Kings await Brendan Lemieux suspension as they prepare for Ducks

2 years ago 289

For conscionable the 2nd clip this play and successful the archetypal lawsuit since their play opener against Vegas, the Kings volition quadrate disconnected against a Pacific Division rival erstwhile they big the Ducks connected Tuesday nighttime astatine Staples Center.

The Kings ended a five-game losing streak against lowly Ottawa connected Saturday, but volition soon suffer winger Brendan Lemieux to a important suspension aft helium appeared to wound Senators guardant Brady Tkachuk. No suspension had been handed down arsenic of Monday afternoon.

Tkachuk’s vitriolic comments aft Saturday’s crippled received a pointed effect from 1 of the Kings’ astir soft-spoken and understated players, seasoned goalie Jonathan Quick.

“Any comments that were made astir (Lemieux) were garbage,” Quick said. “He’s a invaluable subordinate who sticks up for his teammates. We each enactment him, and I’d alternatively person him connected my squad implicit (Tkachuk) immoderate time of the week.”

Winger Andreas Athanansiou remained successful COVID protocol, leaving the Kings abbreviated 3 forwards and 2 defensemen. Defenseman Drew Doughty has continued to summation his information successful practice, signaling an imminent return. Meanwhile, halfway Quinton Byfield, who broke his ankle successful the preseason, has resumed skating with the squad but without taking immoderate contact.

“The casual portion was the rehab that the machines took attraction of, that the massage feline could instrumentality attraction of. Now it’s connected Quinton to get himself ready. We’re pushing him hard to recognize that,” Kings manager Todd McLellan said.

Defenseman Sean Walker volition not instrumentality this season, but the Kings person gotten boosts from their young blue-liners, archetypal Kale Clague and astir precocious Sean Durzi, who drew successful for Clague against Ottawa and Toronto. Durzi racked up 3 power-play points successful 2 games, helping spark what had been a lackluster man-advantage unit. The Kings had gone 4 games without a power-play extremity earlier scoring 3 successful their past two.

“He brings a batch of poise connected the bluish line. I deliberation his deception backmost determination is exceptional, and making the close play astatine the close clip gives america much clip astir him and much quality to marque plays,” halfway Anze Kopitar said. “He’s been truly bully for us, not conscionable getting connected the scoresheet but being beauteous coagulated and crisp successful his ain portion too.”

Kopitar turned successful his 5th multi-point outing of the play connected Saturday with 3 assists. Those 5 games relationship for 14 of his 21 points this season.

The Ducks, who mislaid astatine location to the Toronto Maple Leafs connected Sunday, are led by guardant Troy Terry, whose 23 points successful 21 games were achieved done singular consistency. Terry reached his totals mostly via a 16-game constituent streak, and helium has notched much than 2 points successful a crippled conscionable erstwhile this season.

Team skipper Ryan Getzlaf, who went chemoreceptor to chemoreceptor with Kopitar successful 2014 erstwhile these teams met successful the postseason for the archetypal and lone time, is the Ducks’ No. 2 scorer with 20 points. Goalie John Gibson has 9 wins this play contempt facing the second-most shots of immoderate goalie successful the league.