Projected Lineups – LA Kings vs. St. Louis Blues; Game 1 for Korpisalo

Prior to Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, Kings GM Rob Blake made three key acquisitions – and the introduction of those players into coach Todd McLellan’s lineup will continue on Saturday night vs. the visiting St. Louis Blues. After defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov debuted vs. Montreal the other night, now it’s time for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to record his first game with the team.

In 28 games with the Blue Jackets this season, Korpisalo had a .913 save percentage. He has not faced the Blues this season. However, last March he played them and walked away with a victory in a rather squirrely game. He only played 13:54 yet earned the win despite giving up two goals on seven shots. More recently, the Finnish native has won three of his last four starts, including his most recent game (vs. Edmonton on Feb. 25, where he faced 47 shots).

For full analysis of the Kings recent trades, be sure to check out this morning’s discussion on NHL Network Radio:

NHL RADIO REPLAY: Hoven Evaluates Trio of LA Kings Trades and Roster Moves

We’re assuming Kevin Fiala will remain on the Phil Danault line for now, something McLellan spoke about the other night:

McLellan on the Fiala-Danault pairing… pic.twitter.com/824fGbKDsq

— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) March 3, 2023

On defense, we’re expecting Gavrikov to play on the second pairing, after starting out on the third pair in his first game. Late in that contest vs. Montreal, he was paired with Matt Roy and that’s most likely how McLellan will choose to start things out on Saturday.

LA Kings Projected Lineup vs. St. Louis Blues

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Vilardi
Grundstrom – Kupari – Kaliyev

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Edler – Durzi

Korpisalo
Copley

Scratches: JAD, MacEwen, Walker

Injured Reserve: Moore (Feb. 22)

Key Game Info

Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm PST and will be televised by Bally Sports.

For those live in attendance, the LA Kings Booster Club will offer their popular ‘Puck for a Buck’ contest — featuring Anze Kopitar for this game. Just $1 could win you an autographed puck from an NHL star. Visit their table near aisle M8 on the main concourse for more information.

Across the Ice

After being crowned champions in 2019, St. Louis hasn’t been able to recapture that same postseason glory. In fact, they’re not on track to qualify for the playoffs this year, so they won’t be competing for the 2023 Stanley Cup.

In their last game played, the Blues were able to down the Sharks 6-2 in San Jose on Thursday.

Here’s how they’re expected to lineup tonight:

Buchnevich – Thomas – Kapanen
Saad – Schenn – Kyrou
Blais – Brown – Leivo
Toropchenko – Alexandrov – Pitlick

Leddy – Parayko
Scandella – Faulk
Tucker – Krug

Binnington

On This Day in Kings History

On March 4, 2009, the @LAKings acquired Justin Williams from Carolina for Patrick O'Sullivan and a 2nd round pick. In 7 seasons with the #LAKings, Williams scored 266 points in 427 games, won two Stanley Cup championship rings, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2014.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/on4JwKOOs5

— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) March 4, 2023

RELATED CONTENT:

UPDATED: LA Kings Acquire Gavrikov and Korpisalo in Trade with Columbus for Jonathan Quick

Part 1: Rob Blake on Trading Quick to Columbus and Improving Kings Current Roster

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