Saturday afternoon will mark a quick turnaround for the Kings after they returned home from Chicago in the wee hours of Friday morning. They’re also set to kick off a back-to-back set this weekend, with the Bruins on deck for tomorrow. Kicking things off, though, are the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes — a team that will certainly challenge LA’s success on home ice.
Winners of eight straight, Carolina is coming in as the hottest team in the league. Perhaps adding more concern, the Kings are just 2-6-2 in their last 10 meetings with the Hurricanes. Thus, today will be a measuring stick game, indeed.
Surprisingly enough, the Hurricanes had one of the more interesting trade deadlines, as they moved out superstar Mikko Rantanen to Dallas. Despite all the drama surrounding that situation, they continue to be a threat out of the Eastern Conference down the stretch and into postseason play.
Shifting focus back to LA, it will largely be business as usual at home, where they’ve been nothing short of terrific. Much of their success at Crypto.com Arena has been due to the outstanding play of goaltender Darcy Kuemper. On top of his 14-1-2 record in Downtown LA, he also holds a .934 save percentage and 1.69 goals against average. Kuemper is also coming in hot during the month of March, where his overall record is 5-2-1 with a .941 SV% and 1.36 GAA.
Taking care of business this weekend could pay huge dividends when it comes to the Pacific Division standings. This is the time for coach Jim Hiller’s squad to make their move, as it was announced Edmonton’s top forwards, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, are out with injuries for at least a week’s time. Los Angeles comes into play trailing their longtime rivals by two points in the hunt for home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
No lineup changes are expected from Thursday. Kuemper will likely get the nod this afternoon, leaving David Rittich getting a likely start tomorrow night against Boston. Looking out further, the New York Rangers arrive in town on Tuesday, capping off three straight contests against teams from the east.
Statistically Speaking
— Phillip Danault has five points (2G, 3A) in his last two games vs. Carolina, while Vladislav Gavrikov (1G, 3A) has four in his last three matchups with the Hurricanes.
— Trevor Moore enters Saturday’s matinee with a three-game goal streak (4G, 0A) against the Hurricanes, dating back to Oct. 14, 2023.
— Moore and Alex Turcotte scored twice within 60 seconds on Thursday night in Chicago – the 10th time the Kings have done so this season. The only teams to do so more in 2024-25 are Vancouver (14), Carolina (12), Boston, Seattle and Vegas (all w/ 11).
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Hurricanes
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Turcotte
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis, Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 1:00 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 (player TBD) 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
Carolina is coming off a 3-1 victory over San Jose on Thursday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Blake – Aho – Jarvis
Hall – Kotkaniemi – Roslovic
Martinook – Staal – Stankoven
Robinson – Jankowski – Jost
Slavin – Burns
Gostisbehere – Orlov
Walker – Chatfield
Andersen
On This Day in Kings History
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