The Hockey News' Derek Lee previews the Ducks' matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
The first of two consecutive games against the Los Angeles Kings will be played on Friday, following the Ducks' sharp performance against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. The Kings are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
Both Friday's (in Los Angeles) and Saturday's (in Anaheim) games could have major implications for the playoff picture, with the Kings and Ducks separated by just two points. Both teams are currently just outside of the second Wild Card spot, with the Kings' 49 points being two behind the fellow Pacific Division San Jose Sharks at 51.
"(These games against the Kings are) very tight checking, very detailed," Ducks winger Chris Kreider said after Thursday’s practice. "It's a divisional matchup. You can tell that it means more. It's a fun rivalry, looking forward to getting down to LA and playing."
Dec 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25), left wing Ross Johnston (44) and Los Angeles Kings right wing Joel Armia (40) battle for the puck in the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesFor Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, the kind of game that his team played on Tuesday against Dallas is what the Kings do consistently. In a matchup like this, it will come down to which team can execute that kind of game better.
“It’s kind of what we're talking about going into the game,” Quenneville said. “We want to have the same mindset, like we're playing Dallas. It's simple, and it's going to be straight ahead and check and check. This team probably is the stingiest at playing a patient team game and trying to create, gonna get you in trouble. We’ve seen last time in here, we got a little bit of an education. “Let’s be ready to go, playing the same way as we played the last game, and know that's something to build off of.”
"Offense isn't going to be a problem with this team, you've got to play good defense," Kreider said. "We've learned that we can generate offense off of playing good defense. Ultimately, winning hockey games is fun. That's how you win hockey games."
“They’re a good team,” Gauthier said of the Kings. “We've played them a couple times now and they play a really tight checking, solid defensive game. They don't give you a lot of opportunities, so got to bear down when you get the chances tonight.”
Dec 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) is defended by Los Angeles Kings left wing Warren Foegele (37) as he handles the puck in the first period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesGauthier and Troy Terry will both return to the lineup after missing Tuesday's game with an illness and upper-body injury, respectively. Terry has missed three consecutive games due to his injury and was expected to be a game-time decision on Tuesday, but did not participate in warmups. Gauthier was a full participant at Tuesday's morning skate but was ruled out with an illness prior to puck drop. He also did not participate in warmups.
UPDATE: Troy Terry has been placed on injured reserve. Sam Colangelo has been recalled from AHL San Diego.
“Feeling good, ready to go,” Gauthier said. “We have to play a solid defensive game and play super physical. In the Dallas game, watching the game, guys just played a really physical role and allowed everyone to know who their checks were and clarified up things in the D-zone, especially in the O-zone. Moving forward, I think that's the standard, just got to build off of it.”
Anaheim will be without forward Leo Carlsson for the second consecutive game due to a lower-body injury. Carlsson missed Tuesday's game with the injury after being a full participant at morning skate. Carlsson missed one game in late December due to a lower-body injury. Whether these two injuries are the same injury or two separate injuries is unknown.
Apr 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson (91) moves the puck against Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson (44) during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn ImagesNikita Nesterenko was assigned to AHL San Diego on Thursday, which leaves the Ducks with zero extra forwards due to Carlsson's injury. Kreider did not participate in Friday’s morning skate and will be a game-time decision, according to Quenneville. The Ducks acquired forward Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins on Friday morning, but he will not be available to play as he travels across the coast from Boston.
Long-time King and team captain Anže Kopitar will not play in either game this weekend after being placed on injured reserve on Jan. 10 with a lower-body injury. This means that Kopitar likely already played the final game of his career against the Ducks on Dec. 27, 2025.
Ducks Projected Lines
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Jansen Harkins - Ryan Poehling - Sam Colangelo
Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba
Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas
Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson
Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)
Kings Projected Lines
Jeff Malott - Alex Laferriere - Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia
Kevin Fiala - Alex Turcotte - Andrei Kuzmenko
Andre Lee - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Darcy Kuemper (confirmed)