12/14 Preview – No Morning Skate + Lee Recalled, Helenius’ Progress, “Kings Way”, Quick 398

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (17-9-3) @ New York Rangers (15-12-1)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Saturday, December 14 @ 10:00 AM Pacific
WHERE: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN 710 & ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday, as they look to get back in the win column today against the Rangers.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Rangers split the 2023-24 season series, with each team winning on home ice.

The Kings scored just three goals in total from the two games played against the Rangers. Forwards Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala each found the back of the net once, while Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore each tallied one assist.

KINGS VITALS: With the early game today, the Kings did not hold a morning skate prior to.

The Kings have gotten strong goaltending from both Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich as of late, so I’d consider it a toss up here this afternoon. Should the Kings turn to Kuemper, he is 8-4-0 lifetime versus the Rangers, with a .901 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average. Should the Kings go back to Rittich, who started on Thursday in New Jersey, he’s 3-0-0 against New York, with a .968 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average.

The Kings have gone 11/7 over their last four games, winning three of them. That lineup is shown below for reference –

Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Moore – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Jeannot
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Turcotte – Helenius

Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Burroughs

Rittich
Kuemper

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 12, 2024

UPDATE – Trevor Moore is out today. Day-to-day, upper-body injury. Unclear if the Kings will go 11/7 or 12/6, with both Lee and Thomas checking in. Will have that in 20 minutes or so.

You never know, though. The Kings have shown more trust of late in the Helenius/Turcotte pairing and they’ve found success with the rotating winger in the 11/7. Akil Thomas is healthy and could check in. Forward Andre Lee is also here and available, after he was recalled yesterday on an emergency basis. If there is an injury up front, might make more sense to go 12/6, in which case one or both of Lee and Thomas could check in. Should have an update on that front shortly.

RANGERS VITALS: New York has won just three times in its last 11 games, though it did earn a victory last time out, with a 3-2 win in Buffalo on Wednesday.

Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, here’s how the hosts lined up against the Sabres –

#NYR warmup lines vs. Sabres:

Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière
Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith
Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko
Edström-Carrick-Berard

Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Schneider
Jones-Mancini

Shesterkin
Quick

— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) December 11, 2024

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers turned to Jonathan Quick in net tonight, considering his strong showings against the Kings last season. Quick went 1-1 against the Kings, with a .942 save percentage and a 1.52 goals-against average in his two starts versus Los Angeles. Will see on that front.

The Rangers will be without defenseman K’Andre Miller this afternoon, after he was placed on injured reserve yesterday. Defensemen Connor Mackey and Chad Ruhwedel are both up from AHL-Hartford on recall.

Storyline Of The Day – Big Sammy
Jim Hiller said on Tuesday that he was upset with himself for not playing Samuel Helenius more than he did. Same goes for Alex Turcotte, who has impacted games at a pretty high level this season, but let’s focus for now on the big man.

On Long Island, Helenius played perhaps his best hockey game in the NHL. He was on the ice for 11 shot attempts for, compared to 3 against, and had a couple of really nice looks at burying his first career NHL goal.

Two days later, Helenius exceeded his icetime from Tuesday in the first two periods, finishing more than two minutes above where he ended the game versus the Islanders. In total, he logged 9:35 in 5-on-5 icetime, his most in a game since November 16.

Jim Hiller was critical of himself after last game for not playing Turcotte and Helenius more.

40 minutes in and Helenius has already exceeded his minutes from Tuesday. Once again, that pairing up front has been aggressive and effective.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 13, 2024

It’s a bit of a roller coaster when you get recalled to the NHL for the first time. Helenius impressed early but he saw his play dip a bit. That led to a pivotal time that could have gone in one of two ways. Helenius either finds that level he had early, or he gets reassigned to the AHL. In speaking with Hiller, the Finnish centerman was able to find the former, retaining his place in the everyday lineup, even as the Kings went down to 11 forwards.

