There have been at least three key themes to the Kings season thus far: a need for greater consistency, redemption for previous losses, and the eternal search for a left wing.
Well, throw another log on the fire before puck drop.
Through it all, coach Jim Hiller’s team has yet to win three straight games. Coming off wins against Winnipeg and Anaheim, they have a chance at completing this quasi-hat trick Saturday afternoon when the Ottawa Senators arrive at Crypto.com Arena.
Somewhat complicating matters is a memory of LA’s previous matchup in Ottawa earlier this season, where the Kings gave up eight goals and ultimately lost in overtime to the Sens. With the rematch now on home ice, Hiller said he’ll use game tape from that October contest, as well as more recent games — where he’s liked the play of his team — in an attempt to get his guys ready.
“We’ll use both,” noted the Kings bench boss. “It’s always nicer to have played the team [you’re preparing for]. Once we have good video, you see what you did, well what they did. So, we definitely will look back on that game even though it was probably six weeks ago it’s still relevant.”
Being the second of a back-to-back set this weekend, Hiller is expected to turn back to David Rittich in net. He’ll try to match what his counterpart did between the pipes yesterday in Anaheim. Erik Portillo made his NHL debut vs. the Ducks and put together a strong showing in his first outing. While nerves definitely were a factor early on, the 24-year-old Swede settled in nicely, stopping 28 of 29 shots sent his way.
All things considered, defense and goaltending continues to be good enough for the Kings to win most nights. Meanwhile, they’re still patiently waiting for their goal scoring to pick back up to where it was earlier in the season. Look for the Kings to jump out to an aggressive start, as they look to pounce on a struggling Senators defensive core.
Trevor Moore missed Friday’s game with flu-like symptoms. His status for today has not been revealed.
Statistically Speaking
— The Kings carry a nine-game point streak (6-0-3) against the Sens, dating back to Nov. 7, 2019.
— LA has dominated Ottawa at home historically, bringing a record of 17-4-1-1 into play this afternoon.
— Anze Kopitar has recorded nine points in his last four games against the Senators (1G, 8A).
— Since the 2016-17 season, the Kings have the fourth highest power play percentage against the Sens (33.3%).
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Senators
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Foegele – Kopitar – Kempe
Jeannot – Byfield – Turcotte
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Lee – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Rittich (starter)
Portillo
Likely scratches: (F) Moore (D) Burroughs, Englund
Injured Reserve: Jones, Kuemper, Thomas
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by Fan Duel Sports. 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 Mikey Anderson 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
Ottawa is coming off a 4-3 victory in San Jose on Wednesday. Here is how they lined up for that contest:
Tkachuk – Stutzle – Gaudette
Giroux – Norris – Batherson
Reinhardt – Pinto – Greig
Gregor – Ostapchuk – Amadio
Sanderson – Hamonic
Chabot – Bernard-Docker
Kleven- Jensen
Ullmark
On This Day in Kings History
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