4/6 Preview – It’s That Time Of The Year + Lineup Vitals, Doughty on Quick, Broadcast Options

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (45-23-10) @ Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-8)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Thursday, April 6 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West (Main Feed) / Bally Sports So-Cal (Alternate Feed) – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: In a battle of teams of teams separated by just four points in the Pacific Division standings, the Kings and Golden Knights square off this evening at T-Mobile Arena.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Among skaters expected to play tonight, forwards Viktor Arvidsson (2-2-4) and Phillip Danault (1-3-4) lead the Kings in points this season against the Golden Knights. Forward Blake Lizotte has three assists and a +5 rating from three games played.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held an optional morning skate today in Vegas, as the team gears up for tonight’s divisional showdown versus the Golden Knights.

Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was off first this morning in Vegas, making him tonight’s likely starter for the Kings against the Golden Knights. Korpisalo has a lifetime record of 1-1-0 versus Vegas, with a .952 save percentage and a 1.52 goals-against average.

Lines from Tuesday’s game against Edmonton, embedded below for reference –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

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

Gavrikov – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Bjornfot – Walker

Copley
Korpisalo

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 5, 2023

No indication of any lineup changes from this morning’s skate, though Kings do have options both up front and on the backend. Last time out, forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan was the lone healthy scratch, with the quartet of Mikey Anderson, Alex Edler, Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi missing out due to injury. No update regarding the status of those players this morning, as none participated in the morning skate in Vegas.

Defenseman Jordan Spence was recalled from AHL-Ontario yesterday afternoon on an emergency basis. Spence and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot are both with the team on emergency recalls and at least one will factor in tonight, with the Kings sitting at five healthy defensemen on the NHL roster.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS VITALS: Since the NHL’s Trade Deadline, Vegas has the second most points in the NHL (28), behind only the Edmonton Oilers.

Goaltender Laurent Brossoit was off the ice first this morning for the hosts, making him tonight’s expected starting goaltender for the Golden Knights. Brossoit, who has yet to lose in regulation so far this season, has a lifetime record of 2-2-1 versus the Kings, with a .885 save percentage anda a 3.38 goals-against average.

Per Owen Krepps of Vegas Hockey Now, here’s how the Golden Knights lined up last time out versus Nashville –

Golden Knights lines 4/4 v Predators#VegasBorn

Barbashev- Eichel- Marchessault
Smith- Karlsson- Roy🔄
Dorofeyev🔄- Stephenson🔙- Kessel
Howden- Blueger- Kolesar

Martinez- Pietrangelo
Hutton- Hague
McNabb- Whitecloud

Quick/Brossoit

— Owen Krepps (@OKrepps85) April 4, 2023

The projected Vegas lineup could include as many as five former Kings, including the trio of Ben Hutton, Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb on the blueline. Goaltender Jonathan Quick is not expected to start tonight, but will likely serve as the backup this evening. More on the longtime franchise goaltender below, in his first game dressed versus the Kings. Forward Michael Amadio is an option to check in up front as well.

Notes –
“I think our game management has been really good over the last five or six games, which is a really good sign, that’s usually a real good indicator of guys dialing it in. It’s that time of the year.

It is, in fact, that time of the year.

Whether you ask a player or coach, it’s the time of the year when one play, one moment, one mistake can change a hockey game. Viktor Arvidsson spoke on it after the Edmonton game on Tuesday. Blake Lizotte reinforced the point yesterday. Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore both said it plainly this morning in Vegas. It’s that time of the year

“I think you guys obviously can see that the games are a lot more tight-checking,” Doughty said earlier today. “You’re not going to see all these fancy, back-door plays and stuff like that, it’s more about getting grinding goals and making bounces go your way. Yeah, this is that time of year, it’s the best time of year and it’s a lot of fun playing in these games right now. Even though there’s not a lot offense being created either way, these are the most fun games for me to play in.”

Over their last five games, the Kings have played their opposition to a 9-9 scoreline. Included in that margin are three empty net goals, meaning 15 total goals, an average of just three goals per game, combined, between the two teams.

