On and off the ice, everything is about to return to normal for the LA Kings on Thursday night in Utah — even if it’s only a preseason game.
Following the annual training camp purge on Wednesday, coach Jim Hiller now has a 23-man roster to work with. Top prospect Liam Greentree was returned to the OHL and several bubble guys were placed on waivers (for the purpose of assigning them to AHL Ontario). Full details of those moves — including more context on why and what comes next — can found here:
As for tonight’s lineup, the Kings only have 13 healthy forwards available to them vs. Utah. Sammy Helenius would appear to be the odd man out. If so, it will be the first preseason game he’s missed, as the big man has skated in five straight exhibition games.
Ironically enough, the only Kings player to suit up for every preseason game thus far is also at risk of missing tonight’s contest. Defenseman Kyle Burroughs is questionable for tonight. Although he started Tuesday’s game in Boise, he had to leave early after blocking a shot. He was then held out of practice yesterday while undergoing further medical testing and evaluation. Joel Edmundson also skipped Wednesday’s practice for maintenance purposes.
One of the newest members of the team is certainly ready to go, even though he’s a veteran of more than 700 NHL regular season games already.
“When you get to this point in camp, you’re excited to play some real games — some meaningful games — and kind of get back into that rhythm,” said Brian Dumoulin. “Even though I’ve played one preseason game, I actually feel like I haven’t played for a long time. You’re just kind of waiting there, and waiting for those important games to ramp up, for the intensity and stuff. But everything else has been good. It’s been good to get to know my teammates a little bit and we’re all looking forward to get going here.”
This waiting game has also afforded Dumoulin and the entre defensive group some extra time to work out any last minute kinks in their respective games.
“I’m just trying to get to know the systems a little bit more,” he said. “How guys play, where they want the puck, that’s important. We also have very responsible forwards — whether it be backchecking, boxing out, defensively — it’s nice to see. It’s nice to know that if I make a mistake, they’ll be there to support. Some centers are down low a little more than others; on breakouts, some like to turn and burn. It they like to get going above the forecheck, the [support setup] is a little bit different. Neither is good or bad, it’s just about getting to know different tendencies of our guys. That’s what I’m learning the most, how guys play — what they look for, if they like to pull up off the rush, if they like to drive it behind the net, just those little things. Having played against many of them, I know some of it, but I’m still trying to learn more whenever we’re on the ice together and practiving.”
With Hiller repeating several times of late that he expects to go with a lineup very similar to his opening night plans during the team’s final two preseason games, the only other question becomes what he’ll do in net. Maybe Anton Forsberg starts over Darcy Kuemper tonight, then they’d flip-flop that rotation on Saturday.
On special teams, look for LA’s bench boss to once again deploy a five-forward power play unit, like he did so successfully during the playoffs. Meanwhile, the second unit will feature Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke, along with three forwards — and maybe even Joel Armia. You read that right.
Beyond what’s presented on the ice, fans will be able to watch all the action on FanDuel, their first broadcast of the season. They’ll also air LA’s final exhibition game on Saturday from Crypto.com Arena. Newly hired play-by-play man John Kelly will call all the action.
Also worth noting, keep an eye out for season two of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL. Amazon Prime Video’s widely popular docuseries returns for another season, with episode three set to feature Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield. Here’s a sneak peek:
What You May Have Missed
— Laferriere to Center Gaining Traction, Still Not Happening Yet LINK
— Kings Of The Podcast Ep. 245: Answering 2025-26 Over-Under and True-False Questions LINK
— Talking with Turcotte and Hiller about 2025-26 Plans, Plus a Kopitar and Kempe bonus tidbit HERE
CONFIRMED: Greentree Retuned to OHL Windsor LINK
— Phil Danault: You Won’t Believe How I Spent My Summer LINK
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Mammoth
The following players have been confirmed for the trip to Utah. We’ve initially aligned most of them using some of what Hiller has been showing during camp thus far. However, this alignment is a projection, as the team did not take a morning skate today. This article will be updated during pregame warmups, if needed.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Moore – Danault – Foegele
Malott – Turcotte – Armia
Anderson – Doughty
Dumoulin – Clarke
Edmundson – Ceci
Kuemper
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Helenius, and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm Pacific Time and will be available on FanDuel Sports in Los Angeles. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
Across the Ice
Utah fell to LA 3-2 on Tuesday in Boise, here’s how they lined up for that game:
Expect several changes tonight because a few of those players are no longer in camp with Utah.
On This Day in Kings History
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...