Calgary Flames v Los Angeles Kings (Staples Center)
Time: 7:30 PM PST
TV: Fox Sports West, SportsNet
Enemy Reading: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Lineups:
Los Angeles Kings
Gaborik-Kopitar-Williams
Clifford-(Nick) Shore-Carter
Brown-Stoll-Lewis
King-Richards-Nolan
Muzzin-Doughty
Regehr-Martinez
McNabb-Greene
Quick
(Berube)
Scratched: McBain, Andreoff; Injured: Jones; Suspended: Voynov
Lineups:
Calgary Flames
Gaudreau-Backlund-Hudler
Bouma-Monahan-Jones
Raymond-Granlund-Colborne
Bollig-Stajan-Byron
Brodie-Giordano
Russell-Wideman
Smid-Engelland
Ortio
(Hiller)
Scratched: (Drew) Shore, Jooris; Injured: Glencross
Notes:
- A 1-2-3 homestand certainly isn’t good. At all. But it’s a lot better than 1-5-0, isn’t it? With a win tonight, the Kings finish the homestand earning one point per game, which makes a disastrous homestand into a merely disappointing one.
- However, the Calgary Flames have been a thorn in the Kings’ side for a while. At least, if thorns are capable of inflicting incredible, soul-crushing disappointment every time they prick you.
- I attended the last Staples Center matchup between these two, in which Johnny Gaudreau scored twice with the Calgary net empty and Mark Giordano scored in OT. I’m going tonight as well, so blame me for anything that goes wrong.
- Robyn Regehr returns just in time to face his old team. We’ve flung plenty of crap at Regehr over the last couple years, but I am very pleased to see him back with LA’s recent PK woes.
- I have an inexplicable love for that second line, at least in terms of what it gives Nick Shore. I’m not so sold on how it affects the third and fourth lines, which don’t look threatening.
- Look for JF Berube on the bench!
- Joni Ortio is the starter tonight, providing a challenge for the fans at Staples; we’re sill hearing about the time John Gibson was serenaded with “HILLLLERRRR” chants.
- Quick shout-out to Matchsticks and Gasoline, our sister blog in Calgary, who have done some terrific things with the site in the past year.
- PREDICTION: The game goes to a shootout, and someone on the Kings manages to score. Bold I know.