Stanley Cup Final: Kings’ Sutter noncommittal on playing Regehr

Greetings from rainy New York, where the Rangers and the Kings held their morning skates at Madison Square Garden in advance of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Garden has been completely renovated over the last few years but it remains a landmark and a place where teams love to play.

“It’s really cool. It’s got a lot of history here,” winger Tyler Toffoli said. “To be able to play here in this rink, in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s going to be a pretty awesome experience.”

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter gave no indication as to whether he will restore defenseman Robyn Regehr to the lineup Monday night or leave his defense corps intact. Regehr, who hasn’t played since May 3 because of a knee injury, was available for Game 2 but Sutter chose not to change his lineup. It worked: the Kings won, 5-4, in double overtime and took a 2-0 series lead.

“As games go along and warmups go along, see how guys feel,” Sutter said Monday when asked whether he might put Regehr in the lineup.

Most coaches are reluctant to change a winning lineup, so Sutter might lean toward keeping things the same. The Kings’ lines in their morning skate were the same as they’ve been recently.

The team’s ability to win three straight overtime games after not leading in any of the three continues to be analyzed and gain attention. Defenseman Alec Martinez said the Kings need to avoid falling behind early, as they have in each of the first two games.

“I think they know their strengths and they definitely utilize them,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to do a better job at having a better start and playing against that.…

“We’re not too happy with the process of the past three games. We stuck with our game plan and were able to come back in those games but that’s not a good habit to be in, especially against a hockey club like the one across the building here. We’ve got to get out of the habit of doing that.”

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