There’s just something about the Kings and Flyers. They’ve done just about everything together except faced off in a Stanley Cup Final. After joining the league together in 1967, LA’s first official NHL game came against Philadelphia. During the Kings 50th anniversary celebration a few years ago, the two teams met up on opening night — just one of over 150 regular season tilts between the two clubs.
Of course, there have also been dozens of trades, with many big-name players going each direction… none more impactful than Mike Richards joining the Kings in the leadup to their 2012 Stanley Cup.
Coming off an overtime defeat in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Kings now pay a visit to John Tortorella and the Flyers tonight in Philadelphia.
It’s been a mildly successful start to the road trip as the Kings bring a 2-1-1 record through the first four contests. With how dominant the Kings have been on home ice this season, the goal is to find a way to play at least .500 hockey away from Los Angeles for the balance of the season. Anything above that is just a cherry on top for this group.
Thursday night will once again be a contest for LA against a team below them in the standings and out of the playoff picture at this time. Sounds promising for the Kings on the surface, however, on several occasions this season, they’ve already experienced the idea that there’s no room for taking opponents lightly in the NHL — especially while fighting for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
With Trevor Moore still sidelined with an upper-body injury, we’re not expecting any lineup changes among coach Jim Hiller’s group of skaters. Goaltending is a different story. Although Darcy Kuemper has been red hot over his last four games, he’s started the last two in net for LA. Thus, we’re assuming David Rittich will get the nod against Philadelphia. After all, both goaltenders should be used in this weekend’s back-to-back set and Rittich hasn’t played in a week now; he last faced the Devils on Dec. 12 in New Jersey.
For a little more Kings-Flyers nostalgia, check out this article from the MM archives:
Statistically Speaking
— Adrian Kempe has seven goals in 12 career games against Philadelphia.
— Quinton Byfield has five points (all assists) in his last three games against the Flyers, including his first career three-assist performance on Nov. 4, 2023 at Wells Fargo Center.
— In five career games against the Flyers, forward Tanner Jeannot has recorded five points (2-3=5), including a game-winning goal, and two fights.
— Entering play tonight, the Kings are 18-5-1 under Jim Hiller in games following a loss. Can they run that up to 19 wins this evening?
— Historically, the Kings have struggled against the Flyers on the road. They bring a 25-42-7-3 record into play tonight. The tide may be turning, though. LA returns to the City of Brotherly Love with points in 11 of their last 12 games against the Flyers (9-1-2) in Philadelphia, dating back to the 2009-10 season. The team’s .833 points percentage (PTS %) in Philadelphia during that span ranks first in the League (min. GP: 5).
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Flyers
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Thomas – Helenius
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Burroughs
Rittich
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Lee, Moore and (D) Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty, Kaliyev, Lewis
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised nationally by ESPN+. 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
Philadelphia is coming off a 6-4 loss to Detroit on Wednesday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Farabee – Couturier – Konecny
Tippett – Frost- Michkov
Foerster – Cates – Brink
Laughton – Poehling – Hathaway
York – Sanheim
Zamula – Ristolainen
Seeler – Drysdale
Ersson
On This Day in Kings History
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