In the second of three televised preseason games this season, the Kings ease a couple more veterans into their lineup.
Los Angeles Kings v Anaheim Ducks (Honda Center)
Time: 5:00 PM Pacific
TV: Prime Ticket
Radio: AM 790 (KABC)
Enemy reading: Anaheim Calling
Kings (projected) lineup:
King-Richards-Williams
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Andreoff-Shore-Nolan
Cracknell-Dowd-Van der Gulik
Muzzin-Greene
Regehr-Voynov
McNabb-Loverde
Jones
(Berube)
Ducks (projected) lineup:
Heatley-Getzlaf-Perry
Maroon-Kesler-Silfverberg
Beleskey, Cogliano, Smith-Pelly, Steckel, Karlsson, Jackman
Fowler, Beauchemin, Lindholm, Lovejoy, Allen, Theodore
Andersen
(Bobkov)
Game Notes:
- The Ducks have only confirmed the names in italics above; that is, their top two lines. The rest is guesswork, assuming that none of the Ducks who played in San Jose last night will be in Anaheim tonight.
- So, for the second game in a row, the Ducks will most likely be icing a stronger lineup than the Kings. Should be fun.
- Dany Heatley scored in each of his first two preseason games without Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Now, we finally get a look at the expected Opening Night top line for the Ducks. I’ve seen a lot of snark about how the Ducks are holding back Perry and Getzlaf by teaming them with a long-past-his-prime left winger, but let’s be honest, I could probably score 20 goals playing with those two. How much can it really hold them back?
- (They really should have kept Dustin Penner for that, though.)
- We DO know the exact lineup for Los Angeles. Mike Richards, Justin Williams, Jeff Carter, and Nic Dowd in for Clifford, Sabourin, Horvat, and Weal. That means we will see the projected second and third lines for Opening Night. Will Sutter stick with Pearson-Carter-Toffoli for the whole game? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT
- The entire blueline changes… aside from Brayden McNabb, who (like Andy Andreoff and Adam Cracknell) will probably play every preseason game so the Kings management gets a good look at what they have.
- We do NOT know the line combos for the bottom six, though we do know who will be composing those lines. Jordan Nolan won the competition with Andreoff and Cracknell on Thursday.
- We haven’t gotten to listen to Brian Hayward since he pretended not to notice Anze Kopitar in last year’s second round. He’ll be on Prime Ticket, if you’re into that; I’ll probably be muting the TV in favor of Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans.
Prediction: That 70’s Line scores 70 goals.