10/11 Preview – Arvidsson Out, 11/6 Configuration + Laferriere’s Debut & Game-Day Roster Moves

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-0-0) vs. Colorado Avalanche (0-0-0)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Wednesday, October 11 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: TNT – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The preseason is in the past, let’s bring on the real games. The Kings host the Colorado Avalanche this evening in Game 1 of the 2023-24 regular season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a record of 2-1-0 against Colorado last season, though the Avalanche won the only game played at Crypto.com Arena. Forward Anze Kopitar led the Kings with six points (0-6-6) from the three games, while forward Adrian Kempe had four goals. Defenseman Andreas Englund skated in one of the three games for the Avalanche and could be in line to face his former team this evening.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings had a couple of final decisions to make in advance of tonight’s game, regarding roster configuration and here’s a projection of tonight’s lineup, based on how the group aligned during yesterday’s practice –

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Lewis
Fiala – Dubois – Laferriere
Lizotte – Grundstrom

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Bjornfot

Talbot
Copley

Today’s morning skate was optional so yesterday’s rushes are the closest we’ll get for now.

Goaltender Cam Talbot was not on the ice during today’s morning skate, which signals him as tonight’s starter for the Kings. Talbot has posted a career record of 7-6-0 against the Avalanche, with a .898 save percentage and a 3.31 goals-against average.

As far as tonight’s lineup goes, forward Viktor Arvidsson will not play in tonight’s game, per Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan this morning. Forward Arthur Kaliyev will be recalled from AHL-Ontario later on today to serve the first game of his two-game suspension. That means the Kings will ice just 19 players tonight, skating with only 11 forwards and six defensemen. More on that below.

AVALANCHE VITALS: Like the Kings, tonight marks the first game of the season for Colorado.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is expected to be tonight’s starter between the pipes. Georgiev has posted a record of 1-2-1 against the Kings throughout his NHL career, with a .904 save percentage and a 3.23 goals-against average.

Per Meghan Angley of DNVR Sports, here’s how Colorado lined up during their final practice before tonight’s game –

Practice at Ball Arena this afternoon:

Drouin MacKinnon Rantanen
Lehkonen Johansen Nichushkin
Wood Colton Tatar
Cogliano Olofsson O’Connor
MacDermid Tufte

Toews, Makar, Girard, Byram, Manson, Johnson

Georgiev
Annunen

Riley Tufte and Justus Annunen were recalled this morning.

— Meghan Angley (@megangley) October 10, 2023

Per Corey Masisak of the Denver Post, expect to see a couple of changes from that alignment, including the insertion of Kurtis MacDermid.

MacDermid is in, Cogliano is out and Annunen is backing up, per Jared Bednar. https://t.co/eXuOLNkG28

— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) October 11, 2023

The Kings faced a Colorado team that had MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen in the lineup just once of the three meetings last season. Over the last five seasons, no player has more points against the Kings than Rantanen (8-19-27). Former Kings defenseman Kurtis MacDermid is expected to play tonight against his former team, skating as a forward.

Notes –
Game-Day Roster Moves
The bulk of tonight’s roster against Colorado is known, though today has still brought some transactions.

– Goaltender David Rittich has been been assigned to AHL-Ontario after clearing waivers this morning
– Forward Arthur Kaliyev has been recalled from AHL-Ontario

Keep in mind that Kaliyev will not play this evening due to suspension, one of two games he will be required to miss. Rob Blake communicated yesterday that the plan for Kaliyev’s suspension is to recall him on game days, to enforce the suspension, but to assign him to the AHL on non-game days, taking advantage of his waiver-exempt status.

Regarding forward Viktor Arvidsson, he did not skate this morning and is a “little longer than day-to-day”, per Head Coach Todd McLellan. McLellan was unsure at this time if Arvidsson might be a candidate for injured reserve at this time, but we know that he won’t play tonight.

