Los Angeles Kings @ Anaheim Ducks: Game Preview & Discussion

Three Things to Watch

1. New Faces. With this game essentially meaningless for the Ducks – except maybe a loss to help cement their last-place status in the league – several young players have been making their NHL debuts. Forward Nikita Nesterenko joined the Ducks after concluding his NCAA career at Boston College and scored his first professional goal on Tuesday. Defenseman Drew Helleson – a former Los Angeles Junior King – will play in his third NHL game after spending this season with the San Diego Gulls. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe – also a former Junior King – made his NHL debut on Tuesday after his NCAA career came to an end with the University of Minnesota’s loss in the men’s Frozen Four final. For the Kings’ part, they have forward Alex Laferriere hanging around, and while he did take some rushes in practice with the top line, he is unlikely to make his NHL debut. (But stranger things have happened!)
2. Play like it means something. The Kings weren’t tempted to rest any key players for tonight’s game. Their first-round opponent depends on the outcome of several remaining games, but they do control a little bit of their own destiny. The team can’t finish any higher than third in the Pacific Division, but a Kings loss and Kraken win tonight would drop the Kings into the wild card spot.  And while Ducks management may want to see the team continue to improve their odds at drafting Connor Bedard, the team certainly isn’t going to just wilt playing against their down-the-freeway rival.
3. Don’t blow it. Look, the Ducks have a 12-game losing streak going on right now. They haven’t won a game since March 17. While they’re nowhere near an NHL record – that belongs to the 2020-21 Buffalo Sabres and 2003-04 Pittsburgh Penguins, both of whom had 18-game losing streaks – it is the longest such streak in the league this year. Why would you want to ruin a good thing? Send the Ducks home with a loss, it’s the right thing to do.

Projected Lines

Los Angeles Kings

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Kaliyev
Anderson-Dolan – Kupari – Grundstrom

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Durzi – Walker

Korpisalo
Copley

Anaheim Ducks