Since we last hit country roads to face the Colorado Avalanche...

IN: Matt Duchene (healed), Steve Downie (now we can troll him again!)

OUT: Kyle Quincey (traded), T.J. Galiardi (shoulder), Peter Mueller (upper body).

J.S. Giguere has a nagging groin injury but will serve as backup.

Duchene-Stastny-Hejduk
Landeskog-O’Reilly-Steve Downie
McLeod-Porter-Olver
Jones-McClement-Kobasew

Wilson-O’Brien
Hejda-O’Byrne
Elliott-Johnson

In net: Varlamov

Last game featured the BIZARRO KINGS! OK, one thing fixed, now let's get great offense and penalty killing in the same night.

The Avs might be expecting a tired team, so I hope LA knocks them on their asses. Quincey was shipped out, so they had to reshuffle their defense.

Jonathan Bernier's in, so he should be amped. Go kids!

Since we last had twelve fights and no damn goals against the Phoenix Coyotes...

IN: The Coyotes recalled Alex Bolduc and David Rundblad from the AHL. Martin Elbow-y Hanzal was hurt in his last game but is expected to be pressed into service.

OUT: Schlemko (foot), Pyatt and Klesla (upper body), Chipchura (wrist). Derek Morris took a leave of absence.

These were my notes for possible Kings lines:

Someone not Penner-Kopitar-???

???-Richards-Brown

???-Lokti?-Lewis

???-???-Bailey the Lion?

I wasn't far wrong.

It's fitting that in this general atmosphere of madcap uncertainty, both coaches weren't sure about their lineups this morning.

You know why people repeat cliches like "one shift at a time"? Because using your brain in sports doesn't really help. Cliches at least distract the mind from what is unhelpful. And right now the Kings have an anxiety problem.

Anxiety, stress, and tension are normal. It only interferes with performance if the performer becomes self-conscious.

Shooting the puck hasn't been the issue. The Kings dominated possession in their last two games, against these Coyotes included, and now they just have to get out of their own heads long enough reap the rewards. There's no curse, there's no secret ingredient, there's just going out and playing with the instincts they've honed over a lifetime of practice. Get it on net.

Since we last had a big ol' brother duel...

IN: Krys Kolanos

OUT: Mikael Backlund (shoulder), Blair Jones (ankle), Lee Stempniak (ankle sprain) Derek Smith (ankle), David Moss, Curtis Glencross (knee)

Possible lineup:

Tanguay-Jokinen-Iginla
Kostopoulos-Cammalleri-Comeau
Kolanos-Horak-Bouma
Byron-Stajan-Jackman

Bouwmeester-Butler
Giordano-Hannan
Brodie-Sarich

Pre-Game Rant:

The Kings did a ton of good things against Phoenix and also ran into a super hot goalie, Mike Smith, who had given up only three goals in his last four games. Let's not kid ourselves, the offense needs help. But if that had happened to any other team it wouldn't have triggered so large a freakout.

A theory that is gaining steam is that the Kings are exactly the same team under Sutter as they were under Murray. No. Murray always had a middling possession team at best. Under TM, when the Kings were trying to close a one goal deficit, they were actually being out-shot by the opposition. This changed in a big way once Murray was fired. They are now in the league's top ten.

Let's not let our concern for actual problems blind us to the fact that this team is still in it.

Play on.

Since we last played the Dogs...

IN: Our old friend Gilbert "Friend of Bono" Brule. Chris Summers was recalled from the AHL.

OUT: Derek Morris (groin). Taylor Pyatt left the game after an apparent upper body injury in Vancouver. David Schlemko (foot) is out for the season. (That's too bad. He's #3 on my list of "Coyotes Names I Most Enjoy Saying Aloud.")

Possible Coyotes lineup:

Whitney-Hanzal-Vrbata
Korpikoski-Gordon-Doan
Boedker-Langkow-Brule
Torres-Chipchura-Bissonnette

Yandle-Aucoin
Ekman Larsson-Klesla
Summers-Rozsival

Smith

Kings lineup: Martinez out, Drewiske in.

Game outlook: While they were heavily outshot in their win over the Dallas Stars, the good news is that the Kings still managed to keep the scoring chances fairly even (10-9). While they'll want to generate more shots and chances this time out, that's pretty amazing.

The Crash Kids Nolan and King are still on the second line, though Sutter reminds them gruffly that every day is a gift. They have infused the lineup with energy and hope. Mike Richards hasn't looked this great since returning from his concussion, and that can't be entirely pinned on his former wingers. He, along with the rest of the team, seems to have set a mental reset button.

The Coyotes are going to be feeling even better about themselves, having clawed all the way back into a playoff spot. I expect the usual all out trench war. Mike Smith is hot, too. Jonathan Quick will just have to be hotter than the sun. Go for it.

Since we last made Kevin Dineen very steamed...

IN: Jose Theodore has gotten over his knee troubles, sending Brian Foster back down.

OUT: Injuries are the big story here. Ed Jovanovski (hand), Scottie Upshall (hernia), Dmitry Kulikov (knee), Jack Skille (shoulder), Marco Sturm (knee) and goalie Jacob Markstrom (knee) are all out. If I were playing, I'd be worried about the fate of my lower joints.

