In a season filled with several disappointing losses, the Kings are only three days removed from one of the more potentially catastrophic events in recent memory, where they were embarrassed on home ice by the visiting Mammoth. And, yet, as has been noted for months — somehow, in some strange way LA still has a path to the playoffs with only nine games remaining on their schedule.
Tonight, they’ll suit up for the first of a rare back-to-back set at Crypto.com Arena. When the puck drops against the Blues, it’s going to take a complete 180-degree different effort to get things going in the right direction. With coach DJ Smith seeing his club still just one point out of a post-season position, every single game is an opportunity to make game 83 a reality.
For the team to win, a hefty decision will have to be made in net. Big picture, the goaltending has not been good for long stretches this year. Darcy Kuemper has struggled mightily in recent months, yet he is still coming off a Vezina-caliber season and a spot on Canada’s Olympic roster. However, Smith and the Kings need wins right now, and whoever can give them a better chance will likely get the nod. Whether that’s Kuemper or Anton Forsberg in the days ahead could become interesting and may end up having a significant impact on the team’s record from here on out. It’s also somewhat immaterial at the moment because with consecutive games on home ice, both guys will likely get one start. Which one should they go with first?
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On the defensive side, look for some changes to be made in the alignment of the pairings. At practice yesterday, Brian Dumoulin slid up to the top pair, while Mikey Anderson went back to skating alongside Cody Ceci — as he did for an extended run several months ago. If that sticks, it’s the first major change to the parings Smith has made since taking over last month. His players likely forced the shuffling due to the subpar performance of the defense against Utah on Saturday.
There has also been a minor tweak to the fourth line, with Alex Turcotte drawing back in after being a healthy scratch for a handful of games on the recent road trip.
Game Day Reading
One of the Kings top five prospects, and their No. 1 hopeful in net, is set to turn pro and sign his entry-levell contract soon. More here:
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings have an active 10-game home point streak (7-0-3) against the Blues, dating back to March 5, 2021.
— The Kings aim to sweep the season series against the Blues for the fourth time in franchise history and first since the 2022-23 campaign (3-0-0).
— Anze Kopitar is set to play in his 68th, and final, regular-season games against the Blues in his career. In his 67 games, the third-most among active skaters, Kopitar has accrued 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points. His 44 helpers and 65 points rank first and second, respectively, among active skaters while his 21 goals place tied for fifth.
— Trevor Moore scored his 100th career NHL goal in the Kings’ last meeting with the Blues on Jan. 24 in St. Louis. The Thousand Oaks, Calif., native (104 G) is joined by Auston Matthews (428 G), Jason Zucker (239 G), and Jason Robertson (208 G) as the fourth California-born player to reach the century mark. Moore later scored the game-deciding goal to secure the Kings’ fourth shootout victory of the season.
— Mikey Anderson collected a pair of assists on last Thursday night in Vancouver as part of his third multi-point game of the year. With his helpers, Anderson now sits one point shy of becoming the 24th defenseman in team history to reach the 100-point mark, and sixth U.S.-born blueliner.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Blues
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Armia – Laughton – Wright
Joseph – Turcotte – Ward
Dumoulin – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Anderson – Ceci
Kuemper (starter)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Helenius, Malott and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Fiala, Kuzmenko (injury status updates here)
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
More on the Kings’ changing TV situation for next season can be found here.
Across the Ice
St. Louis is coming off a 5-4 loss to San Jose on Monday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Holloway – Thomas – Snuggerud
Neighbours – Buchnevich – Kyrou
Stenberg – Dvorsky – Berggren
Toropchenko – Finley – Suter
Broberg – Mailloux
Lindstein – Parayko
Fowler – Holl
Hofer
On This Day in Kings History
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