Game Preview: Kings vs. Canadiens
The Los Angeles Kings will be taking on the Montreal Canadiens this evening at the Bell Centre, seeking to ride the momentum from their latest triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins. This matchup pits them against one of the NHL’s top franchises, making it a crucial test for the Kings. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are buoyed by a recent 6-2 victory against the Utah Mammoth and are aiming to extend their winning streak.
Projected Lineups
Los Angeles Kings
- Joel Armia – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
- Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Alex Laferriere
- Andrei Kuzmenko – Phillip Danault – Trevor Moore
- Warren Foegele – Alex Turcotte – Corey Perry
Defensive Pairings: Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty, Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke, Brian Dumoulin – Cody Ceci
Goalies: Darcy Kuemper, Anton Forsberg
Montreal Canadiens
- Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
- Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
- Zach Bolduc – Kirby Dach – Brendan Gallagher
- Josh Anderson – Jake Evans – Joe Veleno
Defensive Pairings: Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson, Jayden Struble – Lane Hutson, Arber Xhekaj – Alexandre Carrier
Goalies: Sam Montembeault, Jakub Dobes
Injury Report
In terms of injuries, the Kings boast a clean bill of health, with Warren Foegele making his return for the game against the Penguins after a prior injury. Conversely, the Canadiens will miss Kaiden Guhle and Patrik Laine, both nursing lower body injuries.
Key Matchup Insights
Key aspects to keep an eye on include the Kings’ struggle with special teams, ranking 21st in power-play efficiency and 23rd in penalty kill, compared to the Canadiens’ much stronger 5th place power-play ranking and a 17th place penalty kill. However, the Kings have seen consistent contributions from their forwards, particularly with Corey Perry notching 7 goals in his last 10 outings. Additionally, Cole Caufield is making waves on the Canadiens roster, currently tied for second in the league in goals.
Defensively, the Kings will need to generate offensive chances from defensive plays to successfully counter the Canadiens’ swift attack. Goaltending could play a decisive role in this matchup; Darc Kuemper has historically performed well against Montreal with a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, and 1 overtime loss, along with an average save percentage of .897. Meanwhile, Sam Montembeault has faced the Kings with less success, achieving a .899 save percentage and a 3.58 goals-against average.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with a smart defensive strategy and effective transitions, the Kings could potentially secure a win in one of the loudest venues in the NHL. My prediction: Kings take it 3-1.
