Tonight’s game will feature hockey players, wearing Los Angeles Kings jerseys, playing an actual hockey game. Who cares if most of them (okay, all of them) won’t be wearing those jerseys on Opening Night? It’s still going to be a welcome sight after three months.
Not much has changed with the big club over the course of the summer, but there are plenty of new faces in the organization. All 2014 draftees aside from Adrian Kempe are here learning how to be an LA King this summer, while a number of unfamiliar players are here on a tryout basis to earn a spot with the team. Tonight is our first chance to see many of them in action, against the prospects of the Arizona Coyotes.
(Among those you will not see tonight: Adrian Kempe and Nikolai Prokhorkin are already playing regular season hockey in Sweden and Russia, respectively, while some more experienced Monarchs such as Andy Andreoff and Jordan Weal are preparing for the full training camp.)
Here is tonight’s Kings lineup, via Jon Rosen:
FORWARDS
#37 – Nick Shore
#38 – Valentin Zykov
#39 – Taylor Burke
#42 – Scott Sabourin
#46 – Spencer Watson
#49 – Michael Mersch
#54 – Ryan Horvat
#58 – Michael Amadio
#67 – Nic Dowd
#79 – Justin Auger
#80 – Matt Mistele
#83 – Conor McGlynn
DEFENSEMEN
#40 – Nick Ebert
#45 – Alex Lintuniemi
#52 – Darren Raddysh
#62 – Zachary Leslie
#68 – Roland McKeown
#84 – Derek Forbort
GOALTENDERS
#65 – Patrik Bartosak
#75 – Brandon Maxwell
This will serve as the gamethread as well; I’ll be updating you on the goings-on in Arizona. If you’re watching, drop by and say hello!
Prediction: Every King scores a goal, and we don’t overanalyze this game one bit.