The good news is, after Thursday’s game in Montreal, the Kings fly home to Los Angeles — where players can sleep in their own beds for the first time in several weeks. From a weeklong training camp in Quebec City, followed by opening the 2024-25 season out east, the past few weeks have been a bit of marathon, if nothing else.
Nonetheless, there is still a game to be played tonight in Montreal at the Bell Centre — a game where the Kings need to pick up points and stop their two-game losing streak.
With a quick turnaround for tonight’s second contest of a back-to-back set, coach Jim Hiller and his staff will need to focus the Kings on looking ahead and no longer focusing on the debacle last night in Toronto. While it was their first regulation loss of the season, it was the way they lost that has to be concerning. However, with a new game in front of them, they at least have an opportunity to put all of that behind them and leave Canada with some positive momentum.
To do so will require some immediate change in several areas, though.
Thus far in the young campaign, LA has looked rather flat in three of their first four contests. There was no doubt that it would take some time for the new system put in place by Hiller, along with all the new personnel, to come together efficiently. The problem is they don’t want the season to get out of hand while they wait for everything to figure itself out.
Following the game in Toronto last night, Hiller was quick to acknowledge that Alex Turcotte (who scored a goal) and Andre Lee (who collected his first NHL point) were the team’s best forwards over the course of the contest. While both have been effective in all four games this year, it’s fair to say that if those two individuals are the Kings best forwards there are some concerns further up the lineup. Guys who are getting far more minutes that that young pair need to step up, and sooner rather than later.
Shifting to the injury front, Quinton Byfield left during the back half of the Toronto game due to what seemed like a cut on his finger. His status will likely remain unknown until a few hours before game time. Obviously, if he isn’t good to go, there will be a rather significant shift among the bottom-six forwards.
Defensively, we’re expecting Jordan Spence to draw back in. He’s slotted alongside Vladislav Gavrikov below. Yet, we also wouldn’t be surprised to see him draw back in on the third pair.
After skating in warmups last night in Toronto, the time may finally be right for Akil Thomas to make his season debut. His best performance during preseason came on a line with Phil Danault and Tanner Jeannot. It would be a bit surprising to see the 24-year-old forward up there tonight.
Statistically Speaking
— Habs goaltender Sam Montembeault has been spectacular so far this season. He comes into play with a 2.03 goals against average and .942 save percentage.
— With his assist last night, Andre Lee became the sixth different Kings skater from the 2019 NHL Draft (188th overall) to record a point for the Kings.
— Kevin Fiala has eight points (2G, 6A) in his last six games against the Canadiens, dating back to Jan. 24, 2022.
— Brandt Clarke is averaging a point-per-game so far this season, with four assists to his name along with a plus-1 rating.
— For what it’s worth, the Kings have struggled mightily in Montreal historically. They bring a 15-51-11-0 record all time on the road when matching up with the Canadiens.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Maple Leafs
The following projection is more of a guesstimate, as the Kings did not hold a morning skate today. If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Jeannot – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Lee – Turcotte – Thomas
Anderson – Clarke
Gavrikov – Spence
Englund – Burroughs
Rittich (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis (D) Edmundson, Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm 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
Montreal is coming off a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Dach – Armia
Anderson – Evans – Gallagher
Heineman – Dvorak – Kapanen
Matheson – Guhle
Hutson – Savard
Xhekaj – Barron
Montembeault
On This Day in Kings History
RELATED CONTENT:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...
