Just like that, the Kings are once again on the road for an extended trip away from the comforts of Crypto.com Arena — where they’ve been absolutely dominating this season. And while the road has largely been a .500 proposition for coach Jim Hiller’s squad most of the season, there is at least one positive statistic to point to heading into Saturday night’s matchup with the Blue Jackets…
This team appears to love playing on weekends. Across all Saturday matchups this season, the Kings have compiled a 9-2-3 record. Even further to the point, they’ve outscored opponents by a combined 43-29 in those contests.
As if that’s not enough, the hinted at return of Alex Laferriere has been made official:
Hiller shouldn’t have to worry about his players dreading another road trip either. With this one being the team’s annual ‘Dads’ Trip,’ it’s one that the group actually looks forward to every year.
Will all of these factors be enough to generate more offense? That remains to be seen. Only two games in the month of January have produced more than two goals (5G vs. Vancouver and 3G vs. New Jersey).
If not for Adrian Kempe — who has scored in four straight games and in eight of his last 10 — it’s a bit scary to think how January might look right now.
Switching gears to the roster, tonight is potentially the last time the Kings will be without Drew Doughty, as discussed here in detail:
Sliding the future Hall of Famer back in brings excitement for everybody involved, yet it will also come with some key decisions for Hiller regarding his defensive pairs. This was a hot topic on an all-new Kings Of The Podcast episode that can be heard here.
Last time out, Hiller broke up the Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke pairing, and that could be a indication of which direction he’s leaning once Doughty comes back.
All in all, this is the final extended road trip for the team this season, as they have spent what seems like double the time away as they have at home through 45 games. If LA can figure out a way to come out of this stretch above .500 on the road, they’ll then set themselves up for a potentially favorable schedule the rest of the way. It could end up as a great spot to be in while in the midst of a division title run.
Statistically Speaking
— Phillip Danault has five points (2G, 3A) in his last four games against Columbus, dating back to March 16, 2023.
— Anze Kopitar has registered six points (3G, 3A) in his last five contests against the Blue Jackets and returns to Ohio riding a three-game road point streak against the franchise, dating back to April 3, 2022.
— With a 14-3-3 record, the Kings have collected points in 17 of their last 20 meetings with the Columbus Blue Jackets, dating back to Feb. 6, 2014.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Blue Jackets
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Moore
Fiala– Danault – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Spence
Moverare – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports Network. 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
Columbus is coming off a 7-4 loss to Carolina on Thursday. Here’s how they lined up for that contest:
Voronkov – Fantilli – Marchenko
JVR – Del Bel Belluz – Johnson
ZAR – Danforth – Olivier
Pyyhtia – Kuraly
Werenski – Fabbro
Christiansen – Provorov
Harris – Severson
Johnson
Merzlikins
On This Day in Kings History
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