4/13 Preview – No Morning Skate + Back-to-Back Success, Brown’s Strong Return, Task at Hand

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (39-26-10) @ Colorado Avalanche (52-15-6)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Wednesday, April 13 @ 6:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: Ball Arena – Denver, CO
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: TNT – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings conclude their three-game road trip this evening in Colorado with their lone visit of the season to Denver.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings have dropped the first two games this season against the Avalanche, with both defeats coming on home ice at Crypto.com Arena. Anze Kopitar has the lone Kings goal from those two meetings, with the veteran center also leading the way last season against Colorado, with a team-high five points (0-5-5) from eight matchups. The Avalanche have won the last eight head-to-head games entering tonight’s tilt.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings snapped a three-game losing streak yesterday in Chicago, with sights now set on snapping their streak against the Avalanche.

Following Jonathan Quick’s victory yesterday in Chicago, the expectation would be a return to Cal Petersen tonight against Colorado. The Kings have not used Quick on both sides of a back-to-back since the 2017-18 season, though his performance yesterday was excellent in Chicago. Petersen has not beaten the Avalanche in seven career starts, with a .898 save percentage and a 3.78 goals-against average.

The Kings did not hold a morning skate today, considering the back-to-back set, so we won’t have a true idea on tonight’s lineup until closer to puck drop. Looking at yesterday’s performance, certainly no reason to take anyone out, based on performance. However, with players coming off of injury, thinking out loud, that could potentially factor in on the back-to-back with travel. Until warmups we wait on that question.

For reference, here’s how the team lined up yesterday evening in Chicago –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Kaliyev – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Brown
Vilardi – Byfield – Kupari

Roy – Durzi
Edler – Stecher
Maatta – Spence

Quick
Petersen

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 13, 2022

AVALANCHE VITALS: Colorado has won six straight games entering tonight’s action and has a 7-1-1 record over its last nine games in total. The Avalanche have been idle since a 2-1 shootout win over Edmonton on Saturday.

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper has started four of the last six games for Colorado and 11 of the last 15 and he is projected to get the nod again this evening against his former team. Kuemper, who has faced the Kings more than all but one other opponent, brings with him a 7-6-3 record, a .931 save percentage and a 2.05 goals-against average against LA into tonight’s action.

Per Colorado’s team account, here’s how the Avalanche lined up last time out against Edmonton –

Game #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/I6s3E9C4GV

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 10, 2022

Colorado is still without regular top-six forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri, in addition to defenseman Ryan Murray.

Notes –

Back-To-Backs
Regardless of the task at hand, the Kings enter tonight’s game as one of the NHL’s best teams on the second half of back-to-back sets this season.

In such situations, the Kings have won six consecutive games, and bring with them a 9-3-2 record with zero days rest this season. At 1.43 points-per-game in the second half of back-to-back sets, the Kings rank as the third-best team in the NHL this season, trailing only tonight’s opponent, Colorado, and Tampa Bay. No team in the league has more points than the 20 the Kings have accrued.

What’s the key to success? Well, there’s no secret formula, but there’s certainly some pride within the room in these types of situations. If you ask the Kings there are a few different reasons –

Blake Lizotte – I think it’s rallying around each other. Everyone has to play back-to-backs, it’s not an excuse to say you’re tired. I think everyone really rallies around it, especially this time of the year, we need the points. Colorado, they’re an amazing team, they play well, but we just need to play Kings hockey

Dustin Brown – Honestly, me personally, I generally feel better second game for some reason. It’s also a little bit more experience this year, for guys, learning how to manage that and we’re also a much deeper team than we were last year, we can rely on more guys on that second night.

Todd McLellan – We have played well in the back-to-backs, we seem to simplify things, we understand the checking part of it, but we’re also going to be playing against a very good club and we know that. We’ll be tested, we’ll need to have our “A” game from our goaltender through everyone else that’s in the lineup. It’ll be a good challenge for us.

It’s never as simple as just explaining why things go well in situations like that, but what was said makes a lot of sense. The Kings value checking at their best and they’ve clearly shown the ability to simplify. That’s the on-ice, X’s and O’s portion. Then there’s Lizotte’s message, the rallying effect, which can’t be understated. On short rest, a lack of sleep, a group rallying as one to achieve is important. Brown’s thoughts make sense too, stressing the importance of depth and how this season’s team can play four lines more effectively.

