For many in Los Angeles, it will be hard to focus on hockey right now; understandably so. Some things in life are bigger than sports, and it would be a disservice not to mention the fires that are ravaging our city. While the Kings players and staff are no longer in town, it’s safe to assume the organization’s thoughts and prayers will be directed toward all of their fans, friends, and family for the foreseeable future, considering just how many people’s lives have been affected by this tragedy.
For LA
We honor the heroic @LAFD firefighters and first responders with this special helmet sticker which we will wear throughout this roadtrip.
Tonight, our friends at the @NHLJets will join us in support of our heroes back home. pic.twitter.com/deZJR2MjLv
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 10, 2025
With that in mind, there is still business to take care of considering the NHL schedule makers have LA back on the road for a five-game trip, beginning tonight in Winnipeg. Coach Jim Hiller will do his best to guide the club under difficult circumstances; while attempting to also help them capitalize on games in hand they hold over Vegas and Edmonton in the standings. While points percentage is usually the best indicator when comparing teams — and puts LA in second place — they still need to win the games they have in hand. This is no doubt a crucial stretch, as they look to keep pace in the Pacific Division race.
Hiller’s lineup could potentially be missing veteran defenseman Joel Edmundson. His status remains unclear following a collision in last weekend’s contest vs. Tampa Bay. If he does in fact miss a few games, that could mean additional playing time for Andreas Englund and/or a return to the traditional 12+6 alignment. Adding an additional layer of complexity to things is a weekend schedule that will see the Kings play back-to-back games. Which will also mean the goaltending will be a storyline to follow. Based on the opponent, we would expect Darcy Kuemper to get the start tonight, followed by David Rittich playing Saturday in Calgary.
ICYMI – some pretty good stuff from former Kings GM Dean Lombardi and coach Mike Stothers:
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings reached the 50-point mark in just 38 GP this season, which is the fastest they’ve reached that mark since 2015-16.
— Anze Kopitar carries a six-game point streak against Winnipeg dating back to Feb. 23, 2023.
— Through 38 games this season, no team has allowed fewer goals than the Kings (95).
— Los Angeles is 10-8-5 all-time against the current Jets when playing in Winnipeg.
— The previous version of the Jets happened to be the team Wayne Gretzky played against in his final game wearing a Kings uniform:
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Jets
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Moore
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Burroughs – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas and (D) Edmundson, Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:00 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.
Across the Ice
Winnipeg is coming off a 5-2 win over Nashville on Tuesday. Here’s how they lined up for that contest:
Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi
Perfetti – Namestnikov – Ehlers
Niederreiter – Lowry – Iafallo
Barron – Gustafsson – Kupari
Morrissey – DeMelo
Stanley – Pionk
Heinola – Coghlan
On This Day in Kings History
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