January 13 practice notes

Good afternoon from El Segundo, Insiders. Practices on the morning after home games are often optional skates, but not on this Friday! The Kings held a special teams-heavy practice and got in some good power play work with the drills you see from time to time in which the defenders hold their sticks by the stick blade to facilitate crisp puck movement. All active players were accounted for on the ice. Neither Tyler Toffoli nor Jonathan Quick were among those who participated. There is no update today on either player.

-That’s it for the Kings news. Darryl Sutter did not meet with the media this morning, so I spoke with Davis Payne about Dustin Brown’s proficiency in screening goaltenders. “Well, it takes some commitment to getting there, and I think Brownie’s commitment to getting there has been good this year and I think that’s the most important first step.” More from Payne, Brown and Matt Greene on the forward’s ability to take away the goalie’s eyes. An interesting story is coming down the pike this afternoon.

-The Winnipeg Jets will make their first of two Staples Center appearances this season tomorrow night (7:00 p.m. / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / HNIC / KABC 790 / I Heart Radio). They will do so without rookie phenom Patrik Laine, who did not travel with the team after sustaining a concussion when he weathered a hit by Buffalo’s Jake McCabe last Saturday. Winnipeg plays at Arizona tonight in their first game since Wednesday’s 7-4 loss to Montreal, which elicited a fiery Paul Maurice timeout late in the second period and a post-game press conference in which he did not pull any punches in addressing his team’s play that night. The Jets are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. They’ve scored 122 goals, the third-most in the Western Conference, and have allowed 133 goals, the second-most in the Western Conference.

-We’re about to tape the Saturday Straight Up that will air during tomorrow’s game. A story on Dustin Brown and a recap of last night’s Kings Weekly Chris Sutter feature will follow. Enjoy your Friday, Insiders. Let’s talk soon.