LA Kings vs New York Rangers Preview: Key Points, Projected Lines, and More

The Los Angeles Kings wrap up the Eastern Conference home stand with a matchup against the New York Rangers.

Look Back at the Last Meeting:

The Kings and Rangers met back in December at Madison Square Garden, where the Kings grabbed a dominant 5-1 victory. Adrian Kempe, Alex Turcotte, Warren Foegele, Quinton Byfield, and Anze Kopitar all had multi-point efforts, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 31 of 32.

Key Points against the New York Rangers:

1. Spreading the Love

The weekend was fun, wasn't it?

Across both games this weekend, all 12 forwards collected at least one point, including all in the same game against the Hurricanes. When looking specifically at the Carolina game, according to LAKingsPR, that marked just the sixth time in franchise history this has happened and the first time since October 28, 1988.

This ties in with what we brought up before the Carolina game and how LA now has four lines they truly feel comfortable with rolling at any given time, against any given opponent. It is something that every team needs and is especially important late in the season as LA makes a push for the Pacific Division title.

2. Byfield Brings the Boom on Home Ice

With two more points against the Boston Bruins, Kings forward Quinton Byfield extended his home point streak to nine games.

It has truly become a treat to watch Quinton Byfield turn himself into a star player over the last couple of months, especially here on home ice. Over these last 9 games, Byfield has collected 14 points, including 7 goals. According to KingsPR once again, Byfield became just the sixth Kings player in franchise history to have a point streak of such length at 23 years of age or younger, joining a list including Jimmy Carson, Steve Duchesne, Larry Murphy, Bernie Nicholls, and Luc Robitaille. Pretty good company for QB.

There's no stopping Quinton Byfield on home ice as of late.

3. Kuzy's Getting Comfortable

After beginning his Kings career scoreless in his first seven games, Andrei Kuzmenko has appeared to find his groove next to Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar.

Kuzmenko collected 3 points across the weekend back-to-back and posted a +3 rating. While it took a while, his sudden offensive production should not come as a surprise. On top of his previous success in the NHL, since being put together by Jim Hiller post-trade deadline, the Kings new top line has produced 7 goals, compared to just 3 against, while posting a 56.57% xGoals and 50.45 Corsi. Even when he is not scoring, the offensive creativity brought by Kuzmenko is so easy to spot.

What an add Andrei Kuzmenko has been for the LA Kings.

Los Angeles Lineup Notes:

Trevor Moore did not play on Sunday against Boston due to an upper-body injury, with no update on his availability for tonight. Trevor Lewis slid into his spot on Sunday, with him expected to do the same if Moore does not play. No word on a starter tonight.

Look across the ice at the New York Rangers:

The Rangers come into this one sitting at 3-5-2 over their last ten but were winners in their last game against the Vancouver Canucks. Here is how they lined up in that one, per Remy Mastey of TheHockeyNews:

The Rangers are led offensively by Artemi Panarin, who's 75 points puts him 20 over second-placed JT Miller. Adam Fox is the only Ranger defenseman above 20 points, and he is well above it, with 52 points on the season.

No starter has been named yet for tomorrow, but it is tough to not see the Rangers turn to longtime LA King Jonathan Quick. The now 39-year-old goaltender is 9-6-2 with a 3.14 goals against average and .896 save percentage and has collected 3 shutouts.

The Rangers are without former King Arthur Kaliyev and Adam Edstrom due to injury, while Sam Carrick did not travel with the team due to personal reasons.

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!