Happy New Year! The LA Kings kick off 2025 with a midweek matinee matchup against the New Jersey Devils.
Look Back at the Last Meeting
The Kings were in New Jersey back on December 12, where the Devils ended the Kings six-game winning streak. LA's only goal in that game came from Jordan Spence, a blast from the point that beat goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
Key Points Against the New Jersey Devils
1. Captain Clutch
Anze Kopitar came through for LA against the Flyers, scoring the game-tying and eventual game-winning goal. The clutch aspect is something that Kopitar has had all season, saving the majority of his twelve goals for the biggest moments. Of Kopitar's twelve goals, eight of them have either served as the game-tying or game-winning goal. Kopitar's five game-winning goals put him in a five-way tie for third in the NHL. Let's see if LA's captain has another clutch goal in him today in a tough center matchup against Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier.
2. Scary January
January 2024 was a disastrous month for LA, sinking them from a comfortable top division spot at 20-8-5 to 23-15-10, with more total losses than victories. The Kings went just 3-7-5, allowing 3.46 goals per game while only scoring 2.4 goals per game. What also became a struggle for LA was the inability to close out games, which could have swung the month to a more positive spot. With a tough month ahead, getting off to a strong start here against the Devils could give the Kings some extra momentum.
3. Dictate the Play
Despite the win against the Flyers, the Kings played a little bit too much back and forth, which broke them down at times, allowing for the Flyers to generate offense with odd-man rushes.
When looking at today's game, this is something the Kings have to avoid. The Devils play with tremendous speed, letting their high-flying offensive weapons in the Hughes brothers, Bratt, Hischier, Hamilton, and others control the game. This will be especially true after last night.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe was extremely disappointed by the Devils' performance, mentioning some ugly chances against that the Devils gave up. Look for the Kings to be more prepared to defend and control this East Coast type of hockey.
The Kings lines remained the same at practice yesterday, with no changes expected. Expect Darcy Kuemper to get the start.
Tonight's @LAKings Line Rushes -
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 30, 2024
Turcotte - Kopitar - Kempe
Foegele - Byfield - Jeannot
Fiala - Danault - Laferriere
Lee - Helenius
Anderson - Gavrikov
Edmundson - Clarke
Moverare - Spence
Burroughs
Rittich
Kuemper
Look Across the Ice at the New Jersey Devils
The Devils enter today on the second half of a back-to-back as they were in Anaheim yesterday, a game they dropped 3-2, for their second straight loss. Here is how they lined up last night.
NYE squad. pic.twitter.com/xJkIwnFOsE
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 1, 2025
New Jersey's offense is led by their two stars, Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes. The top-line duo, paired with veteran forward Ondrej Palat, both are on pace for over 95 points this season. In goal will be Jake Allen. The longtime St. Louis Blues netminder is in his first full season with the Devils, carrying a record of 5-6-1, a save percentage of .900, and a goals against average of 2.89.
How to Tune In
Today's puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. PST, 6:00 p.m. EST, and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West. The pregame show will begin 30 minutes prior. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA App. Go Kings Go!