Well… Things did not get off to the start that LA hoped for in their season opener last night. What began with a surprise reveal of their beautiful new third jerseys — and high energy throughout the building — quickly turned sour for coach Jim Hiller. A much-hyped Western Conference showdown evolved into a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Tonight, things don’t get any easier as Los Angeles travels to Vegas for yet another conference powerhouse in the Golden Knights.
While there is no doubt the Kings were dealt a difficult hand schedule-wise to begin the new campaign, it does not excuse their performance in any way on Tuesday night.
For a team that sees itself as a true contender in the Pacific Division, Hiller’s group looked rather sloppy for much of last night’s contest. Some of the postgame talk was about a possible bright side to all of this; the fact that tonight gives the group a chance to quickly turn things around in Sin City. Furthermore, given the plethora of veterans LA has in their room, there doesn’t seem to be a sense of panic or concern on their part; it’s just on to the next game.
Much of the storyline tonight will be focused on Mitch Marner, who is making his Golden Knights debut. The superstar was rumored in the offseason to be potentially interested in coming to LA if he free agency. That never materialized, though, as Vegas scooped him up in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto.
As for LA’s lineup, three questions remain unanswered and probably will remain TBD until Hiller’s pregame press conference at 5:45pm. The team doesn’t have a morning skate today in advance of their 11am flight to Vegas.
Will Anton Forsberg get the chance to make his debut for his new club or will Hiller opt to let Darcy Kuemper go back-to-back against a division foe?
What happens with the defense? The Dumoulin-Ceci pair could easily morph into Dumoulin-Clarke, something Hiller looked at a few times during preseason. And there’s Jacob Moverare, who was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, yet is more than serviceable as an option to draw in.
Finally, will a change come to the fourth line? Hiller acknowledged in Tuesday’s postgame presser that he didn’t have any complaints with the play of guys like Alex Turcotte, just that he didn’t get a lot of playing time (7:09) against Colorado because of all the penalties, etc. Any change would also give LA a chance to add Sammy Helenius into the mix, giving them a little extra size against Vegas.
Overall, Hiller will be hoping for a 180-degree turn from what he saw last night, and it would make it a whole lot sweeter against a division rival.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings are 6-3-1 in their last 10 matchups against the Golden Knights.
— Vegas is one of just seven franchises that’s never had a 100-point player. Could Mitch Marner be the first?
— Adrian Kempe has 29 points in 36 games against Vegas in his career.
— Forsberg has a 1-2-0 record with a 3.87 GAA and a .889 SV% against the Golden Knights.
What You May Have Missed
— Details on LA’s new third jersey LINK
— Kings 2025-26 Salary Cap Situation LINK
— Q&A with LA Kings GM Ken Holland LINK
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Golden Knights
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Malott – Turcotte – Armia
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Kuemper (starter)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Helenius and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Burroughs (eligible to come off 10/8)
Injured: Perry (initially reported as 6-8 weeks, possibly out until late Nov.)
Key Game Info
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.
Across the Ice
Vegas is set to kick off their 2025-26 campaign tonight. The Golden Knights are coming off a season in which they went 50-22-10 and finished atop the Pacific Division. Here is how they are projected to line up vs. the Kings:
Barbashev — Eichel — Marner
Saad — Hertl — Dorofeyev
Smith — Karlsson — Stone
Howden — Sissons — Kolesar
McNabb — Theodore
Hanifin — Whitecloud
Lauzon — Korczak
Hill
On This Day in Kings History
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