Easton Cowan stormed into Toronto's lineup after impressing Craig Berube at camp, clicking early with Laughton and Lorentz on the fourth line before notching his first NHL goal against Philly. The 20-year-old first-rounder has tallied 17 points in 43 games, bouncing between the NHL and a quick Marlies stint amid injuries, but Berube recently calls out his missing swagger and benches him as a healthy scratch.
Joel Armia shakes off that nagging back injury from the Olympics and the Oilers debacle to rejoin the Kings lineup against Buffalo on Saturday. The veteran winger missed 10 games after aggravating it in that 8-1 Edmonton rout, sitting on 20 points through 53 games while grinding bottom-six minutes and PK shifts. Kings coaches eye him slotting back in with power-play potential, but the real question lingers on whether his legs hold up in a tight Western Conference race.
The Los Angeles Kings are 4th in the Pacific Division with a 28-24-16 record (72 points). Key injuries include Mikey Anderson (Upper Body, IR), Joel Armia (Upper Body, IR), Kevin Fiala (Lower Leg, IR), and 2 others on IR/LTIR, totaling $25.80M on injured reserve.
