Game Previews

Kings-Ducks Game Preview: It's a Duck Blur

The Kings and Ducks close at the season series at Staples Center, with only one team still chasing a playoff spot.

Time: 8.00 PM

TV: NHL Network, Prime

Enemy reading: Anaheim Calling

Season series: Game 1: Recap, Stats Breakdown | Game 2: Recap, Stats Breakdown | Game 3: Recap

Ducks (projected) lineup:

Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan
Selanne-Lombardi-Palmieri
Winnik-Cogliano-Koivu
Beleskey-Steckel-Etem

Beauchemin-Souray
Sbisa-Allen
Fowler-Lovejoy

Fasth?

Injured: Bonino (lower body); Scratched: Dvorak, Holland, Staubitz, Lydman

Kings (projected) lineup:

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

Regehr-Doughty
Scuderi-Voynov
Muzzin-Ellerby

Quick?

Injured: Greene (back), Mitchell (knee); Scratched: Martinez, Toffoli

Game notes:

FREE ALEC MARTINEZ
SERIOUSLY, FREE ALEC MARTINEZ
Anaheim comes into Staples Center tonight having dropped their last game against the Avalanche, 4-1. I would mock them for this, but the Kings only managed to Anaheim their way to a shootout victory over the Avs the night after. The Ducks clinched a playoff spot last night with Detroit's loss to Chicago, while the Kings' magic number is something like 9 or 10. Math is hard on a Saturday morning.
No idea what the goalie situation is for tonight. Guessing Viktor Fasth probably starts after Jonas Hiller got pulled against the Avs. Jonathan Quick was decent against the Avs, and there isn't another game until Tuesday, so I would presume he gets the call again today.
Also no idea what is going to happen with the defensive pairings. Cam Fowler left the Ducks' last game and now says that he's "just sore" and "day-to-day". If Fowler doesn't play, Toni Lydman will be in for the Ducks. For the Kings, I think it's pretty apparent that the Jake Muzzin & Keaton Ellerby tandem is a bit of a disaster, and Robyn Regehr also had a pretty poor game against the Avalanche.
Have I mentioned Free Alec Martinez?

Fun! With! Numbers!: