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Scribe's Report Box Score Game Index January 7, 2002

LAPERRIERE HELPS LA STEAL ONE IN NEW JERSEY KINGS SLIP PAST DEVILS, 3-2 EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- Ian Laperriere scored two goals, and Eric Belanger assisted on both, to lead the Los Angeles Kings to 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils in front of 13,638 fans at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Monday night. Laperriere's second goal of the game came with just 2:05 left in the game, and gave the Kings the win. Laperriere started the play with a good pass to a wide-open Belanger in the slot. Belanger got off a good wrist shot that Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur stopped with his glove. But he dropped the rebound outside the right goal post, and Laperriere was right there to put it in. "Eric just went to the net and I gave him the puck," Laperriere explained. "I stayed around the net just to see what was going to happen. The rebound just came to me and I had an open net. Despite scoring two big goals, Laperriere knows that he will never be a prolific goal scorer. "Trust me, I want to score every game," Laperriere said. "I'm not a goal scorer, but I want to score every game. I don't have the chances to score every game--I do other stuff out there--but tonight I didn't have time to think. Maybe it's when I think that I struggle. I didn't have time to think there. I saw the open net and put it in." "It could have gone the other way," Laperriere added. "In the first thirty-two games of the year, they were all going the other way. I was lucky enough that it came right back on my tape." "Eric is the star of our line," Laperriere said. "He is going to be a very big player in this league someday. Mikko [Eloranta] and I just do what we can, work hard, create scoring. You never know. One of them might go in." Kings' forward Kelly Buchberger, who played in his 1,000th game on Monday, had nothing but praise for Laperriere. "It's the best feeling in the world when it's you who wins the game," said Buchberger. "I feel so good for [Laperriere]. The guy works so hard. It's great when it works out this way." It worked out great for the Kings, because Laperriere and Belanger, along with solid goaltending from Felix Potvin and a goal from Adam Deadmarsh, stole a win from the Devils. After an evenly-played first period, the Devils dominated the second period, and then built-up even more momentum at the 17:19 mark of the second period, when they killed off a two-minute, two-man disadvantage. The Devils continued to pour on the pressure in the third period, and finally tied the game, 2-2, when Devils' left wing Jay Pandolfo blasted the puck past Potvin from the left circle at 8:47. The game appeared to be headed for a Devils' win, or towards overtime, but then Laperriere took advantage of the Devils' only glaring defensive breakdown of the third period, and scored the game-winner. The Kings played poorly up front, rarely able to establish a forecheck, and doing almost nothing on five power play chances. "There were a lot of areas that I was not happy with," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "The first line needs to be better. Our power play struggled. But when you get four points to start a trip like this, you have to be happy." Another reason to be happy is that the Kings are now one game over the .500 mark for the first time this season, and are just three points out of a playoff spot. The Kings have done this with a 9-2-3-0 run over their last fourteen games, 6-1-2 in their last nine road games, and have now won their last three games. "We seem to be a team that doesn't quit," Kings' right wing Steve Heinze said. "We get behind the eight-ball, we work even harder. You know, all those cliches. Hopefully, we don't have to get the gun to our head before we start playing well and now we'll just be consistent all the time." But the Kings know that they still have a long way to go. "We're playing very well but we're not out of the hole yet," Potvin said. " We're still not in playoff position." As for the Devils, they have been surprisingly inconsistent this season. "We're very inconsistent," Devils' [and former Kings'] head coast Larry Robinson said. "We don't have enough guys going to be consistent, and the only way we're going to be consistent is to have eighteen guys going." "We don't play with the same confidence, and right now, we don't scare people," Robinson added. "Our goal-scorers are going to have to come alive for us and start scoring goals for us. I don't think we're playing as well as we can. We're a much better team than we've shown." And in this game, the Devils thought they handed the win to the Kings. "Every goal they got, we gave them," Robinson lamented. "We won a face-off and then we watched as Laperriere walked in and took a shot. On the winning goal, everybody had a man but someone let their guy go and the guy that we let go was the guy that got in and got the rebound." "I thought we had it or at least a point for the tie," Pandolfo said. "But we're making mental mistakes--all of us. Everything is