Game Day #20: Kings @ Devils Preview

Los Angeles Kings v New Jersey Devils (Prudential Center)

Time: 4.00 PM

TV: Fox Sports West

Enemy reading: In Lou We Trust

Devils (projected) lineup:

Zubrus-Zajac-Jagr
Brunner-Elias-Ryder
Henrique-Loktionov-Bernier
Carter-Gionta-Janssen

Greene-Zidlicky
Gelinas-Larsson
Harrold-Fayne

Schneider

Injured: Bryce Salvador, Anton Volchenkov, Jon Merrill, Ryane Clowe; Scratched: Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson

Kings (projected) lineup:

Brown-Kopitar-Williams
King-Richards-Frattin
Pearson-Vey-Toffoli
Nolan-Fraser-Lewis

Muzzin-Doughty
Regehr-Voynov
Mitchell-Martinez

MAYBE MARTIN JONES??

Game notes:

• Tonight is the first time the Kings and Devils will play since the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which means that tonight is the first chance the Kings have had since the 2012 Stanley Cup Final to pay tribute to the player who made the championship possible for them: Steve Bernier.
  
• Speaking of which, one team tonight will have Bernier, Greene, Carter, and Loktionov playing for them. I think we need to consider the very real possibility that the Devils are trying to Single White Female the Kings. Hold me - I'm scared.
  
• The Kings will also face old nemesis Cory Schneider, who I'm sure you'll all remember has historically done very well against them. He won both of his starts against the Kings last season, although he was playing behind the excellent Canucks' defence then, and not Eric "no relation" Gelinas and Marek "no, please, take the puck - I insist" Zidlicky.
  
• The Kings played one okay period, one terrible period, and one excellent period against the Islanders on Thursday. During that excellent period, the Manchester line was reunited to successful result, and if there's one thing we know about Coach Sutter, it's that he loves you when you're winning. He may start the game reverting to the Kings-Richards-Toffoli/Pearson-Vey-Lewis lines, but I'd bet at least a small amount of (monopoly) money that the game will end with the lineup I've posted above.
• Coach Sutter will probably play Ben Scrivens tonight, but given the tight schedule on this east coast trip, I think there is a faint chance that we see Martin Jones tonight.
• Have we decided whether we're going with Los Angeles Monarchs or Manchester Kings? Just wondering.
• The Regehr-Voynov pairing is starting to show quite a bit of wear around the edges as Sutter tries to increase their workload. I have more faith in Willie Mitchell's ability to cover for Alec Martinez's weaknesses than I do in Robyn Regehr's anything, but I worry that too much of the solution so far seems to have been "just throw Drew Doughty out there and everything will be fine". The Devils have had a pretty unspectacular season so far, and they're struggling to deal with slumps from/injuries to some key players, but there's depth to the forward corps that the Kings will have to watch out for.
• Prediction: Kings win 6-1, for old time's sake.

More from Jewels From The Crown:

• Player Power Rankings III: Let's Talk About Tyler Toffoli
• Kings @ Islanders Recap: The Rookies Do It Again in 3-2 Comeback Win
• Game Day #19: Kings @ Islanders Preview
• Kings @ Sabres: Grades and Analysis
• Kings Links: More on the Call-Ups! But What of the Wounded?/