The LA Kings wrap up their five-game homestand looking to win their fourth consecutive game. Here’s the full rundown.
In the finale of their five-game homestand, the LA Kings (4-5-1) will look to win their fourth consecutive game, welcoming in their 2012 Stanley Cup Final opponent in the New Jersey Devils (4-3-1). The latter hasn’t played since Tuesday and were shut out 4-0 to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings won their last matchup at the end of February 2020 when Mikey Anderson made his debut against the Devils and his older brother, Joey. Los Angeles is 34-16-6 all-time against the Devils at STAPLES Center, including the postseason.
One-Timers
- Jonathan Quick gave the Kings a solid performance on Wednesday – will Todd McLellan go back to Cal Petersen or give Quickie back-to-back starts?
- Andreas Athanasiou seems likely to make his season debut on Friday. “I fully expect him to play, he’s ready. There’s no exhibition season for him, you get right into it, but he did that last year so he can do it again,” McLellan said. It’s going to be interesting to see who gets sent back down to Ontario. Arthur Kaliyev nor Rasmus Kupari make a whole lot of sense to demote right now.
- Per LA Kings PR, Wednesday marked the second consecutive game the Kings entered the third period trailing and came back to win, the first time they have done that since November 2009. That’s a good stat!
- Kale Clague has assists in all three games that he’s played.
- Alex Iafallo is currently riding a four-game point streak. Dating back to October 25, he is tied for the third-most points (7) in the NHL.
- It looks like the Kings will miss Jack Hughes in this one, as the Devils’ former 1st overall pick in 2019 will be re-evaluated in five weeks following dislocating his left shoulder.
#UPDATE: Following Hughes' one-week follow-up, it was determined that his left shoulder dislocation is stable, there are no unforeseen issues.
He will be re-evaluated in five weeks. The timeline will be adjusted based on progress.https://t.co/HsruaPCv5y
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 29, 2021
- That said, the Kings could see the debut of Alexander Holtz
.@LAKings could see the NHL debut of Alexander Holtz tomorrow. #GoKingsGo https://t.co/KU3K1psNpd
— Hockey Royalty (@Hockey_Royalty) November 4, 2021
- The Devils may also be without Dougie Hamilton
#NJDevils Lindy Ruff on Dougie Hamilton:
Dougie didn’t practice today, received treatment from trainers for a lower body injury from Tuesday’s game and is day-to-day.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) November 4, 2021
Puck Drop and Broadcast Info
- Friday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. P.T.
- TV: ESPN+, Hulu
Tale of the Tape
Powerplay
LA Kings: 21.1% (17th)
NJD: 13.0% (26th)
Penalty-Kill
LAK: 66.7% (30th)
NJD: 71.9% (26th)
Faceoffs
LAK: 52.0% (8th)
NJD: 49.3% (22nd)
Goals Per Game
LAK: 2.60 (23rd)
NJD: 2.63 (22nd)
Goals Against Per Game
LAK: 2.90 (19th)
NJD: 3.00 (20th)
Top Scorer
LAK: Anze Kopitar – 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points
NJD: Three tied with 6 points (Johnsson, Zacha, Hamilton)