Kings Expect Electric Crowd For Home Opener

(AP) -- With three goals in their first two games, the Los Angeles Kings are counting on their fans to provide a spark in their home opener.

The Kings will host the Atlanta Thrashers at Staples Center on Tuesday night as they look for their second win of the season.

One of the issues keeping Los Angeles off the board has been its inability to produce on the power play. The Kings finished seventh in the league with a 20.8 power-play percentage last season, but have converted only 1 of 9 opportunities with the man advantage thus far in 2010-11.

"I'm hoping it's one of those things where we'll get one, and then two, right off the bat, and the floodgates will open," forward Anze Kopitar told the Kings' official site. "We want to make sure we keep shooting the puck, especially now on Tuesday going home.

"The energy is going to be high, obviously, with the home opener. We've just got to make sure we get on top of everything. We need to be on our toes and do the stuff that made us successful in the preseason and during last year."

Photo Gallery: Kings Battle Flames

Joanthan Bernier stopped 29 of 31 shots in his season debut, a 3-1 loss to Calgary on Sunday night, and knows he and the Kings (1-1-0) have room for improvement.

"It would have been nice to start with a win, but the first one is out and now I've just got to get better at things," he said. "This is my first game, and I don't think it was our best game defensively. We had a lot of odd-man rushes, but with two games in two nights, we just have to regroup and be ready for Tuesday."

Dustin Brown scored Los Angeles' lone goal and has recorded a point in both games.

While the Kings are excited to get home, the Thrashers (1-1-0) are looking forward to building team chemistry as their four-game road swing continues.

"I think we've come together quickly," right wing Bryan Little told the Thrashers' official site. "We might not be as close as we want to be yet, but the road trip to start the season is a good opportunity for some team bonding right off the start while we're playing some important games. We have a really good group of guys in here."

Atlanta is coming off a 5-3 loss at Tampa Bay on Saturday night in which Chris Mason made his first start in net.

Mason picked up the win in the season opener after he replaced goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, but allowed five goals in 36 shots against the Lightning.

Pavelec collapsed on the ice 2 1/2 minutes into Friday night's 4-2 victory over Washington, and had a concussion due to a fainting spell. He will undergo further tests and will be cleared to practice if they come back negative.

"I want to thank all the doctors, trainers and emergency personnel who took such good care of me," he said in a statement. "I would also like to thank my teammates, all the fans and everyone in the hockey community who have reached out to me and offered their support and well-wishes over the last few days. I hope to be back in action as soon as possible."

Evander Kane leads the team with two goals and is among the NHL leaders with 12 shots on goal. He scored twice and recorded an assist in the Thrashers' 7-0 win over the Kings on Nov. 13.

Atlanta has won three straight versus Los Angeles.

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