Game 34 Preview: Kings @ Capitals


The Los Angeles Kings end their road trip with the second game in a row Washington Capitals.

LA has had a great run with a 3-1-2 record, 9-7-4 away from Crypto.com Arena, this season.

Washington comes into this game having won five of the last seven games, outscoring the opposition 19-13. Meanwhile, the former Kings Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois (PLD) recorded seven points (2G, 5A) and a +6 rating.

Despite clearing full suspensions, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be sidelined until at least December 28, 2024.

HILLERING

Kings Head coach Jim Hiller has made a series of decisions that have earned him a place in our dictionary.

Hillering (action): Avoiding playing certain players against their old teams or other interpersonal matchups.

On November 20, 2024, Goaltender Erik Portillo had his first chance against the team. The Buffalo Sabresthe team that originally selected him 67th overall. He didn’t see his first (and only) NHL game for another nine days.

Yesterday, Goaltender Darcy Kuemper started against the team Nashville Predators and for the second game in a row, David Rittich is expected to play against Washington. Kuemper spent the past two seasons with the Capitals and Rittich had a brief seventeen-game stint with the Predators in 2021-22.

There are two schools of thought here:

1) If you start a netminder against his old team, his old team knows his tendencies and it can be a bad outing.

2) When you start the net against his old team, you know theirs tendency and can be a good visit.

As for the “matchup,” part of the action, Defenseman Caleb Jones got healthy on November 2nd, 2024 when the Kings hosted the event. Chicago Blackhawks. Had he been eligible, it would have been just the second of his NHL career against his brother Seth.

LOGAN’S RUN

This past season, the Capitals made an aggressive acquisition spree, bringing in seven players who paid dividends. Kings fans know about Kuemper’s PLD trade, as well Matt Roy signs with Washington in free agency.

Another name that Kings fans are familiar with is Defenseman Jakob Chychrun who has been rumored to be on General Manager Rob Blake’s radar for some time now. Side note: Chychrun is a free agent at the end of this season. He just said.

But, arguably Washington’s best addition was Goaltender Logan Thompson who was traded from the Vegas Golden Knights on the second day of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

After leading the Golden Knights to their first Stanley Cup victory in 2023, goaltender Adin Hill has signed a two-year extension with Vegas, cementing his position as the club’s first option in net. Thompson felt that the job should not be earned rather than given, an opinion that caused friction between him and the front office, leading to the Washington trade.

This season, Thompson put together an outstanding 12-2-2 campaign. His 9.0 goals against average is tied for ninth-best in the league (with Linus Ullmark) in at least ten games played.

QUINTON TRI-FIELD

In his last four games, Kings Forward Quinton Byfield has registered three goals, one assist, and a +4 rating.

He is currently on a two-game scoring streak, his second of the season.

In his NHL career, Byfield has yet to put together a three-game goal streak, reaching the two-game mark three times (including the aforementioned).

Pack drop is scheduled for 2:05 PM PST. You can watch the game on TV via FanDuel Sports Network or listen live via the ESPN LA app.

Related Videos: LA Kings Weekly Preview

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