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Game Day #8: Kings-Blue Jackets

Los Angeles Kings v Blue Jackets (Staples Center)

Time: 1.00 PM

TV: Fox Sports West

Kings projected lineup:

King – Kopitar – Brown

Pearson – Carter – Toffoli

Andreoff – Stoll – Williams

Clifford – Richards – Nolan

Doughty – Muzzin

Regehr – Martinez

McNabb – Greene

Quick

Injured: Gaborik (??), Lewis (“upper-middle body”); Suspended: Voynov

Blue Jackets projected lineup:

Hartnell – Johansen – Foligno
Calvert – Wennberg – Skille
Letestu – Anisimov – Tropp
Cracknell – Chaput – Boll

Johnson – Savard
Erixon – Wisniewski
Tyutin – Prout

Bobrovsky

Injured: Dubinsky (abdominal), Jenner (hand), Horton (back), Dano (lower body), Atkinson (face), Murray (knee)

Enemy reading: The Cannon

Game notes:

  • I hate the NFL for many reasons, and one of those reasons is that Kings fans have to endure watching so many of these terrible Sunday afternoon games. I know it’s not as bad for me as it is for you guys, but it’s still pretty annoying.
  • Don’t get your hopes up – this is almost definitely going to be a terrible game. The Blue Jackets, when healthy, are an average team in the East. They’re not as good as the Kings are, but on any given day, they’re certainly capable of playing (and winning) a good competitive game against the Kings. Unfortunately, five four of their best players are injured. Although they’ve managed to come out to a 4-3 record, this next stretch could be pretty rough for them.
  • Apparently Ryan Murray will be playing today and Alexander Wennberg has been sent back to the AHL, so I have no idea what is happening with the lines.
  • The latest news on Nathan Horton is that his career might be over due a degenerative back condition. This is awful for a lot of reasons, obviously. Over at The Cannon, Matt Wagner wrote a little bit about degenerative disc disease, and his family’s struggle with it.
  • There isn’t much news to report on the Kings. The lineup will be the same tonight as it was on Thursday. Trevor Lewis remains on IR, not skating. Marian Gaborik has begun skating, but isn’t ready to return. I thought Jake Muzzin looked fine on Thursday, which is a relief.
  • Prediction: Kings win 4-0, from a Jack Johnson own goal and a Jeff Carter hat trick.

Talking Points