Seven straight wins are up for grabs on Thursday night, as the Kings continue their long road trip with a matchup vs. the Devils.
New Jersey will come into the game with several different looks than the last time they faced LA, both on the ice and behind the bench. For starters, coach Sheldon Keefe was hired this past off season as their new head coach, to go along with a major addition in net, via a trade with Calgary for goaltender Jacob Markström. Additionally, they’ll be sporting their controversial (at least in social media circles) third-jersey — the black one that simply reads ‘Jersey’ across the front
While the Devils are among the top teams in the league this season, they are just 7-6-3 at home. LA coach Jim Hiller has likely tried to focus his team on shutting down the high flying and dangerous New Jersey offense, in hopes of escaping town with another two key points in the standings. Coming into play tonight, they sit just two points behind Vegas for the Pacific Division lead. As Christmas looms, the Kings undoubtedly look like a team destined for the postseason, however earning home ice advantage in the first round will likely becoming a topic as the regular season wears along.
In order to do so, Hiller’s squad will look to keep some aspects of their game where it is, while also kickstarting several others. Shot suppression and limiting high danger chances against have been areas of impressive success for LA thus far. Both will likely be huge factors tonight considering the Devils have their share of dangerous forwards, including Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and long-time Kings villain Timo Meier. If Los Angeles can find a way to keep these three off the scoresheet, their win streak could very well reach that seven-game mark.
Currently, we are not expecting any lineup changes from Hiller. Darcy Kuemper has looked dominant since returning from injury last Saturday and David Rittich has definitely earned some games off after holding down the fort in Kuemper’s absence.
Keep an eye on Quinton Byfield tonight. It’s well known at this point the puck has not been going in for him this season. Last time out vs. the Islanders, it seemed like he easily could have had three or four goals. He was highly engaged and opportunistic, yet nothing was going in for him. Perhaps getting that one goal will finally open a floodgate for the young centerman.
Statistically Speaking
— Kevin Fiala has been successful against the Devils as a member of the Kings. In four games, he has six points, including two goals.
— Anze Kopitar has points in his four most recent games against New Jersey, as well.
— The Kings lead the league with 18 games allowing two or fewer goals this season.
— The Kings are 27-22-5-3 when playing New Jersey on the road all-time.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Islanders
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Moore – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Turcotte – Helenius
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Burroughs
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas (D) Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty, Kaliyev, Lewis
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel 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
New York is coming off a 2-1 loss against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Palat – Hughes – Bratt
Meier – Hischier – Mercer
Cotter – Haula – Noesen
Tatar – Dowling – Bastian
Dillon – Hamilton
Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Hughes – Pesce
Markstrom
On This Day in Kings History
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