1/2 Preview – Optional Morning Skate + Preparation Off 2 Losses, Pinch Hitters, Clarke/Salin Update

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (20-8-5) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (17-10-7)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Tuesday, January 2 @ 7:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: ESPN+ / Hulu – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings are back in action here at home, as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs to kick off the 2024 calendar year.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forward – and Toronto native – Quinton Byfield led the Kings with two points (0-2-2) when these teams met in Toronto in early-November. Forward Phillip Danault scored in that game, giving him five points (3-2-5) from five games played against Toronto since he signed with the Kings in 2021.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held an optional morning skate today, coming off of yesterday’s practice day.

Cam Talbot did not skate today, making him tonight’s projected starter in net. Talbot picked up the win back in November with 29 saves on 30 shots in the 4-1 victory over Toronto. Throughout his NHL career, Talbot has posted a record of 6-2-1, with a .916 save percentage and a 2.53 goals-against average.

Without a full skate today, it’s unclear exactly how the Kings might align tonight against Toronto, but showing last game’s combinations below for reference –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

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

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Spence

Talbot
Rittich

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 31, 2023

Forward Arthur Kaliyev and defenseman Tobias Bjornfot were on the ice late after today’s morning skate, which points to a lineup change up front for the Kings, with forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan going off earlier. More on that below, with how it could impact the Dubois and Lizotte lines.

MAPLE LEAFS VITALS: Toronto enters tonight’s game with defeats in three consecutive games, and five of their last six, as they begin a three-game California roadtrip here this evening.

Toronto is expected to turn back to former Kings netminder Martin Jones tonight, after goaltender Ilya Samsonov was assigned to the AHL. Jones has faced the Kings 33 times throughout his NHL career, posting an all-time record of 22-8-3, with a .920 and a 2.45 goals-against average.

Per David Alter of the Hockey News, here’s how the Maple Leafs lined up during yesterday’s practice in Toronto –

#Leafs lines during practice Jan. 1/24

Knies-Matthews-Marner
Bertuzzi-Tavares-Nylander
Robertson-Domi-Jarnkrok
McMann-Kampf-Gregor
Reaves

Rielly-Brodie
Benoit-McCabe
Giordano-Liljegren
Lagesson-Timmins

Jones
Hildeby

— David Alter (@dalter) January 1, 2024

Toronto forward Auston Matthews enters tonight’s action as the NHL leader in goals, with 29 from 33 games played. Forward William Nylander ranks inside the NHL’s Top-10 in assists (31, 7th) and points (48, 5th). California native Nicholas Robertson will play in his home state tonight.

Notes –
Right Back To It
Another strong test awaits the Kings tonight, as they begin 2024.

The Kings have battled pretty hard over their final two games in 2023, against Vegas and Edmonton, but came out of it with just one point in the standings, earned via a shootout loss versus the Oilers last time out.

In the Vegas game, the Kings found themselves less upset with the overall performance when watching the video after the fact.

“After watching it again, I don’t think we played as poor as I maybe thought getting on the bus,” Todd McLellan said of the game in Las Vegas.

It was individual mistakes, in McLellan’s eyes, that cost the Kings against the Golden Knights. Credit goes to Vegas as well, with a season-best 34 blocked shots. The Kings had possession and volume, but couldn’t find a way through when they needed to.

One night later versus Edmonton, the Kings came out with their strongest first period in some time, controlling the play especially at 5-on-5. In the second, the Oilers buried twice in special-teams situations, a tale as old as time. The final 25 minutes were tightly contested. Both teams had a chance to win, but neither team put themselves in a position to give the game away. A point that both teams earned at the end of the day.

“It was a competitive game, we got the better of them in the first, they got us in the second and the third was pretty evenly matched,” goaltender Cam Talbot said. “Both teams didn’t want to give up that third goal, we had a big kill in the third there to get to overtime.”

Talbot put the result in shootout on himself, for not getting that last save he needed. Harsh, considering the volatility of a shootout, especially when it didn’t reflect another strong performance from #39 on the whole. Still, he believed that the group did a good job against the other team’s best players down the stretch, following a couple of moments of magic from Connor McDavid in the middle stanza.

In tonight’s foe, the Kings won’t see McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but they will see the NHL’s leader in goals in Auston Matthews, as well as a slew of high-end offensively talented players on the Toronto roster. That’s the similarity between the two games. With those players, though, it’s not just about the production, with McLellan pointing to Tavares’ ability in the faceoff dot as a standout characteristic.

A different opponent, yet an equally dangerous one.

“They have superstars that are effective, between Tavares, Nylander, Marner and Matthews, I don’t what they’ve got, 190 points and Edmonton has that type of production from some guys too,” McLellan said this morning. “They play the game a little bit different, they’re fast, they’re skilled, but they’re not Connor fast. Tavares is running at 61 percent in the faceoff circle, there’s a huge factor right there, but they’re different.”

In preparation, the Kings held an off-ice workout on Sunday, which preceded an hard practice day yesterday morning.

Phillip Danault used words like “intense” and “pace”, while defenseman Mikey Anderson knew the group wanted “a good push” coming in after Sunday’s off-ice workout. Matt Roy noted that the Kings weren’t happy with the losses against Vegas and Edmonton, and “wanted to crack down” in certain areas of concern.

The statements of a group that knows just how effective they can be.

A dialed-in day yesterday, following a bit of rest, and the Kings look to be ready to go here tonight, as 2024 comes at them quickly.

Lineup Changes
Time for a pinch hitter.

If today’s morning skate is any indication, expect to see forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan in the lineup tonight, with forward Arthur Kaliyev on late after today’s morning skate. In Todd McLellan’s post-game press conference after Saturday’s win shootout loss against Edmonton, he expressed displeasure with Kaliyev’s overall game versus the Oilers. Kaliyev took just one shift in the third period, with Carl Grundstrom bumping onto a line with Alex Laferriere and Pierre-Luc Dubois for much of the final 20 minutes.

It’s far from the first time Grundstrom has experienced an in-game adjustment.

In fact, during the second period, he took the first shift in Adrian Kempe’s place, when Kempe was being evaluated after an incidental hit to the head. More often than not, he has become the individual trusted in those situations. Grundstrom doesn’t change his game all that much, regardless of who he’s played with. He’s shown an ability to be a chameleon, skating in a variety of different roles. Perhaps that’s why he’s typically the player used in those situations.

“He’s done it a lot throughout his career, he’s comfortable with it,” Todd McLellan said this morning. “It doesn’t matter who he plays with, everybody values what he brings, so they’re comfortable playing with him. He can score, he can defend, he plays physical, so he can move up and down the lineup, all over the place, he can play the right side, the left side. He is very much a utility man and he’s an easy one to move around.”

Now, just because Grundstrom’s game naturally lends itself to being versatile, doesn’t mean he changes his approach at all when he does so.

His game is straight-line and it’s predictable, in a good way. When Carl Grundstrom hops onto your line, you pretty much know what he’s going to do in most situations. He’s a player who plays within himself and plays a reliable game. In his mind, he’s simply trying to go out and execute that, without much thought on who is alongside him.

“I don’t think it’s a problem, I just try to play my game as best as I can and help out the line that I’m on,” he said this morning. “I just play where I end up, I don’t really think too much about it.”

The other element to pinch hitting is the one that Jaret Anderson-Dolan brings.

Anderson-Dolan appears likely to check in this morning, based on morning skate flow, though unclear exactly which line he’ll skate on. It’ll be his first game since December 13, a span of 20 days. That game versus Winnipeg came after eight days out of action.

It doesn’t much matter, though, because of how Anderson-Dolan plays the game. He’s proven throughout his career that he’s capable of a solid spot start. He’s a hard-working player with the right attitude, approaching stretches when he doesn’t play with the right mindset and a team-first approach. It’s one of the reasons he’s valued by McLellan.

“Real good attitude, [he] works hard and is ready to play when it’s time to go,” McLellan said recently of Anderson-Dolan. “I’ve seen it the other way, when that extra player or someone who isn’t playing on a regular basis is nothing but miserable and it makes it hard on everybody.”

A player you never have an issue throwing in and a player who you likely know what you’re going to get from on a nightly basis. In tonight’s game, it’s what will be expected of him once again.

Unclear exactly which line Grundstrom and Anderson-Dolan will play on. History suggests we’ll probably see Grundstrom back with 78 and 80, but we’ll know for sure in a few hours.

Prospect Pair
Lastly, Insiders, notes on a pair of young defensemen within the system.

On Brandt Clarke, congratulations are in order for being named as the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for the month of December. Clarke had 12 assists and 14 points from 12 games played throughout December, including five multi-point games. Clarke has played a large role for an Ontario squad that currently sits third in the Pacific Division, logging heavy minutes and cutting his teeth in high-leverage situations. Terrific progress and a good sign heading into 2024.

On Otto Salin, he helped guide Team Finland into the semifinals with a 4-3 overtime victory over Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the 2024 World Junior Championships. Salin picked up an assist on the game-winning goal in OT, his first point of the tournament. He logged 20:09 in the game, second most amongst Finnish skaters. Salin and Finland will face either the United States or Czechia in the semifinals, with a guaranteed opportunity to play for a medal later in the week. His next game will come on Thursday, with either the gold or bronze-medal game to follow on Friday.

Kings and Leafs, ESPN+ game, as 2024 gets underway tonight on home ice! Big month ahead, which we’ll breakdown in the coming days!