but finished the period, but didn't return for the start of the second frame. That led Buffalo to make the unusual move of signing their goalie coach, Arturs Irbe, to a tryout contract.

Irbe, a former NHL goalie, suited up in time for the third period.

''It's a snow day,'' Irbe said with a laugh, noting he hasn't played professionally in seven years. ''I obviously didn't want Jhonny to get hurt or something bad to happen. But if I would go in, I would have fun.''

The biggest cheer from the sparse crowd went up with 4:44 remaining when San Jose's Patrick Marleau had a goal overturned on a video review. Marleau got to the front of the net and backhanded a shot that sneaked in behind Enroth and was rolling over the line before Buffalo's Matt Moulson swept it away.

NOTES: The storm stranded Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta, who was snowed in and unable to leave his home. ... Sharks rookie goalie Troy Grosenick stopped 10 shots after stopping 45 in a 2-0 win in his NHL debut at Carolina on Sunday. ... The Sabres improved to 16-1 at home against San Jose.

Via Yahoo Sports

Sharks a bit mystified by losing streak to Sabres

By Amy Moritz

Sometimes, a team just has your number.

That’s about the only explanation the San Jose Sharks have for their inept record against the Buffalo Sabres.

With their 3-1 loss at First Niagara Center Tuesday, the Sharks have dropped their last eight meetings to the Sabres.

The Sharks haven’t beaten the Sabres since Jan. 23, 2010 – a 5-2 win in San Jose.

They haven’t won in Buffalo since Dec. 2, 2005 – that’s their only win in Buffalo in 17 tries.

“They’ve had our number,” San Jose coach Todd McLellan said before Tuesday’s game. “We’ve always had trouble with them, whether it’s home or road. Aren’t any excuses for that whether it’s travel or anything like that. They’ve just had our number.

“That happens in the league. Teams have better records against some opponents than others. It’s our job to change that.”

The Sharks had plenty of chances this time around. They outshot the Sabres, 30-17 and had four power play opportunities.

But two goals were called back – one in the first period and one that was ruled never crossed the line late in the third.

It was Patrick Marleau who had the shot in the third that nearly crossed the goal line before Matt Moulson swept it out.

Do strange things just happen when the Sharks play the Sabres?

“It seems that way at times,” Marleau said. “It’s hockey. Things like that happen. You have to work through it and try to get the wins. …

We want to play our best against every team no matter where they are in the standings.”

But it seems like no matter where the teams are in the standings, the Sharks just can’t get the better of the Sabres.

“They’re actually a pretty pesky team,” Sharks forward Joe Thornton said. “They grind you out. We’ve always had problems with them for whatever reason.”

One of those reasons Tuesday was the combination of small crowd and Buffalo’s style. With only about 6,200 people spread through the 19,070-seat arena the Sharks were challenged by the lack of atmosphere at times.

“It felt like there was nobody. It wasn’t loud at all,” defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said. “And they play a trap game which kind of lulls it even more. We had to find a way to get through both of those and had opportunities but couldn’t capitalize.”

...

So long, dry scrape. The NHL has decided to eliminate the full-ice Zamboni scrape before overtime, effective this weekend. The league’s general managers discussed the rule on Tuesday.

Arena personnel will instead quickly shovel the ice surface before OT, something the league estimates can be done in less than two minutes.

...

Two Sabres prospect had big weeks with their respective junior clubs.

Williamsville native and 2013 second-round pick Justin Bailey was named the Ontario Hockey League Player of the Week while Sam Reinhart, the second overall pick by the Sabres in 2014, was the Player of the Week in the Western Hockey League.

Bailey led the OHL in scoring last week with seven points in three goals for the Kitchener Rangers. On Friday, Bailey tied his career high with a four-point game, including his second hat trick of the season, in a 5-1 win over the Plymouth Whalers.

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Bailey ranks 10th in the OHL in scoring with 29 points in 19 games

Reinhart had seven points for the Kootenay Ice while posting a plus-four rating.

Reinhart recorded four assists on Friday including setting up the game-tying and game-winning goal in a 7-6 win over the Calgary Hitmen. On Saturday he had a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

He has three goals and 10 points in four games since returning to Kootenay after playing nine games with the Sabres.

...

John Scott was a scratch for the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, but former Buffalo Sabres is enjoying the change of pace with his new team. Of course asked to define his role and said it was the same as usual.

“Forward, defense, fighter, grinder, defense, forward,” Scott said. “Living the dream.”

Scott described his two years with the Sabres as “tumultuous. Lots of issues, obviously, with upper management and all that stuff. It was just kind of a very strange couple of years … But loved it here. I love the staff. You can’t beat it. It was a sad day when I had to leave but it is what is. It’s a business. I’ll always have good memories of Buffalo, that’s for sure.”

Via Buffalo News

740171 Florida Panthers

LA Kings ride big 2nd period past Panthers, 5-2

By GREG BEACHAM

Matt Greene started the Los Angeles Kings' big second period by swooping in on net for a slick goal. Robyn Regehr finished it with a booming slap shot for another score.

At least their teammates were pretty sure it was Greene and Regehr wearing those jerseys. Two defensemen who hadn't scored a goal all season came through on the same night to boost the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Jeff Carter had a power-play goal and an assist during Los Angeles' four-goal second period, and Jonathan Quick made 30 saves in the Kings' 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

Greene and Regehr both scored their first goals since last winter to bookend the Kings' highest-scoring period of the season. Greene started it off with his first goal since Oct. 19, 2013, nimbly shoveling home a pass from Brayden McNabb.

"At first, I didn't think it was Greener," a bemused Anze Kopitar said. "I didn't know he had that in his repertoire."

Regehr capped the rally with his first goal since Feb. 26, finding the net in Los Angeles' second straight victory after losing seven of nine.

Marian Gaborik and captain Dustin Brown added power-play goals for the Kings, but the champs were mostly thrilled for two guys who don't often dent the scoresheet.

Greene hadn't scored in 47 regular-season games and 20 playoff contests, while Regehr had played 34 regular-season games and eight postseason games since his last goal.

"It's good to see Robyn and Greener score," coach Darryl Sutter said. "They don't get much credit, and they give you the blue collar every night. They deserve it."

Los Angeles' power play has five goals in two games after managing just one score in its previous nine games and only six in the first 17 games of the season.

Jimmy Hayes and Jussi Jokinen scored for the Panthers, who have lost five of seven. Roberto Luongo stopped 21 shots in two periods before Al Montoya relieved him for the third.

Staples Center fans gave a standing ovation to Florida captain Willie Mitchell, who left the Kings as a free agent last summer after playing a key role on Los Angeles' two championship teams. Mitchell received his second ring from the Kings before the game.

"It was really cool to get an ovation like that from people appreciating what you tried to give to the organization and to the city," Mitchell said. "The relationships I had here are going to go long past our playing careers."

Florida didn't build on its surprising 6-2 victory at Western Conference-leading Anaheim two nights earlier. The Panthers trailed 4-0 before Hayes and Jokinen scored the club's first goals against Los Angeles since Feb. 9, 2012.

Florida forward Rocco Grimaldi played in his second hockey game of the day. The Los Angeles-area native suited up Tuesday morning for the Panthers' AHL affiliate in San Antonio before catching a plane to the coast as an emergency replacement for Aleksander Barkov, who fell ill.

"In the first and third periods, I thought we matched them shift for shift and did some really good things," Grimaldi said. "We had some good grind shifts and were playing strong defensively. Obviously, they've got a good power play over there, and they got a few on us that kind of put the dagger in us.”

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After Greene opened the scoring, Carter capitalized on a pass from Dwight King for his seventh goal of the season, just his second in 11 games. Gaborik knocked in his own rebound a few minutes later, scoring his third goal of a slow-starting season.

NOTES: Jamie McBain got his first point for the Kings with the secondary assist on Carter's goal. The Kings signed McBain as a free agent Nov. 11 and immediately put him in their depleted lineup. ... Luongo has lost his last eight starts against the Kings dating to the 2012 playoffs, when he lost twice for the Vancouver Canucks in the first round. ... Dodgers infielder Justin Turner dropped the ceremonial first puck.

Via Miami Herald LOADED: 11.19.2014


Los Angeles holds special place in Gudbranson's heart

By Harvey Fialkov

Panthers defenseman Gudbranson returns to city where he was drafted

When Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson looked around Staples Center during morning skate Tuesday, the memories flood back from his draft day in June 2010.

"Obviously, it was a fun day and you don't forget about it,'' said Gudbranson, drafted at No. 3 that summer. "I know exactly where I was sitting when I got called. You only come here once a year so it's nice to see it again."

Gudbranson would like to get his first win here but he knows it won't be an easy task. The Panthers have lost five in a row in Staples Center, with their last win coming in Los Angeles on Nov. 27, 2002.

"We're going to need to be faster and need to manage the puck,'' he said. "We can't create turnovers and give them the opportunity to come back the other way. They're too good a team for that, so managing the puck in all three zones, and obviously getting pucks in traffic and to the net is the only way to beat Jonathan Quick, whose one of the best goalies in the league.

"We have to get in front of him and don't let him see it," Gudbranson continued, "so creating havoc in front of the net is going to be a big part of our offense.''

Via Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.19.2014


Kings stave off late-charging Panthers 5-2

By Harvey Fialkov

Rocco Grimaldi, who played in San Antonio in the morning, made his home NHL debut in the evening

Aleksander Barkov became ill and missed the game

The Panthers have lost six straight in Los Angeles

— After morning skate Tuesday, Panthers coach Gerard Gallant was asked about the improved penalty-kill units and the overall decrease in penalties taken.

