It’s the final Freeway Faceoff of the season, as the Kings will look to bounce back against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
For LA coach Jim Hiller and his group, there are two goals over the course of the next five games: get healthy and secure home ice. Alex Turcotte, Tanner Jeannot, Drew Doughty, and Joel Edmundson are all battling varying injuries right now, with the individual status of each player a bit unknown. From indications at Wednesday’s practice in El Segundo, Turcotte seems the closest to making a return, especially considering he skated in a regular-colored jersey.
If tonight was a playoff game, both Doughty and Edmundson would most likely be playing. They’ve shown the ability to play through whatever is nagging at them, so now it’s just about making sure they’re ready for Game 83. Jeannot is a little more of a delicate situation. We previously reported he’d be out a while, and his official status was recently modified to week-to-week. There really isn’t any further information available at this time. Obviously, he’s been a key piece to Hiller’s fourth line and getting him back would be a welcome addition for all involved.
Securing home ice largely centers around how the next three games go. Earning two points tonight would go a long way toward LA wrapping up the Pacific Division’s No. 2 seed.
Make no mistake about it, though, the Ducks are not the same team from November’s matchup in Anaheim. They’re on pace for a 20-point improvement in the standings and aren’t that far off the pace for challenging for a Wild Card spot. Getting there next year will be the hardest step to accomplish, but they deserve full marks for how far they’ve come with a pretty young roster. Their kids are making an impact at the NHL level and should be taken seriously heading into next season.
However, that’s a topic for next year. Living in the here and now, the Kings-Ducks rivalry is well on the path back to normalcy — where bragging rights are on the line each time they play. The SoCal teams have met up three times thus far this season, with LA coming out on top twice. The two most recent matchups have been 2-1 affairs, with each side claiming one victory — including Anaheim winning the most recent contest back in February.
The Kings lead over the Oilers for home ice advantage is just two points heading into play tonight; and with the Oilers getting healthier every night, many wouldn’t be surprised to see Edmonton win out their games in the regular season. Regardless, LA can only control what they do on the ice.
What Hiller opts to do for his starting goaltender is still TBD as of early this morning. After full practices this week, it also might not become apparent during what is expected to be an optional morning skate. Given the importance of this game, Hiller could certainly go right back to Darcy Kuemper. Then again, with three games in five nights (and four in six), David Rittich is likely to get some action soon too. Stay tuned.
Statistically Speaking
— Anze Kopitar (88 points) and Drew Doughty (48) place first and third, respectively, in all-time points against Anaheim in team history. Meanwhile, Adrian Kempe (31) sits one shy of tying Alex Frolov (32) for fourth most. We’ll assume Kempe will play tonight and could even get that new baby scoring bump often seen around the league.
— By scoring his game-opening goal on Monday against Seattle, Quinton Byfield reached 20 tallies on the season, matching his single-season career-high set last season.
— Per NHL PR, Byfield is the second skater in Kings history over the past 25 years to record multiple 20-goal campaigns at age 22 or younger. Anze Kopitar reached the mark four times prior to turning 23 (2006-10).
— The Kings are 44-24-4-9 all-time at home against the Ducks
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Ducks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Malott – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Clarke
Gavrikov – Spence
Moverare – Burroughs
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas and (D) Doughty, Edmundson
Injured: Turcotte (day-to-day, upper body), Jeannot (out for extended time period)
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports Network. 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.
For those live in attendance, the LA Kings Booster Club will offer their popular ‘Puck for a Buck’ contest — featuring David Rittich for this game. Just $1 could win you an autographed puck from an NHL star. Visit their table outside sections 317-318 on the upper concourse for more information.
Across the Ice
Anaheim is coming off a 4-3 victory over Calgary on Wednesday. Here is how they are projected to line up tonight.
Gauthier – Carlsson – Killorn
Vatrano – Strome – Terry
Zegras – McTavish – Colangelo
Nesterenko – Lundeström – Harkins
LaCombe – Gudas
Kylington – Zellweger
Mintyukov – Helleson
Husso
On This Day in Kings History
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