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3/29 Preview – No Morning Skate +Tale Of Two Power Plays, Standings Update, Malott Impressions

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WHO: Los Angeles Kings (40-22-9) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (43-25-4)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Saturday, March 29 @ 4:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings return home to begin another three-game homestand tonight, with the Toronto Maple Leafs in town to conclude the season series.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Over the past eight Kings/Maple Leafs matchups, each team has won four games dating back to 2020.

Toronto took the first game of the 2024-25 season by a 6-2 scoreline back in October. For the Kings, forwards Kevin Fiala and Alex Turcotte scored in that game. Fiala has three goals and eight points in 12 career games against Toronto, including four points (2-2-4) from five games played as a member of the Kings.

KINGS VITALS: The team did not hold a morning skate today, with the late-afternoon puck drop.

Without knowing for sure, consider goaltender Darcy Kuemper the likely starter today, on the front end of the back-to-back set. Would assume a split this weekend and with David Rittich starting in Colorado, Kuemper would be the likely option today. The veteran netminder has a lifetime record of 3-4-0 versus Toronto, with a .882 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average.

For reference, here’s how the Kings lined up last time out in Colorado –

No skate today, so unsure on today’s lineup. Alex Turcotte and Tanner Jeannot both missed the Avalanche game due to injury. Turcotte is a true day-to-day, while Jeannot is considered day-to-day while his exact timeline is still being assessed. Looking for an update today on both players.

Should the Kings opt to go 11/7, defensemen Jacob Moverare and Kyle Burroughs are options to check in, as is forward Akil Thomas should the Kings look for a change within the 12/6.

Jim Hiller will speak pre-game, so will potentially have updates then.

MAPLE LEAFS VITALS: Toronto comes to Los Angeles off a 6-5 shootout loss in San Jose, making it points in five of its last six games overall.

Per the Toronto team account, here’s how the visitors lined up against the Sharks on Thursday –

Feels like the first time in a while there isn’t a former King listed above, but here we are. Muzzin….Campbell….Clifford…..Simmonds…..etc.

Forwards Auston Matthews (1-2-3) and Mitch Marner (0-3-3) each had three points against the Kings when the two teams met earlier this season, while forward Bobby McMann had two goals and defensemen Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each collected two assists.

Storyline Of The Day – Power Play Giveth, Power Play Taketh Away
– Since the NHL Trade Deadline, the LA Kings are 6-for-26 on the power play. That’s a 23.1 percent clip. For a team that was clicking at below 15 percent for the season until that point, that is a massive improvement. Those are the numbers. The last two games, though, tell us why the numbers are not what is important.

I thought Anze Kopitar put it best when we talked about the power play last week. He said that, at this point in the season, the overall number isn’t going to suddenly skyrocket. 65 games of struggles won’t be negated by 15 games of strong performances. What the power play can do, though, is score timely goals. Tuesday’s win over the Rangers was a power-play win, right?

Two PPG’s turned 0-1 into 2-1. That was two points in the standings earned by the man advantage and that’s exactly what Kopitar was talking about. The power play, at this stage, can still help win or lose games for the Kings. I think it’s fair to say the power play won the game against New York.

“It looks a lot better, doesn’t it, can we all agree that it looks a lot more dangerous?” Jim Hiller asked rhetorically after the game on Tuesday.

I would be inclined to agree. There were long stretches where it’s looked bad this season. Overall, I think it’s looked vastly different over the last 10 games or so and the improvement has been reflected by the puck going into the back of the net.

In Colorado, though, man could the Kings have used a power-play goal. It was probably the least sharp we’ve seen that unit since Andrei Kuzmenko joined the team. The Kings weren’t crisp at 5-on-5 and that translated onto the power play for sure.

“That’s usually how it works,” Hiller said after the Colorado game. “Guys don’t feel good, they’re not feeling it because the power play obviously reflects your 5-on-5 game. We just didn’t have it. Our top skill players weren’t making a lot of plays.”

It wasn’t just the power play in Colorado, but that was part of it. Kings had the chance to swing that game at 5-on-5 too. Tuesday was a game won on the PP, Thursday, I wouldn’t call it a game lost on the power play as defiantly as Tuesday, but the Avalanche scored twice and the Kings were blanked. You won’t win very often when you’re minus-2 on special teams.

