Game Day Thread
Game #35/82 - 12/22/25
>>7:00pm<<
on FanDuel
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Los Angeles Kings
Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, CA
TOY DRIVE
Bring a new, unwrapped toy, get a raffle ticket to win signed stuff
LAST SEASON'S MEETINGS
**Game Time 7:00pm**
TV: FanDuel
Radio: ESPN LA app, Kings app, & Sirius
ESPNLA 710AM
Check Out More Articles & Video on LA Kings Insider Here
Adrian Kempe & Jim Hiller 12/18 Post-Game Quotes
Adrian Kempe
On what it meant for the team to pull out the win on the road
It felt good. Good team win. I think we played a pretty solid game and obviously too many penalty kills, and that’s on me as well. I’ve got to step up and be better in that area. But other than that, I think Forsy, had helluva game again. But overall, I think we play a pretty solid game.
On what he’s seen in the play of Forsberg this week
It’s great. I always say this, they give us a chance to win every night, whether it’s Darcy or Forsberg, or somebody else, it’s awesome to have those guys back there and tonight was one of those nights, it’s was going to be a grindy game. Last game of the road trip here, and we’re almost at Christmas, so these are hard games and Forsy came to play right away, and I think we responded quite well and just got the job done tonight. I think that was a good team win. I think we needed it, and got the energy and the motivation and the confidence back in the team. So I think that’s good.
On what he saw before his first goal
I had lots of room in the neutral zone. Just try to skate it in to the o-zone and then their D kind of just backed off, so I tried to find the spot between his legs to shoot in. Usually it’s pretty tough for the goalie when you shoot like that.
On his second goal where he beat Tampa’s defense up the ice
I was fresh. Felt good. Legs felt good. So just tried to beat him up the ice, and then fake the goalie a little bit and go around him so it worked.
On the team effort, blocking a lot of shots in the game
Yeah I think the effort’s been there all year. We block shots, we play defense, we commit. Obviously the offense and the goals haven’t been coming for us, but I think the overall team game and our identity has been there all year. I think that’s most important thing, and if we keep doing that, I think the wins are going to keep coming.
Jim Hiller
On the overall effort from his team to secure the win on the road
It was a tough back-to-back. Anytime you go Tampa/Florida or Florida/Tampa, they’re two of the elite teams in league. We spent a lot of energy last night in Florida trying to battle back. So I didn’t think we had quite the same legs, but our will was there, and I think that really was what carried the day for us.
On the decision to start Anton Forsberg for the second straight day
Well, that’s atypical, right? Nowadays, the goalies don’t usually play back-to-back. Felt like he wasn’t overtaxed in Florida, we played a pretty good game and kept him away from the net so he wasn’t overtaxed. So it gave us a thought that maybe we should do it. Our goalie coach Mike Buckley talked to him, and between the two of them, came up with a plan. Looks like the right decision now.
On Forsberg’s fitness level that allowed him to play both nights
With him and Copley too, the physical shape that those two are in. Forsy’s on the bike every day after practice, but he could run marathons, this guy. So probably, for him, it was a little bit easier maybe than most.
On the play of Adrian Kempe with his two goals
Really, really needed those. When we were a little bit flat at times offensively, Juice is the guy who has shown us that he can come up with big goals. And I thought there were two, both big time goals really highlight real type of goals, both of them, even though one was the shot, just the quickness of the release. You need your goal scorers to score big goals for us, so that’s what got it done there.
On the team’s penalty kill performance late in the game
So important, and that’s an extremely good power play. Kucharov was out, so that made it just a little bit easier for us, but I still thought they moved it around really well. And then when we did break down, Forsberg was there to cover us up.
Lineups Courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
==========================
BLUE JACKETS PROBABLE LINEUP
NO Former Kings
==========================
GOALTENDING COMPARISON
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
**Bet your Karma & Win Fake Money in the VBookie Thread Here**
**POLL QUESTION GAME**
Part 1 - Who is going to score the FIRST goal for the KINGS?
Part 2 - Who is going to score the FIRST goal for the BLUE JACKETS?
You can take 4 guesses per part (1 point for correct player)
(you can choose "no goals" as one of your answers for 2 pts if correct)
PREVIOUS GAME'S WINNERS
Congratulations to the following posters who correctly guessed Kings with 4 goals, and/or FLA teams with 4 goals,
and/or within +/- 2:00 of 15:58 of the second for GWG vs Lightning:
Kings 4 goals (1 Point):
beady eye
Birdman
Chateau Bow Wow
Cross Traffic
dannybuoy1
DRGinLBC
DRice
Drum4Pigs
empire
Forum Gold
Guinevere
HiFi
hornman
KernCoKingFan
McSorleyFan
mugs
pray4mojo
Rogie-Vachon
Rusty
Shackleford
sonnyboy11
symbology
VegasHockey
VCRW
FLA 4 goals (1 Point):
VegasHockey
Cross Traffic
McSorleyFan
Guinevere
dannybuoy1
randdog
Shackleford
notbob
empire
Nyssa42
15:28-16:28 2nd (3 points):
mugs
Nyssa42
14:58-16:58 2nd (2 points):
VegasHockey
VCRW
Chateau Bow Wow
symbology
13:58-17:58 2nd (1 point):
randdog
sonnyboy11
DRGinLBC
AngelEyes
KernCoKingFan
DRice
POLL GAME WIN TOTALS
King of the Mountain - 38 points
KernCoKingFan
34 points
DRice
Nyssa42
33 points
Chateau Bow Wow
mugs
32 points
VCRW
VegasHockey
31 points
Clif
Drum4Pigs
30 points
Cross Traffic
Guinevere
29 points
28 points
pray4mojo
Rusty
27 points
Angel Eyes
empire
HiFi
motolare
26 points
Birdman
hornman
Liz4LA
notbob
25 points
DRGinLBC
McSorleyFan
Rogie-Vachon
RoS
24 points
dannybuoy1
Forum Gold
SirJW
23 points
Hockey53
jammer06
22 points
sonnyboy11
21 points
beady eye
randdog
20 pts
Rog or Reg?
19 points
18 points
CIrvine
Dr. Tran
symbology
TooCool
17 points
16 points
12 points
Ecktore
Shackleford
11 points
9 points
JC6388LAKings
8 points
ICE24
6 points
kingsmen93
5 points
Rinkrat
3 points
JETS GARAGE
2 points
Sevenhole
GO KINGS GO!!!
Last edited:
