Anaheim Ducks @ Los Angeles Kings
Time: 7:30 Pacific
TV: FSW/Prime Ticket
Enemy Reading: Anaheim Calling
Los Angeles Kings
Lucic – Kopitar – Pearson
Brown – Carter – Toffoli
King – Lecavalier – Lewis
Clifford – Andreoff – Versteeg
McNabb – Doughty
Muzzin – Schenn
Scuderi – McBain
Quick
(Enroth)
Scratched: Shore, Dowd, Gravel Injured: Gaborik, Martinez, Nolan, Greene
Anaheim Ducks
McGinn – Getzlaf – Perry
Cogliano – Kesler – Silfverberg
Santorelli – Horcoff – Stewart
Garbutt – Thompson – Wagner
Fowler – Despres
Lindholm – Manson
Stoner – Vatanen
Gibson
(Khudobin)
Scratched: Holzer Injured: Andersen, Perron, Pirri, Bieksa, Rakell
Notes:
- Big game, in case you don’t normally watch the regular season. (Can’t blame you after last year.) A regulation win puts LA a single victory away from their first division title in approximately 90 years, which is amazing, because they’ve been around for 50 or so. An overtime/shootout win means Anaheim can still win out and take the division no matter what, but the margin of error becomes smaller in their back-to-back. A Ducks win is bad news.
- (The last, and only, division title, for the Kings was actually in 1990-91. It was called the Smythe Division back then. The Ducks and Sharks did not exist.)
- And yes, readers, you WOULD like the Kings to win the division. At least, 59% of you would.
Tell us who you’d rather the Kings face in the first round and why. We’ll read some answers on tonight’s #Jewelcast!
— Jewels frm the Crown (@JFTC_Kings) April 7, 2016
- Some injury-related luck for LA, in that Rickard Rakell (who we heaped lavish praise on during yesterday’s Jewelcast) had his appendix removed a week ago. He’ll be back for the playoffs, but the lineup looks a little more top-heavy than usual with Rakell and David Perron out.
- Of course, that’s offset by the absence of Marian Gaborik (who has some happy Ducks-related memories) and Alec Martinez (ditto) for LA. In particular, Martinez’s absence is a concern. You can get away with a bottom pair of McBain-(Scuderi or Gravel) against Calgary; can you get away with it against Anaheim?
- Obviously, this one will go a long way in determining first-round matchups. But if the Kings and Ducks both survive tricky first-round matchups, whoever has home ice in that second round might be giving thanks for the outcome of this one. Don’t look too far ahead though!
- Top goal-scorer in this game: Corey Perry, 33. Top assists man: Ryan Getzlaf, 50. Top scorer overall: Anze Kopitar, 72.
- PREDICTION: Kings and Ducks both reach 100 points tonight. Kings reach 101 on an overtime winner by Milan Lucic.