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Game preview: Kings at Coyotes
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The Phoenix Coyotes will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games when they play host to the Los Angeles Kings tonight for a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at Jobing.com Arena.
The Coyotes defeated the Detroit Red Wings in dramatic fashion in overtime, 3-2, on Thursday.
Los Angeles Kings Examiner Jonathan Moncrief and I have collaborated on this game preview.
Los Angeles Kings (6-4-0, 12 points, 2nd place in Pacific Division)
Who's hot
If the first ten games of the season are any indication about the rest of the season, then it’s clear that Anze Kopitar has finally figured it out. Thanks to his first career hat trick in the Kings 5-4 overtime victory over Dallas on Thursday night, Kopitar now has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points on the season, tying him with Alex Ovechkin for the most points in the league going into Friday's action. Kopitar is in his fourth NHL season at the tender age of 22, but is already showing maturity way beyond his years. The influence of Ryan Smyth, acquired in the off-season from Colorado, and Justin Williams, added at last season's trade deadline, has allowed Kopitar's confidence to grow. He and Smyth have registered at least one point in nine of the first ten games.
Who's not
Clearly, Alexander Frolov has had issues, and they surfaced near the boiling point on Monday. Following a stretch of games without any quality scoring chances during a season-long six-game road trip, and highlighted by a terrible giveaway that led to a devastating goal in a loss last Saturday at Columbus, head coach Terry Murray benched Frolov for Monday's game in Dallas. A perennial 30+ goal scorer, Frolov has just one goal in the first 10 contests, and a paltry 12 shots on goal during that stretch. To put that in perspective, fourth line center Brad Richardson has the same number of shots averaging nearly ten fewer minutes of ice time. On Thursday night, Frolov returned to the lineup and was credited with two assists.
Who to watch for
Jonathan Quick has started nine of the first ten games between the pipes for the Kings, and it looks like he'll be the only netminder playing in the foreseeable future. Murray told the media on Wednesday that he had “erased” his plan to spot Quick from time to time with backup goaltender Erik Ersberg. In the next seven days, the Kings play back-to-back nights twice, and Quick is expected to make all four starts. He was one of three goaltenders invited to the Team USA Olympic Orientation Camp this past August. Last season, Quick posted the third highest total of rookie victories in franchise history, and has started 50 of the last 60 games dating back to last season. On Friday, he signed a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 season.
What to watch for
The penalty killing unit was a bright spot last season, and has started to rebound from an awful start this season. In the last seven games, six of those away from home, the Kings have killed off 26 of their last 31 short-handed situations, a rate of 83.9%. The top line has also been top heavy in the scoring department: the combination of Kopitar, Smyth, and Williams (who missed the last game due to a lower body injury suffered in the morning skate) has combined to score 17 goals and compile 22 assists for a total of 39 points. The rest of the entire team has combined to tally 16 goals and register 39 assists for a total of 55 points, meaning the top line has accounted for 51.5% of the goals scored and 36.1% of the assists.
Unsung/under the radar player
Michal Handzus isn't usually one of the first few players Kings fans talk about, but his play is a key element in the club's success. After doubling his point total last season to 42 points from the previous season's 21, Handzus continues to be very effective in his role as a solid second line center. In addition to being the guy who opposes the other team's top line center every night, Handzus has scored four goals and added two assists so far this season. Three of those goals have been game winners, including Thursday's overtime winner against Dallas.
Line Combinations
FORWARDS:
Ryan Smyth - Anze Kopitar - Wayne Simmonds
Alexander Frolov - Michal Handzus - Dustin Brown
Teddy Purcell - Jarret Stoll - Scott Parse
Raitis Ivanans - Brad Richardson - Peter Harrold
DEFENSEMEN:
Jack Johnson - Rob Scuderi
Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty
Davis Drewiske - Matt Greene
GOALTENDERS:
Jonathan Quick (starting)
Erik Ersberg
SCRATCHES:
Trevor Lewis (healthy scratch), Alec Martinez, Justin Williams
Injury report
Williams injury was sustained at the end of Thursday's morning skate. It was described as a lower body injury, and Murray indicated that he didn't expect the injury to be a long-term issue. If he is unable to play Saturday, Trevor Lewis will play on the third line with Purcell and Stoll, while Wayne Simmonds will move up onto the top line with Smyth and Kopitar. Defenseman Alec Martinez continues to battle a lower body injury that has kept in out of action since playing in the first game of the season.
Phoenix Coyotes (6-2, 12 points, 1st place in Pacific Divison)
Who’s hot
Shane Doan looks to be heating up for the Coyotes. He has registered five points in the last three games. He leads the team in scoring with one goal and six assists for seven points in eight games. Doan is feeding the puck to Matthew Lombardi and Lombardi is rewarding him with assists in return.
Who’s not
Peter Mueller still has yet to heat up. He only has two points through the first eight games of the season, and both of those are assists. In addition, he comes into tonight’s game against the Kings with just 14 shots on goal for the season. If Mueller can start producing then the Coyotes’ offense will be that much better.
Who to watch for
Ilya Bryzgalov remains hot. Coming into tonight’s game, “Bryz” has compiled a record of 6-1 with a 1.26 goals against average and a .949 save percentage. He’s also shutout the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks this season, too. In Thursday’s victory over Detroit, he stopped 25 of 27 shots.
What to watch for
The Coyotes offense. After being ice cold in three games earlier this month, Phoenix has now scored 10 goals in their last three contests. So far this season, the Coyotes have shown that they can grind out a 2-1 or 1-0 victory and they’ve shown the ability to win games 4-1 like they did last Saturday against Boston. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of game is played tonight.
Unsung player to watch
Adrian Aucoin seems to fit the role of an unsung player. Aucoin is second on the team in scoring with two goals and four assists for six points in eight games. He also has a plus/minus rating of plus-five and two of his goals have been game-winners. Aucoin has been getting the job done on both ends of the ice and has been a catalyst for Phoenix’s early-season success.
Injury report
Defenseman Kurt Sauer has missed seven games due to an upper body injury.
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