Where this leaves the Kings is an opening-night roster of 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. Of that group, 11 forwards are eligible to play this evening, with Kaliyev suspended. That leaves the Kings a player short here for Game 1, though they should be able to activate an emergency recall as soon as Saturday’s game versus Carolina.

“We would like to have a full lineup, there’s no doubt about it, but there are some nights where coaches roll three lines and the fourth gets shutdown, or individuals are having tough nights and they don’t play a lot, somebody gets hurt the first shift of the game and you play [through it],” McLellan said this morning. “I don’t think it’s that much of an adversity-type situation. Tonight is about us getting out there, doing what we can do and then taking it, evaluating it and working on it to get better or growing it, one or the other.”

The roster situation is what it is right now.

The Kings will be a forward short tonight and it certainly seems like they could be without both Arvidsson and Kaliyev on Saturday as well, though they should be able to ice a full group of 18 skaters against the Hurricanes. That’s a question for this weekend, though.

In the here and now, the Kings know the situation they’re in. The way they play the game tonight will be more important in dictating the outcome than the number of players in the lineup. That’s the focus for McLellan and the coaching staff.

“We’re excited about seeing how we’re going to respond tonight,” McLellan added. “Not based on how many players we’re dressing or who’s in the lineup, but what are we going to bring to the ice surface. Are we going to play on our toes, are we going to get after a real good team, or are we going to sit back and see what happens. That’s what’s exciting about tonight.”

Laffy Taffy
“It’s been crazy, just taking it as it goes.”

Crazy indeed, for forward Alex Laferriere, who is expected to make his NHL debut this evening against Colorado.

Laferriere began camp as a part of the group of younger players tasked with playing the first four exhibition contests here in North America. The Harvard product played in all four games, scoring a goal in three of them. His performances made him the player who rose from the pack and elevated into the main group where he got an opportunity to skate alongside Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala during the team’s penultimate exhibition contest against San Jose. Dubois walked away from the game in Utah impressed with his young linemate’s talent and moxie.

“He was really good against San Jose, with us,” Dubois said. “I think it’s important for him to play in these games. He’s a good player and he’s here for a reason. It’s not Kevin and I, and then Laffy. It’s a line, it’s three guys that need to contribute and he’s a great player. I think one of the reasons we did well is that he was doing his thing too, he wasn’t waiting for us, he was going to the net and making plays. He’s fast, he’s got good hands, good shot, I’m excited to play with him.”

Laferriere earned a spot on the squad with his play during camp, taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him. Were Arthur Kaliyev not suspended, it may not have come this soon. Were the coaching staff and management group happier with the look of 11 forwards and seven defensemen, it might not have come this soon. The circumstances did happen, however, and Laferriere put himself in the best possible position to claim that spot.

It all came from the same approach he’s taken from Day 1 of rookie camp. Control what he can control on a day-to-day basis, do his thing, and make an impression.

“I think that’s very important, everyone says you’re here for a reason, so you just have to stick to your game, play your game and that’s what I’ve been trying to do,” Laferriere said.

For tonight, Laferriere got that bit of advance notice that he’d likely be playing, meaning that he was able to talk with friends and family in advance of today.

He is expecting to have his parents in attendance tonight at Crypto.com Arena, along with several other members of his family, minus his younger sister who has a field hockey game of her own to play in tonight. Laferriere noted that his parents were already planning on coming to California this weekend, so the timing worked out great. With the day of notice, however, several of his aunts and uncles are able to make it as well, in addition to siblings and cousins.

Though he knows it’s coming, Laferriere admitted that the feeling hasn’t fully set in just yet. Once he takes the ice, though, he’s certain that it will.

“It still hasn’t really set in. I’m pretty sure once I get out on the ice tonight it will probably set in. Just talking with my parents, everyone is texting me, saying how proud I should be and it’s definitely pretty surreal.”

Kings and Avalanche, tonight at 7 PM from Downtown Los Angeles. Let’s get after it!