Revenge is likely on the mind of coach Jim Hiller and his Kings team, as they look to get their first win this season against a Blackhawks team that has given them nothing but trouble in a pair of previous matchups. Standings-wise, LA cannot afford to give away any more points if they have aspirations of earning home ice come Game 83. Perhaps tonight doesn’t qualify as a ‘must win’ — however, it’s a game the Kings should win, in convincing fashion.
This also marks the final stop in a quick two-game road trip before returning home for a back-to-back this weekend in Downtown Los Angeles. Three games in four nights, plus a travel day. No doubt fatigue will be a factor, especially in goal. It will be interesting to see how Jim Hiller elects to use his two netminders. We are expecting Darcy Kuemper to get two of the next three contests, which just leaves the question of when David Rittich gets an opportunity, either Saturday or Sunday.
While Hiller is expected to stick with the 12+6 alignment, it wouldn’t be that surprising to see Akil Thomas draw in tonight. NHL coaches typically don’t like to make changes following a win. That is not the situation tonight, and at some point Thomas needs to get game action to stay fresh.
Looking deeper, LA will also look to bunch back up on special teams after a disappointing performance in Minnesota on Monday, where they conceded two power-play goals and were only able to capitalize once on their end. Teams losing the special teams battle often lose the game…. a story the Kings are too familiar with this season.
Statistically Speaking
— Adrian Kempe (1G, 6A) has recorded two or more points in three of his last five games played against the Blackhawks. With his 28th goal, and team-leading sixth power-play goal, last time out, Kempe now sits just two tallies shy of a third career 30-goal season.
— Anze Kopitar has earned seven points (5G, 2A) in his last five meetings with Chicago, including three goals in his last two consecutive appearances at the United Center.
— Forward Phillip Danault returns to Chicago with seven points (2G, 5A) across his last five games against the Blackhawks, the club that selected him in the first round (26th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.
— The Kings are 44-50-9-3 all-time on the road against Chicago
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Blackhawks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Turcotte
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis, Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports. 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
Across the Ice
Chicago is coming off a 6-2 loss to Seattle on Tuesday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Donato – Nazar – Bedard
Teravainen – Dickinson – Mikheyev
Slaggert – Foligno – Dach
Maroon – Reichel – Bertuzzi
Vlasic – Levshunov
Del Mastro – Murphy
Kaiser – Martinez
Knight
On This Day in Kings History
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