Most valuable line?

The Kings’ best line in this series so far? It’s hard to argue against center Michal Handzus and wingers Fredrik Modin and Brad Richardson, a trio that has combined for five of the Kings’ 10 playoff goals so far and, on the other end, has done a solid job so far against the line of Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows. The Handzus line will see a lot more of the Sedin line during the game at Staples Center, since the Kings get the final line change and Terry Murray prefers that matchup. In Vancouver, the Canucks try to match up the Sedins against the Kopitar line as much as possible. Here’s what Murray said today about the two-way ability of the Handzus line…

MURRAY: “Handzus, Modin and Richardson, they’ve very good checking players, very responsible. They’re big bodies. They’re guys who can hold onto the puck. Both Modin and Handzus, for me, have great resumes on the offensive part of the game. I go back with Handzus in Philadelphia, and I even followed him back in his St. Louis Blues days, when he was paired up with Demitra. They had great success in the offensive part of the game. Same thing with Modin. He plays in Tampa Bay and he’s a big part of the Stanley Cup championship year there. He had a great series against the Flyers in that conference final, and you saw the offensive part of the game always there with him. He’s bringing it together now with great chemistry. Richardson is starting to, I think, find that offensive part of the game that he knows, he believes, is in there. He showed it in junior. He told me all about it at the end of last season, in his exit meeting. It was a little bit of a challenge to him, to bring it out, and he shows that knack, that skill that he’s able to play at that level.”

Question: What has been the key for that line in terms of limiting the effectiveness of the Sedin line?

MURRAY: “The only way you can do it is by checking very well. That’s got to be your mindset going into the matchup at the start of that shift. You have to know that we’re in a defensive situation and, if you play with that attitude, you’re going to work hard to get the puck and once you get it back, with Handzus, Modin and Richardson, those guys have the ability now to attack with some speed, with possession, and make plays through the middle of the ice and make smart decisions at the offensive blue line to get a forecheck going. They’re in there fast and establishing position and keep going on the cycle and good things will happen.”

Question: How much does playing at home, and having the last line change, help you?

MURRAY: “It’s always an advantage to play at home and get that matchup, absolutely, especially on the back end. Scuderi and Doughty, those are the two guys we want to see against the Sedins all the time. But starting, when you have faceoffs in your D-zone especially, it’s a good thing, for me, to have Handzus’ line out there. Again, they have awareness. They’re good faceoff men, big bodies, and it loosens up the Kopitar line, which was getting matched up in Vancouver. It puts him in a defensive minder. I want him going the other way. I want him to have that attack mentality, and I think it makes a difference going into the start of each shift.”