Even without one of their top line forwards, the Kings managed to pull through with a victory over the Stars on Thursday night. Justin Williams suffered a lower-body injury in the morning skate yesterday, which forced him to miss the contest against Dallas. There was no indication about the severity of the injury, but it was likely a precautionary measure to keep him out of the game last night, before likely getting re-evaluated on Friday to see what his availability will be for Saturday's contest against the Coyotes in Phoenix.
Being on the top line in Los Angeles is turning into a pretty sweet gig this season, playing with Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth. Before last night, Williams was averaging a point per game, not to say he isn't now, he just couldn't continue the trend. Having nine points in the first nine games is a great start for Williams, who joined the club from the Hurricanes at the deadline last year, in the three-way deal with Carolina and Edmonton. Williams missed out on a good night of scoring for the Kings, as his linemate, Kopitar, registered a hat-trick in the game.
In the Draft, he is a part of Dale C.'s team, which actually considers Williams one of the top forwards on the team to start the season. His nine points has him tied for second among his forwards, which is pretty good for a 10th round pick (158th overall). On the Sheet, he was put in a pretty cushy and potentially savvy box, Box 8, where he would be placed with some of the lesser forwards on teams, mostly because of his injury-plagued year in 2009. Williams was taken seven times in a pretty well-spread out box, with Dustin Byfuglien taking top spot in the box with ten picks.
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