"Who knows tonight, we might go out there and take seven you never know, Gallant said. "They know they're not going to win consistently if they keep taking 4-to-6 penalties a game.''

Well, the prophetic coach nearly called it. They took six penalties with three ending up in power-play goals as the Kings staved off the late-charging Panthers 5-2 Tuesday night at the Staples Center. The Panthers have lost six straight in Los Angeles and haven't beaten the Kings in Staples Center since Nov. 27, 2002.

"I thought we played really well in the first period and obviously the second period was the difference in the hockey game,'' Gallant said. "We came out flat and they were really coming at us. We didn't respond in the second. We got upset in the third period and began to play a better game.

"We did a real good job lately [on penalties] but tonight it came back to haunt us. Three power-play goals makes it tough. We played 40 minutes as good as you can play against them, but that in-between period, the second, we got totally dominated.''

After scoring 17 goals in their previous four games, including a season-high six goals in Sunday's stunning rout of the Ducks, the Panthers waited until the third period before scoring twice against former Conn Smythe-winning goalie Jonathan Quick.

Quick turned aside 25 shots to improve to 5-1 against the Panthers. His counterpart, Roberto Luongo, fell to 1-7-3 in his last 11 games against the Kings, as he was yanked for Al Montoya after giving up four goals in the second period.

The Panthers had been one of two teams in tne NHL, along with the Penguins, to enter the game with just one regulation road loss. They're now 1-1 on this four-game road trip which continues in San Jose on Thursday, and 3-2-4 overall away from Sunrise. The Sharks were routed in snowbound Buffalo Tuesday.

Trailing 4-0 after two, Panthers forward Jimmy Hayes continued his solid play of late when he banged in a doorstep rebound of Jonathan Huberdeau's swat for a power-play goal at 2:01 of the third to spoil Quick's shutout bid. Hayes has four goals, all coming in the last five games. The Kings had killed off 15 straight power plays over the past 4-plus games.

"They're a team that cashes in on opportunities,'' Hayes said. "We showed up in the first and third, you just can't take your gas off, we got to play 60 minutes every night.''

Then at 6:55, Hayes fed Vincent Trocheck for a wrister that Quick made the initial stop before Jussi Jokinen swept in the rebound for his second goal of the season and team-leading 12th point.

The Panthers had a couple of shots at cutting the deficit to one during a power play but Quick came up big.

"Definitely had a couple of chances on both of those power plays but Quick stood on his head on a couple of plays,'' Trocheck said. "I had a nice rebound opportunity that I thought was a sure goal and he got his pad out quicker than possible.''

Dustin Brown dashed any comeback aspirations when he squeezed the puck through Montoya with 3:05 left in regulation for PPG No. 3. It was the most PPGs given up by the Panthers since their season-opening 7-4 loss to the Lightning.

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"I was really proud of the way we came out in the first 20,'' said Panthers defenseman Willie Mitchell, who played for the Kings for the past four years and was given his Stanley Cup ring before the game. "That's a good hockey team over there. We're a young team learning to do things the right way like that hockey team. … The second period we didn't manage the puck well or finish our checks like we did in the first period. They scored four goals.

"To beat championship teams you got to play 60 minutes, a little bit of a lesson for us.''

Just as the Panthers broke up Sunday's 6-2 win in Anaheim with four second-period goals, the Kings followed suit. After a scoreless first period, defenseman Matt Greene broke the ice when he redirected Brayden McNabb's shot from the point at 4:32 of the second period.

Massive center Anze Kopitar started the play by holding the puck for days before slipping it over to McNabb. Greene's first goal of the season snapped a 47-game goal drought.

The Kings made it 2-zip at 9:46 following a high-sticking, double-minor on Trocheck, when Jeff Carter's snap-shot from the slot caromed off Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson and past Luongo.

The Panthers had killed off 17 of their previous 18 power plays over seven-plus games. Then with Panthers center Derek MacKenzie in the box for tripping, right wing Marian Gaborik made it 3-0 when he dug out the puck in the crease before swatting it in at 4:18.

With just eight seconds left in the period, Carter fed defenseman Robyn Regehr in the circle for a slapper that beat Luongo's glove to cap off an ugly period for the Panthers and send their fans back home to sleep.

In a well-played scoreless first period both goalies were outstanding as the Panthers held a 13-8 shot edge but were 0-for-2 on the power play. The Kings are 3-0-1 when tied after one while the Panthers fall to 2-2-3.

Grimaldi's long day

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov became ill Tuesday morning and was unable to participate in morning skate or the game, so the Panthers called up rookie forward Rocco Grimaldi from San Antonio, their AHL affiliate.

