Following a thrilling, yet what looked like an unlikely victory in Buffalo on Thursday, LA is now set to take on the Bruins for a Saturday matinee showdown in Boston.
Well, they never ask how, they just ask how many. That’s the silver lining for head coach Jim Hiller and his team who were able to capture the first two points of the season, despite being dominated for the first 40 minutes of their season-opener in Buffalo. It was the stellar play of goaltender Darcy Kuemper and a third-period hat trick from captain Anze Kopitar that ultimately provided the answer to a riddle that upstate New York has been for the Kings over the past few years.
Turning the page to game two, the message will be pretty clear from Hiller and the staff heading into Saturday’s contest: Thursday was not good enough by any means and other guys need to step up. Where Kuemper and Kopitar were able to put the team on their collective backs and drag out a win, the Bruins won’t be as forgiving. If they are to escape Beantown with another two points, it will likely take the often-mentioned full 60-minute effort from every guy in the lineup.
Given NHL coaching superstition (or conventional wisdom, take your pick), we’re not really expecting any lineup changes. If anything, more playing time for the fourth line could be in the cards.
Clarkie’s Corner
Last season, then-rookie Brandt Clarke rode quite the emotional roller coaster late in the Kings lone trip to Boston. He took a late penalty that he feared would cost his team a win, only to spring out of the box and score a beautiful goal. See below:
From all indications, Clarke is good to go.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings have a record of 52-98-13 all-time against the Bruins, and a record of 23-54-6 when they play in Boston.
— Adrian Kempe has 6 points in 12 career games against Boston, including three goals.
— LA’s power play was a perfect 5-for-5 in Game 1 on Thursday. Meanwhile, Boston shut down 11-of-12 when shorthanded in their two games thus far.
— These two teams love to play beyond 60 minutes when facing off at TD Garden. It’s been six straight games of overtime or a shootout for the Kings and Bruins. LA has won five of the contests with Clarke, Kopitar, and Trevor Moore picking up some of those game-winning-goals.
— Some late heroics were needed in four of the last six games in Boston, as well. LA tied the game within the final 2:10 of regulation in each case, including last season.
— Looking over a larger sample size, over the past 20 seasons, 11 of the 15 games played in Boston have been one-goal games with the Kings going 10-4-1 in that stretch for a points percentage (PTS%) of .700%. Since then, only Colorado (.731%) has maintained a better points percentage against the Bruins in Boston than the Kings (min. GP: 10).
— This will be the first of two consecutive matinees for the Kings; something they should get used to this season, as they have the fewest 7:30 pm starts of any season in recent memory.
— Forward Alex Laferriere knows Boston all too well. He has two goals in his two career NHL outings vs. the Bruins, including his first career NHL goal on Oct. 21, 2023. Prior to turning pro, he spent two years at Harvard (ECAC). As a sophomore, Laferriere registered 42 points in 34 games and led the team in goals (21), game-winning goals (5), power-play goals (7), and shots (150), while ranking second in points and third in assists. He also tied for the ECAC goal lead in 2022-23, while earning Second Team All-ECAC honors and then eventually being named to the 2023 ECAC Hockey Men’s All-Tournament Team. This came after Laferriere earned ECAC Rookie of the Year honors during his freshman season with the Crimson.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Bruins
The following projection will be updated if there are any changes during morning skate or during pregame warmups.
Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Jeannot – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Lee – Turcotte – Lewis
Anderson – Spence
Gavrikov – Burroughs
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas (D) Englund, Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 10:00 am Pacific Time and will be televised locally by Bally’s 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
Boston is coming off a 6-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Zacha – Lindholm – Pastrnak
Marchand – Coyle – Geekie
Tufte – Frederic – Brazeau
Beecher – Kastelic – Koepke
Zadorov – McAvoy
Lindholm – Carlo
Wotherspoon – Peeke
Swayman
On This Day in Kings History
TWEET
RELATED CONTENT:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...
