Kings-Blackhawks Game 2 Preview: Shake it off

Los Angeles Kings v Chicago Blackhawks (United Center)

Time: 5.00 PM

TV: RDS, TSN, NBC Sports Network

Enemy reading: Second City Hockey

Series coverage: Notes & Information | Preview | Game 1 recap, grades

Blackhawks (projected) lineup:

Bickell-Toews-Hossa
Sharp-Handzus-Kane
Saad-Shaw-Stalberg
Kruger-Bolland-Frolik

Keith-Seabrook
Oduya-Hjalmarsson
Leddy-Rozsival

Crawford

Injured: n/a; Scratched: Carcillo, Mayers, Smith, Brookbank, Stanton

Kings (projected) lineup:

Brown-Kopitar-Williams
Penner-Richards-Carter
King-Stoll-Lewis
Clifford-Fraser-Richardson

Regehr-Doughty
Scuderi-Voynov
Muzzin-Greene

Quick

Injured: Mitchell; Scratched: Toffoli, Martinez, Ellerby, Nolan, the Manchester Monarchs

Game notes:

• These previews are a lot easier to write when only one or two things go horribly awry, and I can throw in a mix of positive and negative. Instead, today, you get this:
  
  
  
• As Robert noted in his game grades & stats, Dustin Penner had three of the Kings' five (5) (FIVE) scoring chances in game one. I love Playoff Penner as much as the next person, but holy cats - everything about that statistic is just incredibly depressing.
  
• I know we all keep banging on about the first line here, but I think I might actually be out of things to say now. I just don't know what they are doing. Obviously the prevailing theory is an injury, which I think makes sense. The good decision-making largely still seems to be there, but they're getting out-worked so easily, and they're no longer providing a safety net for the unproductivity of the bottom six. Given Sutter's line-matching philosophy, if the Kings can't stand up to the Blackhawks line-for-line, this series is going to be over very quickly.
  
• People say Jonathan Quick kind of seems like a jerk, but wouldn't you be too, if you had to play behind a team that squandered so much of your brilliance?
  
• #FreeAlecMartinez. #FreeTylerToffoli. #FreetheKings'TalentWhichHasMysteriouslyDisappeared.
  
• Let's try this again. The Kings will have to win at least one road game to take this series, so they might as well start now - for real. Prediction: Kings win, seven wins left, onwards & upwards.