Who has been the best team in the National Hockey League since late November? Those guessing the LA Kings would be correct.
It’s rare when teams can pinpoint one event in a season that turns it all around. For the 2024-25 Kings, a loss in San Jose appears to be the origin of what has been a dominant run through December and on into the New Year. Digging a bit deeper, it’s remarkable how dominant coach Jim Hiller’s club has been on home ice, where they hold a 13-2-1 record, making Crypto.com Arena a scary place for opposing teams to play. Further, the Kings hold the fourth-best goal differential (+21) in the Western Conference, where they also own the third-best regulation wins (21).
On Saturday night, they’ll have an opportunity to improve their home record even further in a showdown with the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. This won’t just be a typical weekend matchup either, as there are at least three key storylines to track heading into puck drop.
For starters, it’s shaping up to be the return of Trevor Lewis, who will finally skate it his 1,000th NHL game. In preparation, the Kings assigned forward Andre Lee to AHL Ontario earlier today, in a move designed to create a roster spot for Lewis. Of course, Lee is coming off scoring his first NHL goal in LA’s previous game, a victory over New Jersey on Wednesday. It should only be a matter of time before he returns to the NHL; the Kings just need a few weeks to sort out their roster (i.e. Trevor Moore is due back soon, Arthur Kaliyev is attempting to return, etc.).
Through it all, Hiller will have some tough decisions to make, something most coaches don’t want to do when their team is playing so well. At the same time, they can’t leave key contributors like Moore and Lewis out of the lineup. Tonight’s first question is, with Lewis in for Lee, is that the only change? Or will Hiller return to a more traditional 12+6 configuration, resulting in one of the seven defensemen he’s been playing moved to being a healthy scratch? We should know when LA’s bench boss meets with the media about an hour before game time.
Another item of note is Tanner Jeannot facing his former team for the first time since a Draft Day trade with the Lightning back in June. The rugged forward played two years in Tampa Bay prior to the deal and tonight will be the first of two times the clubs square off in January, as LA will visit Tampa Bay later this month.
In net, look for Darcy Kuemper to get the nod again tonight after recording his second shutout of the season vs. the Devils earlier this week.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings are 8-0-3 across Saturday games this season, outscoring opponents 38-22 in those contests.
— Adrian Kempe has four points in his last three games against the Lightning.
— The last time LA played Tampa Bay, Vladislav Gavrikov scored his first overtime goal as a member of the Kings.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Lightning
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Burroughs
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Kaliyev, Thomas and (D) Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty, Moore
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 6:00 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 Alex Turcotte 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. They’ll also have game used sticks from Vladislav Gavrikov and Tanner Jeannot available, as well.
Across the Ice
Tampa Bay is coming off a 2-1 loss against the Sharks on Thursday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Guentzel – Point – Kucherov
Hagel – Cirelli – Geekie
Goncalves – Paul – Chaffee
Girgensons – Glendening – Eyssimont
Hedman – Raddysh
McDonagh – Cernak
Lilleberg – Pernod
Vasilevskiy
On This Day in Kings History
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