Last season the Kings went 2-1-1 vs. the Oilers, but that seems like such a long time ago. The more recent memory is of the Kings game in Edmonton just a few weeks ago – where there was some crazy officiating all night long and they eventually lost when Sam Gagner scored in overtime. However, the most lasting image from that game will forever be young Russian forward Nail Yakupov sliding down the ice on his knees celebrating the game tying goal with just 4.7 seconds remaining in regulation. Several Kings took exception to that and it will be interesting to see how or if that is woven into the storyline of tonight’s contest.
To help set the stage, here’s some word association we did with a few of the Kings’ players prior to them heading out on the road. Each guy was asked to react to the names of four Edmonton players. Like usual, these were all done one-on-one, so no player heard what the other guy said – making it interesting when you compare their answers…
On Jordan Eberle:
Anze Kopitar – Nice hands
Trevor Lewis – Shifty
Dustin Penner – Gap tooth
On Taylor Hall:
Kopitar – Speed
Lewis – Fast
Penner – Big tooth
On Nail Yakupov:
Kopitar – Skill
Lewis – Fast
Penner – Bugs Bunny cartoon, yakety-yak
Kopitar – Slimy
Lewis – Skilled
Penner – I think of chocolate
We’ll have plenty more throughout the day. In the meantime, if you missed yesterday’s article where Mattias Norstrom and Ian Laperriere talk about the Kings’ Stanley Cup, click here now.
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