The Los Angeles Kings drew the short straw, being the first to face the Vegas Golden Knights since the team halted all games and activities due to an outbreak of COVID-19, largely affecting the team’s coaching staff. Vegas last played on January 26, a 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Alex Pietrangelo, the only player added to the COVID-19 protocols for the team will not be playing tonight. That means former long-time Kings defender Alec Martinez will slot into the top pairing for the Golden Knights, alongside Shea Theodore.
The Kings are on a two-game losing streak, taking a beating from the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Martin Frk will finally make his season debut, having been out due to a lower body injury.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in tonight:
Lines
LOS ANGELES KINGS
Alex Iafallo — Anze Kopitar — Dustin Brown
Carl Grundstrom — Michael Amadio — Jeff Carter
Adrian Kempe — Gabriel Vilardi — Martin Frk
Jaret Anderson-Dolan — Lias Andersson — Austin Wagner
Mikey Anderson — Drew Doughty
Kurtis MacDermid — Kale Clague
Olli Maatta — Mark Alt
Jonathan Quick
Calvin Petersen
Expected Scratches: Austin Strand, Trevor Moore
Injured Reserve: Matt Roy (undisclosed), Sean Walker (upper body), Matt Luff (undisclosed)
COVID-19 Protocol: Andreas Athanasiou, Blake Lizotte
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Max Pacioretty — Chandler Stephenson — Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault — William Karlsson — Reilly Smith
Alex Tuch — Cody Glass — Nicolas Roy
William Carrier — Tomas Nosek — Ryan Reaves
Alec Martinez — Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague — Zach Whitecloud
Nick Holden — Dylan Coghlan
Marc-Andre Fleury
Robin Lehner
Expected Scratches: Keegan Kolesar
Injured Reserve: Brayden McNabb (lower body)
COVID-19 Protocol: Alex Pietrangelo
How to Watch
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tonight’s game will be broadcast regionally on ATTSN-RM and KCOP-13, nationally on NHL Network and Sportsnet, as well as available to stream through NHL.tv or fubotv.
Follow along in the comments for live updates and reactions throughout the game!