Los Angeles Hockey

Los Angeles Hockey – us local Los Angeles residents have some great hockey going on in our city right now. Check in with us to see how our teams, the Kings and our distant So Cal “rivals” the Ducks progress through their seasons. We have latest hockey scores and standings for our Los Angeles and Southern California hockey teams here at LA Xtown Rivals.

Los Angeles Hockey, Los Angeles Kings, The State of the Los Angeles Hockey Rivalry / By

4/25/23 TR:

Welcome to the sports update, I’m Thriller Roberts, and we have a thrilling, if disappointing, report from the first-round playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings. Nick Bjugstad scored twice to lead the Oilers to a 6-3 win over the Kings, taking a 3-2 lead in the series.

The Oilers are now just one win away from advancing to the second round, with Game 6 set to take place on Saturday in Los Angeles. If necessary, Game 7 will be on Monday in Edmonton. In addition to Bjugstad’s heroics, the Oilers also got goals from Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, and Brett Kulak. Connor McDavid and defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse had two assists apiece.

Hyman’s goal was particularly impressive, coming after he was hit in the face on a shot by Evan Bouchard, with the puck deflecting past Kings’ goaltender Pheonix Copley for the Oilers’ fifth goal of the game. Despite the hit, Hyman managed to stay in the game. Stuart Skinner was back as goalie for the Oilers, making 25 saves after being swapped out for Jack Campbell one period into the Oilers’ Game 4 overtime win on Sunday.

The Kings fought with energy yet struggled to keep pace, with Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe, and Alex Iafallo scoring for Los Angeles. Kings’ goalie Joonas Korpisalo was pulled in the second period after Edmonton’s fourth goal, stopping 15 of 19 shots before giving way to Copley, who had six saves. Korpisalo has been epic, with the Kings defense just unable to help him out enough.

The Oilers killed off their one penalty and scored on two of three power-play chances on Tuesday, bringing their total to 8 for 14 with a man-advantage in the series.

The Oilers took an early 2-0 lead and were ahead 3-2 after the opening period, just as they did in the first two games of this series at Rogers Place. However, the Kings managed to stay within striking distance, with Kempe pulling the Kings within a goal at 17:35 of the first period.

That’s it for now from the playoff series between the Oilers and the Kings, with the Oilers looking to advance to the next round on Saturday in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for more updates as the series progresses. I’m Thriller Roberts, and I’ll see you next time.

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Los Angeles Hockey, Los Angeles Kings, The State of the Los Angeles Hockey Rivalry / By

4/24/23 TR:

Welcome to Thriller Roberts recap of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers playoff game. In Game 4, the Oilers found themselves down 3-0 at the end of the first period, but Leon Draisaitl and company rallied in waves to force overtime. Zach Hyman scored the game-winning goal at 10:39 of overtime, as the Oilers won 5-4, tying their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.

Draisaitl had a big night, netting two goals and an assist. Evan Bouchard also contributed in with a goal and two assists. Connor McDavid had three assists on the night while the Kings managed to keep him from scoring directly. But the unsung hero of the game was goaltender Jack Campbell, who came in after Stuart Skinner was pulled after the first period. Campbell made 27 saves against his former team and put himself in position to possibly start Game 5 on Tuesday night in Edmonton.

The Kings had some standout performances as well, with Gabriel Vilardi, Anze Kopitar, and Matt Roy all scoring. Viktor Arvidsson had a goal and an assist, and Kevin Fiala had two assists in his first game since April 1. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 35 shots for the Kings.

It was a strange game, with the Kings dominating the first period and taking a 3-0 lead, only to see the Oilers come back strong in the second period, tying it at 3 with two power-play goals. The game went to overtime for the third time in the series, and Hyman’s goal gave the Oilers their first playoff win after trailing by three or more goals since 1997.

