Monday afternoon — yes, afternoon — kicks off a pivotal five-game road trip for Los Angeles that will largely define their season.
From here on out, every single game is a must-win for the Kings. They don’t need any more moral victories, one-point games going to overtime, or to just play well. It’s win games right now or plan an early summer vacation when the regular season is over.
Still (!) just three points out of a wildcard position, LA let two points slip away once again over the weekend on home ice. It was a horrific result considering how the group played for about 55+ minutes and the circumstances involved. But now, they have a chance to right the ship, so to speak, as they take on Columbus in a rare weekday afternoon showdown.
Heading into action, there are two primary lineup considerations. First, how will coach DJ Smith deploy his goaltenders going forward. Today is the start of a back-to-back, so it’s assumed both Anton Forsberg and Darcy Kuemper will get one game each. However, will Forsberg be the guy leaned on more heavily as the trip moves along? Kuemper has occasionally struggled to make the same saves he did last season. On the flip side, Forsberg has been as advertised: solid and capable of winning his team some games.
Second, what’s going on with the third line? Late last week, GM Ken Holland acquired Scott Laughton to play third-line center, and he fit in nicely during his debut on Saturday. How Smith will construct the wings around him will likely involve a rotating cast of characters. As noted yesterday, rookie Jared Wright traveled with the team when they left LAX. He’s available to play today and could easily hold down a spot on either side of Laughton. There’s also Alex Turcotte, who skated on the line last time out — and helped form a rather effective trio. Waiting to make his Kings debut is Mathieu Joseph.
Smith knows the 6-foot-1 winger from his days in Ottawa and recently rattled off a list of things the rugged winger should add to the lineup when he eventually draws in — “He can skate. He can penalty kill. He works. He’s one of these guys that can do a little bit of everything.”
That makes three wingers for two spots on that line. Somebody will be the odd man out.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings return to Columbus for the second time this season as a result of their postponed game originally scheduled for Jan. 26.
— Brandt Clarke has five points in his last three games, including multi-point performances in each of his last two outings. With his pair of helpers on Saturday, Clarke established a new career-high in points, surpassing his previous mark of 33 set last season. Since his first NHL season in 2024-25, only Lane Hutson (32), Jake Sanderson (21) and Luke Hughes (20) have more multi-point games than Clarke’s 14 such performances.
— Newly-acquired forward Scott Laughton scored his first goal as a member of the Kings in his team debut on Saturday vs. Montreal. In doing so, Laughton became the third skater in the past 15 years to record a goal in his first Kings game after being traded to the franchise. The native of Oakville, Ontario, joins Sean Durzi and Carl Grundstrom. Notably, all three skaters were acquired from the Maple Leafs, per NHL PR.
— Jared Wright notched his first career NHL point with an assist on Laughton’s second period tally on Saturday. He is the fifth Denver Hockey (NCHC) alumni to record a point for the Kings, joining Trevor Moore, Vic Venasky, Nick Shore and Craig Redmond.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Blue Jackets
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Turcotte/Joseph – Laughton – Wright
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) One of Joseph/Wright and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Armia, Fiala, Kuzmenko
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 1:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
With the television landscape changing at a rapid pace, we have all the latest news regarding some current FanDuel issues here — including how some teams cancelling contracts impacts LA’s plans for the balance of their 2025-26 season.
Across the Ice
Columbus is coming off a 5-4 loss to Utah on Saturday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Marchment – Fantilli -Marchenko
Johnson – Monahan – Garland
Sillinger – Coyle – Olivier
Lundestrom – Jenner – Wood
Werenski – Severson
Provorov – Mateychuk
Zamula – Gudbranson
Merzlikins
On This Day in Kings History
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