LA Kings to play two preseason games in China

March 30, 2017

The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks will face off in the first-ever preseason games played in China as part of the 2017 NHL China Games, the League announced. The preseason games between the Kings and Canucks will be played on Thursday, Sept. 21 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, and on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Huaxi LIVE Wukesong’s Le Sports Center in Beijing.

“It is a privilege and an honor for the L.A. Kings to represent the National Hockey League in China as part of these two games against the Vancouver Canucks,” said Kings President, Business Operations and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. “Growing the game of hockey is something we take great pride in and it is a big priority for our hockey club and AEG as a whole. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our players and our staff, and we are looking forward to the games taking place in two tremendous facilities in two remarkable cities.”

The matchups in September will be the first preseason games conducted in China, but not the first trip for either the Canucks or Kings, who have each held youth hockey camps in China in recent years. In addition, several NHL clubs have conducted hockey camps for Chinese youth recently both in China and North America, including the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals.

“We look forward to our first games in China and to a variety of initiatives that will inspire generations of Chinese players and fans to enjoy our sport," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "We recognize the importance of helping China build a strong national hockey program and are committed to supporting that priority in every way possible.”

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China is committed to hockey and expects to expand its participation in all winter sports to 300 million people by 2022. The NHL looks to work side by side with sports bureaus across China in developing grassroots hockey programs, supporting local youth hockey and hockey development at all levels.

Los Angeles will be designated the home team for the Sept. 21 preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. Vancouver will be designated the home team for the game on Sept. 23 at Le Sports Center in Beijing.

In other NHL news . . .

IGINLA NETS WINNING GOAL AS KINGS KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE

Jarome Iginla (1-1—2) scored the 100th game-winning goal of his NHL career to help the Kings (36-33-7, 79 points) defeat the Flames (43-30-4, 90 points), preventing both Calgary and St. Louis from clinching a berth in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Iginla, who tallied 268 career home goals as a member of the Flames, scored for the first time as a visitor in Calgary. He now sits two points shy of becoming the 34th player in NHL history to record 1,300 career points (624-674—1,298).

Iginla became the seventh player in NHL history to score 100 career game-winning goals. Jaromir Jagr (135), the League’s all-time leader in that category, is the only active player with more such goals.

Kings forward Trevor Lewis scored while skating in his 500th NHL game.

Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau (2-8—10 in 6 GP) extended his point streak.

DUCKS' GETZLAF EARNS "THREE STARS" HONOR

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen and Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 26.

Getzlaf shared the League lead with seven assists in three games – all wins – to propel the Ducks (41-23-11, 93 points) into first place in the Pacific Division. He notched three helpers in a 4-3 victory against the Edmonton Oilers March 22.

Getzlaf then was held off the scoresheet in a 3-1 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets March 24, but responded with four assists – the eighth such performance of his career – in a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers March 26. The 31-year-old Regina, Sask., native ranks fourth in the NHL with 52 helpers in 68 contests this season (14-52—66), the seventh time he has reached the 50-assist milestone.

BLUES CLIMB STANDINGS, CLOSE IN ON PLAYOFF BERTH

Vladimir Tarasenko scored the game-winning goal to help the Blues (42-28-6, 90 points) leapfrog the idle Predators (39-26-11, 89 points) into third place in the Central Division. St. Louis owns a record of 11-2-1 in March, including points in their last seven games (6-0-1).

Tarasenko scored his seventh game-winning goal of 2016-17 to match a single-season career high set in 2015-16. He ranks fourth in the NHL with 36 goals overall this season (76 GP).

St. Louis and Nashville close their season series on Sunday at Scottrade Center, with the Predators holding a 3-1-0 advantage through four games (STL: 1-3-0). St. Louis, however, leads the ROW tiebreaker 41-37.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS (Home Team in Caps)

Chicago 5, PITTSBURGH 1
Los Angeles 4, CALGARY 1
Washington 5, COLORADO 3
St. Louis 3, ARIZONA 1

THURSDAY’S ACTION (All Times Eastern)

NY Islanders @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m., SN1, SNO, CSN-PH, MSG+
Columbus @ Carolina, 7 p.m., FS-CR, FS-O
Dallas @ Boston, 7:30 p.m., TVAS, NBCSN
Florida @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m., SNE, RDS, FS-F
Detroit @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., SUN, FS-D
Toronto @ Nashville, 8 p.m., FS-TN, TSN4
Ottawa @ Minnesota, 8 p.m., FS-WI, FS-N+, RDS2, TSN5
Anaheim @ Winnipeg, 8 p.m., TSN3, FS-W
San Jose @ Edmonton, 9 p.m., SNW, CSN-CA

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services

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