We’ll see how tonight falls into the impressive totals the Kings have posted so far this season.

Brown’s Back
What can Brown do for you?

Two points in his first game back, 72 percent of shot attempts controlled with him on the ice – the best percentage amongst forwards – and on ice for 11 scoring chances for, second most behind only linemate Alex Iafallo.

It was an impressive return to action for Dustin Brown, who had missed the last 15 games with an injury.

“Felt good,” he said. “It being a finger injury, I was able to keep my legs underneath for a few weeks prior, different than a lower-body injury. Overall, I felt pretty good.”

His return in any capacity was welcomed, with his timeline very unknown at the time of his injury. Last night, skating with one familiar linemate in Alex Iafallo, and one unfamiliar linemate in Blake Lizotte, the three players combined to form an effective third line, providing Todd McLellan and his staff with the four, reliable forward units they were hoping to get.

“We had some good chemistry, played well for the most part,” Lizotte said of the trio. “Brownie looked great. It’s hard to take a month off and jump back in and get your game timing back right away, I had to do it against Minnesota after two weeks and it was tough. Huge credit to Brownie, he played a great game, he looked right at home out there.”

The concept of coming back at this time of the year is something that McLellan has brought up several times, and he’s seen it first hand here over the last few weeks to understand the situation. Teams are at full speed right now, so coming in after some time away, it can be challenging to be right at that pace off the rip. Brown certainly looked like he was, and that’s a real testament to him.

Look at the goal his line scored as a perfect example of his game. Brown used his size and physicality to essentially bulldog his way into the offensive zone, while retaining possession of the puck. He shielded to eventually make a play and find Iafallo, who eventually hit the trailer, Lizotte, for the goal.

“Dustin, first of all, had a tremendous game,” McLellan said. “To come in, being injured as long as he was, practice as little as we’ve practiced, I think that’s a story we’ve told a million times. To come in and give us the type of game he did, that was huge.”

The Kings have frequently, this season, had three of four lines going, struggling for that consistency on line one. Last night felt like one of the rare times that the team had balance throughout their four lines, with the reuniting of Brown and Iafallo on that third line a big reason as to why. Here’s to seeing that keep up over these final seven games.

Facing Colorado
“We know what we’re up against.”

What the Kings are up against, specifically, is the current leader for the NHL’s President’s Trophy, the league’s second-best home record and a team that hasn’t played in three days. All while the Kings are on the second half of a back-to-back set, with travel last night that saw them arrive in Colorado around 2 AM last night, closer to 3 AM on the internal clock, if you factor in the time difference.

A tall task, certainly, but the Kings aren’t ready to roll over, either. They’re not interested in making excuses, because at this point in the season, there is no alternative. Two important points are on the line this evening, with no excuses permitted when it comes to these final seven games of the regular season.

The Kings have been one of the NHL’s best this season in terms of facing back-to-back sets, as noted abovew. Tonight also marks the final game for the Kings against a team currently in a postseason position, with the final six set to come against teams currently on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Not that it means a ton at this stage, but if the Kings are ending that slate of their schedule tonight, they’re certainly ending it in style against one of, if not the, NHL’s finest teams.

Dustin Brown had the following to say in advance of tonight –

“Just from watching, they’re a very good team, it’s a big test for us. I think it’s also a huge game for us, because if we want to be a playoff team, these are the types of games you have to be in. They’re a great team, they have to be first in the league, in the Western Conference they’re kicking the [crap] out of everyone. It’s a perfect game for this group to see where we are. I know every game is huge, but this game could be a big statement. This is a game that could really solidify our playoff chances if we win, because on the outside, probably everyone is looking at it like this is a loss. So, if we can find a way to win, that flips a lot of pressure onto others teams down the stretch. If you look at strength of schedule and that stuff, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, you have to win.”

Alright, Insiders. A challenge awaits this evening in Colorado, but what’s important hockey without challenges? 2 more points on the line as the Kings visit the Avalanche tonight at 6:30 PM Pacific!