It’s another preseason stop on the Freeway Faceoff, with the Kings heading to Honda Center to meet the Ducks and keep sorting through a roster that still has plenty of moving parts.
Los Angeles has already played two exhibition games and is still chasing its first win of camp. That doesn’t mean much in the standings, but at this stage every clean shift and every strong showing matters, especially with so many roles still unsettled.
There have been a few encouraging signs for the Kings so far. The power play has looked different, and the new-look top line has flashed real danger. Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield, and Artemi Panarin were on the ice for most of LA’s chances in Tuesday’s game, and the group looked threatening for much of the night.
Brandt Clarke also found the net on the power play, which was another positive for a special teams unit that struggled badly last season. Clarke and Peter Laviolette both talked about needing more consistency with zone entries on the man advantage, but the main thing for now is simple: the production is there.
Tonight’s game should offer another clue or two about where Laviolette is leaning, though he’s not expected to dress anything close to a full opening-night group until Saturday’s preseason finale. The forward spots in particular still have decisions attached to them, which means this game gives a few bubble players one more chance to make their case in actual NHL action.
Two names to watch are Kenny Connors and Andre Lee, both of whom are set for their third straight preseason appearance. Lee has scored in back-to-back games, and Clarke had praise for him as well.
Laviollette was just as direct when asked about Connors:
“I think he’s been noticeable. You’re right - two really nice plays, the primary assists in the two games.
And the one tonight wasn’t easy. You had to get an edge on the guy, you had to hold him off and muscle it to the other side of the ice - good finish by Wardo.
But I think Kenny’s been noticeable. He’s a strong skater and a strong player, and he’s had an impact in the game offensively.”
As always in the preseason, the Kings won’t be rolling out their full opening-night lineup. Prospects and AHL players usually fill out a lot of these early games, while the NHL regulars are split across the schedule.
The Kings’ current plan has their veterans playing in two preseason games before Opening Night, with one of those coming Saturday. That leaves the main group divided between tonight and tomorrow night.
There’s also the league’s Veteran Rule to account for, which requires at least eight veteran players to dress in each preseason game. In practice, that usually means players with 100 or more NHL games, plus recent first-round picks. For Los Angeles, Henry Brzustewicz is the only player meeting that requirement this year.
The projected Kings lineup for tonight is:
Armia - Haula - Laferriere
Lee - Connors - Chromiak
Ward - Turcotte - Wright
Guttman - Pederson - Jamsen
Dumoulin - Doughty
Booth - Kirsanov
Gustafsson - Perunovich
Forsberg
Portillo
Anaheim comes in off a 6-2 win over San Jose in its preseason opener on Sunday. The Ducks’ lineup from that game was:
Killorn - Carlsson - Sennecke
Klepov - Granlund - Gauthier
Myatovic - McQueen - Nesterenko
Farrell - Wahlberg - Colangelo
LaCombe - Helleson
Mitchell - Luneau
Solberg - Warren
Brossoit
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm Pacific Time. The game can be streamed locally on SLVR and on the Kings website. There is no national cable or satellite feed because the game is not being carried on ABTV, and NHL rules keep preseason streams inside the local market.
For viewers looking for SLVR, the two main options are a Samsung TV or the Amazon Prime channel. On Prime, it’s listed under the “Live TV” tab; from there, go to sports and find SLVR. National viewers can try ESPN+, but that stream would use the Ducks’ feed, not the Kings’ broadcast.
On September 22, 2009, the @LAKings signed Kyle Clifford to a three-year, entry-level contract. Clifford, who was drafted 35th overall in 2009, recorded 14 points, 138 hits, and 141 penalty minutes in 76 games in his rookie season. #LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/4549iAqDEJ
- The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) September 22, 2026
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