10/17 Preview – Manitob-ois! PLD on WPG Return + Potential Lineups & Kaliyev’s Season Debut

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-1-1) @ Winnipeg Jets (1-1-0)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Tuesday, October 17 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings are away from home for the first time this season, as they visit the Winnipeg Jets to begin a two-game roadtrip.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a 2-1-0 record against Winnipeg last season, including a 6-5 shootout victory in their last game played at Canada Life Centre. Forward Anze Kopitar scored four times in that game and led the Kings with five points (4-1-5) in the season series. Defenseman Drew Doughty had a team-best three assists, while forward Trevor Moore had three points (1-2-3) from two games played.

KINGS VITALS: For the second straight game, the Kings will expect to use an alignment consisting of 12 forwards and six defensemen, albeit with a couple of adjustments from the group that played on Saturday. A projected lineup is shown below –

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Kaliyev
Fiala – Dubois – Laferriere
Grundstrom – Lizotte – Lewis
Anderson-Dolan

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Spence
Bjornfot

Talbot
Copley

Goaltender Cam Talbot was off the ice first after today’s morning skate in Winnipeg, making him tonight’s projected starting goaltender against the Jets. Talbot has posted a career record of 8-6-1 against the Jets, with a .902 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average.

Looking at tonight’s lineup, the Kings are expecting the return of forward Arthur Kaliyev, who has served his suspension and is eligible to play tonight in Winnipeg. Based on this morning’s skate, it would appear that forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan will be out, along with defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, though as always, we wait for the game to know for sure.

JETS VITALS: A mixed bag to start the season for Winnipeg, with a 6-4 win over Florida at home, which followed a 5-3 defeat in Calgary to start the season.

Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who recently signed an eight-year contract extension with the Jets, is expected to be between the pipes tonight for the hosts. Hellebuyck has posted a career mark of 5-6-1 against the Kings, with a .904 save percentage and a 3.17 goals-against average. His GAA is his third highest against a Western Conference opponent.

Per Mitchell Clinton of the Winnipeg broadcast, here’s how the Jets aligned during this morning’s skate –

Nothing unexpected from line rushes this morning:

Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
Niederreiter-Perfetti-Ehlers
Iafallo-Lowry-Appleton
Barron-Kupari-Namestnikov
Gustafsson

Morrissey-DeMelo
Samberg-Pionk
Dillon-Schmidt
Stanley-Chisholm

Hellebuyck
Brossoit

— Mitchell Clinton (@MitchellClinton) October 17, 2023

All three players who were traded to Winnipeg this summer – Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabe Vilardi – are expected to be in tonight’s lineup against their former team. Defenseman Josh Morrissey led the Jets with six points (2-4-6) against the Kings last season, one of five Jets at over a point-per-game or better. Kyle Connor, Mark Schiefele, Adam Lowry and Dylan DeMelo had three points apiece versus LA.

Notes –
Manitob-ois
Perhaps a less than joyous reception awaits Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois tonight, in his return to Winnipeg as a visiting player.

“They’re passionate fans here, that’s what I loved about playing here,” Dubois said. “I think you guys will think it’s like ‘boo’ but I’m going to go with ‘Dub’, so I’ll turn it into a positive.”

Dubois said his parents, who live here in Maintoba, will be at the game tonight, so he’ll have at least a cheering section of two at the Canada Life Centre. Admittedly, it might be a bit quieter than the other fans in attendance, but Dubois had nothing but great things to say about his former home and he’s excited to be back in Winnipeg to play tonight’s game, his first game here as a member of the LA Kings.

Dubois enjoyed at least his two full seasons with the Jets, because, really, who enjoyed anything about that COVID-impacted, 2020-21 season. When he’s been asked to look back on his time as a Jet, Dubois has continually said nothing but good things about the city of Winnipeg and being a part of the Jets organization. He repeated many of those things this morning. While tonight will be a special game, and an interesting game, it’s also just Game 3 of 82 this season and he’s keeping that in perspective. He doesn’t always skate on game days but opted to so he could re-experience the away side of the building.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a hockey game,” Dubois said this morning. “Before and after the game, seeing the guys and I wanted to skate [this morning] because I haven’t been on the away side in a few years, so I wanted to see that before the game.”

Now, his focus is on the future as a King.

Dubois and his new organization are in search of that first victory of the season and he’s hoping that comes here tonight in Winnipeg. The Kings haven’t been bad through two games and neither has Dubois, but he’s still looking for more, both from an individual production standpoint and that of team, which comes first for #80. Another opportunity to step forward as a group here tonight.

“I know I’ll see guys in warmups, maybe a little bit weird at the first faceoff, but when you get out there, it’s just another 60 minutes. People might think that it’s a bigger game, but it’s an 82-game season, two points, and we’re just trying to win.”

2 points on the line and the Kings are hopeful to earn them tonight.

Arty Party
Welcome back Arthur Kaliyev!

For the first time this season, expect to see forward Arthur Kaliyev in the Kings lineup when they take the ice this evening in Winnipeg. Kaliyev has served the four games he was suspended for – two preseason, two regular season – and appears likely to slot in next to Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore in tonight’s lineup, keeping things consistent throughout the rest of the lineup.

Step 1 for Kaliyev – get the engine running and go from there.

“He’s got to get his engine going again,” Todd McLellan said this morning. “This four-game suspension turned into a two and a half week one based on our schedule, but he’s an important part of our team. He did a lot of really good things over the summer and throughout the exhibition season when he did play, but for him, he’s got to get his engine going and the game he’s going to play in tonight is going to be a lot quicker than the one he played in two weeks ago. We’ve got to give him some freedom to find his legs, find his timing and get him up to speed.”

For Kaliyev’s part, coming off the suspension is easier than coming off an injury, as he did a season ago.

With a foot injury last season, it was impossible for Kaliyev to be on the ice last season when he was out, meaning he was starting almost from scratch when he got back into action. This time around, he was able to be on the ice with his teammates and while he wasn’t playing in games, he was able to up the intensity during practices, going on early and staying out late for extra work. He’s hopeful that, as a result, it’s easier this time around.

“Yeah, it’s way easier because when you’re injured, you can’t skate or you’re limited to doing stuff on your own, so yeah, it did help,” Kaliyev said this morning. “It’s so much different. You still skate every day and work hard, so it won’t be as much as [coming off the injury].”

Prior to the suspension Kaliyev was playing alongside Dubois and Kevin Fiala on a line. Coming out, he’s expected to skate with Moore and Danault.

It’s a line that played six games together during the 2021-22 season and it’s two players who typically make it easy to slot in alongside them. Kaliyev is a much different player than Viktor Arvidsson, but he’s got a lot of unique characteristics that make him an effective player. He’s hopeful to hit the ground running with those guys for a smooth transition back into playing conditions.

“They’re really good players, they’re really good defensively, they forecheck, they win battles, so it’ll be good” Kaliyev said of his linemates. “I think we can create a lot of scoring chances for ourselves if we play for a full 60 minutes.”

Important for Kaliyev to get into the game early, as he looks to make a Top-9 spot in the Kings lineup his own early in the season.

Kings and Jets, 5 PM tonight in Pacific time, as LA looks to get their first win of the season.