tough for us." "We threw away a point," said Brodeur. "I thought we played very well and we deserved better. We kept grinding it out and got a big goal in the third period. This was a tough one. We can't be at all happy about our situation. We are too good a team to be where we're at." With all the talent the Devils have, one certainly would not know that they are supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender. They are considered to be one of the elite teams in the league, yet they have a less-than-impressive 18-15-5-2 record, good for 43 points and eighth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. "We're at the halfway point and our identity is not set," Devils' forward Scott Gomez said. "What we are going to do is come back tomorrow and let this go. There are a lot of games left, but this has to stop." "It's up and down, up and down, and nothing is getting down," Devils' center Bobby Holik said. "We can't continue this way for the rest of the year. We need to do something about it. What can we do? I don't have the answer. Maybe someone else does." "It's a lack of determination on our part," Holik added. "How many times can this happen? It's unacceptable." Scratches --------- New Jersey: Pierre Dagenais (healthy), Patrik Elias (finger), Colin White (neck) Los Angeles: Kip Brennan (healthy), Jere Karalahti (healthy), Adam Mair (suspended) Goalies ------- New Jersey: Martin Brodeur Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Referees: Stephane Auger, Mike Hasenfratz Linesmen: Gord Broseker, Anthony Sericolo First Period ------------ Both teams came out playing pretty well, but the Devils got on the board first... 1. NEW JERSEY. John Madden 6 (Andrei Zyuzin, Pandolfo), 7:22 The puck was pushed into the left corner by Kings' defenseman Philippe Boucher, and the puck went all the way around the boards, back to Zyuzin at left point. He fired a low snap shot towards the net, and Madden got his stick on it at the left inner hashmark, deflecting it over Potvin's left shoulder, and into the top right corner of the net. The Kings did not blow their defensive coverage on this play. Madden just made a good play. After the teams exchanged scoring chances for awhile, the Kings finally got one past Brodeur... 2. LOS ANGELES. Deadmarsh 15 (Bryan Smolinski), 14:08 Deadmarsh dumped the puck into the right corner of the Devils' zone, and New Jersey defenseman Brian Rafalski got the puck on his backhand, and tried to clear the puck off the right wing boards. Smolinski was there, and kept the puck in the zone. He moved to the right outer hashmark, and then passed to Deadmarsh, who was halfway between the right face-off dot and the right inner hashmark. He ripped a quick, one-time wrist shot that beat Brodeur through the seven-hole (under his stick [right] arm). Smolinski made a nice play in knocking down Rafalski's clearing attempt, and Deadmarsh got off a good, quick shot. And Rafalski's clearing attempt was very weak, a poor decision. Second Period ------------- The Devils owned the second period, territorially, and in scoring chances, but not on the scoreboard... 3. LOS ANGELES. Laperriere 3 (Belanger), 7:06 Belanger won a face-off in the right circle of the New Jersey zone. The puck went about a foot below the face-off dot, and Laperriere jumped on it as New Jersey left winger Andreas Salomonsson skated right past him. Laperriere got off a quick wrist shot that beat a surprised Brodeur low, just inside the right goal post. "I wanted to get the puck back to Jaroslav Modry," Belanger said. "The puck just laid there and Ian had a good jump on it. It was a great shot and a huge goal for us." Murray explained that the goal came on a set play that the Kings call a "double block." Third Period ------------ The Devils continued their dominance on the ice, and managed to tie the game... 4. NEW JERSEY. Pandolfo 2 (Scott Niedermayer, Madden), 8:47 Pandolfo got the loose puck along the left wing boards in the Kings' zone, and backhanded it to Devils' defenseman Scott Stevens, who quickly passed ahead to Madden, who was flying up left wing. He passed across to Niedermayer on right wing, and he carried the puck to a point just above the right circle in the Kings' zone. He then moved to the top of the slot, and passed to Pandolfo, who was flying into the zone on left wing. He got the puck at the top of the left circle, and fired a blast from above the left face-off dot, beating Potvin top shelf, just over his right shoulder. Pandolfo got off a great shot...Potvin had little chance with the speed the Devils had entering the zone. Buchberger made a poor decision on his backchecking coverage on this play. He went to the puck-carrier, even though he was covered, rather than cover the wide open left side of the ice. That gave Pandolfo a ton of room. But late in the period, the Devils' made their only glaring defensive mistake of the period, and the Kings capitalized. 