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

POTVIN, BUCHBERGER LEAD LA TO WIN
KINGS SKATE PAST HURRICANES, 2-1 2.7.02 LOS ANGELES -- In a sixteen-year career, he has averaged a tiny 0.099 goals-per game, but you won't hear any of his teammates complaining. Indeed, veteran winger Kelly Buchberger has always been more of a defensive, checking forward, throwing his body around, and doing all the dirty jobs on the ice to help his team win. But Buchberger stepped well out of character on Thursday night, when he scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, lifting the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 15,960 fans at Staples Center. Buchberger's goal was not just the game-winner. It was the 100th goal of his NHL career, and it came in his 1,013th NHL game--certainly a long time coming. "It would be a lot better if I got it a lot quicker," Buchberger said. "Sixteen years to get one hundred goals is not a stellar pace, that's for sure. But I'll take it, especially tonight with the win. Wins mean more to our team right now than individual stats." Buchberger has been a leader wherever he has played. In Edmonton, and later at Atlanta, he was the team captain because of his dedication, hard-work, integrity, leadership, experience and character. To be sure, that has not changed with the Kings, and although Buchberger will never be a potent scorer, he has found his niche with the Kings, and has contributed in a big way. "He's played great for us all year," Kings' center Jason Allison said about Buchberger. "He's been the heart and soul of the team. He always does something to help the team. It's a hard job to do what he does. He'll also score the odd goal sometimes and make something happen offensively." But Buchberger's effort might have been wasted, if not for strong play in goal from Felix Potvin. Although he faced only eighteen shots on goal, Potvin made some solid saves, including one spectacular, game-saving stop on Carolina star forward Ron Francis, who had the puck on his stick at the bottom of the left circle, and had a wide-open net to shoot at. But somehow, Potvin, who is 14-7-3 in his last twenty-six starts, dove back to his right, and made the save with his stick. "That was a pretty good save there," said Kings' head coach Andy Murray. "It was one for the highlight film." "I was just going to the net," Francis explained. "I was trying to release it quick and try to get it off the ice. If you shoot it low, that's one that will get stopped. I got it off where I wanted to and then I looked up and he got his stick on the puck. You just have to give him credit, it was a great save." Opening the scoring in the game was a goal by Kings' defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a strained left shoulder. Schneider, who has played in just twenty-nine games this season because of various injuries, gave the Kings a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The Kings dominated the game, territorially, in the first period, outshooting the 'Canes, 11-7, limiting them to just one quality scoring chance, and keeping the puck in the Carolina zone for almost half the period. Compare that to the 'Canes having the puck in the Kings' zone for just 6:15. The Kings took that lead into the second period, and continued to dominate play, but the 'Canes got a power play goal from right wing Shane Willis to tie the game. Despite giving up the goal to Buchberger early in the third period, the 'Canes played a bit better in the third period, generating some offense and getting two great chances on the same shift in the third, only to have Carolina forward Jeff O'Neill hit the crossbar, and then Francis got robbed by Potvin. The 'Canes, who lead the Southeast Division, were coming off a 3-3 tie at Pittsburgh, and have now won just once over their last ten games. Carolina head coach Paul Maurice was disappointed about his team being dominated by the Kings, despite the fact that it was a close, low-scoring game. "We were playing one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now," he said. "It's not like we were playing a bunch of scrubs. They had the better chances in the game." "We were unable to skate the way we would like to," Maurice added. "We hung around there at the end, but we didn't get what we needed They played a great game and they deserved to win." The 'Canes best player was goalie Arturs Irbe, who has always played well against the Kings, going back to his days with the San Jose Sharks. He was the biggest reason that the Kings did not blow this game wide open. With the win, the Kings moved into sixth place in the Western Conference. They are tied in points with the Edmonton Oilers with 61 points, but the Kings have more wins. But with so many teams within a point or two of each other, the Kings have no time to relax, as they face two teams who are right behind them in the standings before the Winter Olympic break. The Kings skate at Phoenix on Friday, they host Dallas on Monday, and Phoenix again on Wednesday. "These games coming