Game Day #2: Philadelphia Flyers @ Los Angeles Kings
7:30 PM Pacific, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Fox Sports West
Radio: KABC 790 AM
Streaming: Fox Sports Go
Lines:
Los Angeles Kings (source: Jon Rosen)
King – Kopitar – Toffoli
Purcell – Carter – Lewis
Brown – Shore – Nolan
Andreoff – Dowd – Setoguchi
(bottom six subject to change)
Muzzin – Doughty
McNabb – Martinez
Forbort – Greene
(bottom pair subject to change)
Zatkoff
(Budaj)
Philadelphia Flyers (source: Dave Isaac)
Raffl – Giroux – Simmonds
Konecny – Couturier – Voracek
Cousins – Bellemare – Weise
VandeVelde – Gordon – Read
MacDonald – Gostisbehere
Provorov – Streit
Schultz – Manning
Neuvirth
(Mason)
What Kings fans will be watching for: Don’t let the current LA troubles overshadow what should be a night of celebration. The 50th Anniversary season is kicking off, and the original 1967-68 team will be represented by (deep breath) Bob Wall, Brent Hughes, Brian Kilrea, Bryan Campbell, Howie Hughes, Howie Menard, Jacques Caron, Jacques Lemieux, John Kent Cooke (Jack Kent Cooke’s son), Larry Johnston, Lowell MacDonald, Mike Corrigan, Poul Popiel, Ted Irvine, broadcaster Jiggs McDonald, and (by video) original head coach Red Kelly. Will heavily reconfigured lines help make the night end as joyfully as it starts?
What Flyers fans will be watching for: It’s their season opener, so curious eyes will be on debutantes Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov, hopeful eyes will look for contributions from 2015-16 underachiever Jakub Voracek and new arrival Dale Weise, and jealous eyes will glare at Jeff Carter. After last year’s second-half surge, hopes are high in Philly. Yes, hope! In Philly!
What everyone else will be watching for: Mostly the whole goaltending thing, which Robyn wrote about earlier. And if you if believe a guy with a blue checkmark…
Latest on @JonathanQuick32 Bad groin injury. Surgery a real possibility. @LAKings looking at 3 to 4 months w/o #1 goalie.
— Daren Millard (@darenmillard) October 14, 2016
… Lots of curious observers are going to be looking for signs of weakness tonight.
STAT OF THE DAY: There were 5 shots on goal by tonight’s first line players, who were on three separate lines, on Wednesday. All five were by Toffoli.
THE KEYS: Jeff Zatkoff and Michal Neuvirth. Zatkoff’s been thrust into the starter’s role very suddenly, while Neuvirth had a career season and is attempting to wrest the starting job from Steve Mason.
THE PREDICTION: Flyers 3, Kings 2 (shootout).