Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team

Something had to give. Coming off the most shameful performances of their spiraling seasons, the Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the ice Thursday night, each aiming to prove they weren't that dreadful. The Kings made their point in hurry, scoring four goals in the first period and putting goalie Jason LaBarbera at ease. LaBarbera finished with a career-high 48 saves in the 5-2 victory in front of the seventh sellout crowd of the season at Staples Center.

Michal Handzus has an assist in two of the last three games. Maybe now the Kings will start getting their money's worth. Handzus, 30, signed a four-year, $16-million free-agent contract in the off-season, but just past the midway mark, he has accounted for only 12 points. At that rate he would pull in an estimated $166,666 a point this season. The Kings were hoping he'd be more in line with the player who had totaled 20 goals and 38 assists four years ago in Philadelphia.

On the verge of finishing just as they've started so many recent games, the Kings received a lift from one of their least likeliest sources Saturday afternoon. Jason LaBarbera made a diving glove save on a two-on-one break with about 8 1/2 minutes to play in regulation and the score tied against the Dallas Stars, then stopped three of four shots in the shootout to preserve a 4-3 victory for the Kings at Staples Center.

If the NHL had an award for the league's best second-year player, Anze Kopitar probably would be on the ballot. Kopitar, 20, showed his skills again Saturday afternoon against the Dallas Stars, scoring a third-period goal and in the shootout to help the Kings to a 4-3 victory at Staples Center. The goal in regulation was his 18th of the season, increasing his team-leading point total to 42.

Brian Willsie woke up with a sore lower back Sunday morning and Michael Cammalleri's bruised ribs have been slow to heal, prompting the Kings to promote two of their top prospects. Teddy Purcell, a 23-year-old forward who is third in the American Hockey League with 53 points and leads all first-year players in scoring, will be making his NHL debut when the Kings begin their three-game trip tonight in Edmonton.

EDMONTON, Canada -- Patrick O'Sullivan and the Kings went back to basics to beat the Edmonton Oilers. "We stuck to trying to give up as little as we could and we got a good performance from our goalie," O'Sullivan said Tuesday night. "And when you get all that, you get a good chance to win." O'Sullivan had a goal and an assist as the Kings won their third in a row, beating the Oilers, 3-1.

CALGARY, Canada -- Daymond Langkow scored three goals to help the Calgary Flames move into first place in their division with a 6-1 win over the Kings on Friday night. Langkow scored once in each period, finishing the third hat trick of his career by deflecting Adrian Aucoin's slap shot 2:03 into the third period. Craig Conroy, Stephane Yelle and Matthew Lombardi also scored for Calgary, which has picked up points in 11 of its last 12 home games.

VANCOUVER, Canada -- Jason LaBarbera put on a show in front of his hometown crowd. LaBarbera stopped 43 shots and the Kings beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, Saturday night for their fourth victory in five games. The goalie had to be sharp early on against the Canucks, robbing Henrik Sedin and then Taylor Pyatt from point-blank range on the first shift of the game, then turning around and stopping Alexandre Burrows on a breakaway the next shift.

Teddy Purcell stepped onto the ice for his first NHL shift last week and before the 22-year-old center for the Kings could get his bearings, he was leading a two-on-one break with veteran defenseman Rob Blake. He slid the puck over to Blake, who promptly passed it back. The rest was history, almost. "I kind of went in on the goalie and almost scored," Purcell said. "I hit the side of the net."

Polar opposites in the NHL standings the last six weeks, the Kings and Detroit Red Wings have been drifting closer to the equator in recent games. Los Angeles gave an indication of how far it has traveled Tuesday night, but still showed it's miles apart from Detroit. The Red Wings, playing without leading scorer Henrik Zetterberg, scored in each period and goalie Chris Osgood recorded his 46th career shutout to pave the way for a 3-0 victory at Staples Center.