Kings 3; Oilers 1

The Angels quite rudely took a little long to wrap up game one against the White Sox, so I only saw bits and pieces of the first period. Corvo got the scoring on started on the power play, firing home a one-timer on a nice feed from Luc. The Oilers tied is before the period ended.

The Kings took the lead back in the second on a power play goal by Dustin Brown, who walked right in from the left wing boards and whipped a shot between the skates of Oilers goalie Ty Conklin (Alaska native). It wasn't the only impressive play by Brown, who threw his body all over the rink, at one point knocking down Chris Pronger who had left himself vulnerable by reaching for a puck in mid-air. The Kings have been very physical in the last couple of games. I don't know if it's a new philosophy, or if it's the impact of some new blood on the roster, but it's fun to watch.

Belanger finished the scoring on a rebound of Sean Avery shot, putting the Kings up 3-1, which turned out to be the final score. LaBarbera was phenomenal, making a lot of big saves. Since the first game melt-down, both goalies have really been as good as could be expected. I'm not sure why a team needs a number goalie during the regular season. I could see the Kings going with a more balanced version of the old Hrudey-Berthiaume tandem this season, and being very successful with. Both teams struggled on the two man advantage, with the Oilers failing to score on a two minute 5 on 3, while the Kings also had extended time with two extra men, to no avail.

They'll face the Red Wings on Thursday. The games at the beginning of the season count just as much as the games at the end of the season, so all of these are important. The Wings are off to a great start, although two of their wins have come against St. Louis, who looked down this season until hammering the Blackhawks last night.