Ultimately, whether we want to look at 16.3 percent on the season or 23.1 percent since the deadline, it really doesn’t matter right now. With 11 games left and the playoffs to follow, the Kings will have power-play chances that could earn the team one or two standings points down the road. It could also potentially win or lose a playoff game when we get to that point in the season.

The current iteration certainly looks substantially more dangerous. Don’t think anyone would argue. The movement is vastly improved and chances are flowing off of much better puck movement. I think Kuzmenko is a big factor in that because not only does he offer the threat down low but we’ve seen him move to both sides of the net, into the bumper position and even up into the umbrella at times. As he moves, it forces others to move as well and I think that movement across the board has been very noticeable. Reminds me more of the 2022-23 season when the Kings were fourth in the NHL on the PP and 33.3 percent in the playoffs. Not quite there yet, but shades of it.

With important games to follow, the power play has a chance to earn its keep when the points matter most. At this point, that’s what it needs to do.

3 To Watch For –
– Barring a pretty crazy collapse by the Vegas Golden Knights, seems pretty clear what is on the horizon. Kings/Oilers – Part Four.

Entering the day, the Kings are seven points back of the division leaders while the Oilers are nine. With a game in hand and a home-heavy schedule, the Kings still have an outside chance at the division title, but it might just be best if we all just mentally gear up for what’s to come. What we don’t yet know, though, is where Game 1 will take place.

The Kings are currently in the driver’s seat with 11 games remaining, leading Edmonton by two points with a game in hand. Similar situation today as we saw on Thursday. The Kings host Toronto while the Oilers host Calgary, playing tonight with Leon Draisaitl but not Connor McDavid. There is a wide range of outcomes and with that comes immense opportunity. The Kings will leave today in second regardless, but it could be by four points with a game in hand, or via a tiebreaker.

Needless to say, important points on the line.

“We feel comfortable at home and there’s some big points that we need to win here,” forward Quinton Byfield said. “Going home, we feel confident that we can get them.”

For the Kings, of their final 11 games, eight will come in Los Angeles. Just a one-game trip to Utah and a back-to-back in Edmonton and Seattle await them to end the season in terms of travel. Another chance tonight to take a small step towards that goal.

– I liked Jeff Malott in Colorado.

Jim Hiller “really, really” liked Malott. Double really, how are ya.

I don’t think we even necessarily saw the full slate of Malott’s game but one thing I really thought stood out to me was his composure. I’ve often seen players in a debut or within their first couple of games be extremely rushed. Don’t want to make the mistake so it’s a get it, get rid of it kind of thing. With Malott, I saw a player who seemed comfortable in tight situations to make the composed play.

Part of that is just who he is as a player. Perhaps part too is that in Ontario, there is an emphasis on playing the same game the Kings play. Using the same terminology. That helped Malott feel settled quickly.

“It’s really consistent and that helps with the transition,” Malott said. “We’re always watching Kings clips, we’re always trying to implement that system and yeah, that helps with the transition. Nice to have some familiarity.”

On paper, Malott is probably the most “like-for-like” replacement within the organization for Tanner Jeannot. Could he provide some of those things alongside Samuel Helenius and Alex Turcotte once the latter is back? I suppose it ultimately remains to be seen, but I’d like to see that line tried. Jim Hiller was extremely complementary after the loss in Colorado which tells me he’ll remain in the lineup again today. Malott’s composure isn’t ultimately the number-one thing he’ll be judged on, but it helps. If he can deliver some of the physicality the Kings are missing in Jeannot, then it adds to the package.

I’d like to see him get at least a bit of a run-out here. That line seems to best operate with two players who bring a ton of physicality. It’s early days yet, but a promising start for Malott with the Kings.

– Lastly, Insiders, sharing this mostly for that beautiful mustache.

Excited to see the team honor Nick Nickson next week for his incredible career here in Los Angeles. Will have a few Nick stories to come next week here on LAKI. If you’re looking at coming to a game down the stretch, Tuesday could be a fun one to be a part of Nick’s ceremony.

For today, though, it’s a 4 PM puck drop today between the Kings and Maple Leafs, as LA continues to set the NHL record for different start times. Should be a good one in DTLA!

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