Game Preview: LA Kings v Colorado Avalanche 3.9.23

The LA Kings will not face any of the elite teams of the Eastern Conference for the remainder of the regular season; however, there are still some hungry teams in the west, including tonight’s opponent, the Colorado Avalanche. Furthermore, tonight’s contest is just the second meeting between the rivals, with the Kings taking the first game, 5-4 in a shootout, back on Dec. 29, 2022.

Interestingly, the Avalanche were not the same team in December as today. Even though they are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the club has dealt with significant injuries all season, including captain Gabriel Landeskog, who hasn’t skated this year. Realistically, tonight’s game could be a preview of a potential playoff series and should be must-watch hockey.

Tonight’s LA Kings Game Notes

The Kings played Monday night and defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2 to wrap up a three-game homestand. Then, the team got busy with player personnel, recalling Jordan Spence from the Ontario Reign on Wednesday and activating Trevor Moor from injured reserve early on Thursday.

For those unaware, Spence, a 2019 second-round pick, has skated in just three games thus far in 2022-23, while Moore went to the IR on Feb. 22, 2023, with an upper-body injury after dressing in 42 games. Although Spence most likely won’t play tonight in Denver, Moore is slotted in on the second line along with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, according to DailyFaceoff.com.

Interestingly, Gabriel Vilardi, who saw his three-game goal streak end on Monday, is listed on the fourth line for tonight’s game. Right now, the second line is the only one on paper without a 20-goal scorer amongst the trio. Considering the Kings are facing off one of the better teams in the conference, head coach Todd McLellan is spreading out his offensive weapons to ensure a complete game attack.

Moreover, the Kings are the league’s eighth-best road team, 17-11-6, while the Avalanche are the 13th-best home team with a 17-10-5 record. Both teams played earlier in the week, with the Kings beating Washington (4-2) and the Avalanche destroying the San Jose Sharks (6-0). Coincidentally, both teams are 7-2-1 in their last ten games.

LA Kings & Avalanche Players to Watch

Adrian Kempe has scored in back-to-back games for the sixth time this season and reached the 30-goal plateau for the second consecutive campaign. Shockingly, Kempe has struggled against the Avalanche with a career-worst minus-10 rating, the lowest against any opponent. Additionally, he has just five points (two goals and three assists) in 21 games, with 20 penalty minutes when facing Colorado, the second most amongst the 31 other teams.

Conversely, Cale Makar recently returned to action after missing a chunk of time due to a concussion. Surprisingly, in three games since his return, he’s already collected a goal and four assists for five points. Historically, he’s enjoyed playing against the Kings with 15 points in 11 games and a plus-11 rating, the best mark against any opponent thus far in his career.

LA Kings & Avalanche Historical Notes

Tonight, the Kings and Avalanche will face off for the 150th time in the regular season; a matchup that LA holds a comfortable lead in with a 74-62-8-5 record. Interestingly, the Kings trail on the scoreboard 505-496, scoring just 3.33 goals a game while surrendering 3.39 goals in contests against the Avalanche.

Even though LA has found success against Colorado since their relocation to Denver in 1995, the team has been a bit snakebitten in 40 games, sporting just an 18-21-0-1 record. Additionally, the Kings have only scored 116 goals in the Ball Arena, while the home team has collected 146 lamplighters.

Who’s Next for the LA Kings

Crypto.com Arena will be busy in the upcoming weeks, with the Kings hosting seven games between Saturday and March 26th. Conversely, plenty of points will be up for grabs since most of the visitors will be non-playoff teams, including the Nashville Predators, this weekend.

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