Kings center Jarret Stoll is a game-time decision to play for Los Angeles, as Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports, in tonight’s first game of the Western Conference finals and they could use his help up the middle.
The Kings got killed at the faceoff dot by San Jose after Stoll was put out of commission by Sharks forward Raffi Torres with a concussion in Game 1 of that series. Centers Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards did the heavy lifting on draws after that, but both players were average at that against the Sharks. With guys like Jonathan Toews, Michal Handzus, and Marcus Kruger to contend with, Stoll’s ability will be needed.
The other area he can help in is on the penalty kill. Chicago’s power play improved in the last round against Detroit and with this series expected to be tight and low-scoring, every little bit of assistance counts.
If Stoll can’t play, L.A. Kings Insider’s Jon Rosen says Trevor Lewis will take his spot on the third line.
