Kings go for sweep; Canadiens fire assistant coaches; reporter spanks Devils mascot (Playoff Puck Previews)

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: New Jersey Devils at Los Angeles Kings, 8 p.m. ET. (Kings lead series 3-0). Petr Sykora and Henrik Tallinder are in, while Jacob Josefson and Peter Harrold are out for the Devils for Game 4. Will the Stanley Cup be "in" tonight? That remains to be scene. It's currently in Los Angeles, but whether or not it finds its way inside Staples Center will be up to the Kings. Los Angeles attempts to win its first championship in its 45 year history tonight five years to the date that their rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, won their first Cup.

Evening reading

• Today's Marek vs. Wyshynski podcast.

• Sources tell Forbes that Greg Jamison is still trying to get raise funds to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. [Forbes]

• Former NHLer Martin Lapointe is expected to join the Montreal Canadiens' front office as Director of Player Development. Meanwhile, assistant coaches Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur will not be back behind the bench. [TSN]

• Jonathan Willis on Colin Fraser and the LA Kings: "It's easy to say, 'Look at Player X — on a good team he'd be way down the depth chart.' Sometimes it's true, but sometimes it isn't. Terrible teams, after all, tend to have people playing in positions they aren't really up to handling. On the other hand, a perfectly serviceable depth guy can look completely lost on a bad team, even though he remains as much an NHL'er as he ever was." [Oilers Nation]

• Finally, KTLA is the news channel in Los Angeles that just keeps giving. Here's one of their reporters spanking New Jersey mascot NJ Devils, while Slamson, er, Bailey of the Kings beats up a guy in a Devils jersey:

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Michael G. on the Stanley Cup-winning goal montage:

"That McCarty goal is so beautiful."

So, so beautiful.

Bold prediction: Break out the brooms because here comes the sweep. 3-0 Kings wrap it up.