It’s old home week in Los Angeles. Tuesday night saw Mike Stothers return to face the organization he was part of for six seasons — and delivered the franchise’s only Calder Cup Championship. Next up, it’s Calgary’s Darryl Sutter, who guided the Kings to their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup Championships.
LA’s former bench boss is also bringing Trevor Lewis and Brad Richardson with him.
ICYMI – be sure to check out Lewis on Kings Of The Podcast, as he told some great stories:
And we always have time for a good Richardson story:
Although he’s not expected to play for the Kings any time soon, Quinton Byfield continues to put the work in during skates at TSPC:
https://twitter.com/mayorNHL/status/1466143676963328002
Our photographers have also been snapping up photos all season:
LA Kings practice
12.1.21 pic.twitter.com/7XRnlhQXl5— The Mayor (@mayorNHL) December 1, 2021
As for the game itself on Thursday, recent configurations at practice indicate coach Todd McLellan will be looking to largely keep things the same, including Lias Andersson on the left side and Rasmus Kupari back in the 3C spot he’s occupied most of the year.
LA KINGS PROJECTED LINEUP vs. CALGARY FLAMES on 12/2
Kempe – Kopitar – Brown
Iafallo – Danault – Arvidsson
Andersson – Kupari – Moore
Grundstrom – Lizotte – Kaliyev
Other options: N/A
Protocol: Athanasiou
Serving a 5-Game Suspension: Lemieux
Anderson – Doughty
Edler – Roy
Björnfot – Durzi
Other options: Clague and Maatta
Petersen (starter)
Quick
NOTE: Updated info on Clague / Durzi situation here. One of them is expected to be sent to AHL Ontario on Friday.
On the Flames side of things:
Calgary is expected to use the same lineup Sutter rolled out on Monday vs. Pittsburgh:
Gaudreau – Lindholm – Tkachuk
Coleman – Backlund – Mangiapane
Dube – Monahan – Pitlick
Lucic – Richardson – Lewis
Kylington – Tanev
Hanifin – Andersson
Zadorov – Gudbranson
Markstrom
Read some Ryan Pike stories if you want more on Calgary. He explores their free agent situation — including Johnny Gaudreau’s future — here.
KINGS MILESTONES WITHIN REACH
Alex Edler – one goal away from career number 100
Anze Kopitar – needs 47 points to pass Dave Taylor for third on the Kings all-time scoring list
Dustin Brown — 9 goals away from passing Bernie Nicholls for fifth place in Kings franchise history
Drew Doughty — 20 games away from playing in his 1,000th NHL regular season game
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm PST tonight and the game will be on Bally Sports Network
RELATED CONTENT:
NHL RADIO REPLAY: Mayor’s Minutes – Hoven on Kings, Doughty, Lemieux, and Turcotte
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