4/12 Preview – Quick & Changes + What’s Needed, Roy’s Return & Left Side, McLellan on Doughty

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (38-26-10) @ Chicago Blackhawks (24-37-11)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Tuesday, April 12 @ 5:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: United Center – Chicago, IL
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: KCOP-13 – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings continue on their three-game road trip this evening with their lone visit of the season to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings are 0-0-1 this season versus Chicago, courtesy of a defeat in the shootout in the first game played back in Los Angeles. In that head-to-head matchup, defenseman Sean Durzi tallied three assists, while forward Phillip Danault had two goals. Tonight’s matchup is the first between the teams at United Center since October 27, 2019, a span of 898 days.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings enter tonight’s contest on a three-game losing streak, extended with the 6-3 defeat in Minnesota on Sunday.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick did not skate this morning and is therefore expected to get the start this evening versus Chicago. All-time, Quick is 13-16-2 against the Blackhawks, with a .911 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average.

Todd McLellan’s quote after practice yesterday gave us the indication that the Kings could make a couple of lineup changes tonight in Chicago. From today’s morning skate, it appears as if the trio of Dustin Brown, Alex Edler and Arthur Kaliyev could return to the lineup, with Tobias Bjornfot, Carl Grundstrom and Brendan Lemieux all on the ice for extra work alongside Lias Andersson, Jacob Moverare and Austin Strand.

Without formal line rushes today, exactly how the Kings line up tonight remains to be seen, though Kaliyev could be in line for a top-six opportunity, with Brown entering into the bottom six. Edler’s insertion could shuffle up the pairings a bit, but his veteran savvy and calming presence will be a welcomed bonus for the Kings wherever he slots in.

BLACKHAWKS VITALS: Chicago has lost seven straight games entering tonight’s action, including a 6-4 defeat against Dallas last time out on Sunday. The Blackhawks have three stretches of six or more consecutive defeats this season.

Goaltender Colin Delia is expected to get the start tonight in Chicago, with the Rancho Cucamonga, CA native in line for his second start of the season versus the Kings. Delia made 43 saves on 46 shots when the teams met at Crypto.com Arena last month, his first and only win of the season to date.

The team is not expected to make any changes at the forward position, though defensemen Caleb Jones and Alec Regula are expected in for defensemen Calvin de Haan and Erik Gustafsson. Per Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, here’s how the Blackhawks lined up last time out.

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Stars:
Kurashev-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Raddysh
Reichel-Dach-Lafferty
Katchouk-R. Johnson-Entwistle

Stillman-S. Jones
de Haan-McCabe
Vlasic-Gustafsson

Lankinen
Delia

*Borgstrom, T. Johnson, Kubalik and C. Jones are the scratches

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 10, 2022

Defenseman Connor Murphy is on long-term injured reserve, while forward Jujhar Khiara is out for the season after back surgery.

Notes –

Playing Their Game
When asked this morning about adjustments, lineup changes, etc that the Kings might make this evening, Todd McLellan put the onus on the team. The Kings need to do certain things well to be successful and that starts tonight in Chicago. Two unedited quotes below, with McLellan’s full thoughts on the situation.

On what he might be looking for from any players inserted into the lineup tonight
Right now, we’re looking for four lines and six, trusting defensemen. We need to get back to what we do well. We’ve given up 26 goals in our last seven games, only two were on the penalty kill, that’s not who we are. If we’re going to get to where we all want to go, that can’t continue, it has to change, it has to go back to where it is. We’re looking for a lineup of players that we can trust to check and defend well first. It might sound strange, since we’ve been chasing offense for years in our organization, our power play hasn’t been real strong, but right now we need trusting players to play situations the way they know how and the way they can.

On a need to see simplicity from those playing, playing to their and the team’s strengths
It’s human nature to try and do more. Sean Durzi, for example. When Durz came up, he played really well, he’s still playing really well for us, but I do believe he wants to do a little bit more. As soon as you take more on, you sometimes give up something at the other side of it. I’m not [singling out] Sean Durzi, I’m just using him as an example, because his minutes have gone up to 26, 27 a night. Just do what you do, within our structure. We’re not reinventing the game at this time of the year, we’re not changing anything. We have 16, 17 days left in the regular season. We know what to do, we’ve done it all year, do it now. You don’t have to go any further with anything else, it will take care of itself. Yeah, I think that guys in stressful situations are trying to do more and it’s hurting us.

The Kings know what’s got them there and with two and a half weeks remaining here in the regular season, they know what they need to do to find success in their final eight games.

Roy Right, Roy Left
The Kings welcomed back defenseman Matt Roy to the lineup on Thursday against Edmonton.

His first period aside – which was “shaky” in his own words – Roy has started to settle back into the steady, reliable defenseman we’ve come to know in his nearly 200 games at the NHL level. The caveat for Roy as of late has been a transition to the left side, to accommodate for the long-term absence of Mikey Anderson and banged up status of Alex Edler.

Why did McLellan choose Roy for that spot? His experience within the system simply made him the best option.

“On the left side, it’s not ideal for him, you can see it’s a little bit foreign for him based on how we play, but he’s the longest serving individual that we have, that has played within that system, he should be able to pick it up fairly quick. We’re seeing positive signs of that.”

Roy noted the differences there earlier today. He said that there’s a relatively even distribution of differences between the offensive and defensive zones. In the offensive end, one of the biggest differences comes with holding pucks in at the point, being on the backhand as opposed to the forehand. Defensive play presents different challenges, with the angles you take, different pivots, and which side of the stick the puck is on when attempting a clearance.

“It’s just different positioning, different pivots you might not be used to, just different looks on breakouts and stuff, minor adjustments,” he said. “It’s been feeling a little bit more comfortable each game.”

Roy has skated situationally on the left in the past, but rarely for an extended stretch at 5-on-5. Often last season, when the Kings were trailing in the third period, McLellan would condense the bench and move Roy alongside Drew Doughty on a pairing designed to potentially create more offensive production.

As he gets more and more minutes there, out of necessity, he’ll only get better and more comfortable.

“I thought my first period in my first game back was a little bit shaky, but after I got my footing, got used to the speed, it was just about adjusting to the left side, which I’ve been playing,” he explained. “I think as every period has gone on, I’ve been getting a little bit more comfortable.”

Roy’s value to the team has always been documented by McLellan and his staff and it’s perhaps never been higher than it is right now.

With Doughty out for the seasonm Anderson on long-term injured reserve and Edler in and out with injury over the last few weeks, the Kings need steadiness, leadership and defensive play on the backend. All three traits that Roy brings to the table.

“If we’re going to go where we want to go over the next two weeks, he’s going to play a big part in it, especially on the defensive side, the penalty kill side,” McLellan said. “As he plays a little bit more, he’ll continue to improve.”

Not How You Drew It Up
Some news that came out yesterday afternoon, Insiders, was the season-ending wrist surgery for defenseman Drew Doughty.

“For us, our group, we’ve seen this coming, so it’s not a shock to the 26 players on our roster right now, the staff, probably even some of the media people following us,” McLellan said this morning. “It’s not a ‘oh what just happened’ moment, but it is a moment that now there’s some closure to it and we’re not going to see him until training camp next year and there’s no hope of him coming back. The cavalry’s not coming there. It would have been nice to have him, we could have really used his skills all over the ice, but also his veteran presence. He plays 27, 28 minutes a night and our defensive game isn’t where it needs to be and that’s his specialty. We have missed him and we will miss him.”

At the trade deadline, General Manager Rob Blake said that the organization would exhaust all steps possible before going a route that ruled Doughty out for the season. And that isn’t surprising, considering his status as the team’s number-one defenseman and his ability to log heavy minutes, effectively, in all situations

Those steps came to a public conclusion yesterday, with Doughty undergoing successful wrist surgery that sees his 2021-22 season come to a close. After a career that has been almost completely healthy, Doughty suffered a pair of difficult injuries. A knee injury in late-October cost Doughty much of the first half of the season, with the wrist injury taking away his final 24 games, and any potential postseason action.

A tough ending, to what was shaping up to be Norris Trophy caliber campaign for Doughty.

Without Doughty, but with the group that’s been here, the Kings visit the Blackhawks tonight for another huge matchup on the road. Puck drop is slated for 5:30 PM Pacific from United Center!