Emerson, Buchberger Talk a Good Game Too

ATLANTA — Nelson Emerson and Kelly Buchberger took on different roles Sunday for the Kings.

Emerson, who is out because of a broken finger, talked with the team in the morning about his former employers, the Atlanta Thrashers, in a bit of a scouting report.

“He knows a lot more about them than I do,” Coach Andy Murray said.

Sunday night it was Buchberger’s turn to talk with the Kings before they beat Atlanta, 4-1.

“Every game is a battle,” said Buchberger, who was Atlanta’s captain before the trade. “But that’s what they do here. They battle really hard every night.”

Emerson, whose finger was broken when he was slashed Thursday night at Philadelphia, has a cast up to his elbow but vows to return in time for the playoffs.

But he doesn’t not criticize the Thrashers. However frustrating it was playing for an expansion team, he enjoyed his time in Atlanta.

“You know what was fun as an older player?” Emerson said. “It was watching younger players get their first NHL goals. We must have had 10 guys score their first NHL goals this year.”

The view is from a player who has 179 NHL goals, one for the Kings.

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Donald Audette, who struggled with the Kings but is a proven NHL scorer, has three goals and four assists in six games for Atlanta, which is talking about a new contract for him for next season. Audette is on the final year of a deal that pays him $2.2 million.

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Ray Ferraro, a former King who has 17 goals with Atlanta, has played in 73 games, which means a contract option for another season with the Thrashers has kicked in. Ferraro will spend time as a TV commentator during the NHL playoffs.