Kings Vs Canadiens Game Preview: Kings Looking To Close Gap In Wildcard Race

The Kings are coming off an impressive 5-3 win over the New York Islanders, in which 4 Kings players recorded multi-point games. The Kings also got the win without one of their top players, Quinton Byfield. The Canadiens are coming into this game after losing to the Anaheim Ducks 6-5 in a shootout last night. Both teams are looking to get a big win for their playoff chances tonight. 

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore - Alex Turcotte - Alex Laferriere

Jared Wright - Kenny Connors - Mathieu Joseph

Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke

Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci

Darcy Kuemper

Anton Forsberg

Here are the projected lines for the Canadiens tonight: 

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky

Alex Newhook - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov

Zachary Bolduc - Jake Evans - Kirby Dach

Josh Anderson - Phillip Danault - Brendan Gallagher

Lane Hutson - Noah Dobson

Mike Matheson - Kaiden Guhle

Arber Xhekaj - Alexandre Carrier

Jakub Dobes

Samuel Montembeault

Phillip Danault is set to return to LA tonight as he takes on his former team after being traded to Montreal earlier in the season. The Kings' newest signing, Mathieu Joseph, looks to be making his Kings debut tonight. Quinton Byfield is a game-time decision after he has missed the last 2 games due to an undisclosed injury. Scott Laughton will most likely not make his Kings debut tonight after being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The goaltending duel looks to be between Jakub Dobes and Darcy Kuemper. Dobes last played against the San Jose Sharks, allowing 6 goals. Kuemper last played against the New York Islanders, allowing 3 goals and making 35 saves in the Kings' win. 

The Kings are desperate for a win, and the game against the Islanders is a template for how the Kings should play moving forward. The Kings not only took the lead early but also protected it when the Islanders pushed back, a problem throughout the season. 

The Kings' new dynamic duo of Kempe and Panarin keep shining, as both had 2 points in the last game. Kempe has 4 points in his last 3 games, and Panarin has 3 points in his last 3. This duo will be heavily looked upon tonight, especially with the Canadiens' strong defence. 

Overall, if the Kings can get to Jakub Dobes early and protect a lead, this game will be a statement win that gets them back into the playoff race. My prediction for this game tonight is a 5-4 Kings victory.