Alec Martinez
Goalie Jeff Zatkoff takes a full-circle route back to L.A. Kings' net
Sometime in the near future, Jeff Zatkoff will put on a Kings jersey in a game that has true meaning. It’s a moment a decade in the making.
Zatkoff previously spent five years in the organization but never made it into a regular-season game. He was stuck low on the goalie ladder and vaguely remembers some preseason appearances.
“I’ve played a few third periods, but never started here or anything,” Zatkoff said of his first Kings stint, from 2008 to 2012.
That’s why Zatkoff relished coming back to the team that drafted him in 2006. The Kings signed Zatkoff this summer to back up Jonathan Quick after former No. 2 Jhonas Enroth left via free...
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Goalie Jeff Zatkoff takes a full-circle route back to L.A. Kings' net
Sometime in the near future, Jeff Zatkoff will put on a Kings jersey in a game that has true meaning. It’s a moment a decade in the making.
Zatkoff previously spent five years in the organization but never made it into a regular-season game. He was...
Big questions heading into Kings training camp
The adage keeps ringing true for the Kings: It’s hard to reach the top, but it’s even harder to stay on top.
The Kings followed up a non-playoff season with a disconcerting first-round exit, a five-game loss to the San Jose Sharks last spring....
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter knows there's a lot of work to be done to get his team back to an elite level
When the Kings’ season ends Coach Darryl Sutter invariably returns to his family farm in Viking, Canada, where he immerses himself in the work that sustains the 3,000-acre operation. The team’s quick playoff elimination allowed him to go home early this...
Staying with the Kings is not a tough decision for Darryl Sutter
Chris Sutter is staying in Los Angeles, probably the best news local hockey fans have gotten since the Kings and Ducks made earlier-than-expected playoff exits last month. The promise of watching more of his blissfully unselfconscious dance-cam routines...
Published in Los Angeles Times on May 14, 2016 — Print headline: "Sutter doesn't change his line - It's an easy decision to stay with Kings, but flexibility will be key"
Darryl Sutter on signing a three-year extension with the Kings: 'It was a clear and easy decision'
Darryl Sutter’s contract extension was made official on Friday, and the Kings coach doesn’t see his career wrapping up any time soon.
In other words, this won’t be his last rodeo.
“I have lots of coaching left. I don’t look at it in that light,”...
Shaky defense was Kings' undoing in the playoffs, and fixing it could prove difficult for GM Dean Lombardi
The presence of defenseman Alec Martinez was a big reason why the Kings won the 2014 Stanley Cup. Martinez scored the overtime winner to eliminate the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals and then scored the second-overtime game-winner in...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 24, 2016 — Print headline: "Can Lombardi make blue line special again? - ANALYSIS"
What we learned from the Kings' 6-3 loss to the Sharks
A few more takeaways before the Kings move on -- not to the second round, but to a long spring and summer of off-season issues after a first-round loss to San Jose.
Inability to establish a lead
Too often in the series, the Kings gave up goals early. In...
Nothing the Kings did was quite good enough this season
A handshake instead of another Stanley Cup championship.
A season ended with a beautiful but brief tease and a first-round playoff exit.
What had the makings of another epic rally against a familiar foe ended Friday with the Kings' 6-3 loss to the San...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 23, 2016 — Print headline: "Nothing the Kings did was quite good enough"
Kings eliminated from playoffs by San Jose Sharks in 6-3 loss
The year started off so promisingly for the Kings. They were motivated, healthy and rested after a 2014-15 season in which they uncharacteristically missed the playoffs.
All of the summer's main distractions — starting with Slava Voynov's departure to...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 23, 2016 — Print headline: "Oust at home - Kings rally after a bad start, but Sharks finally finish them off"
It's too little and too late for 0-2 Kings
Marian Gaborik didn't exactly ride to the rescue Saturday night upon his return to the Kings' lineup.
Playing for the first time since injuring his right knee back on Feb. 12, the goal-scoring hero of the Kings' 2014 playoff couldn't immediately find his...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 17, 2016 — Print headline: "It's too little and too late for 0-2 Kings - Lecavalier finally breaks the ice, but the Sharks go home with a nice edge. - SAN JOSE 2 KINGS 1"
Kings might have Marian Gaborik in lineup for Game 2 against the Sharks
If all goes well, Kings winger Marian Gaborik could be playing against the San Jose Sharks in Game 2, which would be his first action since spraining his right knee on Feb. 12.
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said on Saturday morning that Gaborik has been...
Kings' Drew Doughty ready to play big minutes in Game 2
One of the questions Kings defenseman Drew Doughty faced Friday had to do with carving out time to rest during the long and grinding playoff road.
That was more appropriate than usual.
Doughty had better get ready to play Doughty-esque minutes —...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 16, 2016 — Print headline: "Doughty not worried about larger workload in Game 2 - Kings' top defenseman expects more minutes against the Sharks, particularly with Martinez uncertain."
What we learned from the Kings' loss to the Sharks in Game 1 of Western Conference first round
Here are three things we learned from the Kings’ 4-3 loss to the Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round on Thursday, along with a few more takeaways before they try to regroup for the second game of the series on...
Three keys to Kings' 4-3 loss to Sharks in Game 1
The Sharks were able to pull out a back-and-forth, 4-3, contest over the Kings in Game 1 at Staples Center Thursday night. Here's three keys to how the game played out:
1) Faceoffs: The Kings gave up two goals right off faceoffs. It That is a...
Kings impressed with Kobe celebration, hope for one of their own
Small shreds of gold confetti, released from the Staples Center rafters Wednesday night to celebrate Kobe Bryant’s farewell to the Lakers and the NBA, could still be found in odd places Thursday morning when the Kings took over the building to prepare for...
Jeff Carter takes on more of a leadership role as Kings return to the playoffs
Change has not intimidated Kings center Jeff Carter.
He grew up in Canada without dogs, and now Carter is outflanked by them in his household — three to one — and relishing the transformation.
"It's all new to me," he said, smiling.
And...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 14, 2016 — Print headline: "Kings' Carter has bigger role"
Alec Martinez and Marian Gaborik skate with the Kings, who await the Sharks
Coincidentally, this was the same conference room where Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi met with reporters about a year ago, sifting through the wreckage of a lost season.
The mood on Tuesday, befitting a 102-point season, was considerably lighter....
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 13, 2016 — Print headline: "GM Lombardi proves to have plenty to talk about - Kings executive discusses Doughty's contributions, Lucic's impact, Gaborik's availability."
Straight answers about injuries are difficult to come by during the NHL playoffs
Prying injury information out of NHL teams is a difficult task any time of the year. At playoff time, team officials probably would sooner give their bank account information to phone scammers than disclose the nature and severity of a player's injury.
...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 12, 2016 — Print headline: "Straight answers difficult to find"
Kings first look vs. San Jose in the playoffs
The Sharks are a highly recognizable postseason opponent, and adding fuel to the rivalry is the fact that the Kings produced a comeback for the ages against San Jose in their last playoff meeting, in 2014.
The Kings trailed, 3-0, in the first round and...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 11, 2016 — Print headline: "FIRST LOOK: KINGS VS. SAN JOSE"
After humble beginnings, Kings and Ducks will clash in a marquee game
They were losing, and most times it wasn't even close.
The optimism generated by a new season quickly vanished, replaced by gloom and a baffling inability to score goals.
While this applies to the Ducks, whose struggles were the talk of the NHL until...
Published in Los Angeles Times on April 07, 2016 — Print headline: "Matching points - Kings and Ducks have 99 apiece as they clash in a marquee game"