October 4 practice notes; Lombardi/Miller conversation

A very good afternoon to you, Insiders. The Kings took the ice at Toyota Sports Center at 10:00 a.m. this morning and aligned thusly:

White: Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Yellow: Clifford-Dowd-Purcell
Green: Setoguchi-Kempe-Brown
Purple: King-Lewis-Andreoff
Red: Mersch-Latta-Nolan

-Who cares about these line rushes? Not me, no sir. The Kings didn’t have their full contingent of forwards on the ice – more on that extra forward shortly – and Tanner Pearson could be looking at a suspension after his hit on Brandon Davidson. Let’s really pay attention to lines and pairings later this week after additional roster moves have been made, and at Frozen Fury.

-All players are back from the World Cup. Jake Muzzin actually practiced today; neither Drew Doughty nor Anze Kopitar took the ice but were spotted at the team facility. Marian Gaborik wasn’t spotted today, but he’s been back in town for a little bit. I’ll have a story on Kopitar’s pre-preseason odyssey today after today’s Darryl Sutter quotes; the forward said he’d like to get into a game this weekend against Dallas or Colorado. Though Sutter on Saturday downplayed the chance of Doughty getting into a Frozen Fury game, he articulated his position this morning. “He’s working out with our team, and I’d expect that he’d be ready to play both games this weekend.” Muzzin and Doughty arrived in Los Angeles yesterday and, per Sutter, should be expected to join practice tomorrow.

-The Blue Jays play a wild card game at 4:30 p.m., so if you follow any Canadian reporters on Twitter, it might be a good time to go social media-free for a few hours, lest you get dragged into a Jays chatroom. When was the last time Sutter coached in a single-elimination game? “I guess last year, when we were down three-one,” he said, also noting the Game 7s he’s been a part of.

-Hoo boy. Enjoy Dean Lombardi’s answer to a question asked by Bob Miller:

#CoffeeWithBob: Bob Miller gets candid with @LAKings GM Dean Lombardi … longer interview coming soon on #KingsWeekly @GumTreeLA #NHL pic.twitter.com/616gJNxFbC

— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) October 4, 2016

FOX Sports West’s season preview, which will contain more of the Miller-Lombardi Coffee With Bob, as well as Patrick O’Neal and Sean O’Donnell breaking down the upcoming season, will air after Friday’s Frozen Fury game against the Stars.

More to come…