The Kings find themselves in the Garden State tonight looking to extend their winning streak to seven games.
Look Back at Last Year:
The Kings swept the season series last year, picking up a 2-1 road victory and a 5-1 win on home ice just over a month later. Phillip Danault led the way offensively last season, collecting a hat trick in that 5-1 victory. Kevin Fiala also picked up three points.
Key Points Against the New Jersey Devils:
1. Fiala Feelin' It
What a night Kevin Fiala had against the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Swiss forward took over for the Kings, with his 2nd period goal standing as the game-winner. Fiala led all Kings forwards in ice time at 19:37, collecting 4 shots on goal, 2 takeaways, and TEN high danger chances at 5v5 alone. Fiala finished the game with 1.8 expected goals for an 81.54% Xgoal share. The Kings new look "3rd" line of Fiala, Philip Danault, and Alex Laferriere has been outstanding, and their fantastic play will be needed tonight.
2. Not Much Home Cookin'
Despite their strong overall record, the Devils have struggled at home, dropping three of their last four, sitting at 7-6-3 with a goal differential of exactly zero. Their defensive play and structure takes a strange dip, as they have allowed 16 more goals on home ice compared to road games. As expected this has had a strong negative on their goaltending numbers as their team save percentage drops to .874%, compared to a very strong .921% on the road.
Look Across the Ice:
New Jersey enters this one coming off of a 2-1 overtime loss to the Leafs on Tuesday, a game in which they dropped despite outshooting Toronto 37-19. Here is how they lined up in that one:
The lines for tonight. pic.twitter.com/sJFQJGGgRS
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 10, 2024
The bulk of the Devils offense comes from their star-studded forward duo of Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Deeper in the rest of the lineup sits captain Nico Hischier and Stefan Noesen, who rank one and two in goals for New Jersey but have slowed down since their hot starts to the season. The Devils revamped goaltending tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen has been solid, with Markstrom expected to get the start tonight. The former Flame and Canuck is 13-6-2 on the season with a 2.48 goals against average and .906 save percentage.
How to Tune In:
Tonight's game is available on FanDuel Sports Network West, with puck drop scheuled for 4:00 p.m PST and 7:00 p.m. EST. An audio feed is able to be found on the ESPN LA App. Go Kings Go!