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.
