A hot streak and an old friend.
Los Angeles is absolutely rolling right now. Sitting at 8-1-2 on the road this season, the Kings are just one point out of first place in the Pacific Division. They’ve won the first three games of their current six-game road trip and will be looking for another two points against an old friend tonight in Jordan Spence and the Senators.
Following a trade to Ottawa over the summer, Spence appeared on Kings Of The Podcast, where he discussed what the emotions would be to play his former team for the first time. It will be a game comprised of many of his closest friends, including best friend and former roommate Alex Turcotte. While admitting it’ll be much stranger when Ottawa visits Los Angeles in a few weeks (as he’ll be in the visiting locker room for the first time), there is still no doubt tonight will be an emotional event for the 24-old-defenseman. Spence was a popular guy in the Kings locker room, and you can bet several players were excited to see him when the team landed in Ottawa in the early morning hours of Friday.
All the emotions aside, this will be another big game for coach Jim Hiller’s group. Their road record is proving not to be a fluke, as they have dominated several teams on this trip already. Earning a win tonight guarantees a successful road trip, despite what may happen on the remaining two contests next week.
As for the lineup, indications are Andrei Kuzmenko is going to sit again. It’s just not going his way right now. Plus, Jeff Malott adds something extra to LA’s collection of 12 forwards, so he’s expected to be back on the fourth line once again. Hiller also seems comfortable with Joel Armia up on the top line, leaving few options for Kuzmenko at the moment. Despite an unlucky start to the season for the Russian forward, Hiller told reporters he has remained a good teammate and is working hard every single day to get back into the lineup.
Statistically Speaking
— How are things looking? Through 18 games played last season, the Kings had 21 points (9-6-3 record). This season, LA has 22 points through 18 games (9-5-4 record).
— The Kings have points in nine straight road games this season. They also hold a 10-game point streak (7-0-3) vs. Ottawa, dating back to Nov. 7, 2019.
— Los Angeles went 1-0-1 against Ottawa last season.
— Defenseman Drew Doughty’s two-assist outing on Thursday in Toronto marked the 132nd multi-point game of his career, tying Charlie Simmer for the ninth-most such performance in franchise history.
— With their 4-3 overtime victory at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night, the Kings extended their road point streak to nine games (7-0-2), dating back to Oct. 13. It marks the fifth different road point streak of at least nine games in the last 20 seasons.
What You May Have Missed
Spence had plenty to say on his way out the door, including some funny stories about a few teammates…
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Maple Leafs
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Armia – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Malott – Turcotte – Perry
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kumeper
Likely scratches: (F) Helenius, Kuzmenko and (D) Moverare
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 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
Ottawa is coming off a 5-3 victory over Boston on Thursday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup: Note that the status of Auston Matthews is unknown heading into play tonight.
Perron – Stutzle – Batherson
Greig – Cozens – Zetterlund
Amadio – Pinto – Giroux
MacDermid – Eller – Cousins
Sanderson – Zub
Kleven – Spence
Matinpalo – Jensen
On This Day in Kings History
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