Gauthier

Crawford said the move of sending Matt Moulson down and bringing up Gauthier was a matter of getting a fourth center. Moulson was brought up because of injuries at left wing. Now all the left wingers are back and he had been moved to right wing. Gauthier will play with Zeiler and Ivanans.

“It felt better to have a center here to give the guys a little more consistency in line groupings,” Crawford said. “That’s why we made the change. It was not a reflection on Matt Moulson’s play. (Gauthier) has played with Zeiler before and played well with him. He’s had a great season in Manchester and been one of the leaders down there. We’re looking for him to be energetic and play a step better than he did last year when he got his call.”

Gauthier said he is coming up with more confidence than last year because of the way he has been playing in Manchester, where he was tied for the team lead in goals and second in points. His parents, who live in Torrance, haven’t seen him play in person all year. They had a trip planned for Manchester later this month but will instead get to see him tonight at Staples Center.

Here’s what Gauthier had to say about what the coaches expect from him: “A lot of energy. A lot of communication on the bench playing with Ivanans and Zeiler, two energy guys. They’ll get in and put some pressure on the D. I just got to be the high forward, act as a third defenseman and let them do their work and hopefully get some chances. I’m not afraid to do the dirty work. People say to try to get a hit in your first shift or get hit. I like that mentality.”

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