Hockey can feel like a strange riddle at times; sometimes the answer doesn’t make much sense. That’s an accurate synopsis of the Kings first two games of the young 2024-25 campaign. In one contest, they were purely dominated and yet still came out with a victory. Then, they put together a much better showing on Saturday, only to ultimately fall in overtime to the Bruins.
Now, the Kings find themselves in Ottawa for a second consecutive matinee affair, this time against the 1-1-0 Senators on Monday. While it’s still very early in the season, LA will look to continue banking points in the standings and remain unbeaten in regulation.
Earning three out of four possible points on the road thus far is nothing to be ashamed of for coach Jim Hiller and his group. Many of the concerns that hovered around the team heading into opening night have dissipated rather quickly.
Darcy Kuemper has looked fabulous through his first two starts. Heading into play today he has posted a 1.47 GAA along with a .948 SV%. His play has greatly impacted the penalty kill, which is a perfect 10-for-10 up to this point — a rather shocking stat given the absence of injured Drew Doughty and the departed Matt Roy.
Will Kuemper start in goal for the third straight game or will David Rittich draw in? Without a practice on Sunday, it’s hard to say for sure. However, we’d lean toward the latter at this point. LA’s netminding tandem will most likely split the duties when they get to a back-to-back set later this week in Toronto and Montreal. So, Hiller may be looking to give Kuemper, now 34 years old, a little extra rest in the early going and simultaneously provide Rittich an opportunity to find some rhythm.
There are also question pertaining to the offense. Only two players have scored goals (Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore) over the Kings first pair of games. It has been widely discussed how all four lines have new personnel, so perhaps the offense will pick up with more time together. Making matters worse, even the power play is suffering, converting at just 10% up to this point.
From a lineup perspective, we’re expecting Akil Thomas to draw into action vs. Ottawa. With one veteran assumed to be needed on the fourth line, it seems Trevor Lewis will suit up with Andre Lee most likely taking a seat. It would be the season debut for Thomas, who will need to show that he can be an effective 4C if he wants to get additional playing time, especially with the strong showings of Turcotte and Lee.
Statistically Speaking
— Heading into play today, the Kings hold an all-time record of 28-13-2-2 record against the Senators. LA is 8-2-1 in their last eleven meetings.
— Kuemper has eleven career starts against Ottawa and holds a record of 7-3-1 in those meetings along with a .902 save percentage.
— Phil Danault has found success in his career against the Senators, putting up 22 points in 34 games.
— LA’s penalty kill has been a perfect 10-for-10 thus far.
— Kings assistant coach DJ Smith was the Senators bench boss when the two teams met up last November, and had then joined LA by the time they rematched in March.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Senators
The following projection will be updated if there are any changes during morning skate or during pregame warmups.
Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Jeannot – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Foegele
Thomas – Turcotte – Lewis
Anderson – Spence
Gavrikov – Burroughs
Edmundson – Clarke
Rittich (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Lee (D) Englund, Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 10:00 am Pacific Time and will be televised locally by Bally’s 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
Ottawa is coming off a 4-1 loss to Montreal on Saturday. Here’s how the Senators lined up for that contest:
Tkachuk – Stutzle – Giroux
Gregor – Norris – Batherson
Perron – Pinto – Amadio
Cousins – Greig – MacEwen
Sanderson – Zub
Chabot – Jensen
Kleven- Hamonic
Ullmark
On This Day in Kings History
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