up are very important to us," said Kings' defenseman Jaroslav Modry, sat out Thursday's game with a hip-flexor injury. "With the Olympics coming up, we want to get into a good position going into the break. We have to approach this part of the season as if these games are going to prove to make the difference for our season." "It's exciting to be in a race like this," Kings' right wing Steve Heinze said. "It keeps us on our toes and keeps us working hard. You're almost into a playoff mentality, where every game counts." Scratches --------- Los Angeles: Ted Donato (healthy), Jere Karalahti (healthy), Jaroslav Modry (hip flexor injury) Carolina: Bret Hedican (back injury), Martin Gelinas (concussion), Tommy Westlund (back injury) Goalies ------- Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Carolina: Arturs Irbe Referees: Brad Meier, Don Van Massenhoven Linesmen: Wayne Bonney, Mark Pare First Period ------------ The Kings dominated the first period, working the puck in the Carolina zone for 9:34, while limiting the 'Canes to just 6:15 in the Kings' zone. The Kings were generating some good chances, but their best came when... 1. LOS ANGELES. Schneider 5 (Adam Deadmarsh, Bryan Smolinski), 10:14 Kings' left wing Ziggy Palffy dumped the puck into the left corner of the Carolina zone. Smolinski picked it up, and circled back into the left circle. From the left face-off dot, he threw the puck at the net. Deadmarsh was at left crease, and he deflected the puck high, and off the cross bar. Schneider had snuck in from right point, and from the bottom of the right circle, he backhanded the puck into the wide open right side of the net, before Irbe could get back across. "It came right to me and I had a wide open net," Schneider said. "It was a tough angle. I was trying to throw it at the net and I beat Irbe coming across. I would like to get 50 of those." The goal was Schneider's first since October 26, 2001. Second Period ------------- More of the same from the first period, although the 'Canes looked a bit better. Then, Deadmarsh took a bad penalty... 2. CAROLINA. Willis 7 (Sean Hill, Erik Cole), 9:21 POWER PLAY With Deadmarsh in the box for slashing at 7:51, Carolina forward Sami Kapanen carried the puck into the Kings' zone, along the left wing boards. He passed back to Cole at the top of the left circle. Cole passed back to Hill at left point, and he quickly passed to Willis, who was all alone, just outside left crease. Willis tipped the puck on his backhand, beating Potvin under his right arm. A nice goal by Willis on the deflection, but a poor penalty-kill by the Kings. They got caught focusing too much on the puck, and that left Willis wide open. Third Period ------------ The Kings got the game-winner early in the period... 3. LOS ANGELES. Buchberger 5 (Aaron Miller, Jason Allison), 3:33 Allison beat Carolina center Rod Brind'Amour cleanly on a face-off in the right circle, the puck going back to Miller at right point. With Allison going to the front of the net, Miller fired a slap shot that was blocked in front. Irbe did not know where the puck was, and Buchberger got it in the slot, just above the hashmarks. He fired a low wrist shot that beat Irbe just inside the right goal post. "We just had to wait for our chances," Buchberger said. "The puck just came right to me and I just put it on net and tried to get it in there." The 'Canes got into the game, finally, and wound up keeping the puck in the Kings' zone for 8:48, while limiting the Kings' chances. But the Kings were mostly able to keep the 'Canes on the perimeter, with the exception of one great shift...At the 12:44 mark, O'Neill took a pass in the slot, and beat Potvin with a wrist shot, but clanked the puck off the right goal post. On the same shift, Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward fired a shot from right point that was deflected to Francis at the bottom of the left circle. Francis wristed the puck into the wide open left side of the net...or so he thought. Potvin dove to his right to make a spectacular save, reaching out with his stick to rob Francis. Shots on Goal ------------- Los Angeles: 11 13 4 -- 28 Carolina: 7 6 5 -- 18 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- Los Angeles: 0/3; Carolina: 1/3 Zone Time --------- Los Angeles: 6:15 7:36 8:48 -- 22:39 Carolina: 9:34 8:46 6:55 -- 25:15 Neutral: 4:11 3:38 4:17 -- 12:06 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Potvin; #2 - Allison; #1 - Aaron Miller Gann's Three Stars ------------------ #3 - Allison; #2 - Potvin; #1 - Buchberger A big reason for the Kings' success in this game was face-offs. Brind'Amour, who came into the game with a 60.2% rating, ranked second in the NHL, lost thirteen out of twenty face-offs...a 35% rating. Brind'Amour was usually up against Allison, who won thirteen out of eighteen face-offs for a 72% rating. This match-up was huge on the game-winning goal. Next Game: On Friday, the Kings skate into America West Arena to face Sean Burke and the Phoenix Coyotes. Game time: 6:00 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	February 7, 2002

