The Los Angeles Kings return from the season break hosting the Utah Hockey Club for their second-of-three meetings this season.

In their first matchup back on October 26, 2024, LA pulled out a 3-2 regulation victory over Utah where the Kings scored all-three goals from Defensemen Joel Edmundson (2) and Brandt Clarke (1).

This season, LA are 17-3-2 at home, the Utah Hockey Club 15-11-3 on the road including a seven-game win streak from November 26, 2024, through December 20, 2024.

UP THE MIDDLE/BUTT WHIPPING TIME

With only twenty-nine games left in the 2024-25 NHL Regular Season, things will begin tightening up not just for the Kings but here at the Hockey News – as I’ll be suspending the levity in favor of brevity.

This is the make-it-or-break-it time of the season where everyone on the Kings will be (and should be) held accountable.

Long gone are the days of getting contribution from this person one game and that person the next.

Yes, the Kings are in a playoff position but now is not the time to take their foot off the gas pedal. Rather, this is the time to attack the game head on and send the message to the rest of the league that you’re a threat.

These games won’t be pretty and will have their challenges. The Kings might even see their prestigious home record take a turn for the worse. But, none of that will matter relative to how the team is actually playing. If they are going for the jugular while not cheating the game, they will be rewarded.

The Kings players can’t lean on Head Coach Jim Hiller to motivate them; they must do it themselves. The players need to be the ones getting Hiller out of bed at the crack of dawn not the other way around.

It's butt whipping time!

Puck drop is slated for 6:05 PM PST. You can watch the game via the FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.

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