Murray says Kings accept Stoll suspension but think San Jose's Demers should have been punished too

Didn’t take long for the first-round playoff series between the Kings and Sharks to become nasty, did it?

Thursday's on-ice hostilities continued off the ice Friday, after Kings center Jarret Stoll was suspended one game for delivering what the NHL ruled was a check from behind on San Jose’s Ian White in the first period of the Sharks’ 3-2 series-opening overtime victory.

Kings Coach Terry Murray said the team would “accept the decision made by the league and get through the next game,” but then condemned the league for not punishing Sharks defenseman Jason Demers for a nasty, third-period hit on Ryan Smyth that should have been a minor charging penalty at least because Demers launched himself into the air to take Smyth down.

Neither play drew a penalty from referees Greg Kimmerly and Brad Watson. White suffered a cut above his lip and was wobbling as he left the ice and did not return to the game. Nor did he practice Friday. Sharks Coach Todd McLellan, asked about White’s prospects of playing Saturday in Game 2 at HP Pavilion was doubtful. “At this present time I’d say no,” he said after his team’s practice.

Murray, usually stoic in public, became loud and emotional in discussing the Demers hit.

“I want to say this: If Jarret Stoll gets suspended for that hit, Demers is five times more severe a hit on Ryan Smyth than what Jarret Stoll’s hit is on White,” Murray said after the Kings practiced at the Sharks’ practice facility.

“He meets every criteria that you can read about from league memorandums, every coach, every player, every management [figure] every owner knows about it. If you travel distance and you launch yourself two to three feet off the ice and throw an elbow at a person’s head, that is a suspension. Big-time suspension.

“I was behind the bench when Philadelphia played in Ottawa and Steve Downie got suspended for 25 games. There is no difference in the intent of that hit.”

Murray was referring to a 20-game suspension imposed against Downie in 2007 for a hit to the head of Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond in a preseason game.

Kings call up John Zeiler as Jarret Stoll serves one-game suspension

The Kings called up John Zeiler, not Brayden Schenn, to bolster their strength at center while Jarret Stoll serves his one-game suspension for his hit on San Jose’s Ian White.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi declined comment on the Stoll suspension but Coach Terry Murray is expected to comment on his lineup after Friday’s practice. They’re still on the ice.

Stoll said: "Obviously I'm disappointed with the decision but I respect it."

The lines in practice Friday were Dustin Penner-Michal Handzus-Dustin Brown; Ryan Smyth-Trevor Lewis-Justin Williams; Kyle Clifford-Brad Richardson-Wayne Simmonds; Alexei Ponikarovsky-Oscar Moller-Kevin Westgarth.

However, Zeiler will play between Ponikarovsky and Westgarth on the fourth line, and Moller will sit again because of the physicality of this series and his size. Moller is listed at 5-foot-10 and 189 pounds but is probably smaller.

Zeiler, listed at 5-feet-11 and 204 pounds, was scoreless in four games with the Kings this season in November and December. With Manchester of the American Hockey league, he had nine goals, 28 points and 86 penalty minutes in 69 games. Murray is expected to comment on his lineup after Friday’s practice.

RELATED:

Jarret Stoll suspended for Game 2 against San Jose

Kings' Doughty, Sharks' Couture put friendship on hold for now

Kings' determination outdone by Sharks' depth in 3-2 overtime loss

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: John Zeiler during a game against the Ducks earlier this season. Credit: Debora Robinson / NHLI via Getty Images

Looking at Kings' decision to send Brayden Schenn to the minor leagues

Greetings from San Jose, where there seems to be a pretty good buzz about the playoff opener between the Sharks and Kings at HP Pavilion. The morning skates for both teams drew decent media crowds, including cameras and reporters from Canada’s TSN TV network, which is televising the series.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi didn’t respond to my requests to explain why he assigned prized prospect Brayden Schenn to Manchester of the American Hockey League instead of bringing Schenn here to join the big club, but Lombardi’s comments to me in a phone conversation two days ago shed some light on the club's reasoning.

