Are you ready for NHL hockey? The Kings are back after a three-week break, and they’ll skate onto the ice tonight with a whole new look at Crypto.com Arena.
Things will kick into high gear this evening, for what will be the first in a rare set of back-to-back home games. After initially hosting the Golden Knights, the Kings also play tomorrow vs. the visiting Oilers.
Since it’s been a while, it’s worth looking at things from a 30,000-foot view. Los Angeles has 26 games remaining in the regular season and currently sit three points out of a playoff spot. They trail second-place Edmonton by four points and first-place Vegas by eight points. They also hold games in hand over both clubs, something that will even out in the weeks ahead.
This next six-game stretch is pivotal, though. Not only is it full of divisional matchups, but it’s a stretch that leads into the annual NHL Trade Deadline late next week. How will GM Ken Holland improve his team?
Salary cap-wise, management can pretty much add any player they please. Not only did they have plenty of cap space following the recent acquisition off Artemi Panarin, they also could have some LTIR flexibility following the crushing news that Kevin Fiala will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury at the Olympics. It’s a massive blow to coach Jim Hiller’s squad, which already struggled mightily to put the puck in the net.
In Panarin, the Kings acquired what could be a franchise changing player, perhaps the best offensive acquisition since Ziggy Palffy several decades ago. The Russian superstar is set to make his Kings debut tonight after coming over from the Rangers earlier this month. Adding a point-per-game player should certainly help. However, with Fiala now out, will it be akin to a one-step-forward, one-step-back situation?
Nevertheless, it’s an exciting time in Los Angeles simply because there’s a new game-breaking talent in town. As noted from the team’s mini-camp at Toyota Sports Performance Center over the past week, Panarin is expected to slot in alongside Alex Laferriere at center and with Adrian Kempe on the opposite wing. As Hiller also revealed, Panarin may also see time on both power play units.
The rest of the lineup is slowly coming together. From morning skate earlier today, Joel Armia is expected to draw in at LW4, while Warren Foegele should be at LW3.
On the other side of the ice, Vegas has already announced that Jack Eichel and Noah Hannifin will not be in the lineup after winning a Gold Medal for Team USA just a few days ago. Further, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, and Shea Theodore are all questionable, as well. Simply put, Los Angeles needs to take advantage of a depleted Vegas lineup — obviously.
Statistically Speaking
— Kempe has five goals and 10 points in his last nine games, dating back to Jan. 17 in Anaheim.
— Tonight will conclude LA’s ninth regular season series with Vegas. Since their inaugural campaign in 2017-18, the Kings are 19-16-3 all-time against the Golden Knights. They also took last season’s Pacific Division battle with a 3-1-0 record.
— In the Kings’ last matchup vs. Vegas on Feb. 5, forward Anze Kopitar recorded his 1,300th career NHL point to become the eighth player in NHL history born and trained outside North America to reach this threshold. Overall, he is the 39th player in league history to eclipse the 1,300-point mark, and the 16th to do so with a single franchise.
— Drew Doughty (1,255 GP) sits one game shy of tying Duncan Keith (1,256 GP) for the 29th-most games played by a defenseman in NHL history. Among active blueliners, only Brent Burns (1,552 GP) has played more games.
— On Wednesday, Jan. 14, defenseman Brandt Clarke scored the game-tying tally with nearly 90 seconds remaining in regulation in the Kings’ last home game versus Vegas. Per NHL PR, Clarke’s neutralizer at Crypto.com Arena was the latest game-tying goal by a Kings defenseman since Drew Doughty on Oct. 28, 2023 (58:57), also against the Golden Knights.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Golden Knights
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Panarin – Laferriere – Kempe
Byfield – Kopitar – Moore
Foegele – Turcotte – Kuzmenko
Armia – Helenius – Perry
Dumoulin- Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Anderson – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Malott, Ward and (D) Moverare
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised nationally by TNT. 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
Tonight will be the Golden Knights’ first game after the Olympic break. With Eichel and Hannifin already ruled out, and their players from Team Canada being questionable, the lineup is in flux for now.
Barbashev – Marner – Holtz
Dorofeyev – Hertl- Stone
Smith – Uchacz – Kolesar
Reinhardt – Bowman
Lauzon – Theodore
Hanifin – Andersson
Hutton – Korczak
Schmid
On This Day in Kings History
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