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    Austin Stanovich
    Austin Stanovich
    Oct 19, 2023, 17:59

    There are no lineup changes expected and Cam Talbot is expected to start two straight games for the first time this season.

    There are no lineup changes expected and Cam Talbot is expected to start two straight games for the first time this season.

    © James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports - Game Day Preview: Kings Don't Mess With Success Heading Into Minnesota

    After a big 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings are sticking with the, "if it ain't broke, don't change it," mindset going into Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

    There are no lineup changes expected and Cam Talbot is expected to start two straight games for the first time this season.

    Ahead of last Saturday's game, Todd McLellan said he wanted Pheonix Copley in so Copley can get into his rhythm and get some games under his belt.

    Based on these comments, I was wondering if Copley would get the nod based on the same line of thinking, but Talbot earned his start and gets it on Thursday.

    We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but if Talbot has another strong game, it will be interesting to see who starts on Saturday against the Boston Bruins.

    The Kings new look nice line dominated on Tuesday and we'll see tonight if that was a flash in the pan or the new normal with Arthur Kaliyev alongside Phil Danault and Trevor Moore.

    It's been a strong, 2-1-0 start for the Wild, who have been led by star forward Kirill Kaprizov early on.

    Minnesota will be without young forward Matt Boldy and veteran defenseman Matt Goligoski. Opposite Talbot in Minnesota's net will be Talbot's former goalie partner, Marc-Andre Fleury.

    Here's a look at the Kings' expected lines:

    Forwards:

    Quinton Byfield - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

    Kevin Fiala - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Alex Laferriere

    Trevor Moore - Phil Danault - Arthur Kaliyev

    Carl Grundstrom - Blake Lizotte - Trevor Lewis

    Defense:

    Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

    Vladislav Gavrikov - Matt Roy

    Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence

    Goalies:

    Cam Talbot

    Pheonix Copley

    Minnesota Wild Expected Lines:

    Forwards:

    Kirill Kaprizov - Ryan Hartman - Mats Zuccarello

    Marcus Johansson - Joel Eriksson Ek - Sammy Walker 

    Marcus Foligno - Marco Rossi - Frederick Gaudreau

    Pat Maroon - Connor Dewar - Brandon Duhaime

    Defense:

    Jonas Brodin - Calen Addison

    Jacob Middleton - Brock Faber

    Dakota Mermis - Jon Merrill

    Goalies:

    Marc-Andre Fleury

    Filip Gustavsson

    One thing to keep an eye on is how the Kings handle an extremely physical Wild team. The Kings have struggled in the past when games get a little chippy and they can get pushed around a bit.

    Rob Blake addressed this in the summer by adding Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andreas Englund, and tonight, we find out if that was enough.

    Puck drops at 5:00 PM.