POTVIN, BUCHBERGER LEAD LA TO WIN KINGS SKATE PAST HURRICANES, 2-1 2.7.02 LOS ANGELES -- In a sixteen-year career, he has averaged a tiny 0.099 goals-per game, but you won't hear any of his teammates complaining. Indeed, veteran winger Kelly Buchberger has always been more of a defensive, checking forward, throwing his body around, and doing all the dirty jobs on the ice to help his team win. But Buchberger stepped well out of character on Thursday night, when he scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, lifting the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in front of 15,960 fans at Staples Center. Buchberger's goal was not just the game-winner. It was the 100th goal of his NHL career, and it came in his 1,013th NHL game--certainly a long time coming. "It would be a lot better if I got it a lot quicker," Buchberger said. "Sixteen years to get one hundred goals is not a stellar pace, that's for sure. But I'll take it, especially tonight with the win. Wins mean more to our team right now than individual stats." Buchberger has been a leader wherever he has played. In Edmonton, and later at Atlanta, he was the team captain because of his dedication, hard-work, integrity, leadership, experience and character. To be sure, that has not changed with the Kings, and although Buchberger will never be a potent scorer, he has found his niche with the Kings, and has contributed in a big way. "He's played great for us all year," Kings' center Jason Allison said about Buchberger. "He's been the heart and soul of the team. He always does something to help the team. It's a hard job to do what he does. He'll also score the odd goal sometimes and make something happen offensively." But Buchberger's effort might have been wasted, if not for strong play in goal from Felix Potvin. Although he faced only eighteen shots on goal, Potvin made some solid saves, including one spectacular, game-saving stop on Carolina star forward Ron Francis, who had the puck on his stick at the bottom of the left circle, and had a wide-open net to shoot at. But somehow, Potvin, who is 14-7-3 in his last twenty-six starts, dove back to his right, and made the save with his stick. "That was a pretty good save there," said Kings' head coach Andy Murray. "It was one for the highlight film." "I was just going to the net," Francis explained. "I was trying to release it quick and try to get it off the ice. If you shoot it low, that's one that will get stopped. I got it off where I wanted to and then I looked up and he got his stick on the puck. You just have to give him credit, it was a great save." Opening the scoring in the game was a goal by Kings' defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with a strained left shoulder. Schneider, who has played in just twenty-nine games this season because of various injuries, gave the Kings a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The Kings dominated the game, territorially, in the first period, outshooting the 'Canes, 11-7, limiting them to just one quality scoring chance, and keeping the puck in the Carolina zone for almost half the period. Compare that to the 'Canes having the puck in the Kings' zone for just 6:15. The Kings took that lead into the second period, and continued to dominate play, but the 'Canes got a power play goal from right wing Shane Willis to tie the game. Despite giving up the goal to Buchberger early in the third period, the 'Canes played a bit better in the third period, generating some offense and getting two great chances on the same shift in the third, only to have Carolina forward Jeff O'Neill hit the crossbar, and then Francis got robbed by Potvin. The 'Canes, who lead the Southeast Division, were coming off a 3-3 tie at Pittsburgh, and have now won just once over their last ten games. Carolina head coach Paul Maurice was disappointed about his team being dominated by the Kings, despite the fact that it was a close, low-scoring game. "We were playing one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now," he said. "It's not like we were playing a bunch of scrubs. They had the better chances in the game." "We were unable to skate the way we would like to," Maurice added. "We hung around there at the end, but we didn't get what we needed They played a great game and they deserved to win." The 'Canes best player was goalie Arturs Irbe, who has always played well against the Kings, going back to his days with the San Jose Sharks. He was the biggest reason that the Kings did not blow this game wide open. With the win, the Kings moved into sixth place in the Western Conference. They are tied in points with the Edmonton Oilers with 61 points, but the Kings have more wins. But with so many teams within a point or two of each other, the Kings have no time to relax, as they face two teams who are right behind them in the standings before the Winter Olympic break. The Kings skate at Phoenix on Friday, they host Dallas on Monday, and Phoenix again on Wednesday. "These games