GDT: GM#42 LA Kings vs Nashville Predators @7:30

[kingsboy11]

Nashville Predators(23-11-6, 52pts, 3rd in Central) @ Los Angeles Kings(24-12-5, 53 pts, 2nd in Pacific)
Staples Center| Los Angeles, CA
TIME: 7:30 PM PT | TV: FSW | RADIO: 790 KABC

QUICK STATS
Previous meeting: NSH 4-3 OT

PP/PK	22nd/1st	4th/11th
Faceoffs	18th	5th
Leading Scorers	Anze Kopitar:17 goals, 26 assists, 43 points	Filip Forsberg: 15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Lines*

Extras: Alex Iafallo, Johnny Brodzinski, Kevin Gravel
Injuries: Jeff Carter, Jake Muzzin

Injuries: Filip Forsberg

News/Notes:​

• The Preds fell in overtime by a 3-2 final to the Coyotes on Thursday night. Ryan Ellis and Craig Smith scored for Nashville while Juuse Saros made 22 saves in goal. The Predators registered 39 shots on the evening, but a late power-play goal by the Coyotes forced overtime.
• The LA Kings were off to a good start against the Calgary Flames, but completed imploded in the 2nd period. The Kings tried for a late comeback with a goal by Pearson to pull it within one, but fell short.
  
• The Predators are 31-26-3-8 all-time against the Kings, including 18-11-0-6 all-time against Los Angeles at STAPLES Center. Nashville has picked up at least a point in seven consecutive games in Los Angeles after taking down the Kings, 4-3 in overtime, on Nov. 4. Overall, the Preds have only lost once in regulation to the Kings in their last 13 meetings, with Nashville winning five straight from Nov. 2, 2013 to March 14, 2015. (We need to bring back Bernier just for these games against the Preds)
• Christian Folin has been activated from Injured reserve and will return to the lineup tonight. While Folin comes off IR, Jake Muzzin will be going on IR.

Quotes from the GM/Coach:

“At the midway point, we’re happy with where we are in the standings, but I’ll be honest with you: we’ve got lots of work to do as a team,” John Stevens said. “If I had to look back and go to the year and try and do things differently, I think there are always things that happen during a game where you’re always going to try and analyze, ‘could you do better?’ We’re very comfortable with the intention of the players and the staff of what we’ve done at this point of the season.”
“I don’t think you’re going to pick one specific spot and say, ‘this is what the team does really, really well.’ I think they do a lot of different things,” Blake said. “A lot of it depends on the team you’re playing and what kind of resistance they’re giving you. But, again, when you have a lot of really good players within a structure, within a system, they become creative, and that’s what you want them to do.”

“We get lots of feedback from the players,” Stevens said. “So, we’re very comfortable in hindsight looking back and how we’ve executed the plan to this point, but having said that, we know that we’ve only gotten to a point where we’ve gotten ourselves in the middle of a battle for a playoff spot, and we’ve got an awful lot of work to do to fulfill that goal we set at the beginning of the year.”

Carter Update:
“Walking around, finally. Real nice to see him walking around,” Rob Blake said. “I don’t know when he’s going to be back, but he is progressing. He’s walking around without a boot on, and he actually looks pretty good that way.”
“I think once he gets skating, we’ll know a lot more,” Blake continued. “Has the tendon and everything started to heal? Yeah. But, there’s a lot else because he’s been immobile for so long that needs to be worked on. But all the steps taken, there’s been nothing that’s slowed it down.”
He’s progressing up here. [He’ll begin to skate lightly] once he gets to certain levels,” Blake said. “But there’s been no saying, ‘OK, January 17, you’re going on the ice.’ We haven’t put anything like that into it at all.”

Source: Rob Blake not surprised by club's first half surge; Jeff Carter update - LA Kings Insider
​

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[KingPuckChoo]

wow the D without Muzzin looks scary

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Don't tell me the odds.

 

[Fishhead]

Hoping for the best and trying to be optimistic, but I put fresh batteries in the remote just in case I had to shut it off quickly.

 

[Sol]

Not gonna win many games having grinders like Clifford and AA replace Iafallo.

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst.

Quick usually does bad against them.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Not gonna win many games having grinders like Clifford and AA replace Iafallo.

Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst.

Quick usually does bad against them.

Its not like Iafallo was lighting up the score sheet and id would think a few games of sitting will hopefully spark better play when he returns, Meanwhile some physical play vs our western conference foes serves a need to me

 

[KINGS17]

Maybe the Kings can get back on track against a non-division opponent.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Time for Doughty to show these pretenders what a norris worthy Dman looks like, 40+mins or we're f***ed

 

[Sol]

Its not like Iafallo was lighting up the score sheet and id would think a few games of sitting will hopefully spark better play when he returns, Meanwhile some physical play vs our western conference foes serves a need to me

Yeah because we need more gritzzzz and less goals.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Yeah because we need more gritzzzz and less goals.

if i look both aa and clifford have scored more recent then Iafallo Just a fact your ignoring

 

[tny760]

good time for macD and fantenberg to have a good game.. that's not a confidence-inspiring d corps

nitpicking but i'd be interested to see kopi centering pears and toff moreso than splitting up pears/toff

 

[KingCanadain1976]

Lets see a team game tonight to make up for muzzin out Go Kings go

 

[kingsboy11]

 

[kingsfan28]

Did Iafolo get sent down or just sent to the doghouse?

 

[KingPuckChoo]

Iafallo in
Gravel in

Andreoff out
Fantenberg out

 

[kingsboy11]

He's still here. He's played a lot of games. If this was college hockey his season would already be done by now. Nothing wrong with giving him some rest.

 

[kingsfan28]

So Lewis is on the pp, and Pearson isn't?

 

[tny760]

rest of the defensemen could take notes on gravel's hustle to get the puck and get the play developing instead of lazily coasting back to retrieve

little things

 

[HookKing]

rest of the defensemen could take notes on gravel's hustle to get the puck and get the play developing instead of lazily coasting back to retrieve

little things

Yep. Losing Muzzin only hurts on the offensive side of things.

 

[kingsboy11]

wow thats a horrible call

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

These new age refs are f***ing awful.

 

[tny760]

no hook against brownie but they call the obvious one

pathetic

 

[kilowatt]

Brutal calls on Drew there.

 

[kingsfan28]

Brutal calls on Drew there.

got an extra 2 for yapping on a penalty that never shouldve been called

 

[kingsholygrail]

got an extra 2 for yapping on a penalty that never shouldve been called

He really needs to stop doing that shit. I don't care of it's a shit call. He cost his team a goal.