12/14 Preview – No Morning Skate + Lee Recalled, Helenius’ Progress, “Kings Way”, Quick 398

On By Littum

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (17-9-3) @ New York Rangers (15-12-1)
WHAT: 2024-25 Regular Season Games
WHEN: Saturday 14 December at 10:00 Pacific
WHERE: Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network – AUDIO – ESPN 710 & ESPN LA App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings saw their six-game winning streak end Thursday as they look to get back in the win column today against the Rangers.

HEAD TO HEAD: The Kings and Rangers split the 2023–24 season series, with each team winning on home ice.

The Kings scored just three goals in total from the two games played against the Rangers. Forwards Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala each found the back of the net once, while Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore each had an assist.

KING’S VITALS: With the early game today, the Kings didn’t hold a morning skate before.

The Kings have gotten strong goaltending from both Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich lately, so I’d consider it a toss-up this afternoon. Should the Kings turn to Kuemper, he is 8-4-0 lifetime against the Rangers, with a .901 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average. Should the Kings go back to Rittich, who started Thursday in New Jersey, he is 3-0-0 against New York with a .968 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average.

The Kings have gone 11/7 over their last four games, winning three of them. This lineup is shown below for reference –

UPDATE – Trevor Moore is out today. Day-to-day damage to the upper body. Unclear if the Kings will go 11/7 or 12/6, with both Lee and Thomas checking in. Will have it in 20 minutes or so.

You never know though. The Kings have shown more confidence of late in the Helenius/Turcotte pairing and have found success with the rotating winger at 11/7. Akil Thomas is healthy and was able to check in. Forward Andre Lee is also here and available after being recalled yesterday as an emergency. If there’s an injury up front, it might make more sense to go 12/6, in which case one or both of Lee and Thomas could check in. Should have an update on that front soon.

RANGER’S VITALS: New York has won just three times in its last 11 games, though it earned a win last time out, a 3-2 win at Buffalo on Wednesday.

Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, here’s how the hosts lined up against the Sabers –

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers turned to Jonathan Quick in net tonight, given his strong results against the Kings last season. Quick went 1-1 against the Kings with a .942 save percentage and a 1.52 goals-against average in his two starts against Los Angeles. Will look into that front.

The Rangers will be without defenseman K’Andre Miller this afternoon after he was placed on injured reserve yesterday. Defensemen Connor Mackey and Chad Ruhwedel are both up from AHL-Hartford after recall.

Today’s Story – Big Sammy
Jim Hiller said Tuesday he was upset with himself for not playing Samuel Helenius more than he did. The same goes for Alex Turcotte, who has impacted games at a fairly high level this season, but for now let’s focus on the big man.

On Long Island, Helenius played perhaps his best hockey game in the NHL. He was on the ice for 11 shot attempts for, compared to 3 against, and had a couple of really good looks at burying his first career NHL goal.

Two days later, Helenius exceeded his ice time from Tuesday in the first two periods, finishing more than two minutes over where he ended the game against the Islanders. In all, he logged 9:35 in 5-on-5 ice time, his most in a game since Nov. 16.

It’s a bit of a roller coaster ride when you get called back to the NHL for the first time. Helenius impressed early on, but saw his game drop off a bit. It led to a crucial time that could have gone one of two ways. Helenius will either find the level he had early on or he will be reassigned to the AHL. In a conversation with Hiller, the Finnish center was able to find the former and kept his spot in the day-to-day lineup even though the Kings went down to 11 forwards.

“I thought he started really strong and I thought he dropped, I was a bit worried about him, but I think now he’s started to pick up again, which is always a good sign,” said Hills. “The first ones are easy and then you start going like this (down). It’s natural and sometimes you can’t get out of this and he’s been able to get back up.”

Helenius has generally done well in limited action.

13 games played and he has only been on the ice for two goals against, one of which was in garbage time against Minnesota on Saturday, when the Kings led 3-0 in the final few minutes of the game.

He’s just shy of 50 percent in the faceoff dot and has kept his own pace in the game. Generally speaking, he has been reliable and stable. He has also impressed Hiller in another area, and that is his offensive instincts. Still in search of his first goal, Helenius has had more opportunities than Hiller might have expected.

“He’s had some big chances, I’m surprised he hasn’t scored yet,” Hiller said. “I think in the last couple of games he’s had some Grade-A chances, four or five of them, and he shoots the puck well. This is something I didn’t know about him. He shoots the puck well, obviously he’s getting to the net, he’s got a few pointers. He’ll get one sooner or later.”

Not a team leader by any means in those areas, but he’s starting to show up more and more with the puck on his stick and a chance to impact the game. All while being a six-foot-six guy who understands his size and is willing to play a physical brand of hockey. The Kings don’t live or die based on getting goals from their fourth line. They simply want that line to be straight, night-over-night. A bonus, though, if they can get something.

The runway is still long for Helenius. He just turned 22 a few weeks ago and is just cutting his teeth at the NHL level. However, he represents something else for this organization. A player with a defined role who will play for it. So far, so good, and now we have to hope he can keep this kind of play going.

3 to look for –
– For two periods in New Jersey, I thought the Kings played their game.

That’s not to say they dominated or forced their game, but in a clash between two high-caliber clubs, I thought it was a playoff-like feel at the Prudential Center. However, the third period was owned by New Jersey.

“They came to play in the third period and they were better than us,” defenseman Jordan Spence said bluntly.

The Kings had 36 shot attempts from 54 minutes of 5-on-5 hockey, and only seven came in the third period. Those who spoke after the New Jersey game highlighted a lack of looks as something that needs an uptick against the Rangers. Despite matching the tempo and intensity, the players felt they didn’t generate enough offense in that game.

It’s not doom and gloom though. Six straight wins before that, so take a deep breath and reset. The Kings won those games by playing a certain way and they will look to get back to that again today.

“We won six games in a row for a reason, we played the Kings way,” Spence added. “I don’t think we did it (in New Jersey)… …to take a step back in the third period, that’s disappointing, but at the same time, we’ve just got to move on and play the Kings way next game.”

– The Kings recalled forward Andre Lee in an emergency Friday between games.

Hope to get some context on the nature of the transaction soon. The Kings traveled with just 22 players, so the roster spot is there, but the move was designated an emergency transaction, which usually means a player is injured, at least potentially. Jim Hiller is expected to speak on MSG shortly, will add further clarity on the situation.

Lee has two assists in 16 NHL games this season and two points (1-1-2) in four games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

– Should Jonathan Quick get the nod today, he would be looking for career win number 399.

If he was already at 399, you just know he would have gotten it today, right? Probably a good thing for the Kings, he’s two away, not one.

“Obviously super happy for him, he’s been in the league a long time and he’s been a big part of our organization, a big part if not the biggest part of us winning a couple of trophies,” forward Anze Kopitar said . “I’m very excited for him.”

Koptiar said he’s been watching Quick’s season with the Rangers, his last two seasons, and joked that he’d like to think he and the Kings helped him a little along the way in a couple of those wins. However, only a few.

It won’t be today, but it will be soon for the legendary netminder.

Kings and Rangers, an early one from the Big Apple. See if they can get back on course for a Saturday afternoon matinee.