"We're trying to get them in a 32-game mood," Sutter said.
The
32 games come after an unusually long eight-day All-Star break for Los
Angeles — two days longer than they got last year — though for a team
that endured a Las Vegas-Hamburg-Stockholm-Berlin-Newark-Philadelphia
road trip earlier in the season, the extra days were well received, with
some players returning from across the continent in time for practice
Monday morning.
Defenseman Drew Doughty found it much more
enjoyable returning to his hometown of London, Ontario as a King rather
than as a member of the Guelph Storm — a rival of the London Knights in
the Ontario Hockey League. Because of World Junior camps and
commitments, Doughty noted, it was his first mid-season homecoming since
he was 16 or 17.
"Everyone seems to like me there when I'm not playing hockey, so it was fun," Doughty said.
Goalie
Jonathan Quick also skated and faced shots for the first time since
returning from his first All-Star appearance and would be the expected
starter when the Kings return to action against the Columbus Blue
Jackets on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports West.
After his
10-save second-period performance for Team Alfredsson in their 12-9 loss
to Team Chara in Sunday’s All-Star Game, Quick described the moment
when he finally was able to fully soak in the star-studded surroundings.
"I
really kind of noticed it in the third period there. I already played,
and I was just sitting on the bench, I had nothing else to do. I just
kind of enjoyed it," Quick said. "There are a lot of good players out
there, making good plays. It was a lot of fun."
The Kings
(24-16-10, 58 pts) sit in second place in the Pacific Division and
seventh in the West. While the immediate need is to beat a Columbus team
that killed off all eight LA power plays while stealing a 1-0 win
behind Curtis Sanford's 31 saves at Staples Center on Jan. 7, Doughty
was able to articulate the team's focus for the remaining two months as
they set upon their goal of securing home ice advantage in the first
round of the playoffs.
"We've got a little bit of room behind us,
but not a lot, and we've got a lot of space to make up in front of us.
So we have a lot of work to do," Doughty said. "San Jose is only a
couple of points ahead of us with three games in hand, and probably our
main focus is to become first in that division. With them having those
three games in hand, that makes it even more important for us to win
every single game."
There really isn't much margin for error. The
Kings have gained only one point on San Jose in the past 10 games
despite their Northern California rival's perceived vulnerability.
Both
teams will play the majority of their remaining games on the road, with
Los Angeles set to depart on a 10-day, six-city tour that begins Friday
night at the Scottrade Center, where the St. Louis Blues have a 21-3-4
record.
Los Angeles plays 20 of its 32 remaining games on the road, while San Jose will be on the road for 19 of its final 35.
"The
No. 1 thing for us is just worrying about the next game. The next game
is Columbus, and we need a big win," defenseman Willie Mitchell said.
"We especially need it going on to a heck of a long road trip. We don't
have a lot of home games for our team left down the stretch, and we need
to make it count at home."
"We're looking forward to it, looking
to another hard-fought game, worrying about the things that have been
our identity since Darryl's come in, which is being a quick, hard team
to play against. If we do that, we'll be ready."
NOTES: Sutter
spent part of the break meeting with team staff in Manchester, NH, where
he watched the Monarchs lose to the St. John's Ice Caps 3-2 before
rebounding to beat the Worcester Sharks, 3-2. … "I know from coaching
farm teams and being an assistant coach the importance of everybody
thinking they're on the same staff, and sometime over the course of the
year it gets sort of misplaced. Long ways to go, though. That's a long
flight coming back," Sutter said of the six-hour return journey. … The
Kings and Blue Jackets have combined for just four goals in their two
head-to-head matchups. Prior to Columbus' 1-0 win at Staples, Los
Angeles won 2-1 on Dec. 15 under interim head coach John Stevens. … The
Kings are 21-15-3 against the Blue Jackets with a tie. They are 12-7
with a tie at home, where they've lost two of the past three. … Los
Angeles Kings and FOX Sports West color commentator Jim Fox received the
Sports TV Color Analyst award and the Sports TV pre- and postgame show
award, and Bob Miller received the play-by-play award Monday at the
Southern California Sports Broadcasters Luncheon. Miller was inducted
into the SCSB Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as the organization's
president.
