For the first time in a long time, the Kings are on the struggle bus. Coming into play on Wednesday, they’ve lost four of their last five games, largely due to almost every skater besides Adrian Kempe going ice-cold offensively.
Flipping the coin over, though, the Kings are 9-1-0 in their last 10 home appearances — which is where they’ll be skating tonight when they host the visiting Florida Panthers. In fact, they’ve been downright dominant all season on home ice, putting together a league best 14-3-1 mark (.806 P%).
Prior to falling 5-1 to Pittsburgh on Monday, coach Jim Hiller had guided his team to nine straight wins at Crypto.com Arena. Their last home loss prior to the Penguins game was that dreadful night against the Sharks just before Thanksgiving. For many, that contest served as a demarcation of sorts, as the Kings had been one of the best teams in the NHL since that point… until this most recent stretch.
Unfortunately, things likely won’t get any easier tonight when the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers arrive in town to put a lid on LA’s quick two-game homestand. In an effort to help kickstart his club’s offense again, Hiller appears headed toward a shakeup within the forward alignment.
Akil Thomas will be drawing in for the first time since Dec. 28 against the Oilers. In total, the 25-year-old forward scored his lone goal of the season in his first of 16 games he’s suited up for this season. That was back in late October. All said, it’s been a frustrating and curious season for the former second round pick. He came into training camp with expectations of an everyday role, yet just hasn’t been able to find his groove. During a healthy season in AHL Ontario last year, he’s proven he can be relied upon at both ends of the ice and consistently add some secondary scoring. Now up with the Kings, he’s likely just looking for an opportunity to get some playing time and earn the trust of his coaches. Will tonight serve as step one of that process?
With Thomas set to settle in alongside Phil Danault and Kevin Fiala (the 2-4-6 line?), that also means Trevor Moore and Tanner Jeannot are on the move, as well. Moore will play with center Quinton Byfield, while Jeannot will round out a newly created fourth line.
Darcy Kuemper is expected to return in net, following a disappointing performance from David Rittich just two nights ago. One has to wonder if the lack of playing time impacted Rittich on Monday, or perhaps it was just an off night. Either way, Hiller is returning to his No. 1 goaltender to face the Panthers.
In somewhat related news, Drew Doughty is confirmed to be traveling with the team for their upcoming road trip. Although swapping his red no-contact jersey for a white sweater earlier today does indicate his return is drawing nearer, no official timeline has been established quite yet. All signs seem to point toward the future Hall of Famer making his return sometime over the next five games (i.e. just before the NHL break begins in advance of the 4 Nations Tournament in Montreal).
Also note that Joel Edmundson and Brandt Clarke are expected to split up tonight. Could that be a foreshadowing of Vladislav Gavrikov becoming Clarke’s partner once Doughty reunites with Mikey Anderson?
Statistically Speaking
— Both Anze Kopitar and Phil Danault have four-game point streaks against Florida, dating back to Nov. 5, 2022.
— Kopitar is currently tied with Dave Taylor for third place on the Kings all-time goals scored list (431). One more goal, his 432nd, will give LA’s captain sole possession of third place. When all is said and done, that’s most likely where he’ll settle in, as second place Marcel Dionne (550) and first place Luc Robitaille (557) are more than 100 goals away.
— Kuemper has posted a .910 SV% and a 2.92 GAA in 11 career games against the Panthers.
— The Kings have points in each of their last seven matchups against the Panthers, dating all the way back to Feb. 20, 2020.
— LA is 17-6-0-0 against Florida all-time on home ice.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Panthers
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Moore
Thomas – Danault – Fiala
Jeannot – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Spence
Moverare – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Laferriere and (D) Burroughs, Englund
Injured Reserve: Doughty
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised nationally by TNT and MAX. 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 David Rittich 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
Florida is coming off a 5-2 win over Anaheim on Tuesday. Here’s how they lined up for that game:
Tkachuk – Barkov – Reinhart
Luostarinen – Bennett – Samoskevich
Verhaeghe – Lundell – J. Boqvist
Greer – Nosek – Rodrigues
Forsling – Kulikov
Mikkola – Schmidt
Bjornfot – Balinskis
Bobrovsky
On This Day in Kings History
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