The Kings head into tonight’s meeting with the Islanders still searching for something that feels stable. Their seven-game homestand has been a mixed bag at best, and the results have reflected that. Los Angeles is 2-3-0 in the stretch, with just two games left before the team goes back on the road.
Peter Laviolette gets a healthier roster to work with this time, and that could matter. Kevin Fiala is expected to make his season debut, while Mats Zuccarello is also slated to return and join Quinton Byfield on the second line.
Fiala and Byfield have shown they can click together, and if that connection shows up again, it would give the Kings’ offense a needed lift. Zuccarello, meanwhile, has been playing without being at full strength, so this is closer to a reset for him than a simple return.
The back end is a little less certain. Erik Gustafsson and Drew Doughty were both out of practice yesterday.
Gustafsson was already listed as day-to-day, so his absence wouldn’t be a surprise. Doughty’s status is more notable after he blocked a shot in Tuesday’s loss, and his availability could shape how the blue line looks tonight.
For now, the message is straightforward: one game at a time. Laviolette’s club doesn’t need to solve everything in one night. It just needs a full 60 minutes and a chance to bank two points against an Islanders team making its only trip of the season to Crypto.com Arena.
The matchup also comes with some strong recent history for Los Angeles. The Kings have earned points in 11 straight games against the Islanders, going 10-0-1 since Jan.
27, 2022. They’ve won the last six meetings overall, and they’ve also taken each of the last six home games in the series at Crypto.com Arena.
In that run, Los Angeles has outscored New York 39-20.
There’s been plenty of success on special teams, too. Over the last 20 seasons, the Kings’ 90.9 penalty kill percentage against the Islanders leads the league, with just 10 goals allowed in 110 shorthanded situations. At home, that number gets even better: only two goals allowed in 60 shorthanded situations over the last 15 home games against New York, good for a 96.7 PK%.
A few individual milestones are also in play. Adrian Kempe took three shots Tuesday against Nashville and reached the 1,800-shot mark, becoming the ninth skater in Kings history to do it.
Darcy Kuemper is also on the cusp of a major career marker, with tonight set to be the 500th regular-season game of his NHL career. Only nine other active goaltenders have reached that number.
Los Angeles is projected to open with Panarin, Laferriere and Kempe on the top line, followed by Fiala, Byfield and Zuccarello. Moore, Laughton and Perry are expected as the third line, with Lee, Haula and Armia rounding out the forwards.
On defense, the pairs are projected to be Edmundson and Clarke, Anderson and Doughty, and Dumoulin and Ceci, with Kuemper in goal and Forsberg backing him up. Likely scratches are Helenius, Turcotte and Gustafsson.
New York arrives off a 3-2 loss to San Jose on Monday and is projected to go with Holmstrom, Horvat and Palmieri up front, then Heineman, Schenn and Eklund, Palat, Pageau and Duclair, and MacLean, Cizikas and Chaffee. The defense pairs are Pelech and Schaefer, Stanley and DeAngelo, and Hutton and Kessel, with Sorokin in net.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time, with the game airing on ESPN+. A Kings radio feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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