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Preview: Kings and Flames square off as road trip continues

Posted on by Sarah Avampato

How to Watch

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time

TV: Fox Sports West

Radio: iHeart Radio

The Opposition: Matchsticks and Gasoline

What to Watch

  • Last night in Edmonton was, as is familiar to Kings fans this season, a case of “too little too late” for the team. While they found themselves pressing the Oilers harder as the game went on, and while they employed a less disastrous structure as they settled in, it didn’t matter, because once again, two first period goals was all it took for the Oilers to walk away with a win.
  • The Flames are currently 3-0 under new (interim) bench boss Geoff Ward. Their current streak is their first three-game winning streak all season. Was coaching the issue? Or is this team actually not built for success?
  • Off-ice issues aside, the Flames have had their own slew of issues getting it going on the ice. Johnny Gaudreau has struggled this season and currently is holding down a spot on the third line alongside Milan Lucic. Is that a punishment? It seems like a punishment to me. (Lucic scored his first goal of the season on December 5.)
  • It’s naive to think the Kings will fix their special teams problems overnight, or, truly any time soon, and perhaps it’s not entirely fair, considering the Oilers have the best power play in the league, but the Kings’ total failure to clear the puck at key moments during the penalty kill is something that they absolutely need to get under control. The Flames’ power play is only so-so — 20th in the league — but it’s not exactly a fun thing to watch them struggle on the penalty kill night in and night out.
  • With no real morning skate, it’s tough to guess what the Kings’ lineup will be. Kyle Clifford was out last night with an illness, but could be a game-time decision. Kurtis MacDermid and Paul LaDue have been swapping lineup spots as of late, but I also wouldn’t be opposed to Joakim Ryan taking a seat for a bit. Mike Amadio (9:45) and Matt Luff (10:04) had the least amount of ice time among forwards. /

Lineups

Los Angeles Kings

Iafallo — Kopitar — Brown
Carter — Amadio — Toffoli
Kempe — Lizotte — Wagner
Clifford — Prokhorkin — Lewis

Ryan — Doughty
MacDermid — Walker
Hutton — Roy

Campbell

Calgary Flames

Talking Points