Lombardi said Tuesday, before Schenn’s junior team was eliminated from the Western Hockey League playoffs, that he was hesitant to throw Schenn into the pressure cooker of the playoffs and put the young center in the position of “replacing” injured center Anze Kopitar.

“The other thing, too, is that he can help us in terms of making plays. But the perception that he’s somehow going to fill in for Kopitar is way off,” Lombardi said Tuesday. “He could improve the team in an area like [Andrei] Loktionov, in terms of playmaking and puck possession. But the perception that he’s going to go in there and suddenly Kopitar’s hole is going to be filled, that’s totally unrealistic.

“The other thing in the back of my mind is, is this really the stage to put the kid on?”

Kings assign Brayden Schenn to Manchester

The Kings have sent top prospect Brayden Schenn to the Manchester Monarchs, L.A.'s affiliate in the American Hockey League, instead of bringing him up for the NHL playoffs. 

General Manager Dean Lombardi had said a few days ago that he was undecided about whether to recall the 19-year-old center once his team was eliminated from the Western Hockey League playoffs. Now that the Saskatoon Blades season is over, Schenn is off to Manchester, N.H.

In 27 WHL regular-season games, he had 21 goals and 53 points and was a plus-18 in the plus/minus category.

As The Times' Helene Elliott reported a few days ago, Lombardi had been leaning against bringing Schenn up as the Kings take on the San Jose Sharks because the Stanley Cup playoffs would be simply too much pressure.

"With your top player, and he was told this when he left, I think part of their development, particularly when they go back to a league where they should be a dominant player, is to go deep and win," Lombardi told her. "If you’re that good, as he is and as he should be, you might as well learn to take winning on your shoulders now."

Elliott will have more later.

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Terry Murray on who he'd like to see step up

Kings' Justin Williams: 'I'm a go' for playoff opener

-- Debbie Goffa

Photo: Brayden Schenn, seen here when he was with the Kings in October to start the season. He was later sent down to rejoin his juniors team. Credit: Harry How / Getty Images

Puck notes: Playoffs; Dean Lombardi on Brayden Schenn; Devils win draft lottery

A key matchup in the Kings’ first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks could be the Sharks’ power play, which ranked second in the NHL with a 23.5% success rate, against the Kings’ penalty killing, which ranked fourth with an 85.5% efficiency rate.

“I think that’s an easy one to point out,” Sharks Coach Todd McLellan said the other day during a conference call with reporters.

“Their penalty kill has been exceptional all year. They’ve got some units that do a tremendous job and their goaltender might be their best penalty killer. We do rely on our power play. I expect it to be sharp but I do believe this series will likely be won five-on-five. Those two special teams may offset each other and you’re going to have to perform five-on-five and find a way to prevent a score.”

Kings Coach Terry Murray agreed that it’s wise not to rely too much on the power play in the playoffs because the calls might not be plentiful.

“Some teams look for that and wait for that and it can come back and haunt you,” he said Tuesday after the Kings practiced in El Segundo.

“I think there will be a lot of five-on-five play. I don’t think we’re going to get into too many special teams, in my opinion. I just base it on the way the season finished off the last month—they let the teams decide the outcome.”

The Kings had only 23 power plays in their last seven games and had no power plays or disadvantages against Dallas on April 2.

Kings not yet adding to trade flurry

Although many NHL general managers have gotten a jump on the Feb. 28 trade deadline by swinging deals both large and small in the last few days, the Kings have not jumped into the action.

General Manager Dean Lombardi said he’s not sure why there has been so much activity so early but did not indicate he’s about to contribute to the trend by making an impact move. He remains interested in acquiring a scoring center and/or left wing and has looked at Edmonton’s Ales Hemsky and Florida’s David Booth. If the Dallas Stars’ slump and ownership uncertainty continue they might have to trade Brad Richards, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season but would command a high price as a rental player for the last six weeks of the season and the playoffs.

