November 5 morning skate notes

A happy and beautiful fall (summer?) morning to you, Insiders. Enjoy the warm weather, but if you’re spending time indoors, hey, you might as well prepare for tonight’s game against Calgary at Staples Center (7:00 p.m. / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / Hockey Night in Canada / KABC 790 / I Heart Radio).

Via rushes, the lines and pairings depicted no changes:

Pearson-Kopitar-Purcell
King-Carter-Toffoli
Brown-Dowd-Setoguchi
Clifford-Shore-Lewis
Extra: Nolan

Forbort-Doughty
Muzzin-Martinez
Gravel-Greene
Suspended: Gilbert

-Jordan Nolan and Tom Gilbert were actually paired together during line rushes, and the two remained on the ice with Jack Campbell and Jeff Zatkoff for some extra work, so don’t expect Nolan to play. Peter Budaj was the first goalie to leave the ice and is expected to make his ninth consecutive start.

-I’ll have a story up on Devin Setoguchi this afternoon, as well as a few quotes from Anze Kopitar on lining up against Sean Monahan and taking time and space away from Johnny Gaudreau. As for Setoguchi, he’s consistently generating some B-type scoring chances, but is still looking for his first NHL goal since March 1, 2014. “I think you start worrying when you don’t have the chances, when you don’t get in to the spots where you need to go to score, and yeah, I mean it’s frustrating that they’re not going in, but I think you need to start worrying when you’re not in the scoring areas and you’re not getting those chances more,” he said.

-It’s a Saturday, so Sean O’Donnell will be between the benches for the FOX Sports West broadcast, and the Kings will wear their 50th anniversary jerseys. Also, it’s a Heritage Night, and Steve Duchesne will drop the ceremonial pre-game puck! Duch, or Duuuuch, as he was known in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, was a favorite in the Rosen household, and prior to being traded in 1991, lived in Encino, down the street from where LAKI grew up. It’s fitting Los Angeles is playing Calgary, because one of his most memorable assists came against the Flames in the 1988-89 season.

-During the second intermission, be on the look out for Saturday Straight Up, a FSW segment hosted by Kings Men Podcast’s Jesse Cohen and featuring Josh Cooper and me. Think of it as a TV snippet of our podcast. The takes will be warm, not hot.

-Brian Elliott is expected to get the nod for the Flames, while Freddy Hamilton will draw into the lineup for ex-King Kris Versteeg, who is nursing a groin injury. Hamilton’s brother, Dougie, has shown improvement in his second year with Calgary and has two goals, six points and 34 shots on goal in 12 games. Their father, Doug, was a rower who won bronze in quadruple sculls at the 1984 Los Angeles games, while their mother, Lynn, was a basketball player who also participated with Canada in the 1984 Olympics.

#Flames line rushes at morning skate:
Gaudreau-Bennett-Brouwer
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
Ferland-Monahan-Chiasson
Bouma-Stajan-Hamilton

— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) November 5, 2016

#Flames pairings at morning skate:
Giordano-Brodie
Kulak-Engelland
Grossmann-Hamilton
Goaltenders:
Elliott (Starter)
Johnson#CGYvsLAK

— Derek Wills (@Fan960Wills) November 5, 2016