With the NHL’s Holiday Break coming up quickly, the Kings will finish off this week’s schedule with a pair of back-to-back games to round out their seven-game road trip. With an early game on the horizon, coach Jim Hiller’s squad find themselves on Broadway to visit the Predators.
Coming off an explosive 7-3 victory in Philadelphia on Thursday, LA will look to recapture that offensive magic this afternoon against a Nashville team that is perhaps the most bewildering organization in the league this season. Coming into play today, the Preds find themselves as the worst team in the standings with just 25 points through 33 games played.
They’re just the latest example of how a General Manager spends his money in the offseason doesn’t always translate into big things once the regular season gets underway. What may have looked good at the time can easily backfire in a way few saw coming.
Not many around the league had Nashville being at the bottom of the standings after watching GM Barry Trotz go on an ultra-aggressive run this past summer, signing multiple high-profile free agents to big contracts. Long story short, it hasn’t gone according to plan through the first (almost) half of the campaign.
Meanwhile, for Hiller and LA GM Rob Blake, the story is just the opposite. Moves to acquire former Predators forward Tanner Jeannot, along with Warren Foegele and Joel Edmundson are looking pretty good. And judging by the recent results of goaltender Darcy Kuemper, he appears to be on the upswing.
With an 8-1-1 record in their past 10 games, Hiller’s Kings are running wild in December. Still, despite the point totals between today’s opponents, the Kings cannot afford to take the Preds lightly. Nashville does have superstar talent that is still capable of winning hockey games no matter their overall record.
This could be the final game where Hiller uses an 11+7 configuration on the team’s trip. He will most likely return to a traditional 12+6 alignment tomorrow in Washington, if not sooner. As soon as his name is called, rookie Andre Lee is ready to go.
To start off the consecutive games, we’re expecting goaltender David Rittich to get the nod from Hiller today, followed by Darcy Kuemper playing tomorrow in Washington — not only a tougher opponent on paper, but also the club he played for last season.
Statistically Speaking
— Adrian Kempe has four points in the four games against the Preds this calendar year, dating back to Jan. 18, 2024.
— Returning to the scene of the crime, Alex Turcotte scored his first NHL goal at Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 24, 2024.
— The Kings are 20-16-3-2 on the road against the Predators all-time.
— This won’t be a surprise: Anze Kopitar is the franchise leader in points against Nashville, with 43 points in 55 career games.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Predators
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 10:30 am 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
Nashville is coming off a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Here’s how they lined up for that contest:
Forsberg – Stamkos – Marchessault
L’Heureux – O’Reilly – Nyquist
Jankowski – Novak – Evangelista
Smith – McCarron – Sissons
Skjei – Blankenburg
Lauzon – Wilsby
Del Gaizo – Schenn
Saros
On This Day in Kings History
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