Over a dozen sites can provide details from the LA Kings morning skate, give you up-to-the-minute lineup notes, and top stories to follow for tonight’s contest against the Calgary Flames. However, this statistical game preview will look deeper into the matchup between the teams from Los Angeles and Calgary, which dates back to 1980.
LA Kings & Flames Historical Notes
Interestingly, the Kings have a losing record against only 12 teams in the league, with the Flames being one of them. After 252 meetings in the regular season, the Southern Alberta team holds an advantage with a 119-103-21-9 record for a .532% win percentage, outscoring their Hollywood rivals 905-821 during those contests.
Despite having a losing record at the Great Western Forum (31-41-9), the Flames have found success at Crypto.com Arena, thanks to a 23-17-0-4 record, outscoring the hometown team 113-104 in the process.
Tonight’s game will be the season’s third meeting, with the teams splitting the series so far, each winning on home ice. Conversely, the Kings secured a 4-3 overtime win on December 22, 2022, while the Flames won 6-5 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on November 14, 2022. Recently, the Kings have struggled to collect wins against their Canadian rivals, with just four wins in their last ten meetings dating back to 2018-19.
Historically, the highest-scoring game between these two clubs occurred on March 30, 1988, with LA skating away with a 9-7 win at the Forum. During the penalty-filled affair (90 combined minutes), Jimmy Carson and Luc Robitaille each had six points, with Roland Melanson picking up the win with a .750 save percentage. Shockingly, Ken Baumgartner had 27 penalty minutes, the only player in double digits for the black and silver.
Key LA Kings & Flames Players to Watch
In the last two weeks, Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe, and Anze Kopitar are three Kings players who have registered five points in the previous six games. Although Kopitar only has one goal, he’s got four helpers, the most on the team during the span. Meanwhile, Danault and Kempe have three goals, the only players with more than two.
Historically, Kempe has only nine points in 20 games against the Flames in his career, while Danault has only seven points in 23 contests. Combined, the duo is minus-seven, with a combined 79 shots. Moreover, Kopitar has been collecting points against Calgary since his rookie year, sitting at 52 points in 63 games thus far in his Hall of Fame career. Even though he has a minus-seven rating, he’s potted 20 goals against the franchise, one of just seven teams he’s accomplished the feat against.
Regarding tonight’s opponents, the Flames currently sit four points out of a wildcard spot. However, some of their players have been tearing it up, including defenceman Rasmus Andersson, who has nine points in his last seven games. Furthermore, Elias Lindholm and former LA star Tyler Toffoli have eight points, and Mackenzie Weegar has seven.
In the past two weeks, Calgary has five players with three goals a piece, while nine players have collected three or more points in their last seven games. Interestingly, Toffoli is leading the Flames in scoring with 28 goals and 61 points, his first entire season in red. Historically, the 2014 Stanley Cup winner already has four points (two goals and two assists) in six games against his former club.
Tonight’s Starting Netminders
According to Dailyfaceoff.com, the Kings will start Pheonix Copley, who is 30-21-4-3 with a .904 SV% and 2.63 goals-against average. Additionally, he’s registered a shutout while surrendering just 77 goals in 31 games. Currently, Copley is one of just 17 goalies with 21 wins this season. During his two career starts against the Flames, he’s 2-0-0 stopping 54 out of 60 shots and giving up two power-play goals.
Meanwhile, the Flames continue to roll with Jacob Markstrom, who is ending a subpar year with a 19-18-10 record and a bad .891 SV% to go along with his 2.89 GAA. Although he is 2-1-2 in his last five games, he has failed to live up to expectations this year after qualifying as a Veniza Trophy finalist. Historically, he’s 5-9-0 against the Kings in 14 games, giving up 47 goals, which has resulted in a .893 SV% and 3.44 GAA, the second-highest number against any opponent.
LA Kings’ Upcoming Games
After tonight’s game, the Kings will have the rest of the week off, gearing up for a contest against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday Night in what could be a playoff preview in the event LA secures the top seed in the Western Conference.
Want your voice heard? Join the Rink Royalty team!