Lines, notes, sounds from the morning skate

Based on this morning’s skate, the line combinations for this evening’s game at the Honda Center will look something like this:

Tanner Pearson – Anze Kopitar – Tyler Toffoli
Matt Frattin – Mike Richards – Jeff Carter
Kyle Clifford – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis
Daniel Carcillo – Linden Vey – Scott Sabourin

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Jeff Schultz – Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Mathieu Garon

This is your obligatory “We’re still technically in training camp and alignments will change throughout the game so let’s not get too caught up on preseason lines” reminder.

-Still, the Pearson-Kopitar-Toffoli line will be interesting to watch. Here’s what Kopitar had to say about assuming the role of the experienced veteran alongside two younger players:

-Jonathan Quick will make his preseason debut tonight, with Mathieu Garon backing up. Similar to the games against Phoenix, the starter will go for 40 minutes before the coaches determine whether he’ll go an additional 20. The decision will be largely based on workload. Here’s Darryl Sutter discussing how he uses the preseason the get his goaltenders ready for when the games actually count:

There is very much a battle between Ben Scrivens and Garon for the backup job.

-Matt Frattin will continue to get the primary look to play alongside Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, and the trio will skate together again tonight. Hey, we’ve got a SoundCloud subscription. Let’s put it to use here:

-So…this might be awkward.

And so Dustn Penner’s first action in his return to the #NHLDucks will come against the Kings. The PPG Line is reunited!

— Dan Wood (@Duckscolorman) September 17, 2013

 

Per Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, Viktor Fasth will get the nod for Anaheim, with John Gibson backing up. Here’s his projected Ducks lineup.

Anze Kopitar, on Sunday’s game, and what the team will look to improve:
Just sharper, really. Just sharper, and pay attention to detail and bring our intensity up a little bit. It’s a first game. You don’t want it to be sloppy, but at the end of the day you’re not going to be a hundred percent sharp and a hundred percent ready. Especially after three days of practice – and some heads are pretty full with information – so you’re going to miss a few. Tonight’s a different story. We’ve got some video to correct some things, and now it’s got to stick. Again, it’s a matter of getting sharper, and just getting ready.

Kopitar, on if he sees similarities between the assets between Tanner Pearson/Tyler Toffoli and Dustin Brown/Justin Williams:
Well, yeah. I think for them, looking down the road, that’s where they want to be, in that kind of position as Willie and Brownie are right now. So I think it’s a fun challenge for them. It’s going to be a good challenge for me to play with the young bucks, I guess. It should be fun.

Matt Frattin, on gaining comfort on the ice with his new teammates:
After the first game, I thought it was a little rough for us. But we got back to work yesterday, and just got to continue and forget about that and just kind of get on track and play our systems coming into tonight against Anaheim.

Frattin, on what he took from Sunday’s game:
I think we kind of fell into a little penalty trouble in the first period. I think we took four penalties, and that kind of slowed down our momentum. The first couple shifts we kind of started off pretty well, and then after that we were kind of on the back burner with playing PK. They capitalized on their power play, we didn’t, and that was kind of the difference.

Darryl Sutter, on Anze Kopitar skating with Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli:
Well, Kopi’s got to play games to be ready. Quite honest, last year he didn’t really have a training camp with us. He was hurt when he came, and I think it affected his year. Really, Pearson-Toffoli we were going to play anyways, so that’s who he’s playing with.

Sutter, on what he’d like to see from Pearson and Toffoli:
We want them to make an impression. Give ‘em every opportunity to make one. Tyler struggled in the first game, and Tanner had a good first game, so we’ll see what happens tonight.