Kings Vs Ducks Game Preview: Kings Looking to Avoid Back to Back Losses Against the Ducks

The Kings saw a 2-0 lead disappear in the 2nd period, and the Ducks went on to win in a shootout. The Kings had control of this game, especially right at the puck drop, as Quinton Byfield scored in under 2 minutes of the game. The Kings and Ducks can move into 3rd in the Pacific with a win, so this is a very important game for both teams. 

Here are the projected lines for the Kings tonight: 

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

Anton Forsberg

Darcy Kuemper

Here are the projected lines for the Ducks tonight: 

Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome

Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke

Jansen Harkins - Ryan Poehling - Sam Colangelo

Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Jeffrey Viel

Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba

Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas

Pavel Mintyukov - Ian Moore

Ville Husso

Lukas Dostal

Neither team held a morning skate after playing last night. The Kings seem to be using the same lineup as yesterday. The only change is that the goaltending matchup is Husso and Forsberg. The Ducks will be without Leo Carlson for 3-5 Weeks after he underwent a procedure to treat his left thigh. 

With the Kings playing a back-to-back against the same team, it will be interesting to see how they adapt, because yesterday the Kings controlled the first half, going up 2-0. Still, the Ducks eventually pushed back and scored 2 goals in under 4 minutes. So that one section of the game allowed the Ducks to take over. 

The Kings need not only to get another fast start but also to stay smart defensively and not allow the Ducks to build momentum, which allowed them to tie and eventually win the game. 

Individually, the Kings' players have been playing better. Byfield, especially, after he went 9 games without a point. The Kings have often relied on Adrian Kempe to provide the spark, but recently they have been playing good team hockey. 

The Kings need to make sure they maintain control of the game and don't let 2 quick goals dictate the outcome. If the Kings can stay strong defensively tonight, their offence will be able to apply heavy pressure, as they did in the first half of the game.

Overall, this game is very important for both teams, but the Kings have to play a full, complete game. My prediction for tonight's game is a 3-1 Kings win.