Sutter injects youth and energy into lineup
Hoping for a boost of youthful enthusiasm -- and maybe some scoring
-- the Kings called up rookie forwards Dwight King and Jordan Nolan and had them in the lineup for Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.
King played six games for the Kings last season, but Nolan -- the son of former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan -- had never played an NHL game. They took the lineup spots of Jarret Stoll, who suffered an injury Thursday night, and Dustin Penner, who was a healthy scratch by coach Darryl Sutter.
"We'll just get some big kids who can skate and play with energy, and hopefully have the identity that we're looking for," Sutter said. "You're just trying to get everybody to do the same things over and over, and keep it within that framework. So we're going to take a real good look at these two boys, because we think they're capable of doing that."
Nolan, a seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2009, had nine goals and 13 assists in 40 games for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs before being called up.
"In the last year, I've been trying to find my game," Nolan said. "The coach down there, Mark Morris, he's kind of brought me along nice. I'm just trying to keep things simple. I play the penalty kill down there, play the power play, and just try to bring a physical presence. I'll stand up for a teammate and score the odd goal. I just try to work my hardest and keep things simple for the team."
At the time of his call-up, King was tied for second on the Monarchs with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 50 games. He was a fourth-round pick of the Kings in 2007.
"I think that's the biggest thing, this time around," King said. "I know what I need to do to try to help the team win, so that's what I'm going to focus on."
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