3/10 Preview – Back At It In Boston + Back-To-Back Keys, Kopitar Keeps Scoring, Dumoulin/Ceci Pair, bOsTon History

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (26-23-14) @ Boston Bruins (35-22-6)
WHAT: 2025-26 Regular-Season Game 64/82
WHEN: Tuesday, March 10 @ 4:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: TD Garden – Boston, MA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA App & LA Kings App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings continue on their longest remaining trip of the season, as they finish a back-to-back set this evening against the Boston Bruins.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forward Trevor Moore collected an assist when these teams met in Los Angeles back in November and scored his team’s only goal in Boston during last season’s matchup. Moore also scored the game-deciding goal in Boston in a 3-2 Kings win at TD Garden during the 2022-23 season, while defenseman Brandt Clarke and Anze Kopitar have each scored an overtime game-winning goal in Boston.

KINGS VITALS: Los Angeles did not hold a morning skate today on the second half of a back-to-back.

After Anton Forsberg earned the victory yesterday in Columbus, look for goaltender Darcy Kuemper to get the start tonight in Boston. Kuemper was stellar when these teams met in Los Angeles earlier this season, as he made 24 saves on 26 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss at Crypto.com Arena.

For reference, here is how the Kings lined up yesterday evening in Columbus –

Today's @LAKings Line Rushes –

Panarin – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Byfield – Laferriere
Turcotte – Laughton – Wright
Malott – Helenius – Ward

Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci

Forsberg
Kuemper

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 9, 2026

Los Angeles went with the same lineup against the Blue Jackets as we saw on Saturday versus Montreal. Should they look to make any changes for tonight’s game, forward Mathieu Joseph and defenseman Jacob Moveare are both available to check into action. We’ll hear from Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith at TD Garden shortly before tonight’s game for updates on any potential changes.

BRUINS VITALS: Boston has put together a nice season under former Kings Assistant Coach Marco Sturm, as it sits in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering tonight’s game.

Per the Bruins team account, here is the Boston lineup from their most recent game against Pittsburgh on Sunday –

How we're lining up ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Tg2AKiTJCH

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 8, 2026

Boston has thrived at home this season, with 49 of its 76 points coming on home ice, the second-highest total of any team in the NHL this season. Bruins forward Morgan Geekie scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against the Kings earlier this season and leads his team with 34 goals overall. Geekie is tied for sixth in the NHL in goals this season, while teammate David Pastrnak is tenth with 52 assists.

Storyline Of The Day – We Go Again
Last night’s LA Kings victory was emotional. It was taxing. It was impressive. It was important.

And now it’s over.

“We knew that was a big one, but you’ve got to turn the page quickly,” Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith said.

The Kings have 19 games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season and with yesterday’s victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, they moved to within point of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Last night, Brian Dumoulin was the hero. He stepped up with one of his best games in a Kings jersey, as he totaled three points, including a beautiful goal in the third period, to put the Kings ahead.

Brian Dumoulin!!!!! pic.twitter.com/dsa11iPUuJ

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 9, 2026

Up front, the Kings relied on their top guys quite a bit. Everyone in the top six played over 20 minutes, led by Alex Laferriere, who logged 23:32. The Kings will need more quality minutes from their bottom six tonight in order to get a result, something Smith pointed out after the game. Regardless of who it is, someone else will have to step up and deliver.

“We’ve got a really hungry Boston Bruins team that’s playing really well,” Smith added. “The first period will be a big emphasis. We’re going to need our fourth line, didn’t play a ton [in Columbus], going to need them more [in Boston]. We’re going to need some other guys. Tonight, it’s this guy or that guy, tomorrow, it’ll have to be someone else.”

Easier said than done.

But that’s the job right now. The Kings don’t have time for scheduled losses or excuses in defeat. Last night was a tricky one on paper and the Kings showed up and found a way to play well and get the two points. Character win. Against a Boston team in the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, fighting for points, the Kings will meet a difficult opponent. But that won’t be an excuse. When the puck is dropped, they know they’ll need to find a way to be ready to go, at their best, to get another win.

