The LA Kings are hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight as they look to try to win 2 straight.
The Kings are coming off a big win Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, ending their 4-game losing skid. The Blue Jackets are trying to avoid losing 3 straight after losing to the Ducks last Saturday by a score of 4-3. Tonight's game for the Blue Jackets is their last one before the holiday break. The Kings have one more game before the break, against the Seattle Kraken tomorrow. Tonight's game is also the first game after the Kings traded forward Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens for a 2026 2nd Round Pick.
Projected Kings Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight:
Warren Foegele - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield -- Alex Laferriere
Trevor Moore - Alex Turcotte - Andrei Kuzmenko
Joel Armia - Samuel Helenius - Corey Perry
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Anton Forsberg
Pheonix Copley
Projected Blue Jackets Lines
Here are the projected lines for the Blue Jackets tonight:
Mason Marchment - Adam Fantilli - Kent Johnson
Boone Jenner - Charlie Coyle - Kirill Marchenko
Dimitri Voronkov - Sean Monahan - Miles Wood
Cole Sillinger - Isac Lundestrom - Yegor Chinakhov
Ivan Provorov - Denton Mateychuk
Brendan Smith - Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen - Dante Fabbro
Jet Greaves
Elvis Merzlikins
Line Changes and Injuries
The Kings remain without goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who worked out during the morning skate today but will not play tonight and will miss his 3rd straight game. Warren Foegele is moved up to the first line with Kopitar and Kempe, and Turcotte remains the 3rd centre for the Kings, seemingly taking Danault's spot. The Jackets will be without Zach Werenski tonight, as he is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Jackets will also be without Erik Gudbranson and Mathieu Olivier, both out due to injury.
The Kings are starting Anton Forsberg tonight after his solid performance against Tampa, where he saved 31/32 shots and posted a .969 save percentage. The Jackets are starting Jet Greaves tonight, as Elvis Merzlikins had a rough game against the Ducks, stopping 24 of 28 shots and posting a .857 save percentage.
Key Factors
The Kings have been solid defensively this season, but their problems are evident in their offence. In the 2-1 win over Tampa, Kempe had both goals in that game, and he has been the Kings' best forward this season. Another forward playing well for the Kings is Kevin Fiala, who is only 1 goal behind Kempe for the team lead. But those guys have shown they can produce offence in every game.
The Kings' power play needs to improve, and this game is one in which they can do so. The Kings are ranked 30th in the NHL in power play, and the Jackets' penalty kill is ranked 30th as well, so the Kings can definitely improve it tonight if they get the chance.
The biggest offensive issue for the Kings has been the lack of points and production from Quinton Byfield, who is now pointless in his last 8 games with the Kings. If the Kings want to get back on track, they need him to step up, and tonight is a perfect game to do so.
If the Kings can find their offensive game tonight, I believe they will walk away with a win. My prediction is a 4-1 win for the Kings.