According to John Forslund, rookie Justin Peters will get the call in net as the Carolina Hurricanes continue on with their 15,000 mile "Magical Mystery Tour" at Staples Arena tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Forslund spoke with Mike and Mark on 620 The Buzz this morning and confirmed that Peters was indeed the goalie of choice.
One of the criticisms of Coach Paul Maurice last season was his heavy use of Cam Ward. While Ward loves to play the second game of back to backs, there was a feeling that he might have been worn down last season as he played 20 plus games in a row at one point. The goalie suffered from back spasms a good part of the year and had suffered from a similar ailment during the 2009 playoffs. Perhaps the coach is being more forward thinking with this move?
Also, Peters probably needs to be worked in order to be effective. It's very difficult for a backup to sit 20 plus games at a time, then come in and be at his best when suddenly called upon.
On the other hand, Ward is red hot right now and it's still early in the season. After tonight, there is a two day break before the Phoenix game on Saturday night, then the team has another four days off before playing at home against Washington. Is a break for Ward truly needed?
It's just another day and another big decision in the life of an NHL head coach.
Sergei Samsonov and Brett Carson were both healthy scratched last night. Considering the success of the lines in San Jose, it would be surprising if there were any changes tonight.
- Staal, Jokinen, LaRose
- Sutter, O`Sullivan, Kostopoulos
- Ruutu, Skinner, Cole
- Dalpe, Bowman, Dwyer
The defensive pairings seem to be mixed and matched, although might start out like Corvo-Pitkanen, Gleason-McBain, Harrison-Babchuk. (Will Jay Harrison continue to join the rush like he did last night?)
The Los Angeles Kings are 3-1 so far this young season, with their only loss at Calgary. Goalie Jonathan Quick has been very, very sharp. Check out these stats.
((UPDATE)) But I'm told Jonathan Bernier will probably get the start.
They are led in scoring by former "Captain Canada" Ryan Smyth, who has 5 points and former Hurricane Justin Williams, who has 4. Dustin Brown also has 4 points and Anze Kopitar, with 3, is always dangerous.
The blueline is also very talented with Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson as the players to watch.
While some Hurricanes fans will be keeping an eye on Justin Williams, (will he score against his former team?) some Kings fans will probably be watching Patrick O`Sullivan, who started his career in Los Angeles with much success. Will Tim Gleason and Jack Johnson tangle? There are always mini games within the game, and tonight will be no different.
For more info about the Kings, check out Eric's Blog as well as Jewels From The Crown.
It's another late 10:30 Eastern start to this game and it will be broadcast by FSN Carolinas and 99.9 The Fan. We will have the open game thread up and ready to go before 10.