The Kings travel north to Winnipeg for their first road game of the season Tuesday night against the Jets. It should be an interesting night — to say the least — as it’s a bit of a reunion for both squads. For the first time, LA will face off against former players Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and Alex Iafallo; all were sent to Winnipeg this past summer for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Personnel aside, the Kings will be looking to get their first win of the season. The young campaign has begun just as the last one did, with too many goals allowed. Through a pair of contests, LA has allowed 10 goals against, which is far too many for coach Todd McLellan’s liking. He often talks about game management, and that is something LA has struggled with mightily thus far. Costly individual mistakes and soft goals will need to be minimized in order for the team to be successful,
Forward Arthur Kaliyev is expected to return to the lineup following a four-game suspension handed down during the preseason. Look for him to slot in with Phil Danault and Trevor Moore, as well as back on the second power-play unit. His return to the lineup definitely makes the Kings top-nine that much more dangerous and deep, especially while Viktor Arvidsson is out of action indefinitely (back surgery).
Goaltender Cam Talbot is expected to make his second start of the season after a tough loss on Opening Night. Until someone wins that number one spot, it seems as though McLellan has no problem going with a regular rotation of Talbot and Copley. It’s no secret that goaltending is the biggest worry for LA this season, and so far it has not looked particularly strong. Perhaps an early season road trip will help settle things down.
On the flip side, Vilardi and Kupari have yet to score for their new club. Iafallo found the back of the net in Winnipeg’s opening game at Calgary.
LA Kings Projected Lineup vs. Winnipeg Jets
Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Kaliyev
Fiala – Dubois – Laferriere
Grundstrom – Lizotte – Lewis
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Spence
Talbot (starter)
Copley
Likely scratches: Anderson-Dolan, Bjornfot
Injured: Arvidsson
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 5:00 pm PST and will be televised by Bally Sports West with Nick Nickson on play-by-play.
Across the Ice
Here’s how the Jets lined up in their previous contest:
Connor — Scheifele — Vilardi
Ehlers — Perfetti — Neiderreiter
Iafallo — Lowry — Appleton
Barron — Kupari — Namestnikov
Morrisey — Demelo
Samberg — Pionk
Dillon — Schmidt
Hellebuyck
Connor Hellebuyck will start in goal on Tuesday night against Los Angeles, per #NHLJets coach Rick Bowness.
I asked him if the plan is to get Laurent Brossoit in a game sooner than later, and he said yes.
My guess is Thursday vs Vegas, but we shall see.
— Mike McIntyre (@mikemcintyrewpg) October 16, 2023
On This Day in Kings History
On October 17, 1992, @LAKings forward Jari Kurri became the first European player in NHL history to record 500 career goals. Kurri scored the milestone goal with 54 seconds remaining in regulation in an 8-6 win over the Boston Bruins.#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/r0RXi0rnNF
— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) October 17, 2023
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