Following yet another gut-wrenching loss on home ice to open 2026, the Kings will look to put things back together tonight as they welcome the Minnesota Wild to town for a pair of games. LA will be seeing a team emerging as a powerhouse in the Western Conference, especially after their recent trade for defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Looking beyond this next set of game with the Wild will be telling. After winning seven of 13 contests in November, LA earned victories in only four of their 13 games in December — and they paid the price for it in the standings. As of this morning, the Kings are on the outside of the playoff picture for really the first time this season. To put it simply, they have to start winning games, especially at home. When skating at Crypto.com Arena, coach Jim Hiller’s group has tasted victory just five times this season. That has to change from this point forward.
On the bright side, the power play has started to produce, scoring in three straight contests. Forwards Corey Perry and Andrei Kuzmenko have been instrumental in the progress of the man advantage lately, and it would be massive for this group if both power play units continue to improve. On the flip side of that coin, Hiller would likely prefer to see more of his star players contributing on the power play, yet at this point in the season, whoever scores goals will be given the majority of ice time.
After initial reports indicated Trevor Moore was likely to return to the lineup tonight after missing Thursday’s contest with an illness, Hiller has confirmed he’s not quite ready.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings will play 16 games in January. How many can they win?
— Perry collected his 497th, 498th and 499th career assists Thursday night against Tampa Bay. He enters Saturday’s game one helper shy of becoming the 28th different active skater to reach the 500-assist mark in their career.
— On Oct. 13 in Minnesota, Adrian Kempe tied the game 3-3 with 46 seconds remaining in regulation. With his last-minute game-tying goal on Nov. 20 in San Jose, Kempe became the third player in Kings history to score a game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation multiple times in a single season, joining Anze Kopitar (2x: 2017-18 and 2008-09) and Ziggy Palffy (2003-04).
— Quinton Byfield netted both his second goal and second assist of the campaign on Oct. 13 at Grand Casino Arena in Minnesota. He now has six points against the Wild through 10 career matchups.
What You May Have Missed
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Wild
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Armia
Fiala – Turcotte – Kuzmenko
Malott – Helenius – Perry
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Kuemper (unconfirmed)
Forsberg
Likely scratches: (F) Moore and (D) Moverare
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 6:00 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
Minnesota is coming off a 5-2 victory over Anaheim on Friday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Kaprizov – Yurov – Zuccarello
Johansson – Eriksson Ek – Boldy
Tarasenko – Hartman – Hinostroza
Foligno – Sturm – Trenin
Hughes – Faber
Brodin – Spurgeon
Middleton – Bogosian
Gustavsson
On This Day in Kings History
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