KINGS NOTEBOOK: NORSTROM'S ABSENCE FELT IN LOSS TO MIGHTY DUCKS.Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer ANAHEIM - The Kings' biggest problem Sunday afternoon wasn't the absence of defenseman Mattias Norstrom, whose wife, Kristen, had a baby just before game time. It was the six defensemen left behind to face the Mighty Ducks
Mighty Ducks is a half-hour Disney animated series aired on ABC and The Disney Afternoon in the fall of 1996. Twenty-six episodes total were produced. , who ran away from the Kings in the third period for a 6-3 victory at the Pond. Three Kings turnovers led to goals early in the period. None was more damaging than Brad Norton's gaffe at 2:48 of the third that Sergei Fedorov Sergei Viktorovich Fedorov (Russian:Сергей Викторович Фёдоров, Sergey Viktorovich Fyodorov converted to break a 3-3 tie. If Norstrom had played, Norton would have been scratched. ``When you have a tie game like that, you can't do those things,'' Kings coach Andy Murray said. ``Points are too precious right now. We can't let any get away.'' Norstrom was with the team at the Pond, but just before game time learned his wife was ready to deliver. He arrived at the hospital just before the birth. With Norstrom out, several Kings players posted season highs for minutes played. No one logged more ice time than Jaroslav Modry, who played 25:47 after two periods and finished with 32:59. ``This was a blessed day for Matty and his family and we all knew we were going to play more minutes,'' said Modry, who took six of the Kings 44 shots but also was a minus-2. ``We definitely should have picked up the slack.'' --The backup's backup: The game was lost by the time the Kings decided to pull goaltender Cristobal Huet Cristobal Huet (IPA pronunciation: [y.ɛ]) (born September 3, 1975 in Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France) is a French professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. at 10:12 of the third period. In came Mathieu Chouinard Mathieu Chouinard (born April 11 1980 in Laval, Quebec) is currently an ECHL goaltender playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners. Having only starting one NHL game (with the Los Angeles Kings), he has spent the majority of his career playing in the ECHL, QMJHL, and AHL. for his NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there debut. Although he played just 2:43 the rest of the way because the Kings went with an empty net several times, Chouinard did not allow any more damage. ``I am a backup goaltender,'' Chouinard said. ``That's what I do. I come in games when they need me. Yes, it was my first game, but the biggest thrill for me was when I joined the team.'' Chouinard was called up Feb. 20 when Roman Cechmanek was placed on injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. reserve for a groin groin, in oceanography: see coast protection. strain. Cechmanek could be back in one-three weeks. Chouinard was 8-5-3 with a 2.19 goals against average and .917 save percentage at minor-league Manchester (N.H.). Probably his most impressive moments Sunday were the way he skated back and fourth to the bench after the Kings pulled him. Matt McHale, (818) 713-3622 matt.mchale(at)dailynews.com |
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