Yes, it’s still a 3-2 league, even during preseason games in Boise.
Just like they have in all but one of their four previous exhibition games this month, LA skated off with a victory. Three goals per contest seems to be the sweet spot for coach Jim Hiller’s squad so far and Tuesday night was no exception.
Featuring a roster with only a few guys expected to make the Kings opening night roster next week, there was plenty of opportunity for bubble players and NHL hopefuls to showcase what they could potentially bring to the party. And although Andrei Kuzmenko put the Kings up 1-0 in the opening frame, the goal actual came off of a Jeff Malott pass. It was the latter’s fourth point of the preseason, building strongly upon his late season audition back in April. He went on to add another assist later in the night for good measure.
Andre Lee, who has been relatively quiet this year during training camp — unlike last year, where he took the organization by storm and forced his way onto the roster — built upon LA’s lead with a goal that gave them a 2-0 scoreboard advantage in the second period. Lee was reunited with former AHL running mate Sammy Helenius for the evening and it paid dividends.
Reign forward Taylor Ward had himself a night, as well. In addition to scoring the Kings game winning goal, he had a good showing during a fight earlier in the night.
Game highlights can be viewed here:
Additional game notes:
— Helenius and defenseman Kyle Burroughs have now skated in all five preseason games. Burroughs did leave the game early with an injury and his status for the remainder of training camp remains TBD,
— Greentree produced his fourth assist, keeping his streak alive of recording one point in all four preseason games he’s skated in this month.
— The Kings only posted 17 shots on goal total in the game, less than they produced in the first period alone last time out vs. the Ducks.
— After going 0-for-6 on the power play Saturday in Bakersfield, LA went 0-for-3 with the man advantage vs. Utah.
— Boise is typically an ECHL market and they draw quite well. The Steelheads ranked 10th in the league for average attendance last season with 5,236 fans per game. That’s a pretty full building for most minor league barns.
— This was the second NHL preseason game to be staged in Boise, following a 2022 matchup between the Coyotes and Golden Knights.
— The same two teams will rematch on Thursday in Utah, where the Kings are expected to present a more potent lineup; one that is closer to what they’ll be using on opening night.
Pregame notes and lineups can be found in the article linked below.
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