Kings in the spotlight after beating Penguins
They've arrived.
Aside from beating the defending Stanley Cup champions Thursday, the Kings' 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins served as the appropriate backdrop to what has become the Kings' best start since the 1992-93 season.
They are 10-4-2 and are second in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference but their 22 points in the standings makes them the fourth most winning team in the NHL while Anze Kopitar leads the league in points with 26.
This early season success has thrust the Kings into the national spotlight. Even ESPN's "SportsCenter" featured the Kings' victory over the Penguins, including Kopitar's two goals in the game.
Coach Terry Murray says he welcomes the exposure, but it won't change the Kings' mindset.
"Attention comes with teams that are doing the right stuff and winning games," he said following Kings' practice Friday in El Segundo. "That's part of the process. We just have to focus on what we're doing, go out and play, come to practice every day, bring your work boots and hard hat and get back to work again."
Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for more coverage from today's practice.
-- Mark Medina
The spotlight is well deserved not to mention overdue.
Posted by: Diane Meadows | November 06, 2009 at 02:04 PM
About time! Murray is a great coach, the organization has done a fantastic job the last 3 years getting this team ready and letting them grow together and we finally, finally have a hockey team we can follow with pride. keep it up Kings!
Posted by: D | November 06, 2009 at 02:52 PM