Los Angeles Kings @ Winnipeg Jets
Time: 5:00 Pacific
TV: Fox Sports West, TSN3
Enemy Reading: Arctic Ice Hockey
Los Angeles Kings
Lucic – Kopitar – Carter
Pearson – Dowd – Toffoli
King – Shore – Brown
Clifford – Andreoff – Lewis
McNabb – Doughty
Muzzin – Martinez
Scuderi – Schenn
Quick
(Enroth)
Injured: Gaborik, Greene, Nolan, Versteeg Scratched: McBain, Lecavalier (“banged up”)
Winnipeg Jets
Ehlers – Scheifele – Wheeler
Armia – Burmistrov – Stafford
Thorburn – Lowry – Halischuk
Petan – Copp – Dano
Chiarot – Byfuglien
Trouba – Stuart
Melchiori – Postma
Pavelec
(Hutchinson)
Injured: Myers, Little, Enstrom, Perreault Scratched: McBain, Lecavalier (“banged up”)
Stats & Such
(Fancy stats courtesy War on Ice)
| Team | Kings | Jets |
| Record | 44-24-5 | 30-37-7 |
| Points | 93 | 66 |
| Division Rank | 1st | 7th |
| Streak | Lost 2 | Won 2 |
| Goals For/Game | 2.73 | 2.55 |
| Goals Against/Game | 2.29 | 2.96 |
| ES Goal % | 54.5 | 51.2 |
| ES Shot % | 54.7 | 49.0 |
| ES PDO | 99.9 | 99.3 |
| ES Corsi % | 56.0 | 52.0 |
| ES Fenwick % | 55.9 | 51.5 |
| ES Scoring Chance % | 54.1 | 51.4 |
| ES High-Danger SC % | 54.3 | 49.0 |
| Power Play % (Rank) | 20.5 (9th) | 14.6 (29th) |
| Penalty Kill % (Rank) | 81.3 (14th) | 78.5 (25th) |
| Starting Goalie (today) | Quick | Pavelec |
| Goalie Record | 37-19-4 | 9-13-2 |
| Save % | .920 | .904 |
| ES Save % | .931 | .918 |
Notes:
- This morning, Vincent Lecavalier was part of LA’s line rushes, but he’s “banged up” and is unlikely to play tonight, so Andreoff will likely center Clifford and Lewis on the fourth line. Tanner Pearson, who was out for personal reasons, returns to the lineup.
- Pearson-Dowd-Toffoli is just fascinating, isn’t it? If Darryl Sutter is serious about leaving Jeff Carter on the wing, Dowd’s chances of staying in the lineup increase exponentially. If Versteeg and Lecavalier both return on Saturday, though, it’s probably either Dowd or Shore who sits. Shore played 8:13 to Dowd’s 12:15 on Tuesday; keep an eye on those ice times tonight.
- LA’s last two games were losses against Central teams fighting for playoff spots. Tonight, they play a Central team that could be eliminated tonight and has zero chance of qualifying. Can’t blame desperation tonight.
- Stop asking Jon Rosen about Marian Gaborik and Matt Greene.
This will be a pinned tweet. On Greene and Gaborik, was told by DS on March 18, “don’t expect any of them back for the regular season.”
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) March 24, 2016
- The Jets are having their own injury woes, as Tyler Myers just underwent surgery which will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Paired with Tobias Enstrom’s knee surgery, that’s how you end up with a third pairing of Paul Postma and Julian Melchiori. Makes Scuderi-Schenn look pretty good, eh?
- Well, well, well, if it isn’t Marko Dano again! Dano has now been part of the return in trades for Jeff Carter (he was the eventual pick LA traded away with Jack Johnson), Brandon Saad, and Andrew Ladd, and he’s only 21. Dano has five points in 12 games with Winnipeg, with three of them coming in one night against Vancouver.
- .904? Oh, Ondrej.
- Anze Kopitar’s six-game point streak was snapped against Minnesota. Shame. He hasn’t had consecutive games without a point yet this month.
- [OBLIGATORY NCAA MARCH MADNESS TIE-IN: The Kings have already made the Sweet Sixteen!]
- PREDICTION: Either Nick or Nic scores, LA wins 3-1.