Make no mistake about it, if there’s such a thing as a must-win game in November, that’s what Saturday afternoon provides for the LA Kings. With only two wins in their last six starts, and a Seattle team coming to town only two points behind them in the Pacific Division, today’s contest will have plenty at stake.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Kings will also look to turn the page after being shutout for the first time this season just a few nights ago vs. Buffalo. It was a game where nothing seemed to click offensively for coach Jim Hiller’s lineup. To make matters worse, the power play continues to struggle mightily, going 0-5 in a game where just one goal with the man advantage could have been the difference in a game that was 0-0 after 40 minutes.
Throughout the first 20 games played thus far, we’ve noted the impressive play of some of LA’s young players, including Alex Turcotte and Alex Laferriere. Equally deserving of compliments has been newcomer Warren Foegele, one of the Kings more consistent forwards up to this point. Conversely, there is no doubt Hiller’s big guns need to get going — and quickly.
Front and center on the latter point would be Quinton Byfield and Phil Danault, who have a combined three goals total. Coming off a 20-goal season by the former, a move back to his natural center position has yet to pay dividends. Unfortunately, he isn’t alone in this part of the story. Danault has also had a less than typical season to date, finding the back of the net just once. Further, Hiller leans on him to contribute in all aspects of the game, whether it be special teams or key faceoffs in high leverage situations. It hasn’t gone according to plan quite yet, and if the Kings are to finally find some consistency, both centers will need to score more.
Statistically Speaking
— Defense has been a bright spot for the Kings most nights, especially their revamped top pairing.
— Los Angeles has been victorious in three of the last four meetings vs. Seattle. Overall, the Kings hold a 6-3-2 record against them all-time.
— Trevor Moore has 10 points in his last nine games dating back to Nov. 2.
— Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar have each recorded three goals in 10 career games against Seattle in their careers.
— Byfield is set to skate in his 200th career NHL game this afternoon against Seattle. By doing so, he would become the eighth skater from the 2020 NHL Draft to reach such mark.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Kraken
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Fiala
Foegele – Byfield – Laferriere
Jeannot – Helenius – Lewis
Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Rittich (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: (F) Thomas (D) Burroughs, Englund
Injured Reserve: Jones, Kuemper
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 1:00 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 Darcy Kuemper 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
Seattle is coming off a 3-0 win over the Predators on Wednesday. Here’s how they lined up for that contest:
McCann – Beniers – Burakovsky
Schwartz – Stephenson – Sprong
Tolvanen – Gourde – Bjorkstrand
Kartye – Meyers – Tanev
Evans – Larsson
Oleksiak – Montour
Mahura – Borgen
Daccord
On This Day in Kings History
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