Despite finally getting a win on Saturday night, the damage had already been done.
Los Angeles let go of Jim Hiller on Sunday and installed D.J. Smith as interim head coach. Thus begins the organization’s latest attempt to turn the page and create some momentum. It came with LA’s playoff hopes dwindling by the day, and in need of a jolt to potentially get the group going. GM Ken Holland and the rest of management are hoping that Smith can somehow get this club to game 83 and then re-evaluate things again over the summer.
As for the here and now, Smith will have his work cut out for him in his Kings debut as bench boss. Nothing says ‘welcome to your new position’ quite like facing off with the Colorado Avalanche. In hosting the league’s best team just 24 hours after being named head coach, there’s a mile-high mountain to climb, indeed.
Nonetheless, that’s the situation. Further, this is a Kings team that is drastically shorthanded, thanks to injury and illness, resulting with a roster that doesn’t really look like what Holland was hoping for heading into Friday’s Trade Deadline.
As far as availability goes for tonight, there continues to be question marks on multiple fronts. Anton Forsberg will most likely be getting his second consecutive start after pitching a shutout on Saturday. The status of Drew Doughty and Joel Armia is still unknown. And then there’s Kenny Connors, who was recalled from Ontario yesterday. A debut long in the making could be imminent, but we’ll have to wait and see if tonight’s the night.
Moore wasn’t at morning skate, so there’s that too.
To get caught up and be fully prepared, be sure to read this article pregame — which also highlights the point that Andrei Kuzmenko is expected to be out for the season:
Statistically Speaking
— Anze Kopitar has points in each of his last five home games against Colorado, including six assists (1G, 6A).
— With one more point, Adrian Kempe can become the fourth Kings player in the last 20 years to record five straight 50-point seasons, joining Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown) and Alex Frolov.
— Among skaters selected in the 2017 NHL Draft, defenseman Mikey Anderson’s plus-73 rating ranks third highest behind Cale Makar (+165) and Jason Robertson (+116).
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Avs
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Laferriere – Byfield – Perry
Foegele – Connors – Turcotte
Malott – Helenius – Ward
Edmundson – Clarke
Anderson – Ceci
Moverare – Dumoulin
Forsberg (starter)
Portillo
Likely scratches: (F) Armia, Moore and (D) Doughty
Injured Reserve: Fiala, Kuzmenko
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
With the television landscape changing at a rapid pace, we have all the latest news regarding some current FanDuel issues here — including how some teams cancelling contracts impacts LA’s plans for the balance of their 2025-26 season.
Across the Ice
Colorado is coming off a 3-1 victory over Chicago on Saturday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Landeskog – MacKinnon – Necas
Lehkonen – Nelson – Nichushkin
Colton -Drury – Olofsson
Kelly – Bardakov – Brindley
Toews – Makar
Manson – Burns
Kulak – Malinski
Blackwood
On This Day in Kings History
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