Thankfully for the Kings, they are back home for another three-game homestand. With as dominant as they’ve been on home ice this season, that could quickly erase any memories of Thursday’s loss in Colorado and get them back on a winning track when the Maple Leafs pay a visit to downtown Los Angeles on Saturday — the first of a back-to-back weekend set.
It’s nearly a night and day situation, and there’s no easy way to explain the disparity between the type of team the Kings are at home vs. on the road. However, coach Jim Hiller has guided his team to a streak where they’ve picked up points in 15 straight games at home, which is good enough for a franchise record. They are nearly unbeatable when playing in front of their own fans, and it’s rather unbelievable at this point.
Coming into play tonight, LA has a two-point lead for second place in the Pacific Division and will look to get some breathing over Edmonton. According to the math found here, the Kings currently have a 69% chance of holding that spot, thus ensuring Game 1 of the playoffs comes on home ice. Winning seven of their 11 remaining games is the tipping point. Doing that all but guarantees them home ice (98%). Even winning five of 11 still has then at 64%. So, that’s sort of the sweet spot. They’ve probably run out of runway when it comes to winning the division outright, as even winning 10 of 11 games likely wouldn’t be enough to surpass Vegas. Of course, that all depends on what happens with the Golden Knights over the next few weeks.
Putting the future aside and focusing on the present, today’s lineup is a bit of a mystery in certain spots. As we reported earlier this week, Tanner Jeannot is expected to be out for an extended period. However, without a practice yesterday and no morning skate today, the status of Alex Turcotte remains TBD. Hiller will hold a pregame media scrum about an hour before the team takes to the ice for warmups, so we’ll have to see how things come together. Given how impressed LA’s bench was with Jeff Malott’s debut in Colorado, we are expecting him to likely get another look.
Beyond the forwards, Hiller also has a decision to make regarding the use of his goaltenders over these back-to-back contests. For now, we’ll assume Hiller goes with his Vezina caliber netminder vs. a tough Toronto team and leaves David Rittich for San Jose tomorrow. If only things were that simple, though. We’ve come to expect the unexpected at this point. Perhaps the organization is committed to resting Kuemper as much as possible for the postseason.
Statistically Speaking
— Warren Foegele has points in each of his last three games (2G, 1A) against the Toronto Maple Leafs, dating back to Nov. 7, 2024.
— Defenseman Drew Doughty skated in his 1,200th career NHL game on Thursday, becoming the 39th defenseman in NHL history to skate in as many games. He is also the 27th skater all-time to skate in 1,200 games for a single franchise.
— With his expected start vs. Toronto today, captain Anze Kopitar (1,444 GP) will tie Hockey Hall of Famer and long-time Maple Leaf Tim Horton (1,445 GP) for the 32nd most games played in NHL history.
— In the only other LA-Toronto matchup this season (at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 16), forward Kevin Fiala scored against the Maple Leafs, giving him four points in five games against Toronto as a member of the Kings.
— The Kings are 4-6-0 in their last 10 head-to-heads against the Leafs
ICYMI: Recent Kings Headlines
REPORT: LA Kings 2025-26 Preseason Plans, Including Neutral-Site Games
Kings Saying Goodbye to Two Prospects, Preparing to Sign Four Others
Kings Of The Podcast, Ep. 224 – Alex Laferriere
REPORT: Major Changes to NHL Rookie Faceoff Event for 2025, Returning to SoCal
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Maple Leafs
Below is a guestimate only. If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Malott – Helenius – Thomas
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
Injured: Turcotte (day-to-day, upper body), Jeannot (out for extended time period)
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 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 Adrian Kempe 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
Toronto is coming off a 6-5 loss to San Jose on Thursday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Knies – Matthews – Marner
McMann – Tavares – Nylander
Laughton – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Kampf – Jarnkrok
McCabe – Tanev
Rielly – Carlo
Benoit – Ekman Larsson
Woll
On This Day in Kings History
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...