5. LOS ANGELES. Laperriere 4 (Belanger), 17:55 After a good forechecking shift, Belanger got the puck along the right wing boards, and took it into the right circle. He was checked off the puck by two New Jersey players, but the puck went back to Laperriere in the right circle. He turned towards the right wing boards, drawing the two defenders who were checking Belanger. Laperriere now had three New Jersey defenders focused in on him, and that left Belanger all alone. From the right circle, Laperriere passed to Belanger at the right inner hashmark. He took a stride towards the net, and then fired a hard wrist shot, trying to beat Brodeur high. Brodeur got his glove on it to make the save, but the rebound dropped just outside the right goal post. Laperriere picked up the loose puck, moved it to his backhand, and lifted it into the net. "I knew I made the save, but I didn't know where it fell," Brodeur said. "I thought I saw it and I went to grab it." The Devils got caught running around in their own zone--they were too focused on the puck, and that cost them. The Devils pulled Brodeur for the extra attacker near the 19:05 mark, but never threatened. Shots on Goal ------------- New Jersey: 9 10 8 -- 27 Los Angeles: 8 6 7 -- 21 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- New Jersey: 0/4; Los Angeles: 0/5 Zone Time --------- New Jersey: 7:58 6:25 7:17 -- 21:40 Los Angeles: 7:23 9:20 8:31 -- 25:14 Neutral: 4:39 4:15 4:12 -- 13:06 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Deadmarsh; #2 - Pandolfo; #1 - Laperriere Gann's Three Stars ------------------ #3 - Pandolfo; #2 - Belanger; #1 - Laperriere Buchberger took a shot off his foot, which was swollen after the game. He will be examined on Tuesday. The Kings have killed off their last twenty-three penalties, and have allowed just three power play goals in their last 74 times shorthanded, good for a 95.9% rating. "Our special teams have been right up there among the best in the league all season," Kings right wing Kelly Buchberger said. "The way the league has been the last few years, you need to play very well on the special teams in order to have a chance in the playoffs. Next Games: On Wednesday, the Kings skate into Madison Square Garden to face Eric Lindros, Theoren Fleury and the New York Rangers. Game time: 5:00 PM PST. Televised nationally on ESPN. I will be unable to write a report on this game, but if Tom Jeffrey has time, he will write one. If he does not, then we're all out of luck. On Thursday, the Kings head over to the FleetCenter to skate against Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel, and the Boston Bruins. Game time: 4:00 PM PST. Televised in the Los Angeles area on Fox Sports Net West.

(C) Copyright 2001-02 by Gann Matsuda. All rights reserved. This report may not be duplicated, copied, printed or distributed in any way without permission.

Scribe's Report Box Score Game Index	January 7, 2002

LAPERRIERE HELPS LA STEAL ONE IN NEW JERSEY KINGS SLIP PAST DEVILS, 3-2 EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- Ian Laperriere scored two goals, and Eric Belanger assisted on both, to lead the Los Angeles Kings to 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils in front of 13,638 fans at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Monday night. Laperriere's second goal of the game came with just 2:05 left in the game, and gave the Kings the win. Laperriere started the play with a good pass to a wide-open Belanger in the slot. Belanger got off a good wrist shot that Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur stopped with his glove. But he dropped the rebound outside the right goal post, and Laperriere was right there to put it in. "Eric just went to the net and I gave him the puck," Laperriere explained. "I stayed around the net just to see what was going to happen. The rebound just came to me and I had an open net. Despite scoring two big goals, Laperriere knows that he will never be a prolific goal scorer. "Trust me, I want to score every game," Laperriere said. "I'm not a goal scorer, but I want to score every game. I don't have the chances to score every game--I do other stuff out there--but tonight I didn't have time to think. Maybe it's when I think that I struggle. I didn't have time to think there. I saw the open net and put it in." "It could have gone the other way," Laperriere added. "In the first thirty-two games of the year, they were all going the other way. I was lucky enough that it came right back on my tape." "Eric is the star of our line," Laperriere said. "He is going to be a very big player in this league someday. Mikko [Eloranta] and I just do what we can, work hard, create scoring. You never know. One of them might go in." Kings' forward Kelly Buchberger, who played in his 1,000th game on Monday, had nothing but praise for Laperriere. "It's the best feeling in the world when it's you who wins the game," said Buchberger. "I feel so good for [Laperriere]. The guy works so hard. It's great when it works out this way." It worked out great for the Kings, because Laperriere and Belanger, along with solid goaltending from Felix Potvin and a goal from Adam Deadmarsh, stole a win from the Devils. After an evenly-played first period, the Devils dominated the second period, and then built-up even more momentum at the 17:19 mark of the second period, when they killed off a two-minute, two-man disadvantage. The