Litter Box Cats has this lineup:

Fleischmann-Weiss-Versteeg
Samuelsson-Goc-Bergenheim
Matthias-Madden-Kopecky
Bradley-Santorelli-Barch

Campbell-Gudbrandson
Weaver-Garrison
Stratchan-Ellerby

In net: Clemmensen was announced as the starter yesterday, but the Sun Sentinel noted that Theodore might get the start instead.

Kings lineup: No apparent changes. The Alec Martinez showcase continutes, but -- noooooo, don't trade him!

Game outlook: The Panthers are currently in 9th place, just out of the playoffs, and are hoping to keep those hopes alive while they wait for reinforcements. They are a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of puck possession when the score is close (15th).

The Kings have been outshot in all three games of this road trip, but at least three of their grade A scoring chances hit the net in Tampa Bay in gratifyingly normal fashion. Normal is good. We approve of normal.

The Panthers don't like Mike Richards, and Mike Richards would like to feast on their still-beating hearts. This could get snarly.

Since we last had Willie Mitchell troll Steve Downie...

IN: Mathieu Garon, Bruno Gervais, Matt Gilroy

OUT: Simon Gagne, Mike Smith, Sean Bergenheim

INJURED: Ryan Malone (upper body), Dana Tyrell (knee), Mattias Ohlund (knee). Adam Hall and Marc-Andre Bergeron (upper body) appear set to return.

The Lightning are expected to dress seven defensemen. Brett Connolly and Matt Gilroy appear to be the scratches.

Tampa Bay Lineup:

Pyatt-Lecavalier-St. Louis
Purcell-Stamkos-Downie
Thompson-Moore-Wyman
Shannon-Hall

Clark-Hedman
Brewer-Kubina
Mikkelson-Gervais

Bergeron

In net: Roloson

Kings lineup: Aside from Jonathan Quick, Sutter is sticking with the same group that went out against Carolina, including Martinez over Voynov. People who don't follow the team might wonder, "What's wrong with the guy who got scratched?" There's simply not enough room. Both are good 22-year-olds duking it out for that final spot, though Martinez could use a dose of luck to go along with his excellent possession numbers (his PDO is the worst on the team, while his Corsi is the best of all our d-men).

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been on a roll lately (6-0-1), while the Kings suffered their second straight regulation loss. The last time that happened, Murray was still in charge. Their first period was also their strongest. Given their travel schedule, that's not something I'm inclined to over-analyze. Let's hope they regroup and come back strong.

Since we last faced the Carolina Hurricanes in...2010...

IN: Anthony Stewart, Tim Brent, Brian Boucher, Chris Durno, Andreas Nodl (claimed off waivers from the Flyers)

OUT: Erik Cole, Troy Brodie, Justin Pogge, Cory Stillman, Joe Corvo

HI/BYE: Alexei Ponikarovsky (traded to the Devils)

Possible Carolina lineup:

Tlusty-Staal-Ruutu
J.Jokinen-Skinner-Bowman
Dwyer-Sutter-Nodl
Stewart-Brent-Nash

Gleason-Allen
Faulk-Harrison
McBain-Spacek

Cam Ward

Kings lineup: Should be the same, except with Bernier in net.

Game outlook: LA's yearly Grammy road trip got off to a rough start as the Kings tried out new lines, and had one of their worst shot differential games under Sutter. While the Blues are one of the best possession teams in the league, getting only 22 shots through is still brutal.

Today brings a fresh evil challenge. Having arrived in Carolina at three in the morning, they will now play their back to back with less than 24 hours between them. On top of this, it'll be the a second game in a row reffed by the incomparable Stephane Auger.

We've come to expect a certain degree of sadism from the NHL's schedulers, but that's a double poke in the eye followed by a splash of lemon juice. I'd love to see them pull out a win in spite of it all.

Carolina has struggled this year, but are high off of beating the big bad bully Bruins very soundly. (I always wonder why people are surprised when games like that happen. Just because a team's lower than you in the standings, do you expect an automatic win? Have any of us ever watched hockey before?) Eric Staal is back on track, too.

Keep a stiff upper lip.

Since we last met the well rested St. Louis Blues...

IN: Carlo "Ow my face" Colaiacovo

OUT: Ian Cole (assigned to AHL), Alex Steen (concussion), Kent Huskins (ankle), Andy McDonald (concussion).

Rich Hammond has the new lines:

Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Clifford-Richards-Penner
Richardson-Stoll-Lewis
Hunter-Fraser-Westgarth

*Penner's great goal against Columbus seems to have inspired his move to the right side.

*Lokti lost the puck on a goal against and became a healthy scratch. Lewis got better reviews than Richardson. Wow, a coach that likes him! The FREE TREVOR LEWIS campaign is paying off!

*Clifford is rewarded with a bigger role. The question is, will that line receive the tough matchups? Richards hasn't been the same since his concussion. Hopefully the rest did him some good.

Game outlook: The Kings have won their last two matches against St. Louis, but the Blues are still nipping at the Red Wings' heels for the title of best possession team in the league. The Kings will need to be on their toes and hope their scoring trend continues. (Either that, or encourage Quick to mess with sorcery again.)

Go timestoppers!