ATTENTION REMAINS ON PALFFY HE'S TARGET OF OPPONENTS.Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer Kings coach Andy Murray stood at the podium Tuesday and told a luncheon crowd his team had plenty of offense to make up for the loss of Luc Robitaille This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It needs to be expanded. * It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. . Ziggy Palffy turned to listen and felt a twinge twinge n. A sharp, sudden physical pain. v. To cause to feel a sharp pain. . Less than 12 hours earlier, Palffy was struck on the right knee by Colorado enforcer Scott Parker Scott Parker may refer to:
* Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . The bigger question this season is how many Scott Parkers will go out of their way to whack Palffy. Although the Kings have some potential goal scorers in Bryan Smolinski Bryan Smolinski (b. December 27 1971 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American ice hockey centre currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL. Playing career Smolinski grew up in suburban Northwest Ohio and played for the Michigan State Spartans. , newcomer Steve Heinze Steve Heinze (born January 30, 1970, in Lawrence, Massachusetts) is a former National Hockey League right wing. He was drafted in the third round, 60th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. and rookie Jaroslav Bednar, Palffy is the only true star. ``I think when you lose a guy like Luc and his (88) points, you wonder about the scoring,'' Palffy said. ``But one thing we showed in the playoffs last year: We have the guys to step up in big games.'' Like Adam Deadmarsh Adam Deadmarsh (born May 10, 1975 in Trail, British Columbia) is a former National Hockey League hockey player who played for the 1996 Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup winning team. , who will play left wing alongside Palffy and Jozef Stumpel on the first top line. Deadmarsh, who scored the series-winning goal against Detroit in the first round, did have 33 goals during the 1997-98 season but usually averages around 22 per season. Although no match for Deadmarsh's grit, Robitaille had 37 goals last year. Kings coach Andy Murray was talking up right wing Glen Murray Glen Murray may refer to:
``I think it is a non-issue,'' Andy Murray said when asked whether Palffy is a target. ``Hockey is a physical game. All the top players get hit. Ziggy knows that. What I think will happen is Scott Parker isn't going to take a run at Ziggy during the season. He was in the penalty box twice last night and we had power-play goals both times.'' Palffy, 29, also has a chronically sore lower back. After missing just three games because of injury during five years with the New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, a hamlet located on Long Island in Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. , Palffy strained his back during the 1999-2000 season, his first with the Kings. He has missed 27 games since coming to L.A. Besides getting back to the playoffs, where he scored eight points (three goals and five assists) in 13 games, Palffy has a special incentive. He and Stumpel will represent their native Slovakia during February's Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Palffy is proud of the honor, but there is a chance in the end he will not attend. Slovakia must qualify for the Games during a pre-Olympic tournament in February. Although the NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there shuts down for two weeks during the Olympics, players will not be allowed to participate in qualifying games. --Roster moves: When goaltender Stephane Fiset wasn't traded or taken at taken at last week's waiver draft, the Kings had little choice but to send him to the club's minor-league affiliate at Manchester, N.H., of the American Hockey League
Fiset, 31, was beginning his sixth season with the Kings. He missed all but seven games last season after twice tearing the medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament or MCL (or tibial collateral ligament) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial or inner side of the joint. in his left knee. He returned to be Felix Potvin's backup during the playoffs but didn't see action. Fiset is 80-85-22 with the Kings, 164-152-44 overall with a career goals against average of 3.06. He is owed $2.4 million this year and the Kings weren't going to eat a contract that size. Jamie Storr, the Kings' other backup, did not clear waivers. Storr is five years younger than Fiset, who was upset with the move and declined comment. He did not attend the Kings' pre-season luncheon Tuesday. ``That move was terribly difficult, just awful,'' Murray said. ``I didn't like what we had to do, but we had no choice. We have to move a goaltender. That was the only way we were going to protect our assets.'' The Kings made four other moves to get down to 23 players by Tuesday's deadline. Deadmarsh, sidelined for all of the exhibition schedule with wrist and groin injuries, and Nelson Emerson, who suffered a concussion in Saturday's game against Colorado, were placed on injured reserve. Deadmarsh, who was ready to return last week before straining his groin in practice, could be back by Thursday in the season opener against Phoenix. The Kings put him on IR retroactive to last Wednesday. Emerson move was retroactive to Sunday. Steve Kelly, out for three months after undergoing abdominal surgery, also was placed on IR on Tuesday. Forward Adam Mair, acquired last season from Toronto for defenseman Aki Berg, was assigned to Manchester. KINGS vs. PHOENIX Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center TV: FSN (Full-Service Network) A communications network that provides shopping, movies on demand and access to databases and a variety of interactive services. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: PALFFY Box: KINGS vs. PHOENIX (see text) |
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