One of the most consistent themes throughout the 2024-25 hockey season in Southern California has been the parallel path being ridden by the Kings and Regin. Earlier in the season, both teams seemed to be playing the same organization nearly every night (i.e. when the Kings played the Ducks, coach Marco Sturm’s squad were facing off with the Gulls). Both teams have been hot at the same time, and now relatively cold.
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This week the Kings are in the middle of a mini three-game series with the St. Louis Blues. Meanwhile, the Reign host the Roadrunners on Wednesday night for what will be first of three games against Tucson over an 8-day period.
And earlier today, the Kings bolstered their lineup with the addition of Brandt Clarke and Sammy Helenius. Now, the Reign are making lineup changes of their own.
It just seems like the two teams are on very parallel tracks.
Tonight’s matchup at Toyota Arena will be the fifth meeting between Ontario and Tucson this season, with the Reign leading a 4-0 series lead.
Coming off back-to-back losses last weekend in Colorado, Sturm will be looking to right the ship, with his team in the thick of a Pacific Division battle for playoff positioning. The Reign currently sit in fourth with a record of 31-17-3, just three points back of first.
With Kings goaltending prospect Erik Portillo out injured the past few weeks, Pheonix Copley has attempted to hold down the fort. He’s picked up wins in two of the five games he started in Portillo’s absence after riding a four game win streak prior to taking over as the No. 1 guy. Earlier this season, Copley had another win streak of as many games and even earned AHL Player of the Week honors at one point. Overall, he holds a .906 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average on the season.
With Helenius recalled, his reunion with Andre Lee on the second line was rather short-lived (just two games against Colorado). Sturm will most likely move Jack Studnicka back into the 2C role, a spot he’s already played for several months this year. Additionally, Kings prospect Kaleb Jones was recalled from the ECHL and is expected to slot in at 4C.
Defensemen Angus Booth and Cole Krygier continue to recover from injuries, while a timeline hasn’t been established for either player’s return just yet. However, veteran Caleb Jones draw back in for his first game since being injured three weeks ago.
Across the ice, Tucson enters the contest with a 25-22-5 record, sitting seventh in the Pacific Division. Eager to gain ground in the playoff race, they’ll likely turn to their leading scorer, Kailer Yamamoto, who has amassed 44 points (15G, 29A) thus far. Goaltender Matthew Villalta hasn’t had the greatest season, yet he’s provided a solid body when protecting the net — posting a .915 save percentage and 2.96 goals-against average.
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. ROADRUNNERS
Malott – Gawdin – Hudon
Lee – Studnicka – Ward
Chromiak – Pinelli – Fagemo
Element – Lawrence – Jamsen
Hicketts- Millar
Dvorak – Walsh
Cecconi – Jones
Copley
McKay
Other roster options include: (F) Doty and (D) Booth, Krebs, Krygier, Rowe, and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on FloHockey. An audio only feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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