11/16 Preview – Lineup Notes + 5-Forward Power Play Display, Turcotte Activated, Jeannot/Moverare Return

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (9-6-3) vs. Detroit Red Wings (7-8-1)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular-Season Game
WHEN: Saturday, November 16 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings are back in California, with their next nine games coming in their home state (7H, 2A), beginning tonight against the Red Wings.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings were defeated twice by Detroit last season, securing one point via a shootout loss here at Crypto.com Arena.

Forward Quinton Byfield had two goals and an assist against the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season, while forwards Anze Kopitar and Alex Laferriere each tallied three assists from two games played and forward Adrian Kempe added two goals. In six games since joining the Kings, forward Phillip Danault has eight points (5-3-8) and a +5 rating versus Detroit.

KINGS VITALS: After a grueling start to the season, the Kings are back home and they won’t leave the state of California until early-December.

While unconfirmed with no morning skate today, expecting goaltender David Rittich to be the team’s starter this evening against the Red Wings. Rittich has faced Detroit five times throughout his NHL career, posting a record of 3-0-1, with a .922 save percentage and a 1.84 goals-against average.

Considering the 5 PM puck drop, the Kings did not hold a morning skate in advance of tonight’s game. For reference, here’s how the team lined up during yesterday’s practice –

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

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

Rittich / Portillo

Naturally, that alignment is four too-many names. Here’s what we know.

UPDATE – Alex Turcotte has been activated from Injured Reserve, while forward Andre Lee has been assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Yesterday, Jim Hiller felt there was a chance Turcotte played tonight, per Jim Hiller, pending check ins with team doctors. That has now happened and Lee was one of two waiver-exempt forwards on the roster, with one needing to head to the AHL to make space.

As for the fourth line, Tanner Jeannot is expected to return tonight, after serving a three-game suspension. Jeannot has been around the team, traveling to Calgary and Colorado, and should be in game shape. He’ll be back in tonight, though unclear who exactly he checks in for. Expecting one of Lee, Helenius or Lewis to be out.

On the blueline, Hiller said that Jacob Moverare would make his season debut this evening against Detroit, on familiar pairing with Jordan Spence. The two were a staple with AHL-Ontario back in the 2022-23 season and Hiller is hoping that familiarity can be a benefit for both players. Moverare enters in place of Caleb Jones, who is out with an upper-body injury.

In net, with Rittich expected to start and Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve, rookie Erik Portillo would be expected to back up tonight. Portillo was recalled yesterday from the Ontario Reign and practiced with the team on Friday.

DETROIT VITALS: The Red Wings are in the midst of their annual California swing, coming off a 6-4 defeat in Anaheim yesterday evening.

Per Detroit’s team account, here’s how the visitors lined up last time out –

Friday night. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/bGGdmLLm5j

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 16, 2024

Expecting former Kings goaltender Cam Talbot to get the start tonight against his former club. Talbot represented the Kings at the 2024 NHL All-Star game during his one season with the team. Talbot has been among the NHL’s best in goal early this season, with a 5-2-1 record, a .927 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average.

Storyline Of The Day – The Power-Play 5
Yesterday’s practice offered a very interesting look at the LA Kings power play.

The Kings have hardly drawn a call of late, with just one late opportunity in Calgary and one partial opportunity in Colorado. Still, the goals just haven’t been there.

Since scoring three times in Ottawa back in Game 3, the Kings have clicked at just 11.9 percent on the man advantage. It was a new collection of personnel this season, with Brandt Clarke and Alex Laferriere being worked in. It needed time to develop and form together. While certain nights have offered glimpses, the Kings are averaging one power-play goal every other game this season and with special teams vital in deciding close games, they’re exploring change.

At yesterday’s practice, the Kings deployed five forwards on the top unit, with Adrian Kempe at the point. Perhaps that isn’t five forwards, considering Jim Hiller’s comfort in playing Kempe at the point, but Kempe was away from the right side of the umbrella during yesterday’s practice, aligning at the top, with Hiller hoping the move can get him more touches on the puck in power-play situations.

“We liked Juice on the point, we haven’t felt like he’s been getting enough looks on the power play this year,” Hiller said. “When he’s at the top, he handles it and he’s got a good shot, so he gets a chance to shoot it.”

Hiller and the Kings have a lot of trust in Kempe from a responsibility standpoint.

