Preview, Game Day #34: Los Angeles Kings @ Arizona Coyotes

Los Angeles Kings @ Arizona Coyotes

Time: 6:00 Pacific

TV: Fox Sports West

Enemy Reading: Five for Howling

Los Angeles Kings

Lucic-Kopitar-Gaborik
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Lewis-Shore-Brown
Mersch-Andreoff-Nolan

McNabb-Doughty
Muzzin-Martinez
Forbort-McBain

Quick
(Enroth)

Scratched: Weal, Ehrhoff Injured: Clifford, King, Greene

Arizona Coyotes
Rieder-Vermette-Boedker
Domi-Tikhonov-Duclair
Chipchura-Richardson-Doan
Martinook-Gordon

Ekman-Larsson-Murphy
Dahlbeck-Elliott
Grossmann-Stone
Michalek

Domingue
(Lindback)

Injured: Hanzal, Vitale, Smith; Scratched: Downie, Scott

Notes:

• An abbreviated preview today. Turns out the day after Christmas doesn't usually lend itself to being on the computer. Who knew?
• Anyway, some notable absences for the Coyotes. Martin Hanzal, who has more points against the Kings (26) than against any other team in the NHL, won't play. Zbynek Michalek, who's been out for the last three games, is a "game-time decision." And Mike Smith won't be able to slash anyone for about two months, as he's sustained a core muscle injury.
• On our side, Dwight King is skating again, but he's still not quite ready to go. Thankfully, the third line looked pretty great on Tuesday, so King can take his time.
• It feels like the Kings haven't won in forever, but it's only been nine days! And only two games!
• The Coyotes are a point out of third in the Pacific, which at any given time has been true for almost every team in the Pacific. By point pace, though, Arizona is the third-best team in the division! That's a team that's ahead of schedule. Or the other teams are just bad.
• LA has given up five goals in three of their last four games.
• Arizona has given up five goals in two of their last four games.
• Prediction: 2-1. You don't actually think anyone's scoring five today, right?/