10/20 Preview – All Eyes on “Flying” Third Line + Potential Lineup, Fast Starts, Pacific Time

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (2-1-2) @ Anaheim Ducks (2-1-1)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Saturday, October 20 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: Finally back home……sort of. The Kings head to their home away from home at Honda Center for the first Freeway Faceoff of the season, as they return to the Pacific Time Zone for a 5 PM faceoff against the Ducks.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings posted a 3-1-0 record versus Anaheim last season, with the teams each winning once in Orange County.

Forward Kevin Fiala led the Kings with four goals and five points against the Ducks last season, while forward Adrian Kempe collected five assists from the four games played. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Kempe has 27 points (14-13-27) from 19 games played versus Anaheim. In that span, no player has more goals or points versus the Ducks than Kempe.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings return to California with six points from their five games played on the East Coast, with today’s game technically continuing a season-opening seven-game trip.

With the 5 PM puck drop, the Kings did not hold a morning skate in advance of tonight’s game. David Rittich would be my projected starter tonight, considering his strong performance in Montreal and two days off between games. Should Rittich indeed get the nod, he is 2-1-0 lifetime versus the Ducks, with a .923 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average.

Here’s how the Kings lined up during yesterday’s practice –

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Danault – Moore
Foegele – Turcotte – Laferriere
Lee – Thomas – Lewis – Jeannot

Anderson – Gavrikov
Edmundson – Clarke
Englund – Spence
Jones – Burroughs

Rittich / Copley

Expecting at least one change to the lineup from how the Kings were set up in Montreal. Looks as if defenseman Joel Edmundson should be back in the lineup after he missed the last two games for the birth of his first child. Jim Hiller confirmed yesterday he’s expecting to roll with the Anderson/Gavrikov and Edmundson/Clarke pairings, with Englund/Spence skating together in yesterday’s practice.

Up front, forward Akil Thomas has yet to make his season debut to this point. With Alex Turcotte sliding up to the third line, we could perhaps see Thomas check in as the 4C tonight in Anaheim, though all four forwards on that line rotated through during yesterday’s practice. If he does play, I’d expect it to be in place of Andre Lee or Trevor Lewis.

ANAHEIM VITALS: The Ducks have points in three of their first four games this season, including both of their games here at home.

Per Anaheim’s team account, here’s how the hosts lined up last time out against Colorado –

Here's who we fly with tonight. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/77rndflGOB

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) October 19, 2024

Ducks forward Troy Terry has three goals from his first four games played this season, all at even strength, to lead Anaheim in both goals and points in the early goings.

Defenseman Cam Fowler leads the Ducks against the Kings, with 13 points (3-10-13) in head-to-head matchups over the last four seasons. Just two blueliners around the NHL have more points against Los Angeles in that span.

Storyline Of The Day – For Me, It’s Line Three
“Flying” was the word Jim Hiller used after yesterday’s practice to describe his new-look third line, with Alex Turcotte skating between Warren Foegele and Alex Laferriere.

They debuted in Montreal on Thursday and connected on Laferriere’s third goal of the season. In just shy of nine minutes together at 5-on-5, they controlled 73.7 percent of shot attempts and were on the ice for eight scoring chances for, compared to just two against. Pretty good debut.

Hiller gave “high marks” for that line against the Canadiens, adding that they were “dangerous” throughout the course of the game. That performance continued into practice on Saturday, their first together as a trio.

“They were just buzzing,” Hiller said of their practice yesterday. “We had the rushes and then the puck went to the corner and they were on the puck again, they shot it and the next guy was there. That’s exactly how those three have to play.”

First time playing together too.

Turcotte and Laferriere were on a line during one exhibition game in Vegas but Foegele was a summer signing who had spent the entire preseason with Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala. Despite not having a practice day, Foegele preached skating and simplicity as being reasons why that line worked.

“I think we’re all good skaters and we’re all tenacious,” Foegele said of his new line. “Playing simple, it’s getting pucks in deep and then trying to win those battles and then taking pucks to the net. I think all three of us can shoot the puck and then going to the net is where you’re going to get your goals.”

For Turcotte, it was his first game this season skating above the fourth line.

Hiller said he earned that opportunity and Turcotte’s play was a big reason as to why the Kings felt comfortable moving Byfield and Fiala back into the top six. Will have more on Turcotte tomorrow, but in terms of his line, he felt that the transition was easy, moving up with guys like Foegele and Laferriere.

“It was great, they were really easy to play with, really predictable,” he said. “We’re all pretty fast, I’d say, so it’s exciting and we can make plays off the rush. I think for the first game, I’ve never really played with either of those guys, so I thought we played pretty well. It’s nice to know where everyone’s going to be and they’re pretty consistent with their play as well, so it was pretty easy.”

We know what Byfield/Kopitar/Kempe and Fiala/Danault/Moore are as lines from their time together last season. All eyes on Line 3 again today as the Kings look to find the right mix up front.

3 To Watch For
– The Kings finally got a strong start in Montreal.

Kind of funny that if you look at the game in Ottawa, the Kings jumped out to a 2-0 lead but the start was not good. In Montreal, the start was great, yet the Kings conceded the first goal. Play the way they did out of the gates against the Canadiens and the results will take care of themselves. After starting poorly in three of their first four games, the Kings hope the Montreal game is one to build on.

“I think we were all in, in the first period,” defenseman Jordan Spence said. “I think we started off the bat really well and I think that’s how we played a good game. I think it kind of determines how well we play, with the first period that we had and after the first period, I thought we were really confident into the game.”

Overall, the Kings have scored just three first-period goals this season – two in Ottawa and one in Montreal. Only two teams have scored fewer around the NHL.

Getting out to a fast start tonight, as it usually is, should be a key for the Kings.

– First game back for the Kings on Pacific time, after spending 18 days straight on the East Coast.

I do think having the second day to adjust is helpful. Had the Kings played yesterday, it could’ve been a bit harder to adjust. Don’t think the 5 PM puck drop hurts either, which is more body clock adjacent to Eastern time.

At the end of the day, every team who plays here has to adjust to it. Eastern teams have it the other way, when they head back, and even if things aren’t perfect, the Kings have to adjust. The saying goes that the first game back on Pacific time is always a bit of a slog. With the rivalry game, no morning skate and an earlier than usual puck drop,

“I’ve been in that situation a lot, I spent a lot of time out East, where you’re going back the other way, and I just don’t know,” Hiller said of the adjustment. “It does affect you, our body clocks, the people who travel know that. I know that you can’t focus on it. You’ve got to put it behind you and teams do it. We have to deal with it. We’ll know better [tonight] after the game.”

– Trevor Time!

A pair of Trevors are approaching milestones. Forward Trevor Lewis enters tonight’s games with 99 goals, after he scored his first of the season in Ottawa on Monday. Not exactly what he’s looked at to provide, but he’s already set the company mark for Unsung Hero awards, so it’s onto the goals.

Meanwhile, forward Trevor Moore is one assist shy of 100 for his career, as he searches for his first helper of the 2024-25 season. Moore scored in Boston to open his account, but has yet to find the scoresheet with an assist. Reunited with Kevin Fiala last game, on a line that was very productive a season ago, can hopefully jumpstart production for Moore and Phillip Danault.

Kings and Ducks, coming up later on today. Bit of a weird starting time, at 5 PM, as the Kings finally return to California.