Following a successful 2-0-1 homestand, the Kings have now hit the road for a Western Conference showdown with the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
For coach Jim Hiller and his group, much of their season can be defined by play against Dallas. Over the course of the last several seasons, the Stars has always seemed to have the Kings number — especially in Dallas, where LA has dropped the last five games. Despite several blowout games over that stretch, including stretches where the Kings were often outmatched in several facets of the game, much of that has changed this season. After retooling their roster and making systematic changes in their approach to games, the Kings have already found a way to beat the Stars twice this season.
A win this evening would give the Kings their first regular season series sweep against the Stars franchise since posting a 3-0-0 record against the club in the 1990-91 campaign (back when they were still in Minnesota).
In some further encouraging news heading into tonight’s matchup, defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to return tonight after missing Wednesday’s game against the Canucks. Hiller has yet to reveal his decision to stick with seven guys on the blueline or return to a traditional 12+6 alignment for this contest.
Up front, there will be a few different looks among the line combinations. Recently, Hiller has used Adrian Kempe on a line with Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield. Word is, he’ll stick with that trio heading into puck drop this evening. That also has a trickledown effect, with captain Anze Kopitar likely being reunited with Alex Laferriere, who he played with earlier this season.
More on Byfield and some talk about LA’s power play can be found here:
Statistically Speaking
— Jordan Spence is riding a career-long three-game assist streak into Dallas.
— Byfield has contributed 11 assists over the Kings’ first seven games in the month of February, the most of any skater in the NHL over that span.
— In a special note, more than anything really statistical in nature… Former Kings forward Kyle Clifford had his No. 13 retired by OHL Barrie this week. Any longtime reader of Mayor’s Manor already knows our stance on Clifford and his lasting impact on the Kings organization.
A special night in Barrie as the @OHLBarrieColts retire Kyle Clifford’s jersey!
The longtime NHLer and two-time Stanley Cup champion gets his well-earned spot in the rafters.
#OHL | @LAKings | #GoKingsGo | @NHLAlumni pic.twitter.com/W9hoNpScMn
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 28, 2025
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Stars
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Laferriere
Fiala – Byfield – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Jeannot – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Doughty
Moverare – Spence
Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas and (D) 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 (which is the new home for Kings radio this season, they’ve moved off of the iHeart platform).
Across the Ice
Dallas is coming off a 6-4 defeat to Columbus on Tuesday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Robertson – Hintz – Bourque
Marchment – Duchene – Granlund
Benn – Johnston – Dadonov
Blackwell – Steel – Stankoven
Harley – Lyubushkin
Lindell – Ceci
Smith – Dumba
Oettinger
On This Day in Kings History
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