Problem was Grimaldi was in the midst of playing in the annual Cool School matinee game at the AT&T Center where the host Rampage edged Oklahoma City in a 4-3 shootout.

Grimaldi, 21, had three shots on net when he was pulled from the game near the end of the second period. After arriving at the AT&T Center at 8:30 a.m. CST for the AHL game, he ended up arriving in Los Angeles at 4:15 PST in time for warmups at Staples Center where the Orange County native made his NHL home debut.

"I didn't know it was possible to happen or if it ever happened before,'' Grimaldi said of playing an AHL game and an NHL game on the same day. "Obviously I was excited. I wanted to win the game, it was a close game, I'm glad our guys got the win. Right when they told me I was going I had to start focusing on this game and get my body ready to go.''

Grimaldi, whose parents Rocco Sr. and Suzie were on hand as well as his junior coach, played four games for the Panthers this season with no points, a minus-1 rating in 12:15 average ice time. Grimaldi centered for Scottie Upshall and Tomas Kopecky.

Mitchell's return

Mitchell, who was the anchor of the Kings' blue line in two Stanley Cup runs in the past three seasons, was given a rousing ovation during a video-board tribute early in the first period.

Mitchell, who took a bow from the bench, was presented with his ring a few hours before the game by Kings coach Darryl Sutter and president of hockey operations Luc Robitaille.



Panthers assistant coach Mark Morris played huge role in the Kings' two Stanley Cup titles

By Harvey Fialkov

Mark Morris coached most of the players on the Kings when they were in the minors

— Defenseman Willie Mitchell isn't the only former member of the Kings organization who returned to the Staples Center for the first time Tuesday since parting ways last summer.

Panthers defensive coach Mark Morris spent eight seasons as the head coach of the Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs, the Kings' AHL affiliate, where he won 338 games.

While Mitchell will be given his second Stanley Cup ring before the game and be honored with an in-game video tribute, Morris, whose contract wasn't renewed after the season, had his second ring quietly mailed to him a few weeks ago.

"We didn't get the 'A' version,'' Morris smiled, referring to the different monetary level of rings doled out. "That's a pretty elite group who has the opportunity to hoist the Cup, so those guys have earned it. From behind the scenes, it's nice to be acknowledged.''

Morris coached most of the Kings during rookie camps, development camps and exhibition games. He was responsible for grooming several key players who helped the Kings win at least one or two Stanley Cup titles in the last three years, including goalies Jonathan Quick and Martin Jones, defensemen Brayden McNabb, Alex Martinez and Slava Voynov, as well as forwards Jordan Nolan, Kyle Clifford, Dwight King and Trevor Lewis.

"No doubt I'm proud of those guys who I know on a personal basis, seeing the professionals they've become,'' Morris said after morning skate. "They're right on track and I feel pretty good about that.''

Morris is now strictly responsible for the Panthers defensive corps, which has improved from 29th last season to 10th, a goal reduction per game from 3.20 to 2.33.

"He's simplified, and has put his full confidence in us,'' Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. "That's gone a long way. He wants you on the ice in every situation. It's a six-man corps this year and it makes the game a lot easier.

"He's really good at creating that trust and explains how to work with your partner and how to support each other all over the ice.''

Morris credits Mitchell for being his on-ice voice. He also sees lots of similarities between the Kings defensemen and the young Panthers blue liners, such as Gudbranson, rookie Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, Colby Robak and Dylan Olsen, who are all 24 or younger.

"In some regards our guys may have a bit more playing experience under their belt because of the nature of the organization,'' Morris said. "They've been able to play through some of their issues.

"My job is to settle those guys down, get them to play well together and really work on their positioning. Less is more when you're a good defender. It's not rocket science. Look at the Kings play on video and that back end is pretty solid and so far we've done a good job with all our young players.''


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Rocco Grimaldi yanked from AHL game when Barkov falls ill

By Harvey Fialkov

Panthers' Aleksander Barkov gets sick, Rocco Grimaldi gets call

Panthers center Aleksander Barkov became ill Tuesday morning and was unable to participate in morning skate or the game against the Kings at Staples Center, so the Panthers called for rookie forward Rocco Grimaldi.

Grimaldi was playing in the annual Cool School matinee game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, where the Rampage (AHL) edged Oklahoma City in a 4-3 shootout.

Grimaldi had three shots on net when he was pulled from the game to fly to Los Angeles. The Panthers were checked the NHL rulebook to make sure Grimaldi was allowed to play in two games on the same day.

Grimaldi played in four games this season and had no points while earning a minus-1 ice rating in 12:15 average ice time. ..

Injured Panthers Dmitry Kulikov, Sean Bergenheim and Brandon Pirri skated in the optional morning practice, but none will play Tuesday. Center Dave Bolland (groin) continues to work off the ice.


SPORT-SCAN NHL REPORT FOR 11/19/14 FOR YOUR EYES...

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