So many questions, so little time.
Saturday night kicks off a pivotal six game road trip for Los Angeles, as they get set to take on the struggling St. Louis Blues.
These next six games may prove to be critical for the Kings. Among several reasons facing coach Jim Hiller’s group, how they perform on this roadie will likely push GM Ken Holland’s hand one way or another. Depending on where they sit in the standings when the team returns home in a few weeks, it could be enough for the organization to make a move toward helping this offensively starved team, or some tough decisions might have to be made.
From a roster standpoint, the team is headed back towards full health. They’ve been without Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore for quite some time now. Will either (or both) play tonight? That remains to be seen, but the fact they traveled with the group has to be considered a good sign.
Both players can be activated from injured reserve without a corresponding roster move, as the Kings currently have to open roster spots (i.e. they’re only carrying 21 players on the active roster). For them to be eligible tonight, they’d need to be activated by 2pm PST, so we should know a few hours before puck drop.
Meanwhile, Corey Perry, Joel Armia, Drew Doughty, and Darcy Kuemper all appear to be back and good to go after dealing with various issues of late. The only real question among that group is the status of Kuemper. While he declared himself fit for the trip, Hiller may opt to give him a little extra rest coming off a stinger suffered in his last start.
All this to say, while the season has been rather disappointing for a multitude of reasons, the lineup has also been in fluctuation for most of the year — so getting everybody back and slotted in correctly should only be a good thing for the Kings.
Overall, tonight brings a contest LA needs to come away from with a win. St. Louis has lost three in a row and is one of the only teams that struggle to score more than Los Angeles. Coming off a solid win over the Rangers on Tuesday, this also presents an opportunity to perhaps build some momentum and set the pace for the rest of the trip if they can escape with a big two points.
Statistically Speaking
— Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe each have five points in their last five games against the Blues at Enterprise Center, dating back to Oct. 31, 2022.
— Andre Kuzmenko has found the score sheet in each of his four visits to Enterprise Center in his career, recording five goals and six points in those four matchups in the Gateway City.
— Perry made his Kings debut in the team’s last visit to St. Louis on Oct. 21, 2025. He recorded 14:41 minutes of time-on-ice and two penalty minutes that night.
— Kuemper and Blues goalie Jordan Binnington will compete for Canada’s starting job at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
— Taylor Ward recorded his first goal of the season, and second of his career, on Tuesday night versus the Rangers. Taylor’s father, Dixon Ward, was traded by the Canucks to the Kings for Jimmy Carson on Jan. 8, 1994, and played 34 games with LA that season. Their story was featured here:
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Blues
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kempe – Laferriere– Perry
Foegele – Byfield – Armia
Fiala – Turcotte – Kuzmenko
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Kuemper (starter)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) N/A and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Kopitar, Moore
Recent Roster Move: Lee was returned to AHL Ontario on Sunday 1/19
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 5:00 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
St. Louis is coming off a 3-2 loss to Dallas on Friday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Berggren – Schenn – Snuggerud
Neighbours – Buchnevich – Kyrou
Stenberg – Dvorsky – Joseph
Toropchenko – Bjugstad – Fabbri
Broberg – Parayko
Tucker – Faulk
Fowler – Mailloux
Binnington
On This Day in Kings History
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...