Devils continued to pour on the pressure in the third period, and finally tied the game, 2-2, when Devils' left wing Jay Pandolfo blasted the puck past Potvin from the left circle at 8:47. The game appeared to be headed for a Devils' win, or towards overtime, but then Laperriere took advantage of the Devils' only glaring defensive breakdown of the third period, and scored the game-winner. The Kings played poorly up front, rarely able to establish a forecheck, and doing almost nothing on five power play chances. "There were a lot of areas that I was not happy with," Kings' head coach Andy Murray said. "The first line needs to be better. Our power play struggled. But when you get four points to start a trip like this, you have to be happy." Another reason to be happy is that the Kings are now one game over the .500 mark for the first time this season, and are just three points out of a playoff spot. The Kings have done this with a 9-2-3-0 run over their last fourteen games, 6-1-2 in their last nine road games, and have now won their last three games. "We seem to be a team that doesn't quit," Kings' right wing Steve Heinze said. "We get behind the eight-ball, we work even harder. You know, all those cliches. Hopefully, we don't have to get the gun to our head before we start playing well and now we'll just be consistent all the time." But the Kings know that they still have a long way to go. "We're playing very well but we're not out of the hole yet," Potvin said. " We're still not in playoff position." As for the Devils, they have been surprisingly inconsistent this season. "We're very inconsistent," Devils' [and former Kings'] head coast Larry Robinson said. "We don't have enough guys going to be consistent, and the only way we're going to be consistent is to have eighteen guys going." "We don't play with the same confidence, and right now, we don't scare people," Robinson added. "Our goal-scorers are going to have to come alive for us and start scoring goals for us. I don't think we're playing as well as we can. We're a much better team than we've shown." And in this game, the Devils thought they handed the win to the Kings. "Every goal they got, we gave them," Robinson lamented. "We won a face-off and then we watched as Laperriere walked in and took a shot. On the winning goal, everybody had a man but someone let their guy go and the guy that we let go was the guy that got in and got the rebound." "I thought we had it or at least a point for the tie," Pandolfo said. "But we're making mental mistakes--all of us. Everything is tough for us." "We threw away a point," said Brodeur. "I thought we played very well and we deserved better. We kept grinding it out and got a big goal in the third period. This was a tough one. We can't be at all happy about our situation. We are too good a team to be where we're at." With all the talent the Devils have, one certainly would not know that they are supposed to be a Stanley Cup contender. They are considered to be one of the elite teams in the league, yet they have a less-than-impressive 18-15-5-2 record, good for 43 points and eighth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. "We're at the halfway point and our identity is not set," Devils' forward Scott Gomez said. "What we are going to do is come back tomorrow and let this go. There are a lot of games left, but this has to stop." "It's up and down, up and down, and nothing is getting down," Devils' center Bobby Holik said. "We can't continue this way for the rest of the year. We need to do something about it. What can we do? I don't have the answer. Maybe someone else does." "It's a lack of determination on our part," Holik added. "How many times can this happen? It's unacceptable." Scratches --------- New Jersey: Pierre Dagenais (healthy), Patrik Elias (finger), Colin White (neck) Los Angeles: Kip Brennan (healthy), Jere Karalahti (healthy), Adam Mair (suspended) Goalies ------- New Jersey: Martin Brodeur Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Referees: Stephane Auger, Mike Hasenfratz Linesmen: Gord Broseker, Anthony Sericolo First Period ------------ Both teams came out playing pretty well, but the Devils got on the board first... 1. NEW JERSEY. John Madden 6 (Andrei Zyuzin, Pandolfo), 7:22 The puck was pushed into the left corner by Kings' defenseman Philippe Boucher, and the puck went all the way around the boards, back to Zyuzin at left point. He fired a low snap shot towards the net, and Madden got his stick on it at the left inner hashmark, deflecting it over Potvin's left shoulder, and into the top right corner of the net. The Kings did not blow their defensive coverage on this play. Madden just made a good play. After the teams exchanged scoring chances for awhile, the Kings finally got one past Brodeur... 