Now comes the challenging part.
Following a perfect 3-0-0 homestand, the Kings are back on the road looking for their sixth consecutive win against the Wild on Monday night. For as dominant as LA has been on home ice all season, they have not been able to replicate their successful formula nearly as much when playing on the road.
“Last year, we were really strong on the road and struggled at home a little bit,” Hiller said, reflecting on the situation recently. “This year, we’ve struggled a little bit on the road. It’s hard to make sense of it sometimes. But I do believe that our players — this far into the season — know that if we are all together, and we all do the same thing, and play the game the way we believe that our team has to play it to have success, then we can beat anybody.”
Now is the time to show up and do it. Despite any issues away from Crypto.com Arena over the previous 65 games, none of that matters if they figure things out this week.
This isn’t about qualifying for the postseason. LA enters today with a 99.8% chance of making the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck. Thus, this is more about being ready for their first round series and not needing to rely on playing at home to win important games.
There is also a dog fight ensuing among the Pacific Division’s the top three teams, as LA, Edmonton, and Vegas are all fighting for the top seed and home ice advantage. With two games in hand on both other teams, the Kings have every opportunity to secure their fate as a top seed come Game 83.
In order to do so, they will look to get off to a fast start against a Minnesota team that is missing their flashy phenom, Kirill Kaprizov, due to injury. While Jim Hiller’s group cannot afford to take anyone lightly, things definitely look a lot more manageable without a superstar in the lineup against them.
Riding a five-game winning streak means no lineup changes will likely be coming from Hiller. All signs point to goaltender Darcy Kuemper getting yet another start between the pipes, as he continues to prove why he deserves to at least be in conversations for Vezina trophy voting this season. Perhaps being named the NHL’s top star of the week will start building some momentum for his cause.
Statistically Speaking
— With his 24-save shutout on Saturday vs. Nashville, Kuemper is the first Kings netminder to post back-to-back shutouts (also earned a 3-0 win on Mar. 13 vs. Washington) since… yes, Darcy Kuemper in 2018 (Jan. 30, 2018 to Feb. 3, 2018).
— Kuemper, a sixth-round selection by Minnesota, is the first goalie from the 2009 NHL Draft class to record 200 wins.
— Following his team-leading third overtime goal of the season on Saturday, forward Quinton Byfield hit the 40-point mark (17G, 23A) for the second consecutive season. He’s also creeping up on his 20-goal mark from last year.
— The Kings (2-0-0) aim to sweep the season series against the Minnesota Wild for the third time in franchise history (3-0-0 in 2017-18 and 4-0-0 in 2008-09).
— Los Angeles is 24-0-2 when leading after two periods of play this season.
— The Wild have not been good at home. Among the Western Conference’s top 10 teams, Minnesota’s 15 home wins rank only ahead of Vancouver’s 14 victories. Looking further down the list, Anaheim, Seattle, and Nashville all have more home wins.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Wild
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Turcotte
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis, Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
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).
More on the ongoing TV situation here.
Across the Ice
Minnesota is coming off a 5-1 loss to St. Louis on Saturday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Boldy – Rossi – Zuccarello
Johansson – Gaudreau – Nyquist
Foligno – Hartman – Hinostroza
Trenin – Shore – Brazeau
Middleton – Faber
Chishom – Spurgeon
Merrill – Bogosian
Gustavsson
On This Day in Kings History
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