Kings Vs Sharks Game Preview: Kings Looking to Win a Divisional Game

The LA Kings are in San Jose to take on the Sharks in a key divisional matchup.

The Kings are coming off a 2-1 loss against the Washington Capitals as they look to try to leap ahead of Vegas for second in the Pacific. The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth, which saw Macklin Celebrini score a hat-trick.

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Here are the projected lines for the Kings:

Andrei Kuzmenko – Anze Kopitar – Trevor Moore

Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Adrian Kempe

Warren Foegele – Phillip Danault – Alex Laferriere

Joel Armia – Alex Turcotte – Corey Perry

Mikey Anderson – Brian Dumoulin

Joel Edmundson – Brandt Clarke

Jacob Moverare – Cody Ceci

Anton Forsberg

Phoenix Copley

Here are the projected lines for the Sharks:

Philipp Kurashev – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith

William Eklund – Alexander Wennberg – Tyler Toffoli

Adam Gaudette – Ty Dellandrea – Collin Graf

Barclay Goodrow – Zack Ostapchuk – Ryan Reaves

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Dmitry Orlov – Timothy Liljegren

Mario Ferraro – John Klingberg

Sam Dickinson – Vincent Desharnais

Yaroslav Askarov

Alex Nedeljkovic

The Kings will be without Darcy Kuemper tonight as he is scratched, so Phoenix Copley will back up Anton Forsberg. Andrei Kuzmenko returns to the lineup after being scratched in the last couple of games, and he will be on the first line alongside Kopitar and Moore. The second line for the Kings has also been altered, with Fiala, Byfield, and Kempe now on it, which could prove deadly for the Kings. The Kings also placed Drew Doughty on injured reserve. The Sharks are missing both Michael Misa and Jeff Skinner due to lower-body injuries.

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The Kings have to be aware of the young guys on this Sharks team. Macklin Celebrini has been one of the best players in the NHL this season, and his connection with Will Smith is something the Kings will have to pay attention to. The Kings, on the other hand, have switched up their entire lineup, and their second line on paper is seemingly their best line heading into tonight’s game, so that line will be relied upon.

The Kings will have to attack the Sharks’ defence, as per NHL Edge, which ranks last in the NHL in defensive zone play. If the Kings can be in the offensive zone and generate chances while building momentum, they will score goals and succeed.

If the Kings can get going offensively tonight, they can push the Sharks and walk away with a win. My prediction for tonight’s game is a 4-1 Kings win.