The Week That Was
In a week that began with a disappointing lopsided loss, the Kings closed the week extremely strong and went 3-1-0. Finishing the week with three straight wins, the Kings record now sits at 14-8-3, placing the second in Pacific Division. Now 25 games into the 2024-25 regular season, the Kings trail the Vegas Golden Knights by just two points for the division lead and have the NHL’s seventh best record.
Game Recaps:
Notable News From The Week That Was:
- Anze Kopitar reached another monumental milestone this past week as the veteran center played in his 1,400th career game and 700th home game on Saturday. In doing so, Kopitar became the 11th player in NHL history to hit the 1,400-game threshold all with one team.
- Kopitar’s two-assist week extends his team lead in points to five. Kopitar now has 31 points (8-23=31) in 27 games. The captain’s 31 points ranks tied for 18th in the NHL.
- Darcy Kuemper returned to the Kings net this week past after missing eight games due to injury. Kuemper stopped 22 of 23 shots on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild and earned his fifth win of the season.
- The Kings power play went 1-for-4 in the two games and ranks 26th in the NHL (16.9%).
- The Kings penalty went 3-for-4 in the two games and rank tied for 15th in the NHL (79.8%).
The Week That Is
After having concluded a three-game home stand, the Kings are set to kick off a season-long seven-game road trip on the east coast. Beginning with three games this week, the Kings will start the two-week extravaganza with the annual three-game New York swing. First, the Kings will face the New York Islanders on Tuesday, followed by a bus ride across the border into New Jersey to face the Devils on Thursday, and finally, they’ll close the week out back in the big apple with a Saturday morning matinee in Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
Starting on Long Island, the Kings will face off against the 11-11-7 Islanders. Currently in a tie for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with the later to be mentioned New York Rangers, the Islanders will enter Tuesday having won back-to-back games for the first time over a month (Nov. 5-Nov. 7). Used to playing more than 60 minutes, the Islanders seven extra time losses are the most in the NHL so far this season. The Islanders have not had the home ice advantage that they’ve hoped for this season as they rank 24th in point percentage at UBS Arena and are 5-6-2 with a goal differential of -10. Furthermore, they rank 27th at home in both goals for per game (2.62) and goals against per game (3.38). Tuesday’s matchup will also feature two of the stingiest 5-on-5 defensive teams as the Kings rank fourth in the NHL in goals against at even strength and the Islanders 7th. Expected to go for his third consecutive win for the Islanders is Ilya Sorokin, who holds a 8-7-4 record this season. On the other end of the ice, Anders Lee will be threat that the Kings will be tasked with slowing down. The Islanders captain has notched nine points (4-5=9) in his last six games. One Islander the Kings likely won’t see is their most talented offensive player Mathew Barzal, who is on LTIR with a lower body injury, but is expected to return to the lineup later this week. This will be the first of two meetings against the Islanders with another date between the two set back in LA on March 11, 2025.
Two nights later, the Kings will head to New Jersey and face the 18-10-2 Devils. Also set to play in their first of two meetings between the two, the Kings will be game number four of five on the Devils home stand. Currently holding a mediocre home record of 7-6-2, the Devils know it’d be worse if it weren’t for their dangerous home power play. Ranking fourth at home on the power play (31.0%), lots of credit can go to their captain Nico Hischier, who leads his team in power play goals (5), but also ranks second in the NHL in penalties drawn (17). The duo of Jesper Bratt (13-24=37) and Jack Hughes (11-24=35) have also been lethal on the man advantage, as each forward ranks second in the NHL in power play points with 17. One more offensive X-factor for the Devils is the healthy Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton, who only appeared in 20 games last season has played in all 30 of the Devils games this season. Hamilton has 21 points this season (5-16=21), good for top-10 in the NHL among blueliners. Lastly for the Devils, their big offseason acquisitions Jakob Markstrom has paid off so far in goal. Sending a first-round pick in 2025 and defenseman Kevin Bahl to the Flames for Markstrom, he’s 13-6-1 and is tied for second in the NHL in wins.
Last on the schedule this week will be a morning game for LA locals as the Kings will take on the Rangers at 10 AM PST. The Rangers had quite a busy last few days as they found themselves in the hockey news twice this past Friday. Beginning with a morning trade with the Anaheim Ducks that sent their captain Jacob Trouba west in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, the Rangers weren’t done on the day and resigned star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92M ($11.5M AAV) extension. Having lost five of their last seven games, Rangers responded positively to the moves with a Friday night win, but the positive vibes were short-lived as they gave up seven goals to the Seattle Kraken at home on Sunday. The Rangers are another middle of the road team at home as they’re 7-6-1, but rank an abysmal 29th on home ice in goals against per game (3.57). Unknown as to which Rangers goalie the Kings will see come Saturday, backup Jonathan Quick is 5-2-0 this season and currently sits at 398 career wins, two shy of becoming the first American goalie to reach the 400-win threshold. Offensively, Artemi Panarin leads the team in goals (15) and points (34) and is a lethal threat in transition as he leads the NHL in 5-on-5 rush chances (11). Probably a great wingman and third wheel, Adam Fox has been all about setting up his teammates as the defenseman has yet to score a goal but has 22 assists, good for fourth in helpers among defenseman. Like the two previous opponents that the Kings will see this coming week, it is game one of two on the year between the two clubs.
Upcoming games and events this week:
- 12/10 @ New York Islanders @ 4:30 (FanDuel Sports Network)
- 12/12 @ New Jersey Devils @ 4:00 (FanDuel Sports Network)
- 12/14 @ New York Rangers @ 10:00 AM (FanDuel Sports Network)
All Kings games can be heard on the ESPN LA App.