Los Angeles will look to bounce back in Game 5 on Tuesday, as they aim to correct their second period struggles. Meanwhile, Edmonton will try to build on their momentum and take the series lead. That’s all for now, folks!

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Los Angeles Hockey, Anaheim Ducks, The State of the Los Angeles Hockey Rivalry / By

4/14/23 TR:

Welcome to LAXTR Hockey News! I’m Thriller Roberts and here’s what’s new. The Anaheim Ducks announced that head coach Dallas Eakins won’t return to the team after four straight losing seasons, with his contract expiring at the end of the season. The Ducks finished last in the overall NHL standings this season, and Eakins went 100-147-44 during his tenure, unable to restore the team’s glory days as a perennial NHL power.

The Ducks’ general manager, Pat Verbeek, praised Eakins’ professionalism, dedication, and work ethic, but noted the need for a fresh start and a new direction, especially given the team’s poor defensive performance, which ranked among the worst in the league. Verbeek, who replaced former general manager Bob Murray in February, plans a long-term rebuilding project in Anaheim, with an eye on developing the team’s promising young core, including Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry.

Despite the disappointing season, the Ducks have a 25.5% chance of landing the top pick in the upcoming draft and selecting Connor Bedard, a highly touted prospect compared to Connor McDavid. The team also has 11 picks in the upcoming draft and nine in 2024, giving them ample opportunities to build for the future. While Eakins won’t be a part of that future, Ducks owner Henry Samueli expressed gratitude for his eight years with the team and his commitment to the community.

I for one am not crushed to see Eakins go. He made a good effort but it would sure be nice to have a team that could take it to their cross-town rivals, the Kings. We’ll see who the Ducks get next in their quest to once again be mighty.

That’s it for the Ducks this season. Thanks for checking in, see you next year – or next week as I continue to cover Kings news.

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Anaheim Ducks Hockey Overview

Los Angeles Hockey, Anaheim Ducks / By

Hello Ducks fans, it’s Mark “Thriller” Roberts here to talk about the Ducks.

First, thanks for coming to LAXtownRivals to learn about the mighty Ducks. They’re not having the best season, but with fans like the Ducks have you can never count them out.

The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. They were founded in 1993 and have quickly become one of the NHL’s most successful expansion teams. The Ducks have had quite a few greats quacking for them through the years, like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and Ryan Getzlaf, to name just a few.

Their claim to fame is not only their Disney/Hollywood connection, but they also really won the Stanley Cup in 2007, cementing their place in hockey history.

This year, they were completely outperformed by their crosstown rivals, the LA Kings. In the end, it didn’t really matter as the Kings, what with their far superior regular season record, only out-lasted the Ducks by a week when they were taken out in the first round.

As a long-time rival of the Kings, the Ducks always bring a fierce competition to the ice. But no matter who comes out on top, the passion and dedication of the Ducks fans can’t be beat. Thanks for listening, and quack quack!

Anaheim Ducks News & Updates

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LA Kings Hockey Overview

Los Angeles Hockey, Los Angeles Kings / By

Hello Kings fans, LAXtownRivals here.

Thanks for coming to LA Xtown Rivals to learn more about our fantastic Kings hockey team. Although it’s not much of a rivalry in recent years, our cross-town competitors are the Anaheim Ducks. Given their market, we can never count them out, though it seems they won’t be much competition this year.

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They were founded in 1967 as part of the NHL’s expansion into the United States. Over the years, the Kings have had some great players, including Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Anze Kopitar, just to name a few.

They’ve also had some great moments, like winning the Stanley Cup in 2012 and ’14. It’s our pleasure to be here with you to witness the team’s ups and downs. But through it all, I’ve always been proud to call myself a Kings fan.

This year, they trounced their cross-town rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. It wasn’t even close. The Kings made the playoffs while the Ducks were never in contention. We’ll have to see what plays the Kings can make in the off-season to come back stronger for 2024.

Thanks for visiting, and go Kings go!

LA Kings News & Updates

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