Bruins vs. Kings 10/21/23 PREVIEW: DeBrusk Scratched ahead of Boston’s tilt with Los Angeles

Just the Facts:

The Time: 10:30pm

The Place: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California

Place to Watch: NESN

Place to Listen: 98.5 The Sports Hub

An Opposing Viewpoint: Lighthouse Hockey/Belmont Skates

Know Your Enemy:

• The Kings are 2nd in the Pacific Division, with a record of 2-1-1. The Pacific has been very odd outside of them and Vegas.
• Their leading scorer so far has been Trevor Moore, who has 4 goals in 4 games, only one of whom was on the power play.
• Kevin Fiala meanwhile has been their leading points-person; he has six in 4 games and all of them are assists. Look for him to be the principal engine of the LA offense.
• Thanks to Phoenix Copley being uh...not great, it seems the Kings have settled on Cam Talbot, who has a .916 SV% in 3 starts.

Game Preview:

So the B’s are still out west but this time it isn’t a school night!

The Kings are holding pretty strong in a Pacific Division that at all times is threatening to become a complete catastrophe. No one team’s really making a run at Vegas’ early dominance as they try to work out their teething troubles; Vancouver needs to figure out if it’s more than just Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser in a trenchcoat, The Ducks and Sharks may just be a bloated corpse, Seattle’s dealing with a league worst shooting-% in spite of minutes on end in their opponent’s zone, and whatever the hell Calgary is going through right now seems to be making the experience of watching them very exhausting. LA’s relative calm has given them an early leg up in the Pacific and while they may not be at Vegas’ level (starting to think that nobody is), they’ve afforded themselves a pretty solid place in the division so far.

But of course, that’s not where everyone’s mind’s at. Tonight, we have to talk about being tardy. Like we’re ones to talk with how late this came out.

Jake DeBrusk will not be playing in tonight’s game as the result of missing a team meeting due to being late. Those who remember the Tyler Seguin years are probably having flashbacks already, but if this an honest mistake, then it’s nothing to be concerned about. They’ll just have to make do without him.

Of course, given the saga this player has had with Boston so far, I am sure there’s already brewing conspiracy about how this will draw into any potential exit or trade from the team. They’ll have to do without him as they try to figure out how to get more of their squad scoring that isn’t David Pastrnak or James van Reimsdyk...or keep feeding them until they break a combined scoring record.

It’s still gonna be a good game, and with Marchand becoming a different kind of TV star, this would be the perfect time for the B’s to make their mark on Hollywood.

Let’s Go!