Another game and another question.
Will tonight be a turning point or more of the same?
Coming out of the Olympic break, few would have imagined things going as badly as they have for coach Jim Hiller’s LA Kings. Despite bringing in Artemi Panarin and being well-rested after three weeks off, the group has been beaten badly in back-to-back games against two important divisional opponents.
While Hiller called it a “smacking,” a more appropriate term might be “unacceptable.” A team that prides itself on defense cannot give up eight goals like that on home ice as they did on Thursday. It simply can’t happen. And that came after a come from ahead loss the night before, having watched a 2-1 advantage disappear when they gave up five goals to Vegas in the third period of that contest.
Turning to tonight, the Flames are in town for yet another divisional showdown. It will take a complete 180-degree turn from all 20 guys in the Kings’ room to claim a victory on home ice. With just a handful of games until the NHL Trade Deadline, it’s hard to imagine GM Ken Holland feels his team has earned more help through another acquisition. One way to flip that narrative is to win the next three games in convincing fashion.
Lineup-wise, it’s hard to know where things will settle tonight. Hiller will meet with the media about an hour before warmups, so we’ll see what he has to say coming off a full day off for the team yesterday. Worth noting, Drew Doughty and Joel Armia both left Thursday’s match early with injuries, perhaps in part because of their lack of rest after long Olympic runs.
What’s listed below is also an assumption that Sammy Helenius draws back in after his healthy scratch on Thursday, with Andrei Kuzmenko’s status still TBD. Again, we’ll see what Hiller has to say later this afternoon.
Either way, it’s time for a change. Whether it’s a change in mindset, strategy, lineup, personnel, or something else, time is running out on the regular season. Any hopes of making the playoffs are quickly evaporating for a group that has lost all five games played this month. Without a change behind the bench for now, any shift needs to come from within the room.
Statistically Speaking
— Adrian Kempe holds a six-game home point streak against Calgary. His active run against the Flames at Crypto.com Arena is the longest in Kings franchise history since Luc Robitaille posted an eight-game home point streak from March 2, 1993, through Jan. 14, 1999.
— Anze Kopitar’s 61 career points against the Flames are tied with Patrick Kane for the third-most among active skaters behind Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
— In 14 career starts against the Calgary Flames, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has posted an 8-3-2 record with a .949 save-percentage (SV%) and a 1.77 goals-against average (GAA). Among all active NHL netminders who have faced Calgary at least 10 times, Kuemper’s SV% against the Flames is the highest while his GAA is the lowest. Additionally, Kuemper’s four shutouts against the Flames are tied for the most among active goaltenders with Jonathan Quick.
— Doughty has recorded 32 points in 60 career games against the Pacific Division rival Flames, trailing only Brent Burns for the most among active NHL defensemen.
— Corey Perry (77 GP) and Kopitar (73 GP) rank second and third in most games played against the Flames among active skaters, trailing only Burns (83 GP)
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Flames
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Laferriere – Kempe
Byfield – Kopitar – Perry
Moore – Turcotte – Armia
Foegele – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Kuzmenko, Malott and (D) Moverare
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 4:00 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
Calgary is coming off a 4-1 victory over San Jose on Thursday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Sharangovich – Backlund – Coronato
Zary – Kadri -Farabee
Coleman – Frost – Gridin
Lomberg -Beecher – Klapka
Kuznetsov – Weegar
Bahl – Whitecloud
Hanley – Parekh
Wolf
On This Day in Kings History
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