One factor holding Lombardi back from any deal is that many of the general managers he talks to ask for prospect Brayden Schenn to be included in any potential trade and Lombardi isn’t willing to do that. Apparently he has not been able to get far with any other combinations of players.

“What’s the definition of progress? I don’t know,” said Lombardi, who rejoined the Kings before Saturday’s game against the new York Islanders after spending several days in Manchester, N.H., and Springfield, Mass., watching his top farm team, the Manchester Monarchs.

“I don’t think I’m close to anything. Everyone’s talking. We’re not rude. We return calls.”

Kings prospect Brayden Schenn traded to new junior team

As expected, Kings prospect Brayden Schenn was traded Monday by his junior team, Brandon of the Western Hockey League, to Saskatoon of the WHL.

The deal was complicated but anticipated because Brandon is having a bad season and must rebuild, and because the Kings want Schenn — the fifth overall pick in the 2009 entry draft — to play with a strong team on the theory that it would help his maturation and development.

The 19-year-old center started the season with the Kings but appeared in only eight games and lost his place in the lineup when Coach Terry Murray questioned his defensive play. He was sent to the American Hockey League for a conditioning stint before being returned to Brandon.

He’s still recovering from the separated shoulder he sustained during the world junior championships, where he led all scorers with 18 points in seven games and was named the tournament’s top forward and most valuable player.

The trade does not affect Schenn’s status with the Kings -- he’s still their property. However, he can’t rejoin them this season until his junior team’s season ends, and Saskatoon could go far in the playoffs.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Brayden Schenn. Credit: Matt Kartozian / US Presswire

Kings' Brayden Schenn finished world juniors with injured shoulder

Kings prospect Brayden Schenn, voted the most valuable player of the world junior championship despite Canada’s loss to Russia in the gold medal game, finished the tournament with a separated shoulder and won’t be able to play for 10 to 14 days, General Manager Dean Lombardi said Thursday.

Lombardi said Schenn, who played eight games for the Kings before being returned to Brandon of the Western Hockey League, was injured during Canada’s game against Switzerland and received injections in the shoulder in order to stay in the lineup. Schenn tied a Canadian record by scoring 18 points in seven games.

When Schenn heals and returns to the ice he’s likely to be wearing the uniform of a different junior team. Brandon, which is struggling this season, is expected to trade him before next Monday’s trade deadline. His likely destination is Saskatoon, which is leading the East Division of the Eastern Conference. A trade would not affect the Kings’ ownership of his rights and playing for a good team would likely benefit Schenn’s development, especially on the defensive side of the game.

"My experience with these kids is if they don't go to good teams they get into bad habits," Lombardi said.

Lombardi, speaking by phone from a scouting trip back East, said he had hoped to watch prospect Andrei Loktionov play for Manchester (N.H.) of the American Hockey League but Loktionov has returned to Russia following the death of his father and is expected to be gone for two weeks.

--Helene Elliott

Photo: Team Canada's Brayden Schenn (10) celebrates a goal against Russia in the world junior championship final. Credit: Frank Gunn / Associated Press

Kings after deadline: Blackhawks 4, Kings 3

 

Notes, quotes and stats from the Kings' 4-3 loss to Chicago at Staples Center. Thanks, as always, to PR whiz Jeremy Zager and his staff. His Grandma Schwartz is right to be proud of him.

 Kings Coach Terry Murray

On the game: "I felt the start of the game was excellent.  Everything we wanted to do with the intensity, knowing they were a team that played [Sunday] and had a lot of offensive zone time.” 

 “Second period we were fine for the first four or five minutes and then the intensity changed, the tempo changed and we got ourselves in trouble.  We stopped managing the puck the right way.  We forgot about the details of the game.  We were not bumping people away.  We were in the first period and they got their legs.  They started to skate and came at us.”

