Scouting the Ducks

Tonight’s game is the first meeting of the season between the Kings and Ducks, both of whom are in desperate need of some positive momentum. The Kings are 1-6-0 in their last seven, and the Ducks are 1-4-2, although they’re coming off a 6-4 victory over Phoenix on Saturday. In that game, Bobby Ryan had a hat trick, Ryan Getzlaf had four assists and Corey Perry had one goal and two assists. As the home team tonight, the Ducks have final change, so they have the advantage in terms of getting the matchup they want with the Getzlaf line. Terry Murray said he focuses more on defensemen, rather than forwards, in terms of trying to match up against the opponents’ top forwards…

MURRAY: “For me, it’s always been the back end. I try to give that more of a focus. Some coaches want to change the forward lines on the fly, and it works. We saw it the other night, actually, with Chicago. They made a lot of changes on the fly, but our philosophy is more on the back end.”

Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, who is dealing with a bad back, is considered questionable for tonight’s game, but Teemu Selanne (groin) is expected to play.

Remember, tonight’s game is a 7:05 p.m. start, and Bob Miller and Jim Fox are calling the action, as both teams are broadcasting the game.

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