coming up are very important to us," said Kings' defenseman Jaroslav Modry, sat out Thursday's game with a hip-flexor injury. "With the Olympics coming up, we want to get into a good position going into the break. We have to approach this part of the season as if these games are going to prove to make the difference for our season." "It's exciting to be in a race like this," Kings' right wing Steve Heinze said. "It keeps us on our toes and keeps us working hard. You're almost into a playoff mentality, where every game counts." Scratches --------- Los Angeles: Ted Donato (healthy), Jere Karalahti (healthy), Jaroslav Modry (hip flexor injury) Carolina: Bret Hedican (back injury), Martin Gelinas (concussion), Tommy Westlund (back injury) Goalies ------- Los Angeles: Felix Potvin Carolina: Arturs Irbe Referees: Brad Meier, Don Van Massenhoven Linesmen: Wayne Bonney, Mark Pare First Period ------------ The Kings dominated the first period, working the puck in the Carolina zone for 9:34, while limiting the 'Canes to just 6:15 in the Kings' zone. The Kings were generating some good chances, but their best came when... 1. LOS ANGELES. Schneider 5 (Adam Deadmarsh, Bryan Smolinski), 10:14 Kings' left wing Ziggy Palffy dumped the puck into the left corner of the Carolina zone. Smolinski picked it up, and circled back into the left circle. From the left face-off dot, he threw the puck at the net. Deadmarsh was at left crease, and he deflected the puck high, and off the cross bar. Schneider had snuck in from right point, and from the bottom of the right circle, he backhanded the puck into the wide open right side of the net, before Irbe could get back across. "It came right to me and I had a wide open net," Schneider said. "It was a tough angle. I was trying to throw it at the net and I beat Irbe coming across. I would like to get 50 of those." The goal was Schneider's first since October 26, 2001. Second Period ------------- More of the same from the first period, although the 'Canes looked a bit better. Then, Deadmarsh took a bad penalty... 2. CAROLINA. Willis 7 (Sean Hill, Erik Cole), 9:21 POWER PLAY With Deadmarsh in the box for slashing at 7:51, Carolina forward Sami Kapanen carried the puck into the Kings' zone, along the left wing boards. He passed back to Cole at the top of the left circle. Cole passed back to Hill at left point, and he quickly passed to Willis, who was all alone, just outside left crease. Willis tipped the puck on his backhand, beating Potvin under his right arm. A nice goal by Willis on the deflection, but a poor penalty-kill by the Kings. They got caught focusing too much on the puck, and that left Willis wide open. Third Period ------------ The Kings got the game-winner early in the period... 3. LOS ANGELES. Buchberger 5 (Aaron Miller, Jason Allison), 3:33 Allison beat Carolina center Rod Brind'Amour cleanly on a face-off in the right circle, the puck going back to Miller at right point. With Allison going to the front of the net, Miller fired a slap shot that was blocked in front. Irbe did not know where the puck was, and Buchberger got it in the slot, just above the hashmarks. He fired a low wrist shot that beat Irbe just inside the right goal post. "We just had to wait for our chances," Buchberger said. "The puck just came right to me and I just put it on net and tried to get it in there." The 'Canes got into the game, finally, and wound up keeping the puck in the Kings' zone for 8:48, while limiting the Kings' chances. But the Kings were mostly able to keep the 'Canes on the perimeter, with the exception of one great shift...At the 12:44 mark, O'Neill took a pass in the slot, and beat Potvin with a wrist shot, but clanked the puck off the right goal post. On the same shift, Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward fired a shot from right point that was deflected to Francis at the bottom of the left circle. Francis wristed the puck into the wide open left side of the net...or so he thought. Potvin dove to his right to make a spectacular save, reaching out with his stick to rob Francis. Shots on Goal ------------- Los Angeles: 11 13 4 -- 28 Carolina: 7 6 5 -- 18 Power Play Conversions ---------------------- Los Angeles: 0/3; Carolina: 1/3 Zone Time --------- Los Angeles: 6:15 7:36 8:48 -- 22:39 Carolina: 9:34 8:46 6:55 -- 25:15 Neutral: 4:11 3:38 4:17 -- 12:06 Three Stars (official) ---------------------- #3 - Potvin; #2 - Allison; #1 - Aaron Miller Gann's Three Stars ------------------ #3 - Allison; #2 - Potvin; #1 - Buchberger A big reason for the Kings' success in this game was face-offs. Brind'Amour, who came into the game with a 60.2% rating, ranked second in the NHL, lost thirteen out of twenty face-offs...a 35% rating. Brind'Amour was usually up against Allison, who won thirteen out of eighteen face-offs for a 72% rating. This match-up was huge on the game-winning goal. Next Game: On Friday, the Kings skate into America West Arena to face Sean Burke and the Phoenix Coyotes. Game time: 6:00 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.