LA Kings at Winnipeg Jets Preview: Key Points, Projected Lineup, and More

Despite everything going on back home, hockey will be played tonight as the Los Angeles Kings hit the road for a Canadian trip beginning tonight in Winnipeg.

Look Back at the Last Meeting

The Kings played one of, if not their best, games the last time these two teams met, with LA collecting a 4-1 victory. What stands out the most from their last matchup is the shot and hit totals. The Kings nearly doubled the Jets in each category, which really let them control the pace of play. In terms of scoring, both Kempe and Kopitar collected a goal and an assist, while David Rittich stopped 13 of 14 shots he faced.

Key Points Against the Winnipeg Jets

1. Rest vs. Rust

With Wednesday's game against Calgary being postponed, the Kings now come into tonight with five days off in between games and just four games since December 22, raising the longstanding argument of rest vs. rust.

This is just the Kings second break of this length, as they returned from the five-day holiday break to beat Edmonton 4-3 in overtime just a few weeks ago. In order to combat some of this rust aspect, the Kings held a 30-minute practice yesterday and were scheduled to skate again this morning.

For the rest argument, this might become key if LA is without Joel Edmundson tonight. The veteran offseason addition has been a mainstay in LA's top four and a key part of their PK while also locking down games late and logging some heavy minutes. Look for a heavy dose of rested Anderson and Gavrikov tonight if he cannot play.

2. Looking back at the first half of Back-to-Back's

Tonight marks the start of the 7th back-to-back set of the season so far for LA, with the Kings holding a record of 3-2-1. Despite what is essentially a .500 record based off total games lost, things have been trending in the right direction for the Kings in this scenario, going 3-0-1 over their last four sets. Across those four games, the Kings have outscored opponents 11-7. The two most standout players within these sets are Quinton Byfield and Darcy Kuemper.

For QB55, his big game came against Edmonton, where he notched three points, including the overtime game winner. In total, Byfield has four points in these four games.

For Kuemper, he notched his first shutout of the season against Nashville to kick off this streak and then compiled solid performances against Nashville the second time around, as well as the previously mentioned Edmonton game.

Look for these two to continue their strong play against the Jets tonight.

3. Hellebuyck is Human

Despite his absurd start and being the heavy favorite to bring home the Vezina Trophy this year as the NHL's top goalie, LA has been able to solve Connor Hellebuyck in the past.

Across his career against the Kings, Hellebuyck is 6-8-1 with a goals against average of 3.20 and a save percentage just above .900, at .902. When looking at his numbers since the 2022-23 season, they drop off even more, with a save percentage of .892 and a goals against average of 3.64. He is also winless at home against LA since then, allowing 13 goals in just three games.

With LA averaging 3.6 goals against Hellebuyck over this span and the team on a roll as of late, look for their offense to hopefully be able to solve Hellebuyck once again.

Kings lineup notes

With no game played on Wednesday, there is not much to talk about in terms of any potential change. As we know, LA welcomed back Kyle Burroughs to practice this week after he was designated non-roster before the Tampa game after the birth of his first child, while Joel Edmundson joined the main group on both Tuesday and Thursday, wearing a red non-contact jersey in both skates. Jim Hiller was unable to provide an update on if he will play. Here is how the lines looked at practice on Tuesday:

Look Across the Ice at the Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are coming off a 5-2 win against Nashville on Tuesday, a game that saw Connor Hellebuyck collect win number 300 in his NHL career. Here is how they lined up in that one.

Colin Miller, Mason Appleton, and Haydn Fleury are all unavailable for the Jets tonight. Josh Morrissey and Dylan Sandberg have both been banged up but are expected to play tonight.

Winnipeg's offense, which ranks 3rd in goals for and 1st in powerplay percentage, is led by Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele, both of whom sit with 23 goals, and for Connor, over 50 points.

Expect Connor Hellebuyck to get the start tonight. Hellebuyck is 25-6-2 on the season with a 2.08 goals against average and .926 save percentage, while carrying an NHL best five shutouts. As mentioned above, he comes into this one riding high as he became the fastest American-born goaltender to 300 career wins back on Tuesday.

How to Tune In:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PST, 8:00 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!