LA Kings vs Vegas Golden Knights Preview: Projected Lines, Key Points, and More

The Los Angeles Kings look for another win tonight in a pivotal division matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Look back at the last meeting:

These two teams last met back on October 30th with LA grabbing a 6-3 win, evening the season series at a game apiece. Brandt Clarke and Anze Kopitar stole the show offensively, each collecting three points in the win. Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 of 26 shots he faced.

Key Points against the Vegas Golden Knights:

1. Standing Implications

There may still be 28 games remaining in the regular season for LA, but tonight's matchup has a huge impact on the Pacific Division standings.

When looking at LA, they sit 3rd in the division with 67 points, but what makes it interesting is their games in hand. The Kings sit with 3 games in hand on both Vegas and Edmonton, with a chance to pull within just 3 points on Edmonton tonight. When looking at the play of their opponents, now is the time to rack up the points as well. Vegas has won 3 straight but has seen some up-and-down play since the calendar flipped to 2025 and just recently lost defenseman Shea Theodore to injury in the Four Nations Faceoff. On the Edmonton side, they have lost 3 straight and are in the middle of a really tough road trip, with their next games coming against the Florida-based teams and the Carolina Hurricanes.

In what is essentially a four-point game, a win tonight would be huge for the outlook on the Pacific Division standings.

2. Champ Came to Play

Safe to say the Four Nations Faceoff had a lot of positives on the play of Drew Doughty.

In a tournament that many felt Doughty should not have even been in, he saw his play gradually increase game after game, eventually having the highest net rating of all Canadian defensemen, according to Dom Luczyszyn of The Athletic's model.

In the best way to put it, Doughty picked up right where he left off against Utah, collecting three points, including his first goal of the season in the opening frame. Something else we saw was Drew paired next to Joel Edmundson, while also only playing 21:46. With LA running seven defensemen and Doughty on the second pairing, a lesser work load might just be perfect for Drew Doughty to regain his game.

Expect a big night out of Drew Doughty in a playoff-like game tonight.

3. Kev and Crew

No break could slow down the play of Kevin Fiala and his linemates.

After dominating performances against Montreal and Dallas before the Four Nations Faceoff, Kevin Fiala, Alex Laferriere, and Quinton Byfield were back at it on Saturday, combining for two goals and three points while all finishing as plus players. It's one of those scenarios where simply everything is going right for the line, truly taking over every time they hit the ice.

Expect a big night from the Byfield-centered "third line."

LA Kings Lineup Notes:

With a fully healthy lineup, the Kings went back to the 11/7 setup against Utah on Saturday. The Kings rotated many players in the LW1 spot after a slow start for Alex Turcotte, so we will see if anything changes in that area.

Look across the ice at the Vegas Golden Knights:

Vegas enters tonight winners of three straight, including a 3-1 win against Vancouver on Saturday in their return to play after the Four Nations break. Here is how they lined up in that game.

The Vegas offense is led by Jack Eichel, who's 69 points have him tied for 7th overall in league scoring. Mark Stone also sits above point per game, with 49 points in 43 games.

Expect Vegas to turn to Adin Hill tonight after a strong performance against Vancouver. Hill has been solid on the season for Vegas, sitting with a record of 21-10-4, with a 2.59 goals against and a .903 save percentage. Hill also has two shutouts.

Injury-wise, Vegas is without two of their longest-tenured players, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore. Forward Cole Schwindt is also out due to injury.

How to tune in:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST and 10:30 p.m. EST and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West, with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes prior. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA App. Go Kings Go!