Kings send Trevor Lewis to Manchester, and tidbits from Thursday’s shootout loss
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The Kings assigned forward Trevor Lewis to Manchester of the American Hockey League today after scratching him from the lineup the past four games. He had played five games without scoring any points and had a minus-3 plus/minus rating.
The team didn’t practice today and is scheduled to return to the ice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo at 10 a.m. Saturday. New acquisition Randy Jones, claimed from Philadelphia on re-entry waivers Thursday, was expected to arrive in Los Angeles late today and join his new teammates on the ice Saturday morning.
The Kings’ 2-1 shootout loss to Vancouver on Thursday -- their second consecutive 2-1 shootout defeat, following a loss on Wednesday at San Jose -- was a classic ‘glass half empty/half full’ scenario.
They outshot the Canucks, 31-15, but couldn’t produce any second or third chances that might have tested a Vancouver team that was missing goaltender Roberto Luongo and other key players due to injuries. But they did get one point, enough to move them back atop the Pacific Division, one point ahead of San Jose.
They finished October with a record of 8-4-2 and 18 points, matching their second-highest point total in October in franchise history and second-highest number of wins in October. The 1990-91 Kings set the club records, with 19 points and nine wins, respectively.
Winger Scott Parse got his first NHL goal Thursday, the Kings’ only score in the first 65 minutes. ‘It’s what you play for your whole life,’ he said. ‘To make it here and score a goal, it’s a special feeling.’
The sensation that Coach Terry Murray carried was less pleasant. ‘A bad feeling,’ he said of the two straight losses in the tiebreaking procedure. ‘It’s a useless part of the game, the shootout.’
Defenseman Matt Greene, not known for his offensive prowess, begged off responding when asked if he likes the shootout.
‘I’m an innocent bystander,’ he said. ‘Whatever keeps the fans in the seats or coming back. They like the shootout, that’s fine. For me, it’s pretty much my game’s done before the shootout.’
Unless it goes 20 rounds, maybe?
‘I don’t even think I’m going to see it then,’ he said. ‘They’re probably going to put [backup goalie Erik] Ersberg in there before me. I don’t think I need to worry about shootouts much.’
-- Helene Elliott