Strong debut for new-look fourth line

Back to some on-ice stuff… The Kings are expected to go with the same group of forwards tomorrow against Colorado, which would mean a fourth line of center Trevor Lewis with wingers Kyle Clifford and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Last night’s game was that trio’s debut together, and the line had some of the best shifts of the game for the Kings, as Terry Murray noted today.

MURRAY: “They were outstanding. That fourth line last night, in the second period, in my mind they turned the table around for us, with momentum and attitude, to get after it and show that hard work and intensity, anticipating the plays and just doing the right things on the forecheck side of it. You can start to build on that confidence, build on that momentum. To me, they get credit for the win, along with Bernier. i thought Bernier’s game was very good. They’re the line that put the template in place for us last night, and we followed through, especially as we get into the latter part of the game.”

Question: Is that a line that also has the potential for more scoring?

MURRAY: “Yeah, absolutely. Poni, you look back at his resume, he’s a 20-goal scorer, a 20-plus-goal scorer. With Lewis, I think once his hands catch up with his legs, his speed, that he’s going to be a player who contributes goals. And there’s no doubt, in my mind, that Clifford is going to move up in the lineup, when he becomes a player who’s got some games behind him in this league. He could possibly move up into a second-line position some day. He shows the ability to think, he has composure, he’s got the attitude of, `If you’re in my way, I’m going to run over you,’ and he’s going to be a very good player.”