Be warned, things could get ugly tonight.
For starters, the Jets are on a historically bad run right now.
The Jets have only won three of their past 23 games and are currently on the worst winless streak they’ve had since returning to Winnipeg.pic.twitter.com/10XiAnBGe0
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 9, 2026
That’s never a good thing, as you don’t want to be the team to help your opponent break out of their slump.
On the other side of things, LA traveled to Winnipeg as a bit of a wounded bird. In the Kings last contest, they skated against the Sharks without four of their regular forwards: Anze Kopitar, Corey Perry, Trevor Moore, and Joel Armia. While coach Jim Hiller’s group earned a point via an overtime loss, they didn’t display the same energy and drive as they had in their three previous games, including back-to-back wins over the Wild.
That won’t be good enough tonight. They’ll need to be ready for a full 60-minute push in Winnipeg. And for good measure, they’ll then travel to Edmonton to take on their biggest rival of the past few years.
Currently, there are several questions regarding tonight’s lineup, starting with who is actually available to play.
Having already added Andre Lee and Taylor Ward for reinforcements the other day, the Kings also recalled Cole Guttman from AHL Ontario for this trip. He’s a versatile forward who can play center, if needed, and has limited NHL experience (41 games) with the Blackhawks. This could be a special opportunity for the young forward, as he grew up playing for the Jr. Kings and was a Kings fan himself.
Any way you slice it, tonight’s showdown in Winnipeg is likely to be a strange one. Beyond the Jets losing 11 straight games, they have completely fallen off a cliff — despite being thought of as a legitimate threat in the West coming into the season. Things have not worked out as planned in the great white north, thanks in part to a Central Division that is being dominated by three other teams.
On the flip side, Hiller and the Kings find themselves in a tough position. Generally speaking, the Kings have to win this game. They’re in a fight for a playoff spot in the Pacific Division and have been playing better of late. Yet, an admission that this isn’t a full Kings roster of regular players is worthy of mentioning and taking into consideration.
With tonight kicking off an important back-to-back set for Los Angeles, it begs the question of how Hiller will deploy his goaltenders. There’s some logic to saving Darcy Kuemper for tomorrow against the tougher opponent, meaning Anton Forsberg would get the nod tonight. However, many other coaches prefer to play it the opposite way. We’ll have to wait and see how Hiller chooses to go about it.
Statistically Speaking
— Defenseman Joel Edmundson picked up his 13th and 14th assists of the season on Wednesday night versus San Jose, matching a career-high that the blueliner set in the 2024-25 campaign.
— Alex Turcotte skates into Friday’s meeting with Winnipeg on an active three-game point streak, dating back to Saturday, Jan. 3, vs. MIN. This marks his third career point streak of three games or more and is the first time he has recorded a three-game home point streak.
— Mikey Anderson recorded points in each of the Kings’ first two games against the Jets this season.
What You May Have Missed
To say there’s been a lot of storylines throughout the Kings 2025-26 season would be an understatement. During last night’s Kings Of The Podcast, a full forensic review of the team was conducted. Think of it as a State of the Franchise. Check it out…
We also can’t talk about a Kings trip to Winnipeg without talking about THE trip to Winnipeg:
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Jets
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Ward – Laferriere – Kempe
Malott – Byfield – Foegele
Fiala – Turcotte – Kuzmenko
Lee – Helenius – Guttman
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Kuemper (starter)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) N/A and (D) Moverare
Injured: Amria, Kopitar (both day-to-day)
Injured Reserve: Moore
Non-Roster Status: Perry
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
Across the Ice
Winnipeg is coming off a 4-3 loss to Edmonton on Thursday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Connor – Scheifele – Iafallo
Perfetti -Toews – Vilardi
Barron – Lowry – Niederreiter
Koepke – Zhilkin – Pearson
Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Stanley – Schenn
Hellebuyck
On This Day in Kings History
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