Los Angeles Kings v Washington Capitals (Staples Center)
Time: 7:30 PM
TV: Fox Sports West
Enemy reading: Japers’ Rink
Capitals (projected) lineup:
Johansson-Beagle-Ovechkin
Kuznetsov-Backstrom-Brouwer
Chimera-Fehr-Ward
Penner-Brown-Wilson
Alzner-Carlson
Hillen-Green
Orlov-Wey
Halak
Injured: Brooks Laich, Mikhail Grabovski, Aaron Volpatti, John Erskine; Scratched: Connor Carrick
Kings (projected) lineup:
Gaborik-Kopitar-Williams
Toffoli-Richards-Carter
King-Stoll-Brown
Clifford-Lewis-Pearson
Muzzin-Doughty
Regehr-Voynov
Mitchell-Martinez
Quick
Injured: n/a; Scratched: Matt Greene, Jordan Nolan
Game Notes:
- The Kings lineup is pure wishful thinking. Sorry if I got you all excited for no reason. There was no morning skate, Dustin Brown is a game-time decision, and nobody knows what’s going on. But maybe Darryl Sutter heard the urgent telepathic message I directed his way earlier today (unlike every previous urgent telepathic message I have directed at him, ever) and will keep Tanner Pearson in the lineup even if Brown returns.
- Also, #FreeJakeMuzzin. Please, please, please for the love of not having to see Matt Greene lumber around ineffectually anymore, free Jakey. And his eyebrows.
- The Capitals are in town! Funnily enough, it’s been over two years since the last time the Kings and the Caps played, but this is only the first of two games the team will play in a week. If you’d forgotten about the Caps since then, not much has changed: Alexander Ovechkin leads the league in goals, and their power play remains deadly, leading the league for the second consecutive season.
- One thing that has changed is that the Caps traded for Jaroslav Halak and Dustin Penner at the trade deadline. You may remember Halak from all those times he lost to the Kings as a Blue (six of his last seven, according to the esteemed LA Kings Insider). You may remember Dustin Penner from all those times he made misogynistic and racist jokes on twitter! Also he used to be a King, I guess. Amusingly enough, it only took him like six games to get demoted from the top line to the fourth. Never change, Dustin. Except for maybe learn to be less of an asshole.
- The Caps are on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble, so all the usual stuff about desperate opponents, etc etc. They beat the Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday, but got trounced in possession and didn’t look all that sharp.
- I don’t normally mention this kind of stuff, but Justin Williams, famous prior to his Kings career for a)scoring a Cup-winning goal, b)something something Saku Koivu and c)being half-dead all the time, will play in his 200th consecutive game tonight. Aww.
- ~Fun with Numbers~ from Extra Skater. After a solid stretch in 2014 before the Olympic break, the Caps’ possession numbers have crashed back down to their dismal start of season level. Part of the problem is that, as you can see from the usage chart, their depth is pretty much garbage and one of their best possession players (Grabovski) is hurt.
- I want to write a love song every time I see the big dark blue Kopitar bubble all the way over there in the left left – I really do. If he doesn’t get a Selke nomination, I will commit so. many. murders.
- Prediction: Kings win 5-2, nobody remembers who Tim Tebow is.