The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] host the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] tonight as they look to get back into the playoff picture, and facing a divisional opponent tonight makes this game even more important. The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against Vegas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights], which saw the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] tie up the game late in the 3rd, but Mark Stone scored the winner just 25 seconds into overtime. The Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] just ended their 9-game losing skid as they beat the Dallas Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars] 3-1 on Tuesday. During that losing skid, the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] did defeat the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] 6-1, and they look to do so again. PROJECTED KINGS LINES Here are the projected lines [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-lineup-projections-2025-26-season] for the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-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 Darcy Kuemper Anton Forsberg PROJECTED DUCKS LINES Here are the projected lines [https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-lineup-projections-2025-26-season] for the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] tonight: Chris Kreider - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke Cutter Gauthier - Ryan Poehling - Troy Terry Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Jansen Harkins Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson Lukas Dostal Ville Husso LINE CHANGES AND INJURIES The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] are getting Joel Armia back after he missed the last 5 games due to a lower-body injury. The Kings will be without Corey Perry and Jacob Moverare, who are scratched for tonight's game. The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] will also still be without Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore. The Ducks are getting Troy Terry back after he missed the last 3 games. Cutter Gauthier is back after missing the Stars [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars] game due to an illness, and Chris Krider is a game-time decision due to an illness. KEY FACTORS The Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] have to be strong defensively tonight, especially with the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] getting some of their big players back. This Ducks [http://v] team is young and fast, and the Kings will have to be smart defensively to succeed. The Kings are rolling with Darcy Kuemper, who posted a .889 save percentage in the Vegas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] game. The Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] are starting Lukas Dostal, who posted a .960 save percentage in the 3-1 win over Dallas [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/dallas-stars]. This Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] team has only 1 win in January, and has struggled in those games, so the Kings need to take advantage and get 2 points against a divisional team. With the way the Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] play, the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] will need all 3 lines of defence to be strong tonight, and they have been throughout the entire season. Another player the Kings could be looking at is Brandt Clarke, who has 4 points in his last 5 games and has been a key component of the Kings' offence recently. Kuemper is the biggest player in tonight's game, as he has been off his usual game recently, and a big win tonight could help get his confidence back up. If the Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] can maintain their strong defensive play, they will be able to walk away with a big win tonight and enter tomorrow in a playoff spot. My prediction is a 3-2 Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] win.