“I thought he started really strong, and I thought he tailed off, I worried about him a little bit, but I think now he’s starting to pick himself back up again, which is always a good sign,” Hiller said. “The first ones are easy and then you start going like this [downward]. that’s natural, and then sometimes you can’t get out of this, and he’s been able to get himself back up.”

Helenius has generally carried himself well in limited action.

13 games played and he’s only been on the ice for two goals against, one of which was in garbage time against Minnesota on Saturday, with the Kings leading 3-0 in the game’s final couple of minutes.

He’s just shy of 50 percent in the faceoff dot and he’s held his own with the pace of play. Generally speaking, he’s been reliable and steady. He’s impressed Hiller in another area as well and that’s his offensive instincts. Still in search of his first goal, Helenius has had more opportunities than Hiller was perhaps expecting.

“He’s had some great chances, I’m surprised he hasn’t scored yet,” Hiller said. “I think in the last few games, he’s had some Grade-A chances, four or five of them, and he shoots the puck well. This’s something I didn’t know about him. He shoots the puck well, obviously he gets to the net front well, he’s got a few tips. He’ll get one sooner or later.”

Not a team leader by any stretch in those areas, but he’s starting to pop up more and more with the puck on his stick and a chance to impact the game. All while being a six-foot-six guy who understands his size and is willing to play a physical brand of hockey. The Kings aren’t living or dying based on getting goals from their fourth line. They simply want that line to be even, night-over-night. A bonus, though, if they can get something.

The runway is still long for Helenius. He just turned 22 a couple weeks ago and he’s only cutting his teeth at the NHL level. He represents something different for this organization, though. A player with a defined role, who will play to it. So far, so good and here’s to hoping he can keep that kind of play going.

3 To Watch For –
– For two periods in New Jersey, I thought the Kings played their game.

It’s not to say they dominated, or they imposed their game, but in a clash of two high-caliber clubs, I thought it was a playoff-type feeling at Prudential Center. The third period, though, was owned by New Jersey.

“They came to play in the third period and they were better than us,” defenseman Jordan Spence said bluntly.

The Kings had 36 shot attempts from 54 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey and only seven came in the third period. Those who spoke after the New Jersey game highlighted a lack of looks as something that needs an uptick against the Rangers. Despite matching the pace and the intensity, the players felt that they did not generate enough offensively in that game.

It’s not doom and gloom, though. Six straight wins before that one, so take a deep breath and reset. The Kings won those games by playing a certain way and they’ll look to get back to that again today.

“We won six games in a row for a reason, we played the Kings way,” Spence added. “I don’t think we did that [in New Jersey]……to take a step back in the third period, it’s disappointing, but at the same time, we’ve just got to move on and play the Kings way next game.”

– The Kings recalled forward Andre Lee on an emergency basis on Friday, in between games.

Hoping to get some context shortly on the nature of the transaction. Kings were traveling with just 22 players, so the roster spot is there, but the move was designated as an emergency transaction, which usually means a player is injured, at least potentially. Jim Hiller is expected to speak at MSG in a bit, will add any additional clarity on the situation.

Lee has two assists from 16 NHL games this season and two points (1-1-2) from four games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

– Should Jonathan Quick get the nod today, he would be in search of career victory number 399.

If he was already on 399, you just know he would’ve gotten it today, right? Probably a good thing for the Kings he’s two away, not one.

“Obviously super happy for him, he’s been in the league for a long time and he’s been a big part of our organization, a big part, if not the biggest part of us winning a couple of cups,” forward Anze Kopitar said. “I’m very excited for him.”

Koptiar said he’s been keeping an eye on Quick’s season with the Rangers, his last two seasons really, and joked that he’d like to think he and the Kings helped him a little bit along the way in a few of those wins. Just a few, though.

It won’t be today, but it will be soon for the legendary netminder.

Kings and Rangers, an early one from the Big Apple. See if they can get right back on course in a Saturday afternoon matinee.