Kings-Wild Game Preview: Buffalo Refugees

Los Angeles Kings v Minnesota Wild (Staples Center)

Time: 7.30 PM

TV: Fox Sports West

Enemy reading: Hockey Wilderness

Wild (projected) lineup:

Parise-Koivu-Pominville
Bouchard-Brodziak-Setoguchi
Clutterbuck-Granlund-Coyle
Rupp-Konopka-Mitchell

Suter-Brodin
Clark-Gilbert
Spurgeon-Stoner

Backstrom

Injured: Heatley (wrist), Cullen (lower body); Scratched: Faulk, Prosser

Kings (projected) lineup:

Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Toffoli-Richards-Carter
King-Stoll-Lewis
Clifford-Richardson/Fraser-Nolan

Muzzin-Doughty
Scuderi-Voynov
Regehr-Ellerby

Bernier

Injured: Greene (back), Mitchell (knee); Scratched: Martinez

• The Kings let the Wild off the hook in their last meeting, squandering a lead and losing in a shootout. This time, Bernier gets a nod over Quick. No comment from the goal sticks.
  
• Los Angeles is the better possession squad going into the matchup, but Regehr should take a while to adjust, and Minnesota just upgraded their top line. Sloppiness was a problem last time out. This could be tricky.
• Minnesota's lines are based off of Mike Russo's projections. Heatley suffered an injury in the last game against San Jose.
  
• New acquisition (and fellow Buffalo fire sale refugee) Pominville should slot in nicely on this new-look Wild team. His production suffered when apart from Vanek, but he's a solid addition who should have no problem maintaining his point totals with great players like Koivu and Parise.
• I'm very glad to see the Kings' top four intact, but I'm going to keep my eye on how well the new Regehr-Ellerby duo gets the puck out of the zone. Everyone knows our concerns about Regehr's numbers; let's hope we're in for a happy surprise.
  
• Go Kings go!