Nothing is really going right for the LA Kings currently. Sure, they’ve picked up points in the past few games. However, even coach Jim Hiller finally admitted that’s not enough following his team’s shootout loss on Friday night.
The Kings are beyond desperate for wins right now, preferably in regulation.
Prior to the clubs rematching in Orange County later tonight, the list of questions is long. And there seems to be more bewilderment than a clear vision.
To help paint the picture of just how terribly wrong things have gone over the past six weeks, let’s quickly go back and take a look at an excerpt from our Kings-Ducks preview heading into their first matchup of the season. This was from Nov. 28:
There’s a lot on the line today.
While any Kings and Ducks game almost always means more, this one is extra special.
In all reality, Friday afternoon brings a battle for first place in the Pacific Division — making today’s matchup the most important game played at the Honda Center in nearly a decade.
After some early season disparity, both sides entered the Thanksgiving break having played 23 games. Anaheim currently sits atop the Division with 29 points and a record of 14-8-1. LA is just one tick behind them at 28 points and a record of 11-6-6. Whichever team comes out on top today will be ahead in the standings.
Now, when was the last time the Kings and Ducks played in a game that actually mattered? It’s not a stretch to say there probably hasn’t been a Freeway Faceoff with real juice behind it since 2015.
Fast forward to the present, nearly the entire narrative has changed — other than one thing.
There’s a lot on the line tonight.
As has been the theme for quite some time, LA enters play looking to find a way into the win column. Last night was the Kings 12th time collecting a point in a game without a win this season, which is tied for the most in the league. Adding to the mounting frustration, they had another lead at home and were unable to finish the job. Unfortunately, it’s been a persistent story throughout this confusing and bizarre season.
Kings analyst Jim Fox even went as far as to say he believes the Kings tend to “play the score” instead of playing their game. It makes a lot of sense, as far too many times this season LA has started off well enough — grabbing a lead, only to let it slip away. Playing the score flips any momentum into a protective mode, and other NHL teams today are far too skilled to be given that luxury.
Through it all, a small slice of redemption can still be had tonight when the Freeway Faceoff continues down the 5 freeway in Orange County. They’re right back at it, with the Kings and Ducks set for an immediate do-over of sorts. Getting a win tonight would be massive for Hiller & Co.
Three out of a possible four points in a back-to-back against a rival is no small feat; it’s just that earning that win is the tough part.
Without a morning skate earlier today, any lineup changes are difficult to predict.
That said, last night Hiller was asked about potential lineup changes, including any possible recalls from AHL Ontario, and had this to say:
“I think the guys that are here are our strongest players… Some of the young players – Lee and Ward, in particular, because they haven’t been with the team the whole year — they’ve played really well. You can’t ask for anything more from them. Some other guys up in the lineup, those are the guys that have to deliver.”
Given the results over the past 10-15 games, Hiller was also asked about what changes he may look to explore heading into tonight’s rematch — rather than just rolling out the same look and expecting a different result.
“There’s a few things I guess we can do, we can move a couple pieces around,” he said. “Our players are our players; there’s only so many guys, right? As answered earlier, I think we have the players called up in the roster that are the guys that can help us. I don’t think anybody’s saying, ‘There’s somebody in the American League [that can] come here and step in and play a top-nine role and help us. So, the players that are here are going to have to get it done. Will we have to mix a couple guys around? Maybe, we’ll see. We’ll discuss that more.”
One thing that feels like a fairly certain bet is that Anton Forsberg will replace Darcy Kuemper in net. Fortunately — and even somewhat surprisingly — the former has been the netminder to record more of the team’s wins lately. Forsberg also picked up a victory just a few weeks ago over the Ducks, stopping 25-of-26 shots on Dec. 27 at Crypto.com Arena.
Statistically Speaking
— Even with their struggles, the Kings still have the fourth best goals against per game at 2.72, but they also have the third worst offense with 2.57 goals for per game.
— Alex Laferriere has seven goals and a plus-7 rating in 11 career games vs. the Ducks.
— The Kings are 35-34-7-10 against the Ducks on the road all-time.
— On the uniform front, Anaheim is scheduled to wear their road white jerseys tonight (against the Kings in their crown sweaters). It’s all explained here.
— Anze Kopitar’s stats against the Ducks are well documented, including the Honda Center being where he scored his first NHL goal. With LA’s captain not expected to play tonight, the Ducks had a special ceremony to honor the future Hall of Famer prior to Friday’s game in LA:
https://twitter.com/i/status/2012680522615427250
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Ducks
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Malott – Laferriere– Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Armia
Fiala – Turcotte – Kuzmenko
Lee – Helenius – Ward
Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg (starter)
Kuemper
Likely scratches: (F) N/A and (D) Moverare
Away from the team for personal reasons: Perry
Injured Reserve: Kopitar, Moore
How to Watch the Game
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by FanDuel Sports. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app.
With the television landscape changing at a rapid pace, we have all the latest news regarding the latest FanDuel issues here — including how some teams cancelling contracts impacts LA’s plans for the balance of their 2025-26 season.
Across the Ice
Anaheim is coming off a 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Friday. Here’s how they lined up in that matchup:
Gauthier – McTavish – Strome
Killorn – Granlund – Sennecke
Harkins – Poehling – Colangelo
Johnston – Washe – Moore
LaCombe – Trouba
Zellweger – Gudas
Mintyukov – Helleson
Dostál
On This Day in Kings History
On January 17, 2015, the @LAKings retired #4 in honor of Rob Blake. Blake had 161 goals, 333 assists, and 494 points in 805 games with the #LAKings, and was the first player in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 1997-98.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/plabxMTujR
— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) January 17, 2026
MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
Chromiak has paid his dues…give him a cup of coffee and see how he performs. That doesn’t mean the 4th line for 2 minutes a game Hiller, you dolt!