The Los Angeles Kings begin their 2011-2012 NHL season by battling the New York Rangers in Stockholm, Sweden. Niesy at Jewels From The Crown previewed the game from the Kings' standpoint:
As for the Kings, there’s still a damn lot for them to work on: between the split-squad games and the long looks given to NHL-ready prospects like Voynov and Loktionov, the final power play units have not had much time to work together. Jarret Stoll is the new Handzus. The forward lines need to gel. Long-haired rich guy Drew Doughty is still getting up to speed. Penner has a mysterious lower body/possible man-Spanx-inflicted injury, which the Edmonton Journal is sure to investigate soon. At their "home" game in Stockholm, everyone will be rooting for Lundqvist. To top it all off, LA officially has the most grueling travel schedule in the NHL.
The Kings have Drew Doughty signed to a new contract, and he is in the fold for the opener. "The exhibition game was huge for me to get up with the speed and make sure I was passing to the guys the way I was used to," Doughty told NHL.com. "Most importantly the practices have been really important to make sure I was back with the right systems and developing the habits with the guys. I feel well-conditioned and well-prepared, and I have no excuses."
Here are the details of today's contest:
Time: 10 a.m. PDT
Location: Ericsson Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
TV: Versus
2010-2011 Records: Kings 98 points (46-30-6), Rangers 93 points (44-33-5)
Injuries: Dustin Penner is out for the Kings. Marc Staal is out for the Rangers
Last meeting: In their only meeting last season, on February 17, the Rangers beat the Kings at Madison Square Garden 4-3 in a shootout.