LA Kings vs Ottawa Senators: Preview, One-Timers, Broadcast Info

Will a game against the last-place team in the league be what it takes to get the LA Kings back on track?

Seems debatable, given the team’s recent performance against the Arizona Coyotes. The LA Kings get another crack at finding a win, this time against the Ottawa Senators. The Senators have lost 10 of their last 11 games and are currently on a four-game losing streak.

The Senators are only just returning from about a week off, thanks to significant COVID issues with their roster. Only two players remain out: Drake Batherson and Nikita Zaitsev, in addition to four other players out with injuries.

For the LA Kings, this game is a chance to get back to what made them successful in their previous winning streak. The loss to Arizona was worrying, as it showcased an LA Kings team that let their opponent dictate play. It will be crucial for the team to avoid that in this game, as despite all of the Senators’ woes, they still do have the skill in the lineup to take advantage of an opponent’s mistakes.

This is a game that should be a piece of cake for the LA Kings. The Senators are at the end of a four-game road trip and in the second game of a back-to-back. They’ve been outscored 17-8 and are averaging 28 shots per game on the trip. The team is reeling and some minor tinkering in net — a major problem for the Senators this season — isn’t going to be enough to make them more competitive.

One-Timers

• Here’s how the Senators lined up against the Ducks on Friday:

Projected lines for today’s game!#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/6nFLoJHla5

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 26, 2021

• Ottawa’s actual leading scorer, Drake Batherson, is out of action on the COVID protocol list. Batherson has 16 points in 14 games but hasn’t played since November 13.
• Incoming goalie drama: Matt Murray, acquired by the Senators in 2020, hasn’t been able to recapture the elite game that helped him win back-to-back Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh. Winless so far this season, Murray is allegedly being placed on Waivers by the Senators.

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1464404461389033479

• Senators coach D.J. Smith has already confirmed that Filip Gustavsson will start against the LA Kings. Gustavsson has three of the team’s four wins and stopped 34 of 36 shots last time he faced the Kings.
• The LA Kings have made some changes to their forward lines:
  

  The Kings shuffled their forward lines a bit this morning, here's what we saw –

  Kempe – Kopitar – Brown
  Iafallo – Danault – Arvidsson
  Moore – Andersson – Grundstrom
  Lemieux – Lizotte – Kaliyev

  Quotes from Arvidsson, Andersson and McLellan to follow on @lakingsinsider!

  — Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 26, 2021

• After a rough game against Toronto, it’s no surprise really to see Rasmus Kupari on the outside.
• Cal Petersen looks to be the starter, and Sean Durzi will draw in for his second NHL game. Hopefully, he can replicate that first game magic.
• The LA Kings’ two power play goals against Toronto ended a four-game stretch that saw zero conversions on the power play. It’s the first time the team has scored multiple goals with the man advantage since October 30 against Montreal.

Puck Drop and Broadcast Info

• Saturday, November 26 at 4:00 p.m. P.T.
• TV: Bally Sports West, SN1, TVAS2, ESPN+

Tale of the Tape

Powerplay

LA Kings:  18.2% (19th)

OTT: 17.7% (20th)

Penalty Kill

LAK:  77.1% (26th)

OTT: 74.1% (28th)

Faceoffs

LAK: 53.2% (7th)

OTT: 47.9% (26th)

Goals Per Game

LAK: 2.53 (25th)

OTT: 2.44 (27th)

Goals Against Per Game

LAK: 2.74 (10th)

OTT: 3.83 (32nd)

Top Scorer
LAK: Anze Kopitar – 8 goals, 10 assists, 18 points

OTT: Josh Norris — 8 goals, 4 assists, 12 points

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