Kings Vs Blues Game Preview: Kings Can Move Into a Playoff Spot with a Win

The Kings are coming off a 3-day break from their last game against the Utah Mammoth. The Kings lost to the Mammoth 6-2 and are looking to bounce back against the Blues tonight. St. Louis is coming off a 5-4 loss to the San Jose Sharks and looks to bounce back tonight. 

Here are the Kings' projected lines for tonight:  

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere

Joel Armia - Scott Laughton - Jared Wright

Mathieu Joseph - Alex Turcotte - Taylor Ward

Brian Dumoulin - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Mikey Anderson - Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg

Darcy Kuemper

Here are the Blues' projected lines for tonight: 

Dylan Holloway - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud

Jake Neighbours - Pavel Buchnevich - Jordan Kyrou

Otto Stenberg - Dalibor Dvorsky - Jonatan Berggren

Alexey Toropchenko - Jack Finley - Pius Suter

Philip Broberg - Logan Mailloux

Theo Lindstein - Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler - Justin Holl

Jordan Binnington

Joel Hofer

The only change for the Blues is that Jordan Binnington is likely the starter tonight. The Kings did not hold a morning skate, and the only change is that Brian Dumolin and Mikey Anderson have swapped places in the lineup. 

The Kings are desperate for a win, especially with how close the playoff race is, and they cannot afford to drop games against teams outside the playoff picture. The Kings would like to forget March, as it was a much more negative month than a positive one. With the Kings having fewer than 10 games left in the season, every game is a must-win game for the Kings to make the playoffs. 

Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin will be looked towards today to help provide a spark for the Kings tonight. If the Kings make the playoffs, a big reason will be that duo providing a significant amount of the scoring. 

Another aspect for the Kings to be successful tonight is if their depth players can create meaningful chances and scoring opportunities; the Kings will be able to generate momentum from them. 

It looks like a Jordan Binnington vs. Anton Forsberg matchup today. Forsberg last started in the 6-2 loss against the Mammoth. He has also lost his last 3 starts, so he will be looking to change that. 

Overall, if the Kings can get solid depth from their bottom 6, they can take over the game and, in turn, move into the final wildcard spot. My prediction is that the Kings will defeat the Blues 3-2.