California love and hockey into the wee hours

Put on a pot of coffee and grab a handful of Pixie sticks people because this is going to be a late one.

Tonight the Flyers take on the Los Angeles Kings of Anaheim at 10:30 p.m. as they begin a five game road trip that includes stops in San Jose, Denver and exotic Long Island.

10:30 p.m.? What do they think this is? A playoff baseball game? Ah well, I'll be watching. I have nothing of any great importance to do tomorrow, no classes to attend. I think it summarizes my life perfectly that I have no classes on Thursday, but THREE on Friday.

Some guys have all the luck I suppose, but as always, I soldier on with only the mildest fits of complaining.

So the Flyers... ah yes. Well, these ain't your grandfather's L.A. Kings. Wayne Gretzky's former mates are off to a very impressive 13-7-2 start and are currently riding a two game winning streak.

And someone named Anze Kopitar is not only leading THEM in points, but the entire league to the tune of 14 goals, 18 assists for a total of 32 points. Never in a million years could I have predicted such a thing. Sure, everyone knew Kopitar was good, but he's halfway to tying his point total from all of last season and we haven't even had Thanksgiving dinner yet.

The Kings have become Philly west in recent years and not just in terms of their on-ice lineup. Former Flyer goalie Ron Hextall works in their front office and former Flyer coach Terry Murray handles their coaching duties.

As for the players, well look no further then former punching bag turned Paul Coffee imitator Randy Jones, who has four points (2 goals and 2 assists) in four games since headin' out Californey way.

And then there's Justin Williams, who will be out to prove tonight that the Flyers shouldn't have traded him all those years ago for whoever it was they ended up trading him for. I honestly can remember but the name Dave Babchuck is jumping out to me... we'll see...

Lest we forget, Michael Handzus, who allegedly is suing current Flyer Scottie Hartnell for stealing his hair style. Hartnell could not be reached for comment on this matter.

The orange and black have had good luck against the Kings in recent years, but they look like a whole new team, so far anyway. Here are a quick Three Keys...

1.) Shut down Kopitar

2.) Give Boucher A LOT of help (Boucher will be starting his second game of the season tonight, giving Ray Emery a much earned night off)

3.) Beware the revenge of Randy Jones

Player to watch: Claude Giroux