3/20 Preview – Same Lineup Expected + Black Hawk Bounce Back, PK Assessment, Clarke’s Progress

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (36-21-9) @ Chicago Blackhawks (20-39-9)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Thursday, March 20 @ 5:30 PM Pacific
WHERE: United Center – Chicago, IL
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The LA Kings are back in Chicago for their second game in two weeks at the United Center, wrapping up the season series against the Blackhawks.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Chicago has won each of the first two games against the Kings this season, with Los Angeles bringing a record of 0-1-1 into tonight’s game.

Illinois native Alex Turcotte has been on the scoresheet in both games against Chicago this season, collecting an assist in both games. Forward Phillip Danault, a Blackhawks draft pick back in 2011, has two points (1-1-2) in the season series and has tallied 16 points (8-8-16) in 18 career games against Chicago.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held a full-team practice yesterday and followed up with an optional morning skate today at United Center.

Darcy Kuemper appears to be the likely starter in net tonight for the Kings, in what would be his fifth consecutive start overall. Kuemper has a lifetime record of 8-3-2 versus Chicago, with a .914 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average.

Based on yesterday’s practice and today’s morning skate, expecting the following lineup for the Kings –

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

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke

Kuemper
Rittich

No changes expected from the group we saw in Minnesota, per Jim Hiller. Kings aren’t going to overreact to a single defeat after a five-game winning streak, with forward lines and defensive pairs they feel very comfortable with.

Forwards Akil Thomas and Trevor Lewis, along with defensemen Kyle Burroughs and Jacob Moverare remain as options to check in if the Kings did look into any additional changes.

BLACKHAWKS VITALS: Chicago enters tonight’s game on a five-game losing streak, most recently a 6-2 defeat versus Seattle on Tuesday evening.

Per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times, here’s how Chicago lined up during practice today –

Blackhawks lines in practice today:

Dickinson-Nazar-Bedard
Teravainen-Donato-Mikheyev
Slaggert-Foligno-Dach
Veleno-Reichel-Bertuzzi

Vlasic-Kaiser
Del Mastro-Murphy
Martinez-Levshunov

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 19, 2025

Defenseman Alec Martinez scored against his former club in the game earlier this month, his second career goal in 18 games played against the Kings.

Goaltender Spencer Knight made his Blackhawks debut against the Kings in the most recent meeting, as he picked up the victory with 41 saves. Knight has a 2-3-0 record in five appearances now with Chicago, posting a .903 save percentage and a 2.99 goals-against average.

Storyline Of The Day – Black Hawk Bounce Back
Don’t know if you’d call this an element of revenge tonight. But the Kings were just here two weeks ago and lost 5-1. It was one of the more disappointing performances of the season, capping off an 0-3-0 roadtrip.

The sentiment after that game was that of disappointment and frustration. What came from it, though, was a five-game winning streak including signature wins over Vegas and Washington. That streak snapped on a loss in Minnesota on Monday You’d have wanted that game to go the other way, but it was a 60/40 game in the Kings’ favor that they just didn’t take advantage of. Defenseman Mikey Anderson felt it was a “much better” game than the last trip to the Midwest. Jim Hiller perhaps put it best this morning.

“We were fine, but fine isn’t good enough.”

Losses like that, for me, happen. What’s important is what comes next. Good teams then move on and play the right way next time out and get the job done. That is the task here tonight against the Blackhawks.

“Last time we were here, we didn’t play well at all in that game,” forward Adrian Kempe said. “We have to do the same things we did [at home] for 60 minutes and hopefully we can get a better result.”

The approach for tonight, for Hiller, centers around a “direct” offensive approach. Looking back to Minnesota, if the Kings were able to make 1-0 into 2-0 earlier in the Minnesota game, we’re likely talking about a different result.

“If we can get to two early, that game probably changes,” Hiller said. “We’re pretty good when we get two on the road. We had those opportunities, but you can call it execution, I just call it the mindset of being more direct and we weren’t. In the end, it bites us.”

The stakes remain high tonight as the Kings sit now three points behind Edmonton for second in the Pacific Division standings with two games in hand. Between the games in hand and two head-to-head matchups remaining down the road, destiny still sits in the Kings’ hands to host Round 1, Game 1 in Los Angeles. But, to be a team that will be challenging for home-ice advantage down the road, games like tonight become games that have to result in two points.

“I think every game now is really important, but I think for us, it’s more of just play our game and forget about the last road trip,” forward Alex Laferriere said. “I think if we’re able to get a win then it kind of takes the pain out of that and gives us a good look going back home.”

When the Kings do go back home, what awaits them is six of seven games on home ice. For a team that leads the NHL in points percentage at home this season, that’s a good thing. It’s also, though, seven games in 11 days, a stretch that will likely decide what seed the Kings are fighting for when they come out the other side of it. 7 in 11 is absolutely grueling. Every team has condensed parts of the schedule and for the Kings, this is it. Tonight should be one of the more rested Kings teams we’ll see down the stretch, with a day off on Tuesday, while Chicago played, and a practice day yesterday.

Time to go and get it done.

3 To Watch For –
– The biggest breakdown in Minnesota was on the penalty kill.

Kings didn’t allow an even strength goal, after all. Defenseman Mikey Anderson pointed to a couple of breakdowns on the Kings side in those going in, but emphasized that the Kings remain very confident in those situations.

“We still have confidence,” Anderson said. “The first one, it’s a good tip by him, Gavy is there to front it and the guy makes a good play. The other one, there’s a couple different moments throughout that we don’t like or maybe we could’ve been in a different spot as a group before, ultimately, the guy makes a good play and finds a way to score.”

In a separate answer, Anderson pointed to a couple of mistakes made by that unit specifically on the game-winning goal. The kill has been pretty consistent this season for the Kings. Of late, we saw the good on the recent homestand, at 15-of-15, and the inconsistent on Monday.

All-in-all, there’s no panic in that area of the game right now. That’s not to excuse the goals that went in against, but I think if anything, the area to focus on is the penalties taken, not the kill itself. Burden it less and that area will be fine.

– On defenseman Brandt Clarke, I enjoyed his perspective on where he’s at right now.

“The front office and coaching staff here have a lot of trust in me and have a lot of belief in my abilities, so they want me to use my instincts, still be the player I can be, but also within the structure, in the right moments and I think things are going well.”

It’s hard to believe that Clarke is in his first full season in the NHL. Just feels like he’s gone through this before, because he played games last year and the year before that. But this is his first go at the NHL for an 82-game season. Around the league, players of Clarke’s age playing a regular role is very uncommon. Only nine defensemen from Clarke’s draft class, or more recent, have played 50+ games this season. He’s one of just four to be doing it on a current playoff team.

Rarely do you see teams pushing for playoff success have younger defensemen in the mix and the Kings have both Clarke and Jordan Spence in their top six, both bringing an offensive punch to a defensive-minded group of blueliners overall.

For Clarke, that’s where the excitement lies. Nothing like a playoff push, especially for a guy going through one for the first time in the NHL.

“That’s the games you want to play in, that’s the games you dream of and you especially want to get up for,” he added. “It’s the best time of the year and we’re just looking forward to playing [in them].”

– Lastly, Insiders, for those who are attending LA Kings Insider Suite Night on Saturday, expecting to have tickets distributed either later on today or tomorrow! Finalizing one last request and then will be able to submit payment and get the tickets ready to fire out to you all!

We filled two suites and then a little bit more…..super exciting and I am excited to see many of you on Saturday afternoon!

For tonight, though, Kings and Blackhawks at 5:30 PM Pacific from United Center. Big one for the Kings to get a result and keep pace in the Pacific Division.