As the high man, he’s the last man back if things go wrong. Kempe has taken shifts on defense with the Kings trailing in Calgary and Colorado, so he is trusted there, but he has to excel as a decision maker in order to run the point. At the top, he’ll be more of the decision maker, trusted with making the right reads and decisions, while also offering a different look as a one-timer threat, with right-handed shot forward Alex Laferriere now up in the umbrella where he can feed Kempe from the left side.

“His defensive ability is really good, so he can take on those defensive responsibilities,” Quinton Byfield said of his teammate. “The last couple of games, you’ve seen him play defense a little bit as well, so he’s going to be really responsible.”

Across the middle are Anze Kopitar as the bumper and Kevin Fiala as the one-timer option on the right, along with Laferriere on the left. Then comes the other reason for the change, which is adding Byfield and his 6-5 frame as the net-front presence.

Byfield excelled there last season, but the Kings have typically preferred a right-shot forward in that area. When Viktor Arvidsson returned from injury, he assumed the role on PP1, though operating more as a low playmaker than a big body in front. Hiller said that Byfield “did a really good job” in that role last season, which gave the Kings an option to turn back to with the PP struggling for production.

“I think for myself, going back to the netfront position, I got familiar with that last year and I got used to that, I think we had some good looks last year with that,” Byfield said of the change. “Going with five forwards, I think will be a lot of fun, a lot of offense and a different look to get stuff going here.”

Byfield has the ability to impact the game from the crease and is also an excellent puck retriever, which is a big part of that job. With the power play in need of a spark, the Kings are hopeful these changes will help to offer that.

3 To Watch For –
– Today’s game versus Detroit should mark the return of forward Tanner Jeannot to the lineup.

Jeannot missed the last three games due to a suspension, after his hit on Vancouver forward Brock Boeser earlier this month. Jeannot sat out the win over Columbus, along with losses in Calgary and Colorado. It was a strange feeling for a player who had never been suspended before.

“It sucks not being able to be out there and helping [the team] out,” Jeannot said. “You just watch and try to cheer them on as best you can, and just try to help out that way.”

Jeannot did join the Kings on their two-game trip this week, which gave him two hard morning skates and a full-team practice in Colorado. Jim Hiller felt it was important to bring Jeannot along

“As a veteran guy, he could have stayed back, but the beauty was, we had some extra ice and he was able to go with Derik Johnson and get some extra skating,” Hiller said. He spend 45, 50 minutes just going hard and I think it was a really important trip for him just to keep his conditioning up, get a lot of puck touches, so it should be seamless coming in [tonight].”

Jeannot agreed, adding that he liked to just stay around the group on the road, even as he wasn’t able to play. Coming back tonight, his focus is on “playing the same game I always play.” He’ll try to be “aggressive” early to get some momentum for the Kings.

Expecting to see him back in action here this evening.

– In Jacob Moverare, the Kings have recalled a player who has “good familiarity with everybody.”

We’ve seen Moverare here over the last three seasons, after he made his debut during the 2021-22 campaign. He got extended runs due to injury both in that season and last year, when he played a career-high 24 games. His reliability earned him a two-year contract extension this past offseason.

“We called Mo up on his merits and we want to get him back in, he played good for us last year,” Hiller said of Moverare. “We think the familiarity will help him.”

Moverare is a guy who plays a very simple style of game. He’s not going end-to-end and he’s likely not going to add a ton of offense, despite a first goal last season that sparked one of the most joyous celebrations of the season. Moverare knows his role and knows his game, which is to defend. He’s got outstanding hockey sense and defensive instincts, that make up for other areas such as his skating in which he is weaker.

He’s a guy who should slot in seamlessly tonight, and with the D6 position up for grabs, he’ll try to make it his own.

– Lastly, a stick tap to Kings prospect Kaleb Lawrence, who scored his first career AHL goal in his second career AHL game last night in Colorado, with the Ontario Reign.

With Helenius and Lee up in the NHL, Ontario had just 11 forwards and recalled Lawrence from Greenville in the ECHL, where he had been assigned to get some playing time.

WELCOME TO THE AHL KALEB LAWRENCE!!🚨#ReignTrain | #ONTvsCOL pic.twitter.com/uVaoPUDeHT

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) November 16, 2024

Last night in Colorado, Lawrence got a deflection on a shot from the outside, using his 6-6 frame to gain positioning in front, deflecting it home for the goal. Good start to his AHL career, and he’ll look to keep it going.

At the NHL level, Kings and Red Wings tonight, back on home ice, as the Kings look to right the ship.