On the Blackhawks' fourth goal: “That’s bad luck. That comes off the boards or off the glass, almost went off [Jonathan] Quick’s head I think when it came over the top of the crossbar.  That’s bad luck,  but I guess when you’re the Stanley Cup champion you probably get breaks, you probably get lucky bounces like that.  I really felt that we shouldn’t have put ourselves in that situation.”

Kings center Jarret Stoll

On the game: “I think we started off all right.  Through the first period we were pretty solid in our game plan, getting pucks deep, getting on their D, getting chances and scoring opportunities…. In the second they got their legs and started playing their game a little bit.  Just a lucky bounce for the winning goal but we have to play a lot better down the stretch.”

“We played them well.  The two games in their building we played very well, and lost.  0-4 against them is not a stat we’re proud of, but we have to work on our game and get it to where it needs to be for the final half of the season to get into the playoffs and go deep.  We have to figure that out.”

Kings winger Brad Richardson:

On the game: “That’s been our problem the last four games.  We play one or two periods very well, and we play one period not so great, and that’s where we lose the game.”

On playing on the first line: “It was just for the third but it didn’t work so great obviously since we didn’t win.  Once in a while I get moved around and I try to get the most of it, but it just didn’t work out tonight.”

On the schedule: “Everyone has back-to-back games, everyone has a tough schedule.  That’s the NHL, that’s what you have to deal with, but we’re not using that as an excuse at all.”

On being 0-4 against Chicago this season: “They’re a good team, but we think in a couple of the other games we outplayed them, but they won.  Tonight we liked one and a half periods, we played pretty well but that’s not going to cut it.” 

Chicago Coach Joel Quenneville

On the game: "[Jonathan] Toews had a gigantic effort tonight. [Patrick] Sharp had some huge goals for us. [Corey] Crawford made a huge save early in the game and at the end. He was crucial in us coming up with two points.”

“Necessary win, huge win for us. Now it’s forward onto the next half of the season."

"It was a little chaotic during the third. We’ve got to have more composure, that’s one thing we need to take from this game.”

“The importance of today’s game for us was huge. Our concern wasn’t the past few games. We did some good things. Out power play is what got us into the game tonight and was a large part of it as well.”

Chicago center Jonathan Toews

On the game: "We’ll take a win anyway we can. We did some good things. Another slow start, we came out in a pretty good spot in the first period. Power play kept us in the game and Crawford was good.”

“We’ll take two points where we can. I think it's games like this where you come out on top, you still got to look at the mistakes you made and try to get better at those things.”

“Tonight was a good game to get out of our three-game rut. We got a busy week at home and hopefully we can take advantage of it.”

“Kings are a talented team and they’re a smart, well-coached team too. I think we played smart for the most part but there were some mistakes and giveaways where we gave them some unearned scoring chances. We’ve got to be smarter and I think we’ll be more comfortable going into third periods.”

Chicago forward Patrick Sharp

On the game: “Jonathan [Toews] is our captain, he’s our leader out there. He does a lot of things that aren’t noticed on the score sheet. It’s nice to have him back in the lineup and it’s nice to be healthy as a unit.”

“I’m happier that we broke this losing streak, we won a game, and we’re healthy in here and ready to start over again.”

 “We’re finding ways to play the game. It was a pretty ugly 40 minutes and our power play kept us in it. We got better down the stretch. There were a lot of individual battles. Our competition level felt higher tonight. A win is a win and we’ll take it.”

“We got a good unit, pucks are going in. Who knows what’s going to happen in the next 41, but so far, so good.”

Kings notes:

  -- Ryan Smyth (two goals) has five goals in the last four games.

  -- Jack Johnson (two assists) has nine points in his last eight games (2-7=9) and 13 points in the last 14 games (3-10=13). 

  -- Anze Kopitar has eight points in his last six games (1-7=8) and 21 points in the last 16 games (7-14=21).

 -- The Kings have scored 42 goals in the last 12 games, an average of 3.5 per game.

 -- The Kings have a power-play goal in 11 of the last 14 games (11 for 41 in the last 12 games = 26.8%).

