Mike Richards was happy with his Game 1 performance against Vancouver in which he had a goal and two assists. And why wouldn't he be! Richards had a tough season offensively as he had only 18 goals and 44 points in 74 games after picking up at least 62 points in each of the previous four seasons including an 80 point effort in 2008-09. "I've never lost confidence in myself," Richards said. "I always felt that even though I wasn't getting the points or getting the bounces, I was still playing pretty good hockey and knew if I stuck with it, it was going to come." The scoring will come in handy as the Kings have been getting scoring from their top line of Anze Kopitar et al., but need more than that to proceed in the post-season.

Mike Richards scored a goal and registered two assists in Los Angeles' 4-2 victory over Vancouver in Game 1 of their first round series. Richards had a pretty quiet season, but Kings fans will be happy to look past that if he can have more playoff games like Wednesday's. Willie Mitchell, Dustin Penner, and Dustin Brown each netted a goal for the Kings. Jeff Carter assisted on two of Los Angeles' four goals.

Although we will know more Sunday, the Kings will likely open the playoffs Wednesday night in Vancouver. The Kings actually had a decent record against the Canucks (2-2) this season. L.A. did fare better against the Blues (3-1) so last night's loss to the Sharks may have been costly. We shall see.

Mike Richards is on a 25-game goalless slump. It actually briefly looked like Richards' slump would be over on Tuesday when the Kings scored on a shot that went off Detroit's Ian White. Richards was initially credited with the goal, but he told the officials that he never touched the puck, so it became Drew Doughty's goal instead. Given Richards' recent struggles, that was admirable of him.

It may have taken a few games, but Mike Richards and Jeff Carter finally clicked. In the Kings' 4-2 win over Anaheim Saturday night, Carter scored twice while Richards registered three assists. Dwight King, who is the third member of the Kings' second line, added to helpers giving the unit seven points. Richards, Carter and King were a combined plus five and were dangerous all night. This is what Kings' GM Dean Lombardi was hoping for when he took a chance by acquiring the slumping Carter. Let's see if if this line can keep its momentum Tuesday against Nashville.

The Kings just can't seem to generate any offence. Los Angeles acquired Mike Richards for the primary purpose of improving the club's secondary scoring. So far it has been a huge bust. Not only are the Kings not getting any production from their second line, their first unit is also struggling to score. The Kings have not scored a goal in over 120 minutes and have left goalie Jonathan Quick to fend for himself most nights. In fact, of Quick's 26 loses this season, 18 of them have been by one goal. As the team has already changed coaches, there is not much that can be done with the squad save making another trade.

Mike Richards and Dustin Brown each recorded a game-high seven penalty minutes in the Los Angeles' Kings 1-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. Each guy received a fighting major in the first, as part of a period with 40 penalty minutes and one with 62 overall. That's not really the stat the Kings want those players leading, though. Los Angeles has hung around because of their stellar goaltending, but it has to add some kind of scoring help at the deadline if it really wants a chance to make a run, as it has scored 2.13 goals per game this year. The Kings are only two points ahead of the ninth-place Calgary Flames.

Mike Richards better get the Kings' second line in gear. Against Colorado Saturday only the Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Justin Williams unit had any luck generating offence. The injury to Simon Gagne has depleted the Kings' second line, but Richards also has to assume some responsibility for its failure as he has registered only 26 points in 41 games this season. We had been fairly confident that Richards would be able to turn his season around. Now we are not so sure.

Mike Richards registered a goal and an assist as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1. Richards' goal was his first in 10 games so he now has 14 and 26 points on the year. Dustin Brown also had a two-point night, with an empty-net goal and a helper and is finally showing some offensive life with four points in his last three games. Brown and his 25 points may seem pretty ugly, but with such a talented cast around him, he could be in store for a much more solid second half. Anze Kopitar (14th) and Matt Greene (third) each had goals. Kopitar has scored in three straight. Justin Williams had two assists and has five points over his last three games.

Mike Richards scored his 13th of the season in the Kings 2-1 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks. Richards has scored in both games since returning from a concussion. Richards is on pace for 60+ points despite the missed games due to injury. The Kings are a completely different team with their prized off-season acquisition in the line up, offering up two quality scoring lines no team wants to face.