Never mind about the lack of swine flu vaccines - what the CDC really needs to investigate is the fact that the National Hockey League is being devastated by the injury bug so far this season. It seems as though it has finally infected the Los Angeles Kings.
As the club returns home from a five game southern road swing which saw them compile a winning record, they've lost in a way that hasn't yet shown up on the stat sheet. Defenseman Rob Scuderi will miss his third consecutive game tonight when the Kings host the Philadelphia Flyers at Staples Center. He has a lower body injury which may also likely force him to miss Saturday's contest against Calgary.
The news was worse about Ryan Smyth. Following the morning skate, head coach Terry Murray told reporters that Smyth will be out of action with an upper body injury for at least four weeks.
"It’s very unfortunate that you lose a player that’s an important player for your team," Murray acknowledged, "but you know, you take a look around the league, there’s all kinds of injuries to top players. You’ve got to deal with it. It’s part of the game."
Alexander Frolov will move up to the top line tonight, joining Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams, while Teddy Purcell will move onto the third line with Michal Handzus and Wayne Simmonds. Randy Jones will stay on the defensive pairings tonight with Jack Johnson. Jones faces his former team tonight, which placed him on waivers in late October.
The game is the first of four in the western part of the United States for the Flyers, who ended New Jersey's unbeaten road streak at nine straight Monday night.
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