Los Angeles Kings v Vancouver Canucks (Staples Center)
Time: 7.00 PM
TV: Fox Sports West, CBC
Kings projected lineup:
Gaborik – Kopitar – Williams
Pearson – Carter – Toffoli
King – Richards – Brown
Pearson – Carter – Toffoli
King – Richards – Brown
Clifford – Stoll – Lewis
Nolan
Nolan
Doughty – Muzzin
Greene – Martinez
McNabb
Quick
Injured: Regehr; Suspended: Voynov
Canucks projected lineup:
Sedin – Sedin – Vrbata
Higgins – Bonino – Burrows
Matthias – Horvat – Jensen
Dorsett – Vey – Hansen
Higgins – Bonino – Burrows
Matthias – Horvat – Jensen
Dorsett – Vey – Hansen
Edler – Tanev
Stanton – Bieksa
Hamhuis – Sbisa
Stanton – Bieksa
Hamhuis – Sbisa
Miller
Injured: Kassian (leg), Sestito (lower body), Richardson (?)
Game notes:
- Robyn Regehr sustained an injury in practice, so the Kings will be playing tonight with 13 forwards and 5 defencemen. Do we think Drew Doughty might hit forty minutes of ice time tonight? Fifty? Hell, just leave him on the ice full-time and let everyone else rotate around him. I don’t see any way this ends terribly.
- The Canucks have been surprisingly good to start the season, with a lot of their recent additions coming out to strong starts. Freshly acquired Radim Vrbata has been a big hit with the Sedin twins on the top line, Ryan “Silver Medal” Miller has been decent (he stole a hell of a game against the Sharks two nights ago), and former Monarch/King Linden Vey has been very strong in the bottom six (already posting seven points).
- Neither Zack Kassian nor Tom Sestito will be playing tonight, so at least the risk of somebody’s head getting exploded tonight is minimal. This game is a success already!
- I don’t really know what to say about this game. The Kings weren’t able to take advantage of a tired Islanders team during their last game and this 13/5 configuration is obviously going to look pretty weird. Trying to stay off the PK/avoid that extra exertion would probably be a good plan tonight but this is the Kings so…¯_(ツ)_/¯
- Prediction: Kings win ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ¯_(ツ)_/¯