lineup – BIG

The Los Angeles Kings and head coach Todd McLellan will need to put the lines in the mixer ahead of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers in their first round series on Friday night.

The Kings confirmed that both forwards Blake Lizotte and Kevin Fiala won’t be in tonight’s lineup. McLellan told reporters after Friday’s morning stake that Lizotte will miss the game due to a lower-body injury.

While Lizotte did not record a point in the first two games against Edmonton, he did put up 11 goals and 34 points in 81 games during the regular season.

As for Fiala, he has been out of the lineup since April 1 with a lower-body injury. He finished second on the team in scoring during the regular season with 72 points in 69 games.

Neither player participated in the team’s morning skate, and Gabriel Vilardi is likely to take over Lizotte’s spot at centre on the third line, between Alex Iafallo and Carl Grundstrom.

The series, which is tied 1-1, shifts to Los Angeles later tonight.

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Since it was reported that captain Jonathan Toews isn’t unsure about playing again next season, the Chicago Blackhawks fanbase has been impatiently awaiting an update on his absence.

On Friday, we finally got the update we wanted: according to Ben Pope of the Sun Times, Toews will return to the Blackhawks’ lineup tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.

Toews has only played in 46 games this season, missing action since Jan. 28 due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long-COVID, which also sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 campaign.

It’s been said that the veteran player is “seriously considering retiring after the season,” but it remains to be seen. And it might start with how he feels on the ice on Saturday against the Devils. Head coach Luke Richardson revealed what his captain told him when he was given the green light.

“He’s like, ‘Well, it’s not going to be perfect. It might be ugly.'”
“I said, ‘We’re a little bit ugly right now, so you’ll fit right now.'”

The former No. 3 overall pick has spent his entire career with Chicago and issued the following statement after announcing his decision to remain with the Blackhawks on Feb. 19. His contract is coming to an end this summer and Toews will be an unrestricted free agent. He could decide to keep playing and stay in Chicago despite not being the right match for a Hawks team that is still in the early stages of a complete rebuild, but today’s huge update is the first step in that decision-making process.

He played 1,060 career NHL regular-season games and has recorded 371 goals and 509 assists for 880 points. He led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup Championships, won the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP, the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2013 and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2015. He also won two gold medals with the U.S. Olympic team. And he is coming back.

At least on Saturday.

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