Following a hard-fought game with Toronto on Saturday afternoon that yielded a disappointing result, coach Jim Hiller’s LA Kings will get right back to work Sunday night to complete a back-to-back weekend set at Crypto.com Arena. Across the ice this time around will be the San Jose Sharks, for a game that brings far more questions than answers.
Will David Rittich get the net after Darcy Kuemper started on Saturday? Most likely, but a swerve is never out of the question with Hiller. He’s known to go left instead of right at times.
Will Akil Thomas draw back in for some fourth line action? Logic would suggest so, considering the multiple benefits. Not only would it get Thomas back into the lineup for his second game since early February, but it would also give 38-year-old Trevor Lewis a break after playing twice in the past three days.
Will the Kings actually lose their second straight contest on home ice this season? That one at least seems unlikely given their performances throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
Will the Kings find some offense after scoring just once over their past six periods of play? Hiller certainly hopes so.
[Also, Alex Laferriere was the LA player who found the back of the net — benefiting from a little KOTP boost, if you will.]
Will Alex Turcotte or Tanner Jeannot play today? Absolutely not for the latter, less clear on the former.
Will the Kings remain in second place after today’s game? This one is perhaps the only sure thing among our questions. Yes.
Currently tied with Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division at 89 points, LA holds the tie breaker. After tonight, things become a little tighter, though. LA has one game in hand, having played 72 games, one fewer than the Oilers’ 73. Even with a potential loss tonight, the Kings still have the first tiebreaker, regulation wins. Now is not the time to backdoor into things, though. When the teams wake up tomorrow, it will be a fast-paced push to the finish, as the Kings and Oilers will both only have eight games remaining. Securing a victory tonight would give LA a two-point cushion in the standings, something to potentially build off of in the days ahead.
Statistically Speaking
— Drew Doughty enters tonight with points in each of his last four outings against San Jose at Crypto.com Arena (2G, 2A), dating back to Dec. 17, 2022.
— Andrei Kuzmenko enters tonight’s game on an active four-game point streak (4G, 2A) against San Jose and has totaled 15 points (8G, 7A) in 10 career matchups against the Sharks.
— Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini was nine months old when Anze Kopitar was a rookie in the National Hockey League.
— The Kings have earned points each of their last seven times hosting the Pacific Division rival Sharks at Crypto.com Arena (5-0-2), dating back to March 10, 2022.
— This season, Los Angeles is 7-4-1 in the second half of back-to-back games.
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Kings Projected Lineup vs. Sharks
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 – Lewis *
* Hiller will address the media at 5:45 pm to confirm
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Rittich (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas 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 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by ESPN. 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 Trevor Moore 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
On This Day in Kings History
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