 -- Kopitar now has 199 career NHL assists.

 -- Justin Williams played in his 100th game as a King tonight.

 -- Team Canada advanced to the World Junior Championships gold medal game, beating Team USA, 4-1, in Monday's semifinal.  Kings prospect Brayden Schenn (Canada) didn’t record a point.  Kings prospect Derek Forbort (USA) didn’t record a point.  Canada will play Russia in the gold-medal game Wednesday.  Kings prospect Maxim Kitsyn had an assist in Russia’s 4-3 win over Sweden in the other semifinal matchup.  Team USA will play Sweden for the bronze medal Wednesday.

The Kings will be off Tuesday and will practice Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Toyota Sports Center.

-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Kings' center Jarret Stoll covers the goal during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 3. Credit: Kelvin Kuo / U.S. Presswire.

Look for World Junior Championship on NHL Network

Come this weekend, the NHL Network will be right where it should be: in Buffalo for the IIHF World Junior Championship, which begins Sunday and runs through to the gold-medal game on Jan. 5.

The event, held last year in Saskatoon, Canada, is back on U.S. soil for the first time in six years as Team USA attempts to defend its title.

Last year, the Americans defeated Canada, 6-5, in overtime to win the gold medal. If they can do that again, it not only would be a first for them to achieve successive titles but also a first to capture a championship on home soil.

The network will provide exclusive live coverage of the U.S. National Junior Team and will televise all medal-round games and five preliminary-round match-ups.

The tournament is a showcase for the game's best up-and-coming young players from around the world. Among the players to watch: Kings prospect Brayden Schenn, 19, was named an alternate captain for Canada, one of four returning players from last year’s silver-medal winning squad.  Team Canada’s first game will be Dec. 26 vs. Russia.

For the Ducks, forwards Kyle Palmieri, 19, and Long Beach's Emerson Etem, 18, are on the Team USA roster. Palmieri had a goal and eight assists in seven games last year.

Here is the NHL Network broadcast schedule. All times are Pacific.

Sunday, Dec. 26

Russia vs. Canada, 1 p.m.
Finland vs. USA, 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Canada vs. Czech Republic , 1 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia, 5 p.m.

Wednesday Dec. 29

Norway vs. Canada, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30    

Sweden vs. Czech Republic,  Noon
Germany vs. USA, 4 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 31

Canada vs. Sweden, 1 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland, 5 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 2

Quarterfinal #1        12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2*        4:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 3

Semifinal #1        12:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2*        4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 5

Bronze-Medal Game, 3:30 p.m. 

Gold-Medal Game, 7:30 p.m.

*If qualified, USA will play at this time slot.

--Debbie Goffa

Brad Richardson to rejoin Kings' lineup, John Zeiler headed back to American Hockey League

Greetings from Chicago, where it’s cold but clear.

Neither the Blackhawks nor the Kings had a morning skate Sunday. The Kings had meetings at their downtown hotel and afterward coach Terry Murray said forward Brad Richardson will play against the Blackhawks and that John Zeiler will be returned to Manchester of the American Hockey League.

Richardson, who suffered an upper-body injury Dec. 9, must be activated off injured reserve before he can play. He had been skating on his own in El Segundo and arrived in Chicago on Saturday night.

Murray also said he’s not sure of his line combinations for Sunday’s game but might make Oscar Moller a healthy scratch. Odd, because Moller played pretty well the past two games, with a goal at St. Louis and two assists at Nashville. But maybe Murray’s looking for a physical game and figures Moller can’t handle it….or thinks Moller’s defensive game isn’t good enough.

Left wing Marco Sturm won’t play, and although Murray had said he hoped Sturm would play Tuesday at Colorado in the finale of this trip, that’s now not certain.

Jonathan Quick will start in goal, as scheduled.

Also, prospect Brayden Schenn was appointed an alternate captain for Team Canada at the upcoming world junior championships.

We’ll have more later at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott in Chicago