Los Angeles Kings v Detroit Red Wings (Joe Louis Arena)
Time: 4.30 PM
TV: Fox Sports West
Kings projected lineup:
Pearson – Carter – Toffoli
King – Richards – Brown
Clifford – Stoll – Williams
Andreoff – Lewis – Nolan
Doughty – Muzzin
Regehr – Martinez
McNabb – Greene
Quick
Injured: Marian Gaborik (??), Anze Kopitar (upper body); Suspended: Slava Voynov
Red Wings projected lineup:
Abdelkader – Datsyuk – Zetterberg
Nyquist – Sheahan – Tatar
Nestrasil – Helm – Turco
Miller – Glendening – Andersson
Kronwall – Ericsson
Quincey – DeKeyser
Kindl – Smith
Howard
Injured: Stephen Weiss (groin), Johan Franzen (groin); Scratched: Daniel Cleary, Brian Lashoff
Enemy reading: Winging it in Motown
Game notes:
- Hi folks, I’m filling in for Langluy,, and I promise to give the same effort an injured Kings team on the second night of a back-to-back against an Eastern Conference team will likely give tonight.
- So the Kings lost last night to the Penguins in a game I think we’d all just like to forget about forever. By far the best thing about tonight’s game is that it won’t include the guys who made a joke about Hobey Baker dying in a plane crash for everyone watching from outside Los Angeles. Even if the Kings lose 9-0 tonight, it will be a much improved evening.
- (literally the best part of that clip is how Paul Steigerwald just continues laughing at his own incredibly inappropriate joke. like he just KEEPS LAUGHING. he clearly tries to stop but he CAN’T)
- Okay so the Red Wings I guess we should talk about those guys a little bit here. They’re off to a pretty good 5-2-2 start through their first 9 games, in a three-way tied for third with Ottawa and Boston in the surprisingly competitive Atlantic division. Rather than say It’s Early about fifty thousand times for the rest of this preview, I’ll just say it here once: it’s early etc. Okay cool. I doubt anyone will really be that surprised to see the Wings keep up this pace for the rest of the season; even though some people predicted them to finally make the playoffs this year, they’re still the Red Wings and as a bonus they are in the East, which remains awful trash garbage. They get to play the Sabres (5 points through their first eleven games), Panthers (9 points through 8), and Maple Leafs (9 points through 11) a whole bunch more times this season. They’ll probably be fine.
- There’s some definite issues down south for a couple of Wings though, as both Stephen Weiss and Johan Franzen will miss tonight’s game with groin injuries. My deepest condolences. Meanwhile, the Kings will get Trevor Lewis back for the first time since the Kings somehow lost to the rapidly deteriorating husk of the San Jose Sharks on opening night. It’s a little sad how excited I am for the return of Stone Hands Lewis, but here we are. Gaborik & Kopitar both remain out with injuries so mysterious that they may not be injuries at all. Maybe they’re just chilling in the back room of a club somewhere, enjoying some hookah. We don’t know.
- Hey, how about we wrap this thing up with some #fancystats? The Red Wings and Kings have similar 5v5 Corsi numbers, with Detroit controlling 52.79% of all shot attempts at even strength so far this year and Los Angeles controlling 52.06%. The gap widens a bit if we look only at score close situations, with Detroit controlling 52.28% of shot attempts and LA having just 51.37% of shot attempts. We’re ten games in for the Kings so I wouldn’t worry very much about that. On the other hand, the Sharks have just a 49.48% Corsi at 5v5 close in twelve games and they should DEFINITELY PANIC. I’M NOT KIDDING I WANT TO SEE FIRE IN THE STREETS, GET ON THAT.
- Why did I mention the Sharks again? That’s a good question. I don’t know.
- Oh, it’s Halloween! That’s…..not important at all, I guess.
- I’m wrapping this up now because it’s less than a half hour till puck drop. Enjoy the game./