Is the glass half-full or half-empty… or is just a glass of water?
Thus far, the Kings have won three games in the first five played of a six-game road trip. That leaves just one game to go, tonight in Carolina.
While games vs. Eastern Conference teams usually aren’t the ultimate measuring stick for Pacific Division clubs, a matchup with the Hurricanes of late is definitely a big one. They’re one of the top teams in the league, a Stanley Cup favorite this year, and how about this trivia question:
When was the last time the Kings won in Carolina?
Want a bonus question?
Over the past 20 years, how many total games have the Kings won in Carolina?
LA’s last win Carolina came on January 26, 2017. It was a 3-0 win. Nope, not Jonathan Quick. The Kings goalie that night was Peter Budaj, who made 22 saves for the shutout. At the other end of the ice, it was Marian Gaborik, Trevor Lewis, and Kyle Clifford scoring the goals.
So, what about overall?
Since the Hartford Whalers went through a rebrand and moved to Carolina, the Kings have visited 13 times and have a record of 3-8-2.
Like much of the current road trip, most of coach Todd McLellan’s lineup is pretty much set. He’ll once again turn to Pheonix Copley in net. We’d also expect Alex Turcotte to draw back in, especially given his comments about the young center just a few nights ago in Florida and then resting him in Tampa Bay.
LA Kings Projected Lineup vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Iafallo – Danault – Arvidsson
Fiala – Lizotte – JAD
Kupari – Turcotte – Fagemo
Anderson – Doughty
Durzi – Roy
Edler – Walker
Copley
Quick
Likely Scratches: Bjornfot, Lemieux
Injured, although not yet on IR: Vilardi (out day-to-day, returned to LA for evaluation)
Injured Reserve: Grundstrom (Jan. 19), Moore (Jan. 6), Kaliyev (retro to Dec. 20, expected out several weeks)
Additional Game Info
Puck drop is set for 4:00 pm PST and will be televised by Bally Sports.
In their last game played, the Hurricanes took down the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Sunday.
Freddy Anderson is expected to get the start vs. LA. More on him below:
@Canes Ace Freddy as been excellent since returning to their lineup, he joined us on @NHLNetwork to break it down .@NHL #HockeyTwitter https://t.co/NJk9rUQhtO
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) January 31, 2023
Kings former nemesis from his San Jose days, Brent Burns, is coming in hot:
Brent Burns enters tonight's meeting with Los Angeles riding a five-game point streak.
His 34 points this season lead all #Canes blueliners and have him tied for 12th among all NHL defensemen. pic.twitter.com/Qd0dDcb4UX
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 31, 2023
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