Opportunity for Halpern

Before Saturday’s game, Terry Murray talked about his reunion of the Kopitar-Smyth-Williams line and his desire to see his top players on a line together for the rest of the season. It lasted all of one game, and now Jeff Halpern gets a chance to show what he can do. In yesterday’s interview, Dean Lombardi spoke of how Halpern had yet to find a role with the Kings, after playing top-line minutes for part of the season in Tampa Bay. Halpern has yet to record a point in 11 games with the Kings. He had nine goals and eight assists in 55 games with the Lightning. Here’s what Murray said about the latest line changes.

MURRAY: “We keep looking for that top-end play I guess, in particular from the Kopitar line. We’re looking for offense, a line that has that chemistry and can go out and really do the job against the opponent. I’m taking Williams off the line here tonight. It’s just not quite there for him right now. He’s had a very severe injury and a long rehab there. I’m just not seeing that strength, that quickness that he had before the injury, so I’m just going to back off and put Halpern there tonight. Halpern has played with some of the top players in the game this year, in Tampa, and I’m going to put him up there and give him a look, and hopefully there is something good that comes out of it.”

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