Norstrom Gets More Physical

With the Olympics only a month away, defenseman Mattias Norstrom, who will play for Sweden, has added a more physical presence to his play. Against Vancouver on Monday, Norstrom recorded a game-high eight hits, including two crunching checks each on Mark Messier and Pavel Bure.

“When he first gets going, he seems to get better as the game goes on,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “And the thing is that I would like for him to jump in and skate with the puck a little more. At times, he does that and he opens a lot of things up.”

*

Goaltender Frederic Chabot, who started Monday’s 3-2 loss at Vancouver, was sent down to Houston of the International Hockey League. Chabot went 6-1 after being sent down to the IHL on Dec. 17 and is expected to be recalled again. He needs to play at least 31 minutes in four more games so the team, if it chooses, can leave him unprotected in this year’s expansion draft.

*

The Kings went 5-5-1 in their recent stretch of 11 consecutive games against Western Conference opponents. . . . Starting Thursday against Buffalo at the Great Western Forum, the Kings will play nine consecutive games in the state. . . . Since Oct. 21, the Kings are 2-5-1 when they have played in front of 12,000 or more at the Forum. They are 5-0 when the crowd has been smaller than 12,000.

SCHEDULE

JAN.: 8--Buffalo, 7:30 p.m; 10--Edmonton, 7:30 p.m; 12--Mighty Ducks, 7:30 p.m; 14--at San Jose, 7:30 p.m; 20--Calgary, 7:30 p.m; 22--Florida, 7:30 p.m; 24--at Mighty Ducks, noon; 29--Calgary, 7:30 p.m; 31--Chicago, noon.

FEB.: 2--at Edmonton, 6 p.m; 3--at Calgary, 6 p.m; 5--N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m; 7--at Mighty Ducks, noon; 25--at Detroit, 4:30 p.m; 26--at Chicago, 5:30 p.m; 28--St. Louis, noon.