Tuesday afternoon notes: It ain't easy being Kings

As the Nashville Predators prepare to face the Los Angeles Kings tonight (9:30 p.m. on FS-TN, here's your preview), L.A. is battling through harsh criticism both internal and external over their lackluster play. After the jump we've got fans painting a dire portrait of the Kings' prospects, the GM calling out a start player, and a whole lot more...

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Nashville Predators News

Preds On The Glass: POTG Seven Stories: NHL Mid-Day No Extraterrestrial Edition
Buddy plays government patsy.

A rest for Rinne? - Predators Insider
It sounds like Anders Lindback will get a start tonight or tomorrow, but Barry Trotz isn't saying which one.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

The Penn State Child Sexual Abuse Scandal and Sports Morality - The Hockey Writers
The scandal at PSU is the talk of the sports world, and of course hockey was impacted by something similar with the whole Graham James episode.

The curious case of Barry and Terry - Fox Sports West
Cool stuff here, as it turns out that Barry Trotz & Terry Murray will both coach their 1,000th NHL game this weekend.

Dean Lombardi’s damning praise of Dustin Penner - Puck Daddy
The Kings GM is at it again, slapping Penner silly with backhanded compliments.

Terry Murray's 2011-12 Kings: just how bad are they? [sortable chart fun] - Jewels From The Crown

Another way that Kings fans can kvetch over their team's start. 

Kings need to make some noise, or they will hear it - latimes.com
The Kings are an ornery bunch these days...

Down Goes Brown: Success stories from the NHL's opening month
Ouch - "Pekka Rinne - Thanks to his new $49 million contract, Nashville fans will now have seven more years to watch him backstop the Predators against rivals such as the Red Wings, Blackhawks, and whichever teams Shea Weber and Ryan Suter now have to sign with."

NHLNumbers Podcast: Episode I - FlamesNation
This could prove to be 10 Tons of Awesome...

Rick Nash: Feeling the burden | BlueJackets Xtra
Can the Columbus captain lead that team out of the darkness? That's very much an open question.

Springing Malik: The Pain Game 2011/12 - Part One
For those of you curious about the impact of injuries on various teams, this is the deepest dive on the subject you'll find.

The least-heralded statistic in hockey: Penalty +/- | Backhand Shelf
"Least-heralded"? Not around these parts... And here's a question for you - which Predator is tied with Jordin Tootoo with 4 more penalties drawn than committed???

The Enigma that is Tyler Myers - Die By The Blade
The Sabres shelled out big bucks for Tyler Myers after his Calder Trophy-winning campaign, but the road hasn't been smooth since then.

Gillis: "(Vigneault's) Not Going Anywhere" - Nucks Misconduct
To me, it's just insane that they're even considering this storyline in Vancouver.

Can St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock turn around Jaroslav Halak? News, notes and ranks for fantasy hockey goalies - Fantasy Hockey - ESPN
Lots of fantasy hockey analysis here, focused on the goaltenders.

NHL NEWS: Finnish players conspicuously absent from NHL list of best point scorers - Helsingin Sanomat
Is there reason for concern that Finland's status as a world hockey power is on the decline?

An illustrated guide to NHL realignment history - Puck Daddy
Some realignment conversation fodder for you.

New coupon code offers 15% savings on hockey equipment | Hockey Gear HQ
A rare opportunity to save 15% on all kinds of hockey equipment has popped up over at Hockey Monkey, so whatever you need, we can show you how to save big!

And lastly, as found at Kukla's Korner, here's Kevin Weekes breaking down his Top 8 goalies right now: