After one of the more thrilling victories of the season yesterday afternoon in Columbus, the Kings will be right back at it tonight when they take on the Bruins in Boston.
Not only is this another important game from a playoff perspective, but it’s also a chance to face former Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm in his own building. Additionally, many Kings players will be seeing a trio of former teammates in Bruins jerseys in Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot, and Joonas Korpisalo.
This game will also conclude LA’s 12th back-to-back set of the season. They have a total of 16 such events on their regular season slate this year. Thus far, things haven’t really gone as planned in the first games, where they hold a 2-6-4 record (including Monday’s win over the Blue Jackets). However, in what could be a good sign heading into tonight, it’s been the second half of a back-to-back where the Kings have much more success, earning points in eight of 11 contests (a 5-3-3 record).
No doubt, they’ll need more of that same magic tonight, when they’ll be looking to get on a roll. Every game continues to be urgent, and each set of two points is critical for this group, as they’re attempting to build momentum in their fight for a playoff spot.
Coming off a victory yesterday, no real lineup changes are expected tonight other than Darcy Kuemper taking over between the pipes. He’ll look to bounce back after a couple of tough performances over the last week or so. The former Vezina Trophy finalist will likely be an x-factor from now through the end of the regular season. Much of the Kings’ fate may depend on how the veteran netminder plays over the course of the next 19 games.
Late last week, GM Ken Holland signed forward Mathieu Joseph, a player coach DJ Smith knows well from his time behind the bench in Ottawa. He’s yet to make his Kings debut. It’s expected at some point on the trip. When that time comes, it may come with Alex Turcotte or Jared Wright getting the night off.
Statistically Speaking
— Each of the last eight matchups at TD Garden between the Kings and Bruins have been decided by one goal, dating back to Dec. 18, 2016. Of those eight contests, the last seven have required extra time, ending in either overtime or a shootout, with LA winning five of those seven games (including this thriller from Brandt Clarke two years ago).
— Adrian Kempe recorded his 11th career overtime goal last night in Columbus as part of his team-leading 12th multi-point and third multi-goal game of the season. In doing so, Kempe extended his point streak into a fifth game and tied Filip Forsberg for the fifth-most overtime tallies by a Swedish player in NHL history with his 11th career regular-season overtime winner.
— Brian Dumoulin skates into TD Garden fresh off his second career three-point game yesterday afternoon against the Blue Jackets.
— Newly-acquired forward Scott Laughton scored his second goal in as many games with the Kings. Per NHL PR, Laughton is the fifth player since 1999-00 to score in each of his first two games with the club. His three points in two games are also tied for the most points through a player’s first two games with LA in the past 15 years (also Sean Durzi: 3 points in 2 GP, 2021-22).
— With his 20th helper of the season yesterday, captain Anze Kopitar now sits three points shy of surpassing Marcel Dionne (1,307) as the outright leader for the most points in LA Kings history.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Bruins
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Turcotte – Laughton – Wright
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Kuemper (starter)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Joseph and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Armia, Fiala, Kuzmenko (injury status updates here)
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 4:00 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
Boston is coming off a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Khusnutdinov – E Lindholm – Pastrnak
Mittelstadt – Zacha – Arvidsson
Steeves – Minten – Geekie
Jeannot – Kuraly – Kastelic
Aspirot – McAvoy
H Lindholm – Lohrei
Zadorov – Peeke
On This Day in Kings History
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