For the first time this season, the Reign will meet up with their longtime rivals Friday night in San Diego. It will mark the first of consecutive games against the Gulls this weekends, as the clubs will be playing a home-and-home series.
While new Ontario bench boss Andrew Lord has guided his club to some success (holding a 6-3-1 record), they’ll be meeting up with a team that’s stumbled out of the gate. Anaheim’s top AHL affiliate has only managed to put together a 3-4-2 record thus far.
Last season, former Reign coach Marco Sturm dealt with a logjam up front, frequently rotating players through the fourth line. This year, Lord faces a similar dilemma, only this time the crowding has shifted to the blue line. Kings prospect Otto Salin has even found himself the odd man out of late, sitting idle four straight games. The situation became even tighter with the arrival of Kyle Burroughs recently. However, injuries can create opportunities.
After returning to the lineup a few weeks ago, Angus Booth now finds himself temporarily sidelined once again. He’s missed a few gams already; and although he’s been skating, he’s not quite ready to return. This will allow Salin to sneak back into the lineup tonight.
That won’t be the only change among Lord’s rearguards. Indications are, 20-year-old Jakub Dvorak will be a healthy scratch.
Also of note, Jacob Doty won’t get a shot at Travis Howe tonight, as he’s expected to give way to rookie Koehn Ziemmer, who will be playing in his fourth game of the season.
Turning to the crease, look for veteran netminder Pheonix Copley to get the nod tonight. It’s been a tough stretch for the 33-year-old, who’s given up 10 goals in his last two starts. Perhaps this matchup against San Diego could serve as a solid bounce-back opportunity.
What You May Have Missed
Kings Of The Podcast, Ep. 235 with Andrew Lord, New Reign Head Coach LINK
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Gulls
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Ward – Gawdin – Chromiak
Pinelli – Thomas – Guttman
Lee – Connors – Wright
Jamsen – Hughes – Ziemmer
Hicketts – Millar
Kirsanov – Burroughs
Bolduc – Salin
Copley
Portillo
Likely scratches: (F) Doty, Isogai and (D) Booth, Dvorak, Rego
Injured: Brown, Lawrence (month-to-month), Parker-Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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