One of the biggest mysteries for the Los Angeles Kings to begin the season was the fact that Akil Thomas had yet to play in a game. However, that will come to an end in the tenth game of the regular season as Thomas is set to have his season debut against the San Jose Sharks.
Thomas was the second round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018 NHL Draft and saw his first NHL action this past season when he played seven games. In those seven games he was very productive with three goals and one assist with nine shots on goal.
The young player has great potential to be a regular contributor for the Kings and was one of the reasons why it was so surprising that he hadn't played to this point. According to Zach Dooley with LA Kings Insider, Thomas should replace Trevor Lewis at center on the fourth line with Andre Lee and Tanner Jeannot on either side.
Hopefully, Thomas can make the most of this opportunity and will earn more ice time moving forward with a strong performance against the Sharks.
David Rittich expected to be in net for the Los Angeles Kings
Another notable change for this game is that David Rittich will be in the net for the Los Angeles Kings tonight against the San Jose Sharks. This will be the second time Rittich has played the Sharks in less than a week after he was on the ice for the home opener on Thursday night.
In that game, Rittich had 24 saves on 26 shots with the only two goals allowed being when the Sharks were on the power play. The Kings have a big game tomorrow night at home against the Vegas Golden Knights and it makes sense for them to want to save Darcy Kuemper for that game.