Doughty, as he noted, embraces these types of games. As a shutdown defenseman who puts a ton of value on the defensive side of the game, it’s his time of the year. From a stylistic standpoint, it’s the kind of hockey the Kings have the ability to excel in.

As a group, the Kings pride themselves on defensive structure, game management and the smaller details in the game. Though nine goals scored over five games – seven if you remove empty netters – isn’t a total they’re happy with, the other side of the coin is one that’s pleasing. All it can take to change a game at this time of the year is a moment of magic, a penalty, a power-play goal, a shorthanded breakaway…..you can go and on really. Todd McLellan felt the same way and referenced Tuesday’s game versus Edmonton as the prime example.

“It certainly can, I think we saw that the other night against Edmonton, where it’s a bit of a chess match, there’s not a lot going on for either team and that probably favors us maybe a little bit more than [the Oilers],” he said. “We score to tie it up and we take a penalty we don’t need to take, against a powerplay that’s operating it 40 percent. The odds are stacked against you in that situation and that’s all it took, that one goal for them to get back on top and finish the night off.”

Special teams are a big part of the equation.

When you break down the nine goals against over that five-game stretch, it sorts out as follows.

Power-Play Goals – 4
Even-Strength Goals – 3
Shorthanded Goals – 1
Empty-Net Goals – 1

Three even-strength goals against over five games is damn impressive. The five goals on special teams, however, highlight the importance of that part of the game at this time of the year, especially when the Kings have scored just once on special teams in that span. That’s a full goal per game against and each game the Kings have lost has been a one-goal or two-goal game, one that’s either tied or within a goal of tying, without special teams factored in.

Lizotte – We have to get the job done, special-teams wise, and [on Tuesday] that was the difference, if you look at the ways the goals were scored. Hockey is a game of inches, whether it’s that extra inch on a clear or on a tape-to-tape pass on the power play, I think that’s vitally important at this time of the year.

Moore – I think special teams are so important. Against Edmonton, the last two games they got the better of us on special teams, so we’ve got to right the ship there. It could be a race to three and we’ve got to get there first.

Another tight one expected here tonight and we’ll see how it shakes out.

Doughty on Quick
Additionally, Doughty shared his initial thoughts on seeing Jonathan Quick in another team’s jersey for the first time since the deadline deal.

“It’s going to be weird, I talk to him, not all the time, but we definitely have our conversations,” he said this morning. “It’s something that you’re never really going to get over, I don’t think for either of us, it’s just tough. When we’re talking, we’re not together, hanging out on the road, but at the same time, you’ve got to get past it. He wants nothing more than for us to lose and I obviously want to beat Vegas, because we’re chasing them in the standings. Once we get out there, it’ll probably be weird to see him initially in warmups in their gear, it’ll be super weird, but after that, it’s game time, it’s hockey time. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to help your team win.”

Though Quick is not expected to get the start for the Golden Knights, that doesn’t mean Doughty wouldn’t love to put one past his former teammate and longtime friend.

The two have squared off against each other internationally – most notably in the semifinals of the 2014 Winter Olympics – but never in an NHL game. With Quick not starting, it’s obviously not likely to happen tonight, but that didn’t stop Doughty from answering with a smile.

“I would love to score on Quickie,” he said. “I played against him, Canada – USA stuff, but that’s a little different, you’re playing for your country and everyone’s not on their normal teams. This would be a little bit different, but I’ve never scored on Quickie in a game and I’ve always wanted to. I never thought I would have the opportunity to do it in NHL, but I’ve always obviously wanted to and who doesn’t want the bragging rights? I mean, if I came down on a breakaway, he’s going to want to save it, so both of us would love to have the bragging rights if something like that happened.”

TV Tracker
Love the bells and whistles, hate the bells and whistles, tonight you can pick!

Linked above are two separate broadcast links on Bally Sports West. The main feed will be your typical broadcast. The alternate feed on Bally Sports So-Cal will feature a ton of different integrations, think MLB Statcast. Both available for viewing tonight, as you so choose.

That’s all for this morning, Insiders! Have already seen a ton of Kings jerseys wandering around this morning, should be a good one. Kings and Golden Knights – 7 PM at T-Mobile Arena.