Like sand slipping through the hourglass… Tonight is yet another must-win for Los Angeles, as they get set to take on the last-place Canucks in Vancouver.
Currently three points out of a wild card and four points out of a division playoff seed, each of the final 11 games becomes more and more critical with the NHL’s regular season winding down. Since new bench boss DJ Smith took over, LA has been more entertaining from an offensive standpoint. However — and more importantly — that play has not translated into as many wins as the organization had hoped when former coach Jim Hiller was let go in late February.
From an individual standpoint, one thing of note is the recent play of Quinton Byfield, who is suddenly on an offensive tear over the last week or so. He scored the Kings lone two goals earlier this week in Calgary and was by far the team’s most dangerous player on the ice. If Byfield keeps that up over the final three weeks of the season, that gives Smith’s group a much better shot at making it to game 83.
On the back of everybody’s mind is the fact that Los Angeles has had trouble finishing out close games in regulation. Their last four contests have been tied in the third period, and none of them have yielded victories. For the Kings to find some success tonight, they’ll likely need to build a lead early and create some breathing room to avoid another close game getting away from them.
Listed below is how the Kings skated into their game on Tuesday. Alex Turcotte is an option to draw in tonight. We’ll see what Smith has in store come warmups.
Anton Forsberg is listed as the starter. Even though it’s not a back-to-back situation, LA needs better goaltending than they’ve been getting from Darcy Kuemper lately. Thus, we’ll assume that’s a move Smith will make heading into tonight.
Other Important Games Today
There are several games coming up over the next few days that could have significant impacts on the Kings near future. Several college free agents they’re believed to be closely tracking are playing today, including players at UConn and Dartmouth. Then, Michigan gets going tomorrow; more here:
There are also several key Kings prospects who begin their playoff runs this week. From college hockey to juniors, it’s a busy few days.
Schedules and notes available here.
Plus, there is a full podcast dedicated to who might sign, when, why, and everything in-between here.
Statistically Speaking
— Adrian Kempe has eight points in his last five games against the Canucks, dating back to April 6, 2024. Of those five contests, three have been multi-point efforts.
— Kempe skated in his 700th career NHL game on Wednesday in Calgary to become 11th player to appear in as many games in Kings history, and just the second Swedish-born player to reach the mark behind Mattias Norstrom (780 GP).
— Alex Laferriere notched his 17th helper of the year to hit the 35-point mark on the season and 100th of his career. Laferriere skates into Vancouver with six points in his last five games.
Anze Kopitar is set to skate in his 72nd career regular-season contest against the Canucks which will tie him with Corey Perry (72 GP) for the second-most among active skaters behind Brent Burns (84 GP).
— Drew Doughty has 28 points in 48 career regular-season contests against Vancouver, one shy of tying Mark Hardy for the most by a defenseman in Kings franchise history.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Canucks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Joseph – Laughton – Wright
Malott – Helenius – Armia
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Turcotte, Ward and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Fiala, Kuzmenko (injury status updates here)
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
More on the Kings’ changing TV situation for next season can be found here.
Across the Ice
Vancouver is coming off a 5-3 loss to Anaheim on Tuesday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Ohgren – Rossi – Boeser
O’Connor – E. Pettersson – Kane
Sasson – Blueger – Karlsson
Douglas – Raty – DeBrusk
E N Pettersson – Hronek
M Pettersson – Willander
Buium – Mancini
Lankinen
On This Day in Kings History
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...