Another benchmark game is upon us, as the Kings and Avalanche will square off in Colorado on Thursday night — a showdown between two of the top Western Conference teams.
Despite holding a 9-1-0 record over their last ten contests, the Kings are still out to prove they’re a top dog and legit contender. In order to do so, they have to hang with teams like the Avalanche and be able to beat them, especially on the road. Coach Jim Hiller has seen his group perform quite well against top teams this year, but they’ll need to conquer the Denver mountain. For some reason, Colorado has given LA problems for some time now, including the Kings holding just three wins over the Avs in their last ten head-to-head contests. Will tonight be the night things begin to change?
There are two key storylines to look out for in this one. To start with, the Kings power play has been clicking at around 26% since the NHL Trade Deadline earlier this month; a much-improved number since the acquisition of a right shot winger in the form of Andrei Kuzmenko. If that number stays around there for the rest of the season and playoffs, the sky’s the limit for this hockey club.
On the flip side, the injury bug has begun to rear its ugly head once again. As Hiller noted prior to the team departing for the Mile High city, Tanner Jeannot did not make the trip. Per notes from morning skate today, Alex Turcotte also stayed behind in Los Angeles. Both individuals have been playing extremely well on an effective fourth line over the past few weeks.
From everything Mayor’s Manor has been able to gather, Jeannot is expected to be out an extended period of time. This is a real blow to LA’s lineup, as he’s added a level of toughness that has certainly helped LA establish a different identity in 2025. Replacing a tough and heavy player like Jeannot won’t be easy at this point, so they’re expected to try a few different players (and even other options, like 11+7 with Kyle Burroughs drawing in) to fill that void.
As Zach Dooley noted, first up in the audition process will be Jeff Malott. For those wondering, he may be better suited for this specific need than Akil Thomas — although the latter will need to get some game action soon, he’s only played once since early February. Malott will be making just his second NHL start, with his lone other game coming almost two years to the day, when he was a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization. Standing 6-foot-4 without skates, he’ll certainly add some size back to Hiller’s fourth line. In 61 games with AHL Ontario, Malott has recorded 51 points (23G, 28A) in 61 games. We’ll assume Hiller will reevaluate after his new winger’s first game with the Kings and continue to view the newly constructed fourth line as a work-in-progress for the time being.
When free agency began last summer on July 1, the Kings immediately pounced on Malott, signing him to a two-year contract with a $775K AAV. He cleared waivers during training camp, which allowed the club to initially assign him to AHL Ontario. This is one of those unheralded summer moves GMs around the league make every year… just in case something goes wrong. Now is the time to see if that insurance policy can come in handy.
Prior to puck drop later tonight, be sure to check out this really fun interview with Alex Laferriere:
Statistically Speaking
— With Warren Foegele’s 20th assist and 40th point of the season Tuesday night vs. New York, he’s now just one point shy of tying his career-high of 41 set last season. It also marked Foegele’s second consecutive 40-point campaign.
— Since the Trade Deadline on March 7, only St. Louis (42) and Vegas (38) have scored more goals than the Kings’ 37, while their 16 goals allowed are a League-low in that span.
— In this week’s NHL.com power rankings, the Kings moved up from No. 11 to No. 8, that’s fifth highest among Western Conference teams. For what it’s worth, Colorado dropped this week to No. 5, down one spot from a week ago.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Avalanche
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Malott – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Rittich (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
Did note travel to Colorado: Jeannot, Turcotte
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by ESPN. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app (which is the new home for Kings radio this season, they’ve moved off of the iHeart platform).
More on the ongoing TV situation here.
Across the Ice
Colorado is coming off a 5-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Drouin – MacKinnon – Nichushkin
Lehkonen – Nelson – Necas
Kiviranta – Coyle – Colton
Kelly – Drury – O’Connor
Toews – Makar
Lindgren – Malinski
Girard – Middleton
Blackwood
On This Day in Kings History
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