Sunday marks the end of an extended road trip for Los Angeles, as they’re set to visit one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes.
With a record of 3-1-0 on the trip, coach Jim Hiller and his group can build some solid momentum with a win; it would be quite a boost too with the Olympic break approaching later this week. Conventional wisdom would say LA may be facing a tall task looking for a victory in the second game of a back-to-back set. However, the Kings have actually had more success in the latter game than the initial contest this season. Just another oddity in a very weird season.
Unsurprisingly, yesterday’s matchup in Philadelphia had a similar script to many of the team’s games this season. They jumped out to an early lead yet couldn’t hang on and were forced into overtime once again. Are things going to be different in 2026? Well, Quinton Byfield took matters into his own hands, shooting the puck and earning a 3-2 victory for the Kings. It served as the latest reminder: if he can do that more consistently, goals are likely to start piling up — and that hope continues to surround the young LA forward.
Coming off the win, only one change is expected today, with Anton Forsberg likely to take over in goal. Beyond that, it really becomes a coin flip. Warren Foegele was a healthy scratch yesterday for the second time in recent memory, and Kenny Connors is itching to make his NHL debut. Either could potentially draw in this afternoon should Hiller and the coaching staff want a different look in Carolina.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings’ last visit to Lenovo Center was exactly one year ago on Feb. 1, 2025. In that one, they defeated the Hurricanes, 4-2, following a two-goal performance by Kevin Fiala. He now enters Sunday’s contest with five goals and nine points in his last six games against Carolina, dating back to Jan. 31, 2023.
— Trevor Moore has a five-game goal streak against the Carolina Hurricanes, dating back to Oct. 14, 2023.
— With his pair of first period goals yesterday in Philadelphia, forward Adrian Kempe extended both his road point streak and overall point streak to six games. By doing so, Kempe also established his fifth straight 20-goal campaign, which is tied for the seventh-longest such streak in team history.
— Also in Philadelphia: Drew Doughty recorded his 11th assist of the season, becoming the first blueliner (and eighth player overall) to record 700 career points with the Kings.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Hurricanes
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Moore – Kopitar – Armia
Perry – Laferriere – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Kuzmenko
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Connors, Foegele and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Turcotte
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 12:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
With the television landscape changing at a rapid pace, we have all the latest news regarding some current FanDuel issues here — including how some teams cancelling contracts impacts LA’s plans for the balance of their 2025-26 season.
Across the Ice
Carolina is coming off a 4-3 loss to Washington on Saturday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Svechnikov – Aho – Jarvis
Hall – Stankoven – Blake
Ehlers – Staal – Martinook
Carrier – Jankowski – Kotkaniemi
Slavin – Chatfield
Miller – Walker
Gostisbehere – Nikishin
Bussi
On This Day in Kings History
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