Game Day Thread
Game #66/82 -- 03/15/25
>>5:00pm<<
on KCAL Ch9
Nashville Predators vs. Los Angeles Kings
Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, CA
**Game Time 5:00pm**
TV: KCAL Ch9
Radio: ESPN LA app only
Check Out Articles & Video on LA Kings Insider Here
Darcy Kuemper, & Jim Hiller 3/13 Post-Game Quotes
On the confidence of the group in taking on top opponents, especially at home
We’ve been doing a great job of embracing the challenges of playing these top teams all year. We get up for them and I think they bring out our best hockey. We feel, especially on home ice here, that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, if we play our game, we’re going to come out in front.
On the gameplan to a successful evening against Washington
Yeah, we just didn’t give them a whole lot all night. We knew how dangerous they were and we just try to play defense first and then take advantage of the offense when it comes. I thought we just had everyone committed to that kind of game plan and it worked to a T tonight.
On the performance of the penalty kill over the last two games
I think we had a little bit of a tough stretch on that one road trip, where we didn’t feel like we were ourselves out there, so we had some meetings and regrouped and got back to what makes us our best out there. Obviously we’ve been getting huge kills and we’re feeling really confident on it.
On the team’s approach right now, with the postseason less than 20 games away
I know it’s cliche, but right now, just the schedule is so busy, you’re going to have to take it one game at a time. Obviously we have our eye on trying to get home ice for playoffs, I think every team in the race wants that and we just know how important every point is going to be down the stretch here. We just want to make sure we’re coming to play every night and try to get as many wins as we can.
On if this win had any special meaning for him, against his former club
You know, it wasn’t really about playing the old team tonight, it was about playing one of the best teams in the league. We wanted to be at our best and I thought we were. Those are the kind of wins that make the group feeling good.
Jim Hiller
On the team’s performance tonight in securing a shutout win over Washington
It was a really good game. Like I said, full 60 minutes. I thought where we did a really good job was backchecking. We didn’t really give them much off the rush coming through the neutral zone, we made them dump it and try to forecheck us. If we had a game plan, we played it as well, adhered to it as well, for 60 minutes, each player, as we could do.
On the team’s performance this season against the top teams in the NHL
We’ve beat some of the top teams in the league this year at home and on the road. We went into Vegas, went into Winnipeg this year, those are the teams at the top of the standings. I hate to say it the wrong way but we expect to beat them. We know we’re not going to beat them every time, the best teams like that at the top of the league, but we expect that we can beat them, that we play with them, and if we play like that, more often than not, we will.
On the strong performance of the Byfield/Fiala pairing, plus Laferriere
I think they complement each other but I know that they [Fiala and Byfield] scored tonight, but I would include Laf in that as well, because I think sometimes he gets lost in the mix. He does a lot of good work, so we just have to include Laf. I would say the line looks really good.
On if right now is the best understanding & most confidence he’s had with Kevin Fiala
It goes up and down still, like it always does, just like my mood and your mood and everybody’s mood, so it’s never going to be just perfect, but yeah, I think Kevin has come a long way in his game, his overall game is better than I’ve seen it since my time here. Of course you want him to score too, that’s why he gets a pretty good paycheck to add some goals, but it’s not just that. It’s just how he’s playing the game. Tonight, for me, was one of the best games that he’s played since I’ve been here.
On the notion of being difficult to play against
That means we’re playing our game and we’re playing well. We’ve heard that from numerous teams this year, smothering and really not fun to play against and difficult to play against. Really, for me, that’s a really a show of respect when the other team says that about you, because it’s hard to do that for 60 minutes. You really have to be committed in some areas of the game that aren’t as enjoyable, aren’t as fun, aren’t as creative as some of the other areas of the game are. So, I take that as a real compliment for the players that they’re committed to doing that.
On the team’s defensive performance against a player like Ovechkin
It was everybody, whoever happened to be on the ice against him and that’s the whole point of the of the night. At any point, everybody on the ice, they were in sync, they were playing, they were working, they didn’t give much time and space. Then, of course, our penalty kill did a really good job when we were shorthanded and that’s where Ovie is most dangerous. We did a really good job taking it away.
Lineups Courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com
NO KINGS INJURIES
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PREDATORS PROBABLE LINEUP
Former King
Andreas Englund
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GOALIE COMPARISON
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(last 5 games)
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
**Bet your Karma & Win Fake Money in the VBookie Thread Here**
*Today’s Poll Question Game*
How many TOTAL HITS will be made by BOTH teams combined in tonight's game?
you can take 2 guesses
+/-1 = point, dead on = 2 points
Hits/60 averages: Preds 24.03 (7th), Kings 21.29 (16th)
ONLY YOUR CLOSEST GUESS COUNTS FOR POINTS
Take your best guesses in your post below.
The only prize is the glory of seeing your name in the next GDT if you get it right.
PREVIOUS GAME'S WINNERS
Congratulations to the following posters who correctly guessed that Foegele would be credited with the game winning goal:
VegasHockey
AngelEyes
Drum4Pigs
KernCoKingFan
TooCool
jammer06
Guinevere
CIrvine
randdog
JETS GARAGE
dannybuoy1
Cross Traffic
DRice
Chateau Bow Wow
Pie25* 1st win!
Shackleford
Rusty
pray4mojo
kingsmen93
empire
SirJW
Nyssa42
Dr. Tran
Liz4LA
mugs
POLL GAME WIN TOTALS
King of the Mountain - 55 points
Rusty
52 pts
Vegas Hockey
48 pts
sonnyboy11
47 pts
Cross Traffic
46 pts
Chateau Bow Wow
Drum4Pigs
Forum Gold
KernCoKingsFan
Sir JW
45 pts
VCRW
44 pts
Hockey 53
Liz4LA
mugs
43 pts
Kingsmen93
42 pts
Angel Eyes
JayWells24
41 pts
Byron
Dr. Tran
Guinevere
40 pts
HiFi
Nyssa42
pray4mojo
38 pts
DRice
empire
jammer06
Rogie-Vachon
37 pts
randdog
Shackleford
36 pts
hornman
34 pts
CIrvine
dannybuoy1
29 pts
notbob
Rog or Reg?
28 pts
TooCool
27 pts
Clif
24 pts
RinkRat
23 pts
DRGinLBC
