9/25 Preseason Preview – Expected Game Group + New Line, Same Approach & Spence’s Opportunity

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-0-1) @ Vegas Golden Knights (1-0-0)
WHAT: 2024 Preseason Game
WHEN: Wednesday, September 25 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: NHL Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA / LA Kings App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings continue their 2024 preseason slate of games with a trip to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights, their second exhibition contest of the week.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a record of 1-1-1 during the regular season against Vegas last year and tonight marks the first game of the 2024 preseason versus the Golden Knights. Of those expected to play tonight, forward Trevor Moore led the team last season with two goals from three games played versus Vegas.

KINGS VITALS: Looking like a much more veteran lineup for the Kings this evening in the desert.

In terms of the goaltenders, Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start between the pipes. This would be Kuemper’s first appearance back with the Kings since he was re-acquired via trade over the summer from Washington. Kuemper is expected to be partnered with Carter George, who made his NHL preseason debut on Monday in Utah. George stopped all six shots he faced in the third period and conceded a goal during the 3-on-3 overtime session.

With the group below, the Kings are expected to dress a lot more experience tonight than they did on Monday in Utah. While we won’t see Anze Kopitar, we will see Drew Doughty for his preseason debut, along with the entire prospective top four with Mikey Anderson, Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence. Also expecting to see the entire middle six of forwards in action, with Phillip Danault’s line and Quinton Byfield’s line all making the trip.

All-in-all, a much more experienced group, even if not the full complement of players we should expect on opening night. Today’s game group is below –

Forwards (12) – Byfield, Danault, Fiala, Foegele, Gawdin, Jamsen, Jeannot, Laferriere, Lee, Madden, Moore, Turcotte

Defensemen (6) – Anderson, Burroughs, Doughty, Gavrikov, Spence, Woolley

Goaltenders (2) – George, Kuemper

With regards to that group, I’d expect to see the Jeannot/Danault/Moore line as well as the Fiala/Danault/Foegele lines in action. They’ve skated together in every day of training camp thus far and there’s no reason to suspect they won’t play together again tonight. The bottom six is less clear, but it’s another great opportunity for an Alex Turcotte to show his progress and for a player like Andre Lee to push for NHL looks. Both have impressed during camp and both will be ones to keep an eye on.

On the backend, the pairings feel straightforward – Doughty/Anderson, Gavrikov/Spence, Woolley/Burroughs. It’ll be Woolley’s first career NHL preseason game, making him the third member of the 2024 draft class to appear in a game this fall.

VEGAS VITALS: The Golden Knights won their preseason opener on Sunday, a 4-2 victory on the road over San Jose.

Per Sin Bin Vegas, here is tonight’s projected lineup for the hosts –

Here's the group of players on the ice for morning skate, presumably those playing tonight.

Holtz-Hertl-Roy
Brisson-Quinney-Pearson
Dorofeyev-Laczynski-Denisenko
Cataford-Sapovoliv-AstonReese

Theodore-Pietragelo
Hague-Hanifin
McNabb-Whitecloud

Samsonov
Lindbom

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) September 25, 2024

Decent number of veterans in action for Vegas, including what could be their NHL blueline on Day 1. Up front is largely a younger group, but included is forward Tomas Hertl on the top line. Also dressing for Vegas is former Kings winger Tanner Pearson, who is in camp with the Golden Knights on a PTO.

Notes –
New Look, New Line
First game tonight for two new-look lines for the LA Kings.

Diving today into the debut of Tanner Jeannot in an LA Kings jersey, as he skates alongside Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. Jeannot brings a different approach than Viktor Arvidsson did, but he seems to fit the approach that Danault and Moore bring to that line. While Jeannot and Arvidsson are different players, both Danault and Moore don’t feel that it changes the identity of their line.

Moore – I think that our identity is hard work and then creating plays off of that hard work, I don’t think we were a float around kind of line anyways. I think it’s a little different, [Jeannot] wants to go to the net a little bit more, which maybe allows us to do some things up high, but we’ll see. I think it’s been good so far.

Danault – It’s an adjustment, but he’s hungry and we’re just going to work as hard as we can to play our game, that’s not going got change. Everyone fits around and once you work, everyone shines. That’s not changing at all.”

Jeannot, for his part, is here to play his game.

He has scored 24 goals in a season before, so he’s done that. Still, he’s not the type of playmaker than an Arvidsson was, but as Moore pointed out, Arvidsson was a worker as well and that change doesn’t change the approach of the line as a whole.

“You can tell they have that chemistry, they know where each other is all the time,” Jeannot said. “I see them dancing around with the puck all of the time, so I’m just trying to be in a good spot and help create space for them. They do a good job of that on their own, but I just want to add my element to it. Be hard on the forecheck, maybe get a few more pucks into their hands and get to the net, be that extra piece the other team has to worry about. Super fun playing with them.”

This is an important line for the Kings for a couple of reasons.

Having strength down the middle only works if it’s three lines at that level. Danault brings the two-way game that allows him to shine in a few different roles. He’s got the team’s leading goalscorer from last season on his wing and the addition of Jeannot provides a different element as the third member of the line.

Interested in seeing how they perform tonight.

Spen-sational
It’s a big season for defenseman Jordan Spence.

Last season was a step forward for the young blueliner, but this season will require another one. With the way the summer played out, the Kings are banking on Spence and Brandt Clarke to make strides on the right side of the blueline to be not only NHL regulars, but NHL contributors. The Kings need those guys to play at that level and both are capable of doing it.

“I was pretty happy with my season last year, but I think I have another level that I can get to,” Spence said. “For me, I just want to be a complete player in the defensive zone, even in the offensive zone. I think I feel more confident this year, so I’m really excited to get it going.”

It’s encouraging to hear him talk about both sides of the ice, because the Kings need that growth in both zones.

Offensively, Spence ranked second amongst Kings blueliners with 22 assists but scored just two goals, with his first coming on March 15. Spence has a good shot and he’s capable of more than two goals. He knows that. The Kings also need to replace the defensive responsibilities of Matt Roy, who logged challenging matchups alongside Vladislav Gavrikov. Spence’s offensive upside is higher, but he’s not at Roy’s level defensively just yet.

He knows what Roy brought and is working towards stepping up his own game to help match it.

“At the end of the day, everyone wants to win and for me, I just want to be the player I am and kind of show it on the ice, be good in all zones,” Spence said. “Royzie, he’s a great player, so that’s why for myself, I just need to up my game ,play well defensively like he did last season and obviously help out in the o-zone and try to contribute as much as I can.”

Throughout the first five days of camp, as well as tonight’s game, Spence will partner veteran Vladislav Gavrikov.

Gavrikov has experience and is more defensively oriented, but offers two-way play, excelling in the neutral zone with an active defensive stick. He can move pucks too and a Gavrikov/Spence pairing projects more as a two-way duo. It’s early days, and tonight is the first time we’ll see that pair against non-internal competition, but Spence is optimistic about the partnership.

“It’s been great, I think last year, I played with him a couple time and we played really well together,” Spence added. “Right now, we’re just trying to build more chemistry, talk a lot on the ice, communicate, but, even last year, we talked a lot off the ice. I think we’re really good friends, so I think on the ice, we’ve just got to keep it going, keep playing well together, communicate, and I think good things will happen.”

Kings and Golden Knights, tonight at 7 PM. Game is on ESPN LA, AM 710 and on NHL Network with the Vegas broadcast. I’ll be in Vegas for my preseason debut, full coverage to follow the game!