4/2 Preview – No Skate Today + Clinching Scenarios, Grundstrom’s Evolution, OHL Leaders

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (44-22-10) @ Vancouver Canucks (34-34-7)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Sunday, April 2 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The final roadtrip of the season ends tonight, as the Kings visit the Vancouver Canucks for the final time this season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Defenseman Alex Edler leads the Kings with two points (1-1-2) from two games played this season against his former team. Edler played more than 900 games in a Canucks jersey from 2006 – 21.

KINGS VITALS: Considering the back-to-back, and the earlier than usual turnaround, the Kings did not hold a morning skate today in Vancouver.

With the back-to-back, we’ll assume that the Kings turn back to goaltender Joonas Korpisalo following the win yesterday in Seattle. Korpisalo has faced the Kings six times throughout his professional career, posting a record of 2-2-2 with a .896 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.

Lines from yesterday evening embedded below –

Tonight’s @LAKings Line Rushes –

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

Gavrikov – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Edler – Walker

Copley
Korpisalo

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 2, 2023

The Kings were without defenseman Mikey Anderson and forward Gabe Vilardi last night due to injury. Should they look to make any lineup changes, forwards Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Zack MacEwen are currently available to check in up front. Additionally, defenseman Tobias Bjornfot is available to play on an emergency recall, should he be needed due to an injury.

CANUCKS VITALS: Vancouver is 10-3-2 over its last 15 games, the sixth-best winning percentage in the NHL since the beginning of March.

Goaltender Thatcher Demko has started 13 of Vancouver’s last 16 games and we’ll assume that the Southern California native gets the nod again here tonight. Demko has faced the Kings four times during his professional career and has a 4-0-0 record with a .966 and a 1.20 goals-agianst average.

Per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor, here’s how the Canucks lined up last time out –

Morning skate #Canucks lines

Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser
Kuzmenko-Pettersson-Joshua
Beauvillier-Åman-Garland
McDonough-Dries-Studnicka
Kravtsov

Hughes-Bear
Brisebois-Myers
Rathbone-Burroughs
Hirose@Sportsnet650 pic.twitter.com/cIVdcDs1fG

— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 31, 2023

The Canucks have not lost in regulation against the Kings since the 2017-18 season, with a record of 10-0-2 in that span. Forward Elias Pettersson has 19 points (8-11-19) versus the Kings, while forward Brock Boeser has 13 goals from his last 13 games in the head-to-head series.

Notes –
Clinching Scenarios
It’s that close, Insiders!

The LA Kings enter today with two, defined scenarios for clinching a postseason berth.

Scenario 1 – The Winnipeg Jets lose to the New Jersey Devils in any fashion.
Scenario 2 – The Kings pick up at least one point, of any kind, against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Kings are currently working to clinch against two different teams, with magic numbers within reach versus both Winnipeg and Nashville. LA would only need to beat out one to cement playoff status. Scenario 1 would clinch against Winnipeg directly and with the Jets facing off an hour before the Kings, that is the first opportunity. Scenario 2 would clinch against both teams if the Kings earn at least a point tonight against the Canucks.

The possibility of a clinch certainly brings with it a different feel than it did a season ago. Last season, the Kings were in a battle through Game 80, with the clinch coming on the off day between Games 80 and 81. The Kings locked up a playoff berth from the hotel in Seattle, learning only the night before they took on the Kraken that they were secured in their playoff fate.

The other difference comes with regards to seeding. Last season’s clinch locked the Kings into the third seed in the Pacific Division. They could move no higher and they could fall no further, with a first-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers confirmed. This season is different, as the Kings range of outcomes includes a division title, home-ice advantage in the first round, the third seed again and a wild card position, depending on the outcomes both for the Kings and around the division over the next two weeks. That’s a lot of what ifs.

LA still has six games remaining, including tonight’s game in Vancouver, and there is much still to be decided. Things like first-round opponents and the location of Game 1 are still up in the air, meaning the Kings will still have a lot to play for, clinch or no clinch. Still, should one of these scenarios come into play tonight, it represents the realization of an early-season goal of returning to the postseason for the second straight year. Once that happens, the next steps of work begin.

Additionally, the Kings would reach the 100-point plateau for the first time since the 2013-14 season with a victory here tonight. Should the Kings win tonight, it would mark the second-fastest the organization has ever reached 100 points in franchise history.

Lots on the line here this evening in Vancouver.

Grundstrom Elevating
Is it officially playoff Carl Grundstrom season?

Grundstrom was one of the best storylines from last season’s first-round series versus Edmonton, as he buried three goals and four points from six games played, missing just one due to injury. Grundstrom moved from a player who was in and out of the lineup during the regular season to eventually filling the spot of injured winger Viktor Arvidsson later in the series. He responded with an offensive outburst that his skillset always suggested he was capable of.

Over the last stretch of games, we’re seeing that production shine through more and more. As the games have gotten tighter and more important, Grundstrom’s game has elevated.

“He’s a competitive individual and the bigger the stakes, the more he seems to rise to the top,” McLellan said of Grundstrom. “His physicality, his intensity, his shot are all real important attributes that he has and we saw over all of those things [last night].”

For Grundstrom’s part, he embraces this time of the season.

He’s said it in the past that he believes his game and his style of play can translate well to this time of the year. We saw it down the stretch last year and we’re seeing it again here this spring.

“I like it when it’s when everything is on the line,” Grundstrom said. “I think it’s fits my game pretty good, so I love to play at this time of the year.”

Grundstrom is widely regarded as the team’s best goalscorer in practice. You can certainly see why with the shot he ripped off last night in the third period, on a steal and score situation. Grundstrom expressed confidence in his shot in moments like that, where he has a bit of space and a goaltender to beat cleanly, especially when he’s in a spot like that. An unconfident player doesn’t score from there.

From McLellan’s standpoint, seeing has been believing.

“When he’s in practice, everybody’s screaming at him all the time, because that’s where he shoots,” he said. “Goalies probably don’t like it a lot, but it obviously paid off in situations like that. I’ve seen him hit that shot a lot of times in practice.”

Now, he’s seen it in a game too at the biggest time of the regular season.

Strong Playoff Starts
Lastly, Insiders, they say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so sharing one below.

The leaders through two games of the OHL playoffs show a pair of Kings at the top in terms of scoring. Defenseman Brandt Clarke has a ridiculous 10 points through two games, as Barrie jumped out to a 2-0 series lead over Hamilton. Kitchener captain Francesco Pinelli has shorthanded goals in back-to-back games, with five points in total, as the eighth-seeded Rangers stole the first two games of the series on the road.

Barrie is back in action this afternoon, while Kitchener is off until Tuesday, with both Clarke and Pinelli in search of their third wins from three times of asking!

Here in Vancouver though, it’s the Kings and Canucks, two hours earlier than usual, with a 5 PM puck drop!