10/29 Preview – Lineup Changes Expected + Kupari Recalled, Gabe’s Growth, Hockey 101

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (4-5-0) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-3-1)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR SEASON GAME
WHEN: Saturday, October 29 @ 4:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings conclude a three-game homestand this afternoon in Los Angeles, as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Crypto.com Arena.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Maple Leafs split the season series in 2021-22, with each team winning on the other’s home ice. Forward Phillip Danault led the Kings in last season’s series with three points (2-1-3) from two games played, one of seven Kings players with multiple points in head-to-head action.

KINGS VITALS: Considering the earlier than usual puck drop, the Kings did not hold a morning skate today.

As such, we won’t know who will start in net in this afternoon’s game. Should the Kings turn back to Jonathan Quick for a fourth consecutive start, the veteran netminder is 7-5-1 all-time versus the Maple Leafs, with a .919 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. If Cal Petersen gets the nod, he would be making his first career start against Toronto, though he did make his NHL debut against Toronto back in 2018, as he turned aside 15 of the 16 shots he faced in relief of Peter Budaj.

Below is how the Kings aligned during yesterday’s practice, with several changes made to the groupings up front. The defensemen are a bit less known, as seven players rotated through drills, but Todd McLellan noted that a change is possible, in the form of Sean Walker potentially checking in. We’ll see what warmups brings us.

Kempe – Kopitar – Vilardi
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Fiala – Lizotte – Grundstrom
Lemieux – Anderson-Dolan – Kaliyev
(Kupari)

Anderson – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Edler – Clarke
Walker

Quick / Petersen

Forward Quinton Byfield will not play against Toronto this afternoon due to illness. Byfield missed Thursday’s game against Winnipeg due to the same reasoning and did not practice yesterday with the group. His timetable is unknown beyond a confirmation that he won’t play today. Forward Rasmus Kupari was recalled from AHL-Ontario this morning, more on that transaction below.

MAPLE LEAFS VITALS: Toronto is on the fourth stop of a five-game Western swing, with a 1-1-1 record to date.

Goaltender Ilya Samsonov is expected to get the start against the Kings this afternoon, returning to the net after he backed up last time out on Thursday. All-time versus Los Angeles, Samsonov is 2-0-0 with a .982 save percentage, a 0.50 goals-against average and one shutout. Both appearances came as a member of the Washington Capitals.

Per TSN’s Mark Masters, here’s how Toronto lined up during practice yesterday afternoon –

Leafs lines at practice in Los Angeles

Bunting – Matthews – Marner
Kerfoot – Tavares – Nylander
Robertson – Jarnkrok – Simmonds
Engvall – Kampf – Aube-Kubel
Aston-Reese, Malgin @TSN_Edge

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 28, 2022

Rielly – Brodie
Sandin – Holl
Giordano – Kral
Mete

Samsonov
Kallgren

Toronto appears set to make three changes from the group that was defeated in overtime in San Jose two days prior. Defensemen Filip Kral could make his NHL debut today versus the Kings, while former Kings forward Wayne Simmonds, as well as forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel, also appear likely to check in based on yesterday’s practice. Former Kings Kyle Clifford and Jake Muzzin are on injured reserve and will not play tonight.

Notes –
Flew The Kup
The Kings announced a roster move earlier today, as forward Rasmus Kupari was recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Kupari was among the final players assigned to the AHL back in camp, with his waiver exemption working against him on cutdown day. On the final year of his entry-level contract, Kupari was one of just a few players in contention for the final spots on the roster who did not require waivers to be assigned to the NHL and with Gabe Vilardi’s breakout performance, there wasn’t an everyday spot available for Kupari among the 12 forwards in the lineup. Rather than be a potential scratch, it made more sense to assign the young forward to the AHL to play regularly.

Kupari ranks third on the Reign with six points (3-3-6) from six games played this season and his +5 rating ranks second amongst all forwards. Kupari has brought a mix of speed, skill and physicality at the AHL level and has had a strong start despite a likely disappointment of not making the NHL roster out of camp. Kupari was likely slotted as the first recall option out of camp and now, nine games into the season, he’ll get his opportunity with the big club.

The Finnish forward brings both versatility – he can play both center and wing and can play in both the top and bottom six – and NHL experience, with 57 games played for the Kings last season and 64 in his NHL career, in addition to five games during last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With no morning skate today, and the option of recalling Kupari yesterday to practice with the team not exercised, it feels more likely than not that he won’t play tonight, but he is an option should the Kings opt for a personnel change up front.

Gabe’s Growth
As reported yesterday, the expectation is that forward Gabe Vilardi will skate on the top offensive unit this afternoon against Toronto, alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. More on expected line changes HERE.

Looking specifically at Vilardi, however, he’s shown immense growth in the early stages of the season, turning the skill we’ve seen since he was drafted into tangible production at the NHL level. Vilardi leads all Kings players with 10 points (6-4-10) from nine games played, as he’s been the most reliable offensive option in the early goings of the season.

“We talked as a group about giving him a really good opportunity, as much as we possibly could, throughout exhibition season, the beginning of season to try and get him in situations where he feels good about himself and we and the team feel good about him. We tried that and he took advantage of that.”

Vilardi certainly has taken advantage of the opportunity. By his own admission, he wasn’t a lock even to make the roster coming into camp, but he knew that he had what it took to not only make the team, but to play every night. McLellan talked about giving Vilardi the opportunity, but with that came a desire to allow him to feel the trust of the coaching staff and to be able to play with that trust.

He has felt that trust and wants to be in those kinds of situations.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted,” Vilardi said, of having trust in key situations. “It’s why they drafted me, they drafted me to be a goalscorer, a producer, to put up points. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do and it’s good that I’m doing it now. I’ve got to produce, that’s my job at the end of the day.”

Listening to Vilardi speak about his progress, the confidence he’s exuding is evident. It’s showing on and off the ice and it’s being seen by his coaches and his teammates.

“It’s really refreshing to see him walk into the rink, he’s sticking his chest out a little, he’s smiling more, he seems to be enjoying the whole package and that’s great,” McLellan added. “He’s earned the opportunity to feel that way and as a result he’s playing that way. Confidence.”

Confidence is key, and with the Kings in search of reliable forward combinations, here’s to hoping it continues.

Hockey 101
“There are just some simple hockey rules that exist. Turnovers, situational play in certain areas of the ice, type and timing of turnovers, length of shift, we’re constantly reminding our group about those things, because those are the basics of Hockey 101. They have to be polished up and adhered to. You’re always going to make mistakes, there could be a ton of them every night, but the preventable ones at a certain time have to get cleaned up. We’ve been showing them situationally where it’s been happening, why it’s happening, but those simple 101 ones have to be fixed.”

McLellan referenced this notion a few times yesterday in his media availability. He referenced it as it pertained to managing risk, he referenced it when asked about the cohesiveness of the defensemen and he referenced it when asked about goals against. He discussed it after the Winnipeg game as well. It’s a basic statement, but it ties into game management and some of the issues the Kings are having in keeping the puck out of the net.

Should the Kings be able to clean up some of the more fundamental issues, some of the end products of those issues will sort out themselves. It’s not always the high-danger chance we see right in front of the goaltenders that is the problem, but sometimes it’s the play made higher in the zone or further up the ice that led to the chance even happening in the first place. It’s not on any individual player, or even a positional group. It’s a full-team change that’s needed. With Toronto in town, a team with high-flying capabilities, the Kings will need to make those adjustments to contain the Maple Leafs.

Kings and Maple Leafs, today at 4:00 PM from Crypto.com Arena, before the team hits the road tomorrow morning. See you there!