“It’s one of those things, at this time of the year, you’re just playing, you just have to go out there and feed off those little things, those little wins,” Dumoulin added. “We’ve got to try to carry this momentum. It’s going to be even harder [tonight].”

Started with a good night of rest and the Kings got a small victory on that front, arriving in Boston around 10 PM, as opposed to the usual back-to-back arrival time of the 1-2 AM range. That certainly helps. Then, the battle is as much mental as it is physical.

Every team is run down at this point in the season, but the teams that can battle through the challenges on both fronts are the teams that win games in March. That’s what the Kings have talked about internally and what they will look to put into practice here this evening in Boston.

“We have to get our minds ready, that’s been a big key, something we’ve been talking about, get the body rested, whatever you need to do to be ready to play when the game starts,” forward Adrian Kempe said. “I feel like our minds have been there the last couple of games, where we come in, even if it’s a back-to-back. You’ve got to keep [shifts] shorter, we need everybody to play. That’s going to be really important against a really good team.”

3 To Watch For –
– Credit where credit is Du……moulin.

Terrific day in Columbus for defenseman Brian Dumoulin and for the Dumoulin/Ceci pairing.

Per Natural Stat Trick
Goals: 2-0
Shot Attempts: 20-7
High-Danger Chances: 6-0

Additionally, per SportLOGIQ, Dumoulin had eight offense-generating players last night, which was as many as the other five defensemen on the Kings had combined. Ranked third on the team overall, among all skaters. Ceci had an on-ice expected goals for of 1.68, leading all Kings defensemen. A good night and a needed night for the team.

In a game when the top pairing struggled, on the ice for three goals against, the third pair was tremendous. Dumoulin in particular had a very active night. That pair moved the puck out of its own zone very effectively and that gave them the freedom and capability to jump into the play offensively as well. Felt like routinely I’d look up and see 2 or 5 around the net offensively, with proper coverage, meaning they activated at the proper times.

Dumoulin pointed towards breakouts as being key. He said that he feels they broke the puck out cleanly, which creates more opportunities to generate offense and, more importantly, play in the offensive zone. Makes things easier when you can do that. Really good showing for those guys, one the Kings would do well to see on a more regular basis down the stretch.

– Anze Kopitar extended his scoring streak to four games with an assist last night on Adrian Kempe’s second-period goal.

Kopitar’s assist in Columbus moved him up to 1,305 points for his NHL career, two shy of tying forward Marcel Dionne for the most points in Kings franchise history. Kopitar has looked like himself of late, as he crossed the 1,500-game mark in the NHL, with the Kings all-time franchise scoring record in his sights. Interim Head Coach D.J. Smith pointed to a couple of in-season injuries that slowed him down a bit but believes he’s been close to his best of late, feeling as healthy as he has all season.

“He’s down the stretch here in his career, he’s had some injuries this year that have slowed him up and I think he’s probably feeling the best he’s felt,” Smith said of Kopitar. “He’s found the net, he’s picking up a few points, he looks like he’s having fun.”

His success has been contagious. Players have spoken about where Kopitar’s career deserves to end and that’s the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Everyone wants to be there themselves but they want it twice for Kopitar as well. An easy rallying point for the Kings down the stretch.

“Everyone in there wants it, for themselves, but they also want it for Kopi,” he added. “That’s going to help us.”

– Lastly, wouldn’t be a trip to Boston without one of the wildest streaks in the NHL.

The Kings and Bruins have gone to overtime in seven consecutive games played at TD Garden.

The last time that these teams played but did not go to overtime, Matt Greene was on the ice as a player. Today, Greene will be involved once again, though as an assistant coach. Certainly puts things into perspective.

Of those seven games, the Kings have won five, compared to a pair of Bruins victories. Boston won the most recent game, a 2-1 victory in October 2024, the second Kings game of last season. The Kings were coming off a stretch with five consecutive victories in Boston, all in overtime or the shootout, prior to Boston’s win last fall.

So, if you believe that history repeats itself, minutes played greater than 60 might be the play. For this Kings team, feels like a safe best most nights anyways.

Kings and Bruins, as Los Angeles concludes a trip-opening back-to-back tonight in Boston.