It’s been four days, but hockey’s back in L.A.!
Tonight the Los Angeles Kings will host the New York Rangers at Staples Center. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST.
It’s a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s the first time the two coast-to-coast teams have met since the Cup was raised, in Staples Center, in 2014.
The Kings are coming off a nice four-day break. L.A.’s last game was Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The Kings lost in a volatile 7-6 overtime score-fest. L.A. came back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game, but gave up the game winner to Roman Josi 18-seconds into OT.
Earning one point keeps the Kings in fourth place in the Pacific Division. L.A. has a total of 47 points from a 19-12-9 record. The Kings are top-10 in the NHL at home with a record of 14-4-3.
Tonight is the second game of the Rangers West Coast road-trip. New York’s trip started last night, when the Kings took on the Anaheim Ducks. Scoring three goals in the third period the Rangers bested the Ducks 4-1, winning their third game in a row.
New York is currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 21-11-4 for 46 points. The Rangers are tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Bruins. In 15 road games this season the Rangers are 8-6-1.
The Kings have been quiet about the progress of defensemen Robyn Regehr, who is healing an upper-body injury. Regehr has been out since December 18th when the Kings faced the St. Louis Blues.
Puck Prose
Despite last minute changes to the Kings defensive pairings, L.A.’s expected lineup is as follows:
Forwards:
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dwight King
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dustin Brown – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Trevor Lewis
Defensemen:
Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene
Jamie McBain – Jeff Schultz
Goaltenders:
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Quick looks like he’ll get the nod to start in goal tonight. Quick’s numbers in 33 starts are 16 wins, a 2.35 goals against average, and a .917 save percentage.
The Kings and Rangers arguably have the two best goaltenders in the world. Only one of them will be in action tonight. New York’s goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist won’t start in goal tonight. From Rangers beat writer Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News:
Vigneault says no particular reason why he is starting Lundqvist tonight v Ducks & Talbot tomorrow vs Kings
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) January 8, 2015
Dwight King has been moved up to the Kings first line to play alongside Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik.
Only head coach Darryl Sutter ever knows why Darryl Sutter does what Darry Sutter does.
However, there’s two probable reasons for the move. King has been moved up to first line duties as a reward for his recent excellent offensive play. In the Kings last two games King has 3 goals, scoring twice against the Nashville Predators, and once against the Vancouver Canucks.
The second reason: moving King up allows Sutter to drop Justin Williams to L.A.’s third line. This move reunites Williams with captain Dustin Brown. Brown and Williams did some damage in the point department when they were put together in mid-November.
Over the stretch Williams went on a 6-game point streak, scoring 3 goals and 7 points. During the same period Brown went on a 3-game point streak, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 games. Brown is currently on a 2-game point streak, with an assist in each of the last two games.
Blue Line Station
Rangers to keep an eye on:
Cam Talbot will start in goal for the Rangers. Talbot isn’t the star goalie of the Rangers, but he’s been stingy in 7 starts this season. Talbot has 3 wins, a 2.02 goal against average and a .928 save percentage.
Rick Nash is on pace for a career year. The star Canadian winger is second in the NHL, only one goal behind the Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin, with 25 goals this season. In 37 games this season Nash leads the Rangers in goals, points, plus/minus, short-handed goals, and game-winning goals. Nash has 39 points, a +19 rating, 3 short-handed goals, 4 power-play goals and 4 game-winning goals.
Nash isn’t just a scorer, he’s a big-bodied forward who won’t take any guff in the corners or along the boards. Nash is physical and prefers to finish all of his checks. He’ll be easy to notice, but keep an eye out for Nash. He just may pop-up on the stat-sheet tonight.
Kevin Klein leads Kings defensemen in goals and points. Klein has 7 goals and 14 points in 36 games this season. Klein was a big pick-up for the Rangers in the offseason, replacing the loss of Anton Stralman who was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Klein is a puck-moving defensemen with a big shot from the point. He has a tendency to drift into the slot as a late trailer like Chris Chelios used to do. If forwards don’t back-check, or they miss an assignment, Klein can make them pay.
The Rangers are on a roll and the Kings are in need of a win. It will be an interesting clash of 4th place division positioned teams. It’s the first rematch of the Cup Finals. Enjoy, and as always:
Go Kings Go!
Next: Are the Kings Riding Jonathan Quick Too Hard?
Jun 13, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) and defenseman Kevin Klein (8) defend the net against Los Angeles Kings right wing Justin Williams (14) during the overtime period in game five of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports