In roughly 24 hours from now, the Olympics break for the Los Angeles Kings and head coach Jim Hiller will officially be in the books for the league for the NHL in the West, and this regular season in the Pacific Division will resume. Feb. 24 was the final day of the mini-camp style practice that Hiller and the Kings' coaching staff have been running before this regular season gets back underway in the Pacific Division on Wednesday (Feb. 25) vs. the Vegas Golden Knights.
Artemi Panarin and the Los Angeles Kings have the final practice before this regular season resumes on Tuesday morning
For the first time since the three-week break for the Olympics this past couple of weeks for the team, the Kings and Hiller had multiple players return to practice for team drills early this week on Tuesday. Multiple key Kings' players who represented their home countries and the franchise in the Olympics this past couple of weeks in Milan returned to LA for practice on Tuesday, including winger Adrian Kempe and winger Joel Armia.
The practice today gave the Kings the opportunity to get a fresh look at the active roster lineup for the fans in this mini-camp style practice on Tuesday with forward Artemi Panarin with the top-six forward lines core group offensively.
It's noteworthy that the Kings reportedly had prospects Kirill Kirsanov and goalie Erik Portillo practiced with the Kings for this past week or so with the active roster lineup while the team was missing some players due to the three week break for the Olympics in Italy.
Here's how the Kings' lines core group offensively shook out in team drills in practice on Tuesday (Feb. 24), per Mayors Manor.
Artemi Panarin – Alex Laferriere – Adrian Kempe
Quinton Byfield – Anze Kopitar – Trevor Moore
Warren Foegele – Alex Turcotte – Andrei Kuzmenko
Taylor Ward – Sammy Helenius – Corey Perry
The way that Hiller and the Kings ingratiated Panarin in the active roster lineup offensively on special teams on the power play unit for the 5-on-4 man advantage was key to the play in team drills in practice today for LA.
The Kings and Hiller will probably add Doughty back into the mix in the special teams unit on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage on the blue line for the team this regular season. Defenseman Brandt Clarke was the blue-liner on defense on the point for the Kings' special teams unit on the power play in practice today in team drills, per LA Kings Insider.
Power play top unit
Brandt Clarke - Artemi Panarin - Quinton Byfield - Adrian Kempe - Corey Perry
PP 2nd unit
Brandt Clarke - Artemi Panarin - Andrei Kuzmenko - Anze Kopitar - Alex Laferriere
5-on-3 power play unit
Adrian Kempe - Andrei Kuzmenko - Anze Kopitar - Artemi Panarin - Corey Perry
When Doughty rejoins the team fully in practice tomorrow (Feb. 25), it's likely that he will be back with one of the top units on special teams on the power play unit on the blue line for Hiller and the Kings on defense. Clarke and Byfield got time with Panarin on both top power play units on special teams in practice today.