Did Hiller get his groove back?
The Kings and their bench boss will look to cash in a third straight victory when they take on the Nashville Predators tonight on Broadway.
What has been an unsteady start to the season for LA’s favorite hockey team has perhaps started to stabilize, fresh off of a pair of overtime victories — against two very good opponents on the road. Sure, it took more than 60 minutes of regulation play, but points are all that matter at this time of the year. Most of the underlying numbers suggest the Kings are finally starting to find some success in several areas.
The recipe seems to be there for Hiller; if the Kings stay out of the penalty box, they have a great chance to win. Removing the unnecessary penalties taken and the disappointing penalty kill, there’s not a whole lot to complain about through the first eight games. Even more so, maybe the best thing for the group was to get out of SoCal for a long road trip, where the only focus was the team. A chance to escape Los Angeles and find their game may have been just what the doctor ordered.
In other good news, look for captain Anze Kopitar to make his return from a lower-body injury tonight after recently missing a handful of games. Getting Kopitar back should help with the below-average faceoff numbers as well, as the group has largely struggled in the dot without their leading center. Stats look better last time out, and they should theoretically be even better moving forward.
There’s also that other guy. Just how big has Corey Perry been since debuting for the Kings earlier this week? Their longtime foe has been a massive help to the bottom six, along with the power play. Between health and depth, the Kings are looking better and better each day as the young season wears on. Back-to-back games this weekend may test that notion.
Statistically Speaking
— If everything holds as planned, tonight will mark the first game this season where Hiller is able to start a game with all 18 players who were penciled into LA’s lineup over the summer.
— The Kings have gone to overtime in each of their last three outings, including a 3-2 victory over the Stars in Dallas on Thursday night.
— Nashville and LA have provided mixed results of late. Both teams have won five of the last 10 matchups. LA earned points in seven of those games, posting a 5-3-2 record over that stretch. The Kings have also won three of the last five at Bridgestone Arena. Here’s the kicker, though: the Predators have lost only five times in regulation to the Kings in their last 30 meetings
(19-5-6).
— Roman Josi is out for this game (upper body), as is Kings killer Jonathan Marchessault (upper body). Nic Hague has been announced as a game-time decision tonight. One guy who is definitely expected to play is Filip Forsberg — he’s tallied 11 points (4G, 7A) in his last 18 contests against the Kings.
— Steven Stamkos (228) is four power play goals from passing Dino Ciccarelli (232) for the 10th-most in NHL history.
What You May Have Missed
— NHL Radio Replay: Talking Kings Goaltending, Defensive Pairings, and Other Concerns LINK
— Kings Of The Podcast Ep. 249 with John Kelly, LA’s New PxP Voice LINK
— Kings Of The Podcast Ep. 248: Rob Blake Returns, Opens Up About His Past and Future LINK
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Predators
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Armia – Turcotte – Perry
Dumoulin – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Anderson – Ceci
Kuemper
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Helenius, Malott and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Burroughs
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
Get to know new Kings play-by-play voice John Kelly by checking out his interview here. He tells some interesting stories about joining the Kings broadcasts and what it was like calling games against them for most of his career.
Across the Ice
Nashville is coming off a 2-1 victory against Vancouver on Thursday. Here is how they lined up in that matchup:
Forsberg – O’Reilly – Wood
Bunting – Haula – Stamkos
Jost – Svechkov- Evangelista
Smith – McCarron – Wiesblatt
Wilsby – Josi
Skjei – Perbix
Stastney- Barron
Saros
On This Day in Kings History
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