Since we last had Willie Mitchell troll Steve Downie…
IN: Mathieu Garon, Bruno Gervais, Matt Gilroy
OUT: Simon Gagne, Mike Smith, Sean Bergenheim
INJURED: Ryan Malone (upper body), Dana Tyrell (knee), Mattias Ohlund (knee). Adam Hall and Marc-Andre Bergeron (upper body) appear set to return.
The Lightning are expected to dress seven defensemen. Brett Connolly and Matt Gilroy appear to be the scratches.
Tampa Bay Lineup:
Pyatt-Lecavalier-St. Louis
Purcell-Stamkos-Downie
Thompson-Moore-Wyman
Shannon-Hall
Clark-Hedman
Brewer-Kubina
Mikkelson-Gervais
Bergeron
In net: Roloson
Kings lineup: Aside from Jonathan Quick, Sutter is sticking with the same group that went out against Carolina, including Martinez over Voynov. People who don’t follow the team might wonder, “What’s wrong with the guy who got scratched?” There’s simply not enough room. Both are good 22-year-olds duking it out for that final spot, though Martinez could use a dose of luck to go along with his excellent possession numbers (his PDO is the worst on the team, while his Corsi is the best of all our d-men).
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been on a roll lately (6-0-1), while the Kings suffered their second straight regulation loss. The last time that happened, Murray was still in charge. Their first period was also their strongest. Given their travel schedule, that’s not something I’m inclined to over-analyze. Let’s hope they regroup and come back strong.