SoCal NHL Report

Anaheim (1-3-1) at Pittsburgh (0-1-0) 4:30 pm
PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to earn their first win of the season when they take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Crosby was held without a point in the season opener, as the Penguins lost to the Carlina Hurricanes, 4-1, on Friday.

The 20-year-old phenom became the youngest player in history to win the scoring title as he led the NHL with 120 points and 84 assists in 2006-07, winning the Hart Trophy in just his second professional season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Crosby led Pittsburgh to a 47-point improvement over their 2005-06 record last season, marking the fourth-best single-season jump in league history. Crosby is just one of the young stars on the Penguins, joining left wing Evgeni Malkin (21), center Jordan Staal (19), defenseman Ryan Whitney (24) and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (22).

The Ducks conclude their five-game, season-opening road trip on Saturday. Anaheim appears to be worn out from the travel, as it has made stops in London, Detroit, Columbus, and finally Pittsburgh. The Ducks were blanked by the Blue Jackets, 4-0, on Friday night, failing to register a shot on goal over the first 16 minutes of the game.

St Louis (0-1-0) at Los Angeles (1-1-0) 7:30 pm
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - The Los Angeles Kings should be well rested when they take on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday in their first game on American soil. The Kings opened the NHL season, splitting two games with the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in London last weekend. Unlike the Ducks, who have played two games on the road, Los Angeles had a six-day layoff before playing its next game.

Two rookies with the same last name, though unrelated, will face off during the game. Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, who was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft, has already gotten significant ice time this season, playing just over 40 minutes on 48 shifts during his team's first two games. The Blues' Erik Johnson, who is also a defenseman, picked up the first point of his NHL career on Thursday in his debut, assisting on a goal by Keith Tkachuk.

While these rookies maybe the most talented on the ice, Kings' coach Andy Murray will have his eye on another first-year player. Murray's son, Andy, will take the ice for the Blues, as the two become the first father-son duo since Dallas Stars coach Rick Wilson faced his son Landon of the Phoenix Coyotes in 2002. The Blues have a strong chance at notching their first win against the Kings as long as Manny Legace is in goal. Legace is 9-1-0 with a tie in 12 career games against the Kings, posting a 2.57 goals-against average.