2. LOS ANGELES. Deadmarsh 15 (Bryan Smolinski), 14:08 Deadmarsh dumped the puck into the right corner of the Devils' zone, and New Jersey defenseman Brian Rafalski got the puck on his backhand, and tried to clear the puck off the right wing boards. Smolinski was there, and kept the puck in the zone. He moved to the right outer hashmark, and then passed to Deadmarsh, who was halfway between the right face-off dot and the right inner hashmark. He ripped a quick, one-time wrist shot that beat Brodeur through the seven-hole (under his stick [right] arm). Smolinski made a nice play in knocking down Rafalski's clearing attempt, and Deadmarsh got off a good, quick shot. And Rafalski's clearing attempt was very weak, a poor decision. Second Period ------------- The Devils owned the second period, territorially, and in scoring chances, but not on the scoreboard... 3. LOS ANGELES. Laperriere 3 (Belanger), 7:06 Belanger won a face-off in the right circle of the New Jersey zone. The puck went about a foot below the face-off dot, and Laperriere jumped on it as New Jersey left winger Andreas Salomonsson skated right past him. Laperriere got off a quick wrist shot that beat a surprised Brodeur low, just inside the right goal post. "I wanted to get the puck back to Jaroslav Modry," Belanger said. "The puck just laid there and Ian had a good jump on it. It was a great shot and a huge goal for us." Murray explained that the goal came on a set play that the Kings call a "double block." Third Period ------------ The Devils continued their dominance on the ice, and managed to tie the game... 4. NEW JERSEY. Pandolfo 2 (Scott Niedermayer, Madden), 8:47 Pandolfo got the loose puck along the left wing boards in the Kings' zone, and backhanded it to Devils' defenseman Scott Stevens, who quickly passed ahead to Madden, who was flying up left wing. He passed across to Niedermayer on right wing, and he carried the puck to a point just above the right circle in the Kings' zone. He then moved to the top of the slot, and passed to Pandolfo, who was flying into the zone on left wing. He got the puck at the top of the left circle, and fired a blast from above the left face-off dot, beating Potvin top shelf, just over his right shoulder. Pandolfo got off a great shot...Potvin had little chance with the speed the Devils had entering the zone. Buchberger made a poor decision on his backchecking coverage on this play. He went to the puck-carrier, even though he was covered, rather than cover the wide open left side of the ice. That gave Pandolfo a ton of room. But late in the period, the Devils' made their only glaring defensive mistake of the period, and the Kings capitalized. 5. LOS ANGELES. Laperriere 4 (Belanger), 17:55 After a good forechecking shift, Belanger got the puck along the right wing boards, and took it into the right circle. He was checked off the puck by two New Jersey players, but the puck went back to Laperriere in the right circle. He turned towards the right wing boards, drawing the two defenders who were checking Belanger. Laperriere now had three New Jersey defenders focused in on him, and that left Belanger all alone. From the right circle, Laperriere passed to Belanger at the right inner hashmark. He took a stride towards the net, and then fired a hard wrist shot, trying to beat Brodeur high. Brodeur got his glove on it to make the save, but the rebound dropped just outside the right goal post. Laperriere picked up the loose puck, moved it to his backhand, and lifted it into the net. "I knew I made the save, but I didn't know where it fell," Brodeur said. "I thought I saw it and I went to grab it." The Devils got caught running around in their own zone--they were too focused on the puck, and that cost them. The Devils pulled Brodeur for the extra attacker near the 19:05 mark, but never threatened. Shots on Goal ------------- New Jersey: 9 10 8 -- 27 Los Angeles: 8 6 7 -- 21 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- New Jersey: 0/4; Los Angeles: 0/5 Zone Time --------- New Jersey: 7:58 6:25 7:17 -- 21:40 Los Angeles: 7:23 9:20 8:31 -- 25:14 Neutral: 4:39 4:15 4:12 -- 13:06 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Deadmarsh; #2 - Pandolfo; #1 - Laperriere Gann's Three Stars ------------------ #3 - Pandolfo; #2 - Belanger; #1 - Laperriere Buchberger took a shot off his foot, which was swollen after the game. He will be examined on Tuesday. The Kings have killed off their last twenty-three penalties, and have allowed just three power play goals in their last 74 times shorthanded, good for a 95.9% rating. "Our special teams have been right up there among the best in the league all season," Kings right wing Kelly Buchberger said. "The way the league has been the last few years, you need to play very well on the special teams in order to have a chance in the playoffs. Next Games: On Wednesday, the Kings skate into Madison Square Garden to face Eric Lindros, Theoren Fleury and the New York Rangers. Game time: 5:00 PM PST. Televised nationally on ESPN. I will be unable to write a report on this game, but if Tom Jeffrey has time, he will write one. If he does not, then we're all out of luck. On Thursday, the Kings head over to the FleetCenter to skate against Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel, and the Boston Bruins. Game time: 4:00 PM PST. Televised in the Los Angeles area on Fox Sports Net West.
(C) Copyright 2001-02 by Gann Matsuda. All rights reserved. This report may not be duplicated, copied, printed or distributed in any way without permission.