11/7 Preview – Projected Lineup + 22/11/9 Line, Turcotte/Kaliyev Updates, Spanish Broadcast Schedule

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (8-3-3) vs. Vancouver Canucks (6-2-3)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Thursday, November 7 @ 7:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA 710 + ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: After picking up a pair of victories on the road, the Kings are back in action this evening, as they host the Vancouver Canucks in a Pacific Division clash.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a record of 3-0-1 versus Vancouver a season ago, earning seven of a possible eight points from four matchups against the Canucks.

The Kings were led by forwards Kevin Fiala (3-3-6) and Anze Kopitar (2-4-6), who each collected six points in last season’s series. Forward Trevor Moore had three goals from four games played, with five Kings skaters in total at or better than a point-per-game pace.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings are back home for a quick, two-game set at Crypto.com Arena.

After the goaltenders split the games away from home, look for Darcy Kuemper to return to the net tonight against the Canucks. Kuemper posted his first shutout back with the Kings in Monday’s win over Nashville. Kuemper has faced Vancouver 22 times throughout his NHL career, more than any other opponent and has a solid statline, posting a 13-6-2 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average.

Here’s how the Kings lined up during today’s morning skate –

Fiala – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Thomas
Foegele – Byfield – Laferriere
Lee – Lewis – Jeannot

Anderson – Spence
Gavrikov – Burroughs
Edmundson – Clarke
Englund – Jones

Kuemper / Rittich

Concerning today’s game, forward Alex Turcotte is not expected to play, missing his second straight game due to injury. Turcotte left Monday’s win over Nashville early and did not return. Consider him out “day-to-day” at this point with an upper-body injury, per Head Coach Jim Hiller. Important to note that his injury is NOT related to his head, which is actually very important with Turcotte specifically, considering his injury history.

No Alex Turcotte on the ice this morning. He won’t play tonight and is “day-to-day” with an upper-body injury per Jim Hiller.

The injury is not related to his head, which is a very important clarifier.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 7, 2024

Without Turcotte, the Kings have 12 forwards and eight defensemen at their disposal. With the Ontario Reign nearby, they don’t need to make a roster move today and could do so before they head to Calgary on Sunday, if Turcotte is unable to make the trip.

In Turcotte’s absence, the Kings tried a few players alongside the Kopitar/Kempe pairing, with Kevin Fiala playing there most of the game on Tuesday. Looks like that will remain the case here today, at least to start things off. More on that below.

Should the Kings opt to shuffle any of their defensemen around, Caleb Jones and Andreas Englund are options to check in on the blueline.

VANCOUVER VITALS: The Canucks conclude a three-game, California roadtrip here this evening, as they visit the Kings after wins over San Jose and Anaheim.

Per Harman Dayal of The Athletic, here’s how the Canucks lined up during yesterday’s practice at Crypto.com Arena –

#Canucks practice lines from L.A.

DeBrusk-Miller-Boeser
Suter-Pettersson-Garland
Heinen-Blueger-Sherwood
Höglander-Räty-Sprong

Hughes-Hronek
Soucy-Myers
Brännström-Desharnais

Juulsen the extra. Joshua and Forbort not on the ice pic.twitter.com/mtfvJfyzYR

— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) November 6, 2024

Vancouver was without forward Dakota Joshua and defensemen Derek Forbort during yesterday’s skate, with neither player expected to play tonight. Goaltender Thatcher Demko continues to work his way back from injury, skating on his own yesterday, but won’t play tonight either.

In Demko’s absence, goaltender Kevin Lankinen has assumed the starter’s workload early in the season, posting solid splits (.923 SV%, 2.09 GAA). He’s faced the Kings twice throughout his professional career, posting a 1-0-0 record, a .964 save percentage and a 0.82 goals-against average, with one appearance coming in relief.

Storyline Of The Day – What’s Old Is New Again
To start the second period on Tuesday in Minnesota, the LA Kings rolled out a line they once thought could be the team’s first line for a long time.

When the Kings acquired Kevin Fiala, he was initially brought in to hopefully be the team’s LW1, on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. We’re going back here to the 2022-23 season, when Fiala was the team’s splashy offseason acquisition, joining a Kings team that needed gamebreaking forwards. Fiala is that player and the trade came a season after Kopitar and Kempe became a trusted pairing, with a left wing needed to complement them.

There were certainly ups and downs throughout that first season, with Fiala starting the season there and rotating back in a couple of times. It never fully gelled, though. At least not for longer stretches. All three players were productive offensively but the whole game never quite clicked. Ultimately, everyone seemed to contribute more when separated.

While they wound up playing shifts or parts of games, we never really saw that line permanently reunited, as they logged fewer than 50 total minutes together at 5-on-5 last season. Until Tuesday, that is, with the Kings coming off a first period in which they mustered just two shots on goal. Hiller then saw fit to change things up.

“We knew we weren’t going to be set in stone with what we came out with,” Hiller said of the changes. “[Akil Thomas] had good legs early and that line was matched up against Kaprizov, so we wanted to make sure we were going to check that line. Then, Kevin got a chance to go play a little bit more offense with Kopi and Juice.”

Play offense they did.

In 7:10 together at 5-on-5, the final sheet read nine shot attempts for, compared to three against. Five shots on goal versus just one against and five scoring chances for, just one against. Three talented offensive players who should contribute offensively when playing together. Fiala did score what was ultimately the game-winning goal, with Koptiar and Kempe on the ice, though it came on the power play.

Seven minutes in change doesn’t exactly constitute a revelation. But was there something there that perhaps clicked a bit differently than a couple seasons prior?

“I think overall, we connected well,” Fiala said. “We hadn’t played with each other for a long time. At the start when I came here, we had a good chance, and I think just getting to know each other, building chemistry, you see what [everyone does]. I think those two years helped, for sure, to know the hockey type they are and I think that’s why we worked out last game so well. We connected well, we cycled well, we shared the puck and we had great opportunities to score goals, and we also were very good defensively. It’s a 200-foot game and I think that’s what we did better last game than in the past. We’re excited to continue.”

For the players, it makes sense perhaps why they have largely played separately. Fiala is a player who thinks the game different and that’s part of what makes him effective. Kopitar and Kempe have found that mutual way of thinking through a lot of time together. Seemed like the feeling out process back in 2022-23 ran its course, with Quinton Byfield ultimately clicking with Kopitar/Kempe and Fiala adding depth by driving his own line lower in the lineup.

Still, these are your three highest-scoring forwards from last season and with Turcotte out, it opened up a hole on that line. Akil Thomas has shown he’s perhaps deserving of a chance to continue to play with Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore, a line that has been effective in short stints together. Fiala offers different things than Turcotte does, but the ceiling of the line is very high. It’s on the three guys playing there to reach that.

“We moved the puck well, I think we had some really good scoring chances,” Kempe added. “Kevin is really creative, once he gets the puck, it’s just trying to find open space, trying to get open. It’s been awhile, but we’re out there on the power play with him all the time, so we know how he plays……we played a solid 40.”

Time to turn a solid 40 into a solid 60, and hopefully beyond.

3 To Watch For –
– Expanding on that line, while the three haven’t really played together much at 5-on-5, they have been together on the power play for the better part of two years.

It’s not exactly the same, but it’s not nothing either.

“I think the one thing is, they have a lot of time on the power play and I know it’s not 5-on-5, but you communicate, you start to understand what each person does well,” Hiller added. “I think the power-play time has helped them as much as anything.”

Kempe, as he noted above, and Fiala both agreed.

It isn’t exactly the same, but the power-play time has perhaps allowed them to build some tendencies together, that’s helped matters.

“Power play is a little different, one more guy than the other [team], but there’s chemistry building,” Fiala said. “I’ve been here now two and a half years, so I know what they do and they know what I do. I think it worked out good against Minnesota and I’m looking forward to this game tonight.”

With three skilled players, and a strong opponent tonight, here’s to hoping whatever the reason is, it comes together.

– Additionally, a second injury update from today –

Small Update Here – Arthur Kaliyev is back on the ice, skating on his own in a non-contact jersey.

Think his return is still a bit down the road, but an encouraging sign. https://t.co/GmRSEjyGmA

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 7, 2024

“He’s on his own, he’s going slow he’s still a ways away, but nice to see him be able to get his skates on and get that process started,” Hiller said.

Good signs with regards to Kaliyev. He is a bit off still. It’s not as if he’s going to check back into the lineup on Saturday. Wouldn’t be all that surprised if he went to Ontario on a conditioning loan to start things off even, considering he hasn’t played even an exhibition game, but that is down the road. Still, a positive sign for number 34 and I will update on his progress as he takes the next step, which I would assume would be a return to the full group.

– Lastly, Insiders, tonight’s game against Vancouver marks the start of the team’s Spanish-language broadcast schedule.

If you comment here in English, but prefer to listen to the game in Spanish, have I got the link for you – https://www.tuligaradio.com/

The team will have 11 games in total broadcast in Spanish throughout the course of the season, shown in full below –

Kings and Canucks! 7:30 PM puck drop tonight as the Kings return to divisional play this evening on home soil!