Is there really anything left to say at this point?
The Kings power play is non-existent.
One goal a game isn’t going to cut it.
Seeing an entire roster full of forwards all slumping at the same time is confusing.
Darcy Kuemper’s injury is only adding to the concern.
Defense is great, it’s not enough.
GM Ken Holland exited one issue with a recent trade, yet this roster is far from perfect.
Now, let’s try to find some positive in all of this. For all the doom and gloom — which is certainly warranted after 35 games played, that’s not a small sample size by any means — the Kings still play in the Pacific Division. Why is that important to note? It’s far weaker than the Central, where teams like Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota are forming a new death triangle. Over here in the Pacific, even with the ground Hiller’s squad has given up in recent weeks, LA still holds two games in hand and are just a few points out of first place. As crazy as it may sound, nobody is running away with things.
Thus, even a mild winning streak could really jump start LA’s hopes of remaining in the thick of the playoff race and even increase their odds of adding something substantial before the Trade Deadline.
A win over the Kraken would go a long way to placing another positive log on that holiday fire.
Statistically Speaking
— Veteran Corey Perry will earn a $250k bonus tonight. More on that here.
— Get ready for a special teams ‘battle’ tonight. LA’s 31st ranked power play will take on Seattle’s 32nd ranked penalty kill.
— The last time Joel Armia faces the Kraken (Dec. 10 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle), he assisted on Alex Laferriere’s shorthand goal. In doing so, Armia picked up his fourth shorthanded point (3G, 1A) of the campaign, tying the Islanders’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau and the Ducks’ Troy Terry for the most by any skater in the NHL this season.
What You May Have Missed
There have been two very important shows you’ll want to listen to over the past few days.
First up is this week’s Mayor’s Minutes on NHL Radio:
And don’t miss the latest KOTP — it’s packed with all the info you need! Topics include:
– Danault Trade
– Future of LA Kings lineup
– Marc Bergevin leaving
– Prospects at World Juniors
– FanDuel Network issues
– Kopitar missing practice
– Jim Hiller rumors
– Ontario Reign
– Much more!
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Kraken
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Moore – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Kuzmenko – Turcotte – Foegele
Armia – Helenius – Perry
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Copley (unconfirmed)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Malott and (D) Moverare
Injured Reserve: Kuemper
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
Get to know new Kings play-by-play voice John Kelly by checking out his interview here. He tells some interesting stories about joining the Kings broadcasts and what it was like calling games against them for most of his career.
Across the Ice
Seattle is coming off a 3-1 victory in Anaheim on Monday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Kakko – Beniers – Eberle
Tolvanen – Stephenson – Gaudreau
Nyman – Wright – Winterton
Kartye – Meyers – Melanson
Dunn – Larsson
Lindgren – Oleksiak
Evans – Mahura
Grubauer
On This Day in Kings History
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