ARTHUR:
It's hat night at Honda Center, and the beginning of a tough month for the Ducks. Anaheim will play five games at the Pond in December but spend 10 games on the road, including a Dallas game on New Year's Eve that will open a January road trip. The team's road performance has been Jekyll and Hyde so far, and they may need a win tonight just to shore up two points going into a travel-heavy pre-Olympics schedule.
Rich Hammond reports the Kings will continue to miss Rob Scuderi, and though Ryan Smyth has begun skating again, his return to the ice is still slated for two weeks from now. LA has managed .500 hockey without their two major offseason acquisitions, and they should prove dangerous in the season's first [insert awful fan-selected nickname], brought to you by Subway.