November 26 morning skate notes; lineup decisions coming

Good morning from El Segundo, Insiders. The Los Angeles Kings face the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center tonight (7:30 p.m. / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / KABC 790 / I Heart Radio), and during their morning skate aligned up front as such:

King-Kopitar-Lewis
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Brown-Dowd-Setoguchi
Gaborik-Shore-Nolan
Clifford-Andreoff-Purcell

-Peter Budaj left the ice first and is your expected starter tonight. Jeff Zatkoff remained on the ice for some extra work with Teddy Purcell and Andy Andreoff, so those skaters aren’t likely to play tonight. Speaking of Zatkoff, and with today’s big football game in mind, his great uncle, Roger Zatkoff, was an All-Big Ten linebacker at the University of Michigan and an All-Pro linebacker who won an NFL Championship with the Detroit Lions in 1957. There’s an award presented in his honor to Michigan’s “outstanding linebacker” at the end of each season. Jeff grew up going to football games in Ann Arbor, though in the interest of fairness, I’m told he also married into some Ohio State allegiances. (End of fairness; Go Blue!)

-Darryl Sutter said that no decision has yet been made on Marian Gaborik (broken foot), who skated to the left of Nick Shore and Jordan Nolan. He confirmed that the Kings will use two extra players in warm-ups, which I read as either Gaborik or Kyle Clifford playing, and either Matt Greene or Tom Gilbert playing. None of the four skaters on the lineup precipice remained on for extra work.

-At this point Andy Andreoff (thumb surgery) is healthy – he said he was cleared last week – but there just doesn’t seem to be a clear and open spot for him at the moment. He said he’s “just waiting to get back in the lineup” and is looking to build up his conditioning and timing.

-Larry Robinson is dropping the ceremonial puck for tonight’s heritage night. His autograph session and the unveiling of the team’s 50th anniversary monument outside Staples Center have been canceled because of the rain we’re expecting this afternoon.

-The Blackhawks are holding an optional morning skate. It is “likely” that Scott Darling will get the start in net. Jonathan Toews, who is day-to-day, did not play in Chicago’s 3-2 win in Anaheim yesterday afternoon.

-I’ll have Darryl Sutter quotes early this afternoon, followed by a story on Alec Martinez’s productive start to the year. Let’s talk soon, Insiders.

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