3/6 Preview – MacEwen To Debut + Tonight’s Vitals, Arvidsson Talks Line, Edler Video

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (36-20-8) vs. Washington Capitals (31-27-6)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Monday, March 6 @ 7:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings host the Washington Capitals this evening to conclude the season series between the two clubs.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forward Viktor Arvidsson led the Kings with three points (1-2-3) when these teams met back in late-October. Arvidsson has 11 points (5-6-11) and a +7 rating from his last 10 games played against the Capitals.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings practiced in full yesterday morning and held an optional morning skate today, as has been their usual process so far this season.

Goaltender Pheonix Copley was the first off this morning and he’ll be expected to return to the crease this evening, playing against his former NHL club. Copley played in 29 NHL games with the Capitals from 2018 – 21 and has never faced the Capitals thus far at the NHL level. Washington will be the 27th team Copley has faced in his career.

For reference, here’s how the Kings lined up last time out –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Vilardi
Grundstrom – Kupari – Kaliyev

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Edler – Durzi

Korpisalo
Copley

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 5, 2023

Expect to see forward Zack MacEwen in the lineup this evening for his LA Kings debut, though Todd McLellan indicated that who he checks in for won’t be known for sure until after warmups. Forward Trevor Moore remains out of the lineup, with McLellan indicating a small setback, and he is not expected to play tonight against Washington. Forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan and defenseman Sean Walker appear to be the additional extras this evening.

CAPITALS VITALS: Washington enters tonight’s game winners of three of their last four games, and concludes a four-game roadtrip here this evening in Los Angeles.

Former Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start this evening against his former club. Kuemper has been the goaltender of record in 14 of Washington’s last 17 games. Kuemper has a record of 9-6-3 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.16 goals-against average.

Per Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post, here’s how the Capitals are expected to align tonight against the Kings –

#Caps' lines/pairs in SJ:
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 43-Wilson
39-Mantha, 19-Backstrom, 16-Smith
15-Milano, 17-Strome, 77-Oshie
73-Sheary, 26-Dowd, 96-Aube-Kubel

38-Sandin, 57-van Riemsdyk
27-Alexeyev, 52-Irwin
18-Carlsson, 6-Iorio

Kuemper vs. Kahkonen. #CapsSharks

— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) March 4, 2023

Former Kings forward Nic Dowd is expected to center the team’s fourth line here this morning. Forward Alex Ovechkin has six goals from his last seven games played against the Kings, while forward Evgeni Kuznetsov has eight points (4-4-8) over his last eight games. Defenseman Rasmus Sandin, acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, had three assists in his Washington debut on Saturday.

Notes –
Zack Attack
Per Todd McLellan, newly acquired forward Zack MacEwen is expected to make his debut with the organization here this evening versus the Capitals.

MacEwen was acquired via trade from Philadelphia on Friday, in exchange for forward Brendan Lemieux and a fifth-round draft selection. MacEwen took warmups on Saturday against St. Louis, after he flew in earlier that day, and got his first practice in with the group yesterday morning. He was among those off early from morning skate today and McLellan confirmed his place in tonight’s lineup during his media availability shortly thereafter.

“We traded an ingredient for an ingredient, not a lot different, but there’s a difference in size,” McLellan said. “The big difference is the shot, the ability to have an extra right-handed shot…..and Zack’s got to be excited about being here. He’s a big body, he skates well and he seemed to handle the puck well in practice. He’ll have to get used to what’s going on around him but happy to have him here.”

When talking about the “ingredient for an ingredient”, McLellan is referencing the similarities stylistically between MacEwen and Lemieux. Both work hard and both seem to embrace their role in the lineup. In MacEwen, the Kings do add a few inches in the size department and another right-handed shot, giving the team four RH forward options (Arvidsson, Kupari, Vilardi). Though he is listed many places as a center, he said he’s played mostly on the wing in his NHL career.

MacEwen called his experience a “whirlwind” in coming to Los Angeles and we’ll touch more on that over the next couple of days.

For now, however, it’s about the player the Kings have acquired and how he potentially fits into the lineup as it is currently assembled. MacEwen is a physical player, who likes to forecheck and has that hard-working, tenacity in his game. While he’s not an Art Ross contender, he does have the ability to contribute with goals in limited minutes. His bread and butter is that physicality, though, and he described that yesterday.

“I just like to play physical, I’m not afraid to stick up for teammates or anything like that,” MacEwen said of his own game. “I like to push the pace of the game, try to forecheck hard and chip in offensively whenever possible. I like to play a simple game and pretty straightforward.”

MacEwen is actually playing his first game since January 26 due to a broken jaw, which he is currently on his way back from. That specific injury is upper-body, naturally, so conditioning is hopefully a bit less of an issue. Something he noted he has to protect “for a couple of weeks” by wearing a guard on his helmet as of now.

For tonight though, it’s about learning and adjusting to the way the Kings play the game. McLellan said the Kings are expecting a good game from him, but he’s also understanding of the movement between teams and the fact that MacEwen is coming off an injury. Not easy, but it’s the situation he’s in as he looks to ramp things up down the stretch.

“I don’t know if it’s ever easy when you come to a new team because you’ve got to figure everybody out and I know we’ve beat this to death, but all the new words,” McLellan said. “We expect a good game from him tonight, but I would say that he hasn’t played in [awhile] because of his injury, so it’s not like we got a guy from a team that was up and running and he only missed two days. We’ve got to get him going as the rest of the new guys toom so there’s also that to consider.”

Seems like a good guy, too!

How bout some 🪨📝✂️ for a stick?

New guy already out here making friends in LA😌 pic.twitter.com/ncq4a1jM2U

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 5, 2023

Arvidsson Talks Linies
Viktor Arvidsson feels like it’s close.

He liked the way his line played last game against St. Louis, believing that his trio with Kevin Fiala and Phillip Danault created their share of chances, they just couldn’t put one away. The numbers, as detailed below, would agree.

“I think it’s good, I think we’re playing well, we’re creating a lot of offense, we’ve had some unlucky bounces and haven’t been able to put the puck in the net,” Arvidsson said this morning. “I think we’re playing well and finding each other. It’s new, it’s been [six] games now we’ve played together and it’s starting to come along. Last game, I thought we played really well, we just couldn’t get the puck into the net.”

While it is new as linemates, Arvidsson and Fiala are quite familiar with each other stylistically as former teammates in AHL-Milwaukee and NHL-Nashville. Arvidsson said the only time they really played together, though, was on the power play at the AHL level, so this is really the first time they’ve had a few games on the same line.

The two players are close off the ice and from several years on the ice, they understand the way one another plays. Danault is a great third member of just about any line, with his versatility and impact at both ends of the ice. Arvidsson and Danault are obviously familiar from their time as linemates and Arvidsson has that same comfort level with Fiala.

“We understand each other,” he said. “I know that [Fiala] likes to have the puck and I try to create openings for him and give him the puck. Usually, he’s dangerous when he has it, so I just try to get open. It’s fun. It’s fun to play with one of your best friends for so long.”

Three great players, who were on the ice for a goal together in each of their first three games as a line. Over the last three, however, they produced several chances – including perhaps the best of the night that didn’t go in on Saturday, from Fiala to Danault – but no goals.

All three players are capable of high-level playmaking, but all three have also scored 25+ goals in a season throughout their careers. If you ask McLellan, things are going well, but perhaps they have to be a bit more selfish and take more shots to find that end product.

“They led our group I believe the other day in opportunities and chances, but with that group I think they have to remember to shoot,” McLellan said. “They look really good sometimes, moving the puck around, dipsy-doodling and making plays and they’re all really good plays, but the end goal is to put the little black thing in the net and they have to shoot the puck sometimes to get that done……I think if they shot the puck a little bit more they would score more.”

As McLellan alluded to, that line led the Kings in on-ice shots on goal and scoring chances versus St. Louis last time out. The chances are coming, it’s a matter now of putting the biscut in the basket, as they say! If Arvidsson’s hunch proves true, it’s only a matter of time.

Lastly, Insiders, a look at the latest Black & White video, focusing on Alex Edler’s 1000th game ceremony and festivities from January. Video is embedded below!

Kings and Capitals, tonight at 7:30 on home ice. See you there!