{"id":462793,"date":"2026-09-13T20:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T20:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462793\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T20:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T20:26:09","slug":"2026-rookie-faceoff-game-preview-kings-vs-ducks-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/462793\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Rookie Faceoff Game Preview \u2013 Kings vs. Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (0-1)
WHAT: 2026 Rookie Faceoff, Game 2
WHEN: Sunday, September 13 @ 3:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Tech CU Arena, Orange Rink \u2013 San Jose, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: SLVR & LAKings.com \u2013 TWITTER: @dooleylak<\/a> & @lakings<\/a><\/p>\n

TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: The LA Kings dropped their opening game of the 2026 Rookie Faceoff by an 8-1 final yesterday and get right back at it this afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks. <\/p>\n

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings defeated the Ducks 4-1 at this event last season. Forward Kenny Connors led the way for Los Angeles with a hat trick, while forward Koehn Ziemmer also found the back of the net. Both players are expected to feature in today\u2019s lineup as well. <\/p>\n

KINGS VITALS: Being a rookie tournament after all, a result in Game 1 is unlikely to impact the lineup decisions for tomorrow. The lineups are largely pre-planned, so what we see today is what was planned coming in from those in Kings management. <\/p>\n

Here is the projected game group for today\u2019s matchup with Anaheim \u2013<\/p>\n

Forwards (12) \u2013 Jan Chovan, Vojtech Cihar, Kenny Connors, Jack Hughes, Kenta Isogai, Kaleb Lawrence, Liam Lefebvre, Jimmy Lombardi, Elias Schneider, Grant Slukynsky, Jared Wright, Koehn Ziemmer<\/p>\n

Defensemen (7) \u2013 Lucas Ambrosio, Henry Brzustewicz, Nate Corbet, Jakub Dvorak, Michael Mastrodomenico, Giorgos Pantelas, Jared Woolley<\/p>\n

Goaltenders (2) \u2013 Carter George, Hampton Slukynsky<\/p>\n

Andrew Lord said in advance of the tournament that he expected all skaters in attendance to play in at least one game during the tournament. As such, expect to see a bit of rotation with the lineup today, reflected above. Lord moved the lines around mid-game, as the Kings fell behind early, so it\u2019ll be interesting to see what the lines look like overall. <\/p>\n

With that being said, the way yesterday\u2019s game could impact today is with regards to injury. I have one extra defenseman in here because I am unsure of Jakub Dvorak\u2019s status. He left the game in the third period with an injury and did not return, with Lord indicating that he would be further evaluated in the morning. <\/p>\n

DUCKS VITALS: Similar to the Kings, the Ducks lost a lopsided Game 1, falling 7-2 against the Colorado Avalanche. <\/p>\n

Per the Ducks team account, here\u2019s how Anaheim lined up yesterday versus Colorado \u2013 <\/p>\n

Here’s who we fly with in the Rookie Faceoff Tournament today: <\/p>\n

\u2694\ufe0f
Nordmark-McQueen-Klepov
Chudzinski-Pettersson-Preston
Lucius-Procyszyn-Traff
Read-Kosick-Turko<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f
Frossard-Basgall
Mathieu-Kurtz
Smith-Rieber<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd45
Clara-Suchanek<\/p>\n

\u2014 Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) September 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Anaheim is led by three first-round draft picks up front, including 2026 selections Nikita Klepov and Marcus Nordmark, as well as 2025 first-round selection Roger McQueen. Goaltender Damian Clara was the starting netminder for Team Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and posted a .911 save percentage. <\/p>\n

Storyline Of The Day \u2013 On To The Next One
Two things can be true.<\/p>\n

The results at a Rookie Faceoff do not really matter. There are no standings points gained or lost from last night. Artemi Panarin isn\u2019t sitting at home wondering how the organization will move foward after yesterday\u2019s result. All is okay.<\/p>\n

At the same time, 8-1 is not a result anyone involved is happy with. <\/p>\n

Yeah, it doesn\u2019t matter in the long run, but any competitor should be pissed with 8-1. Any competitor should be motivated to do substantially better than 8-1 next time out. So what needs to be different today?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing I\u2019d like to see is to clean up the odd-man rushes against,\u201d forward Grant Slukynsky said. \u201cWe gave up a ton of 2-on-1\u2019s, partial breaks, 3-on-2\u2019s and I think if we tighten that up, we can build off of that. Keeping the odd-man rushes down will be key for us tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter George ate a very ugly statline but man, look at the chances against. It was an onslaught of breakaways and 2-on-1\u2019s. Shots from the slot off of defensive-zone breakdowns. Deflections from dangerous areas. I think five of the goals came on tips. Stopped so many Grade A\u2019s and still surrendered eight. With a change likely coming between the pipes, the Kings need to clean things up in front of their goaltenders, regardless of who plays. That starts with the odd-man rushes as Grant Slukynsky noted. <\/p>\n

Lord called last night\u2019s game a lesson.<\/p>\n

Right now, it\u2019s a lesson taught. Will it be a lesson learned is the question we\u2019ll now ask. Anaheim doesn\u2019t have the firepower that San Jose brought to the tournament at the forward position but there are still a lot of dangerous offensive players who will punish mistakes. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an odd-man perspective, puck management perspective, we have to be so much better for sure and just make the game a lot harder,\u201d Lord said. <\/p>\n

Not a ton of teams the Kings rookies will beat playing as they did last night. They understand that. <\/p>\n

The defensive side of the game will certainly be a point of emphasis but a lot of that was self inflicted mistakes quickly going the other direction. With a faster, sharper and more aggressive showing, some of that will hopefully take care of itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to stick to our plan, be fast and be aggressive,\u201d forward Vojtech Cihar added, on what he\u2019d like to see the team do early in today\u2019s game. \u201c[If we do that] those points will come to us for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again. How much does 8-1 matter? Very little. However, these are playing vying for spots within the organization and that should come with a ton of motivation to deliver more in Game 2.<\/p>\n

3 To Watch For \u2013
\u2013 For today\u2019s expected changes among the skaters, we were always going to see more on the blueline than up front. <\/p>\n

The roster has 13 forwards and 10 defensemen, so that much is natural. Expecting to see Henry Brzustewicz and Jared Woolley remain in the lineup today, with at least three of Lucas Ambrosio, Nate Corbet, Michael Mastrodomenico and Giorgos Pantelas all checking in alongside them. That\u2019s a younger and less experienced group than in Game 1, but in fairness, Game 1 didn\u2019t go so well on the blueline. The wild card is Dvorak, who was injured yesterday. My expectation is that we\u2019ll see Dvorak out, with four changes to that group.<\/p>\n

Pantelas is a player I\u2019m interested in watching. 18-year-old defensemen often struggle in events like this, playing against older, more experienced players. But he\u2019s an interesting profile as a late-round pick out of the WHL with some good traits. First time he will wear a Kings jersey. Mastrodomenico is an older player on an AHL contract after playing four seasons at Notre Dame. <\/p>\n

Lot of spotlight will be on Brzustewicz, who was probably the team\u2019s best defensemen against San Jose. He\u2019ll need to lead a less experienced group and it\u2019ll be interesting to see how he fares the second time out. He\u2019s in camp trying to show that he should be playing pro hockey this season and these are important opportunities for him to do that. <\/p>\n

Up front, look for a 1-for-1 swap between Brendan Gorman and Elias Schneider. <\/p>\n

The Kings shook the forward lines up a few times throughout the game, as is typically the case when things aren\u2019t going well. We saw lots of movement and while I don\u2019t think yesterday impacts those who are playing, it could impact where players line up. <\/p>\n

\u2013 Looks like it\u2019s Hammer Time between the pipes. <\/p>\n

Hampton Slukynsky backed up Carter George but it looks as if he will get the starting nod tonight. Slukynsky has never been able to play in this tournament before as an NCAA player. Today will be his debut and he\u2019ll take the net behind a Kings team with a stated focus of allowing less than they did in Game 1. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to four development camps, but never been a rookie camp, so just excited to get the Kings jersey on in a real game,\u201d Slukynsky said. \u201cExcited to get playing this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slukynsky was one of the best goaltenders in college hockey last season and he will hopefully be playing behind a tighter group that we saw in Game 1 yesterday evening. He is a national champion with Western Michigan and posted excellent numbers both as a freshman and as a sophomore. Slukynsky won both of the AHL games he started last spring as well, allowing just two total goals across 120 minutes. <\/p>\n

Welcome to the pros, Hampton. First chance to see him in action this afternoon. <\/p>\n

\u2013 Lastly, I\u2019ll throw Liam Lefebvre some kudos for his fight in yesterday\u2019s third period.<\/p>\n

When Dvorak got injured, it was Lefebvre who stepped in\u2026..against 7-foot-1 San Jose blueliner Alexander Karamanov. Biggest dude I\u2019ve ever seen play hockey. You see 7-foot-1 and say yeah, obviously, but when you see him in person it\u2019s even crazier.<\/p>\n

Lefebvre gave up nearly a foot of height but got a couple of shots in. Certainly wasn\u2019t ragdolled. Small win and a memory I am sure will last for a few when you think of Lefebvre going forward. <\