The Kings aim to end the season series on a high note against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks
Just two days removed from their latest meeting, the Los Angeles Kings (12-8-7) and Chicago Blackhawks (12-9-6) will face-off for the third and final time this season. The Kings won the first matchup in October 3-1, but the Blackhawks got the better of LA on Thursday, winning 2-1.
The Kings will have their hands full yet again as they face superstar Connor Bedard who has had success against LA this year, scoring in both meetings this season. While LA's blue line has their hands full with Bedard and company, the forward group led by Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield have been struggling mightily to find the back of the net as of late and must step up immediately before the cold streak becomes a season long reality.
It may sound harsh, but the Los Angeles Kings might be the most boring and truth be told, painful team to watch in the National Hockey League. Their opponent, Chicago has been surprisingly one of the more entertaining teams to watch, in large part due to Bedard, but players like Frank Nazar, Spencer Knight, and even Tyler Bertuzzi have also made the Blackhawks a fun watch.
Los Angeles needs to figure something out when it comes to their offensive production in order to beat teams like Chicago. Sure being a stellar defensive team is extremely important but when you're averaging a measly 2.6 goals per game with a total of 70 goals in 27 games, something needs to change. No better time to start finding twine than in the rubber match against a competitive Blackhawks team.
Kings Projected Lines
Darcy Kuemper (8-6-5) is expected to make his 20th start of the season. The Kings are finally fully healthy and tonight will be the second time they've rolled a fully healthy lineup in what seems like forever. Drew Doughty, Warren Foegele, and Phillip Danault have all returned from their respective injuries and hope to give a much needed bust to a struggling lineup.
*Indicates Leading Scorer
Forwards
First Line: Alex Laferriere -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe*
Second Line: Kevin Fiala -- Quinton Byfield -- Joel Armia
Third Line: Warren Foegele -- Phillip Danault -- Trevor Moore
Fourth Line: Andrei Kuzmenko -- Alex Turcotte -- Corey Perry
Defense
1st Pair: Brandt Clarke -- Drew Doughty
2nd Pair: Mikey Anderson -- Joel Edmundson
3rd Pair: Brian Dumoulin -- Cody Ceci
Goaltenders: Darcy Kuemper (Expected) Anton Forsberg (Backup)
Blackhawks Projected Lines
Current Vezina candidate Spencer Knight (9-5-5) is expected to make 20th start of the season. The Blackhawks will roll with the exact same lineup as they did in their 2-1 victory over the Kings on Thursday. Which includes an 11 forward and 7 defence approach.
*Indicates Leading Scorer
Forwards
First Line: Ryan Greene -- Connor Bedard* -- Andre Burakovsky
Second Line: Oliver Moore -- Frank Nazar -- Tyler Bertuzzi
Third Line: Teuvo Teravainen -- Jason Dickinson -- Ilya Mikheyev
Fourth Line: Colton Dach -- Ryan Donato
Defense
1st Pair: Alex Vlasic -- Louis Crevier
2nd Pair: Wyatt Kaiser -- Artyom Levshunov
3rd Pair: Matt Grzelcyk -- Connor Murphy
7th D: Sam Rinzel
Goaltenders: Spencer Knight (Expected) Arvid Soderblom (Backup)
History and Facts
- This will be the 215th regular season meeting between the Kings and Blackhawks
- Kings are 97-92-25 while the Blackhawks are 100-85-29
- Los Angeles is 7-3-0 in their last 10 against Chicago, but the Blackhawks have won three of the last five meetings
- Kings are 3rd in Pacific with 31 points
- Blackhawks are in 2nd WC spot with 30 points
- Darcy Kuemper is 9-4-2 against Chicago in his career
- Spencer Knight is 2-2-1 against Los Angeles in his career
- Connor Bedard has scored in his last three games against LA
- Adrian Kempe has struggled against Chicago with just two goals in 23 career games
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.