alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />After practice today, Terry Murray announced that Justin Williams would return to the Kings’ lineup. Williams broke his leg in the Kings’ Dec. 26 game against Phoenix…
MURRAY: “Williams is going to play. I’m going to put him in. I had a meeting with him this morning, before we came here. He had a very hard day yesterday, with the skate and a lot of the battles, and he came out of it feeling very good. So, as a result of that, that feedback, I’m going to get him back into the lineup. He knows that and he’s ready to go. He’s excited.”
Question: Will he start out with Smyth and Kopitar?
MURRAY: “He’s going to go right back with Smyth and Kopitar tomorrow, and get him right into the heat of the battle. Take advantage of a fresh player. It will be like adding a new guy through a deal, really. He’s been out a while and he’s excited. There’s going to be a lot of emotion and adrenaline, and he’s excited about it.”
Question: What will you do with the rest of the lines?
MURRAY: “I’ll get it figured out today, this afternoon. Modin came out of the game yesterday… He blocked a shot, that one slap shot from the blue line, and got it right on the glove. It kind of stung him. I’m pretty sure that everything will be OK, that he will be ready to go. If that’s the case, I’m going to keep Zeus’ line the same. Then with Stoll, it probably works out with Fro playing on the left side and Brownie playing on the right side. Then I need to decide on the other line, with Halpern. Richie will go there, and then who am I going to put with them?”
here’s to fingers crossed for a healthy return and no more King injuries!!!
what a nice line-up!!!
GO KINGS!!!
Clunatic!
Just Freakin’ Fantastic!
Wow, what an amazing recovery from a broken leg. Should be an interesting run to the playoffs and beyond.
Awesome!
And yet I’m nervous!
Go Willy !!!
So I guess that means it’s Kopitar’s turn for a big injury.
@bob, not cool!
@bob, not funny.
See all you Brownie haters screaming about that first line.It wasn’t forever.
@bob,
i dont get it
@AK47,
I love how Clune was the first one to fight last night before Ivanans lol. Really liking this guy. He is our Ben Eager, or Adam Burish
Not nans, please murry. No more nans.
I love Brown but if TM decided to go with a
Clune-Halpern-Brown line I wouldn’t be disappointed!
Since the break and really before, Brown looks lost. One game he’s checking like crazy and than the next he just looks flat. His back checking isn’t so great either especially after watching Sharp score that first goal.
@bob, That’s got to warrant a ban for the rest of the season. That’s pretty much blasphemy.
@bob, Actually, I think it’s Bob’s turn.
@bob, I think he says this because first it was Smyth, then Willy.
Horrible thing to say.
@Barry’s Mullet, Question Barry…so if Brown SUPPOSED to cover for both Greene’s GARBAGE turnover or Jones’ forgetting he was actually playing?
Sharp WAS’T Brown’s man, despite the fact he was TRYING to get there at the END of a minute long shift.
Just sayin’…that’s all. Brown hasn’t looked great at all, but blaming Sharp’s first goal on Brown, well, your flat out wrong.
@bob, lalalalalalalalala, I can’t hear you, lalalalala.
@bob, idiot
@Barry’s Mullet,
…and Versteeg on the second goal
Speaking of Brown… how awesome was it to see him jump that guy after he hit Smyth! It was a clean hit… but it was brutal looking and it was Smyth!!! One of the first times iv seen Brownie do that… Captain Brown!
@Barry’s Mullet, For whatever reason Brown and Kopitar/Smyth don’t seem to have any chemistry together. I do love Brown, but the first line just was obviously not a good fit.
If the Kopitar line gets hot like they did early on, but be a very tuff team to beat.
@mrbrett7, it was worth putting up with Bob’s lame comment just to hear yours = perfect
@bob, don’t worry, these Canadian transplants have no sense of humor…
@mrbrett7, Agree with Mullet. Brown was awful last night in his own zone. To say that he’s not supposed to cover the guy right next to him down low is idiocy. Brown got burned twice, the broadcasters even made mention of it.
@VanKingsFan, yeah, next time maybe he’ll even throw a punch or two….
@VanKingsFan, didn’t he score a goal too,or was that someone else?
@bob, …fail post.
It better be clune and not parse
@bob, bob your a idiot to even say something like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flashback to Schenn playing his frist NHL game
“Oh great!! o wait…it’s not on tv”
Return to present day
“Williams and Bernier! O wait…”
@khanon, parse is done for the season…
@bob, I swear to christ, I will hunt you down if Kopi even sustains a contusion tomorrow.
@tylervonallen, between simmer and clunatic isn’t he irrelevant at this point? I wouldn’t worry.
Does anyone remember JJ pinching in the 3rd last night?
Fell down, had no support in the corner (which he failed to recognize all along), forced Smyth back on D where he nearly got undressed by Kane for what would have turned out to be the GWG.
Not the 1st time for JJ this season.
DL was 1000% correct with his comments earlier this year toward Red Berenson. Mike Van Ryn is another case study.
I understand that JJ has lost large chunks of his career to injury and this could be an argument for his development being stunted.
However, we have a guy here in JJ that has an enormous skill set. We have seen this talent 1st hand as TM’s 2nd option in shootouts. What really sucks however is this skill set is getting SEVERELY UNDERUTILIZED.
Why can’t JJ be a top 6 forward? He undoubtedly has the skill set. We have a solid group of defenseman ready to come up to replace his void.
I’m not saying do this change right away, it is too late this season for that. However, it is something to think about for the offseason going into the final year of his contract. I think we can all agree that from a PPG standout, he has underproduced as a defensman. The Kings have the pieces in place to help him became a top 6 forward, and a premier one, in the NHL.
Just my 2 cents, which probably won’t amount to Jack, Jack Johnson, that is.
@Belexes, texting with my sis….
sis: why is Brown getting his ass kicked right now?
me: yeah, he’s not really a fighter dude.
sis: that’s obvious.
I have to come to Brownies rescue…..you guys really think that DB is not one of our best players every night??
He bangs, and shoots, and the guy has more heart than most NHLers….somebody else show our Captain some love.
@mrbrett7, I love this guy when he plays his game CHECKING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT he’s one of the best in the game at doing just that…causing turnovers and making the defense think twice knowing hes coming.
Sharp was standing right next to him…My grandmother could have covered Sharp on that goal…Brown is too good of a player to let that happen, plus he’s the Captain.
All I can say is Brownie please play to your strenghts…you’re not a 30 goal scorer. Your job is to make the guys on your line score 30+ goal.
@bob, take that back!
@R.E.M. Murray,
JJ got stuck down below CHI’s goal line on that shift.. anyone notice that DD did the exact same thing not even 45 seconds before? But DD didnt get caught there (call it luck, call it anything).. but my first thought was that JJ didnt want DD stealing the offensive thunder or something. That was the second consecutive shift that had the better puck moving D taking the puck WAY too deep.
@R.E.M. Murray,
Forwards are the last thing this organization needs. This team is the most stacked kings team up front I’ve seen in many many years
@R.E.M. Murray,
hmmmm…..very very interesting….
@lil Gary Shuchuk, We haven’t seen that guy in a long long time. Taking him off Kopi’s line should help.
We need the Brown before he was made Captain. I think he could do both but maybe he’s just one of those guys who can’t handle the pressure…it happens.
@lil Gary Shuchuk,
He finally acted upon his leadership by dropping the gloves… Besides that, he gives 100% almost every shift
@Schoeny,
Do you really think these guys care who scores the goals? Hockey players wanna win and I really think all the “jealously” talk about our young studs on the blue-line is hogwash….hogwash I say
@Barry’s Mullet,
I totally agree. The C should be given to a player not looked upon to score, like Greene…
@lil Gary Shuchuk, I love Brown. I just think he should pick his spots a little better when taking a short, or maybe even pass it off if it’s not a good shot. The guy can fly and makes some insane moves to get by d-men, but his finishing needs work. Every other aspect of his game is freaking awesome.
@khanon,
agreed, and thank you! I get so mad when I hear allthe negativity towards SweetSweetD.Brown.
I just love the way he gets after it. A coaches dream too!
@Tookie, I’ll buy that…
I’ve heard people on this post bash him for passing when he should have taken the shot too.
Either way I love watching his face shield get all steamed up after some fierce battlin around the net.
Not Kopi NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Since I’m unable to use the respond feature for some reason I how that REMMurray sees this as a response:
Driving down low is NOT a bad move by a defenseman. It is necessary in today’s, and even yesterdays, NHL.
What you should be more concerned with is Smyths total akwardness at trying to play his role of covering for his teamate defensively.
It’s a team game- you need to be able to depend on your teamates to be well rounded players. Smyth’s weakness isn’t Johnson’s fault, or problem.
On another note — Brown bashing is lame.
Brown is not supposed to be a big time scorer.That’s not why he’s on our team.That’s not why he’s our captain.That’s not why the US olympic comitee put him on the US team.That’s not why they even gave him an A.If you guys don’t understand Browns role,than nothing I say is going to change your mind.All I can say is IN BROWN I TRUST.
@bob, Ok Rich new poll! Ask us if we think you should ban bob..
@VanKingsFan,
Checking a guy into the boards from that distance shouldn’t have been a clean hit.
Anything that gets Brown off that line makes me happy. He can go be a spaz further down the order.
From The Coach: Halpern’s no Modin. I’d write him off and go with the younger players that have goten the Kings where they are to date. Too bad the Kings gave up T. Purcell in the mix.
@bob,
what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs found floating in a pool after he tries to jinx a star King player?
Bob
@bob, you need a spanking to go with that ban!
@Robert S., What is our PK% since the trade for Halpern?
another comment on you brownie haters. he is the heart and soul of the team he gives it all every night. much like a young dave taylor. brownie is not stupid he knows his goals have been down this year its called pressing. agree, though i think he should thrive on the second line. iam excited with willy back, wow, its time to enjoy the ride!! OH, AND BOB, WAY BACK UP TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE PAGE, YOUR COMMENT…LETS JUST SAY IAM SICILLIAN AND HAVE A LOT OF CONNECTIONS SO THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE ANYTHING ELSE THAT STUPID!!!!
@IceGuy,
Thats freakin’ CLUNEtastic!
@Tookie, I’ll help you!!!!!!