Having already beaten some of the NHL’s best teams this season — including Vegas, Winnipeg, and Dallas — coach Jim Hiller has used the past few days to get his Kings team dialed in before facing off with the Wild. Saturday night’s visitors to Crypto.com Arena hold a league-high 40 points this season.
This game will also serve as a rematch of one played last month in Minnesota; a contest that saw Hiller’s crew skate away with a 5-1 victory. Trevor Lewis had two goals that night. Of course, he’s sidelined until 2025, so the Kings will look elsewhere for offense. A Kevin Fiala power play goal stood as the game-winner in that one, so perhaps the former Wild forward will again be motivated to provide a little more revenge later today.
Akil Thomas has been activated and we’re expecting him to play tonight. Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean Hiller will also return to a more normal 12+6 configuration after using an 11+7 lineup in Wednesday night’s victory. If it’s the latter again, look for big Sammy Helenius to be the most likely forward to get tagged with a healthy scratch.
Also unclear is the goaltending situation. Darcy Kuemper was activated in time to backup David Rittich last time out. He should be ready to go tonight; thus, we’re projecting him as the starting netminder.
Regardless of how the lineup comes together, tonight marks the final home game for Los Angeles before a seven-game road trip that will see them playing outside the Pacific Division until after the Christmas break.
If there’s reason to like the Kings chances tonight, it’s due to the injury bug that has hit the Wild with force of late. They’ll be without at least four regular players come puck drop tonight, headlined by Mats Zuccarello and Joel Eriksson Ek. Additionally, Jonas Brodin and Jakub Luako are also expected to miss tonight’s contest. Despite the Wild appearing to be a rather beat-up team, they remain an opponent that LA cannot take lightly by any stretch, as they’ve proven to be one of the deepest teams in the league this season. As long as the Wild have phenom Kirill Kaprizov taking regular shifts, they’re dangerous. Through 25 games played, the Russian forward has 17 goals and 42 points. Keeping him off the scoresheet should be a top priority for Hiller and the Kings.
Statistically Speaking
— With a 9-2-1 record at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings are making it a tough building to play in for opposing teams. This is a welcome change from the past few seasons.
— Anze Kopitar is set to skate in NHL game No. 1,400 on Saturday night. It is also his 700th home game of his career. Kopitar will be just the seventh NHL player in history to have an even 700 games on the road and at home by the 1,400-game mark.
— The Kings sit second in the NHL in third period goals scored with 37.
— Quinton Byfield is chasing point number 100 tonight. He has 99 in his young career.
— The Kings are 22-13-2-6 at home all-time against the Wild.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Wild
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Moore – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Turcotte – Helenius – Thomas
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) N/A (D) Burroughs, Englund
Injured Reserve: Jones, Lewis
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by KCAL. 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 Kevin Fiala 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
Minnesota is coming off a 5-1 victory in Anaheim on Friday. Here’s how they lined up for that contest:
Kaprizov – Rossi – Boldy
Foligno – Hartman – Johansson
Shore – Gaudreau – Trenin
Jones – Khusnutdinov – Johnson
Middleton – Faber
Chisholm – Spurgeon
Merrill – Bogosian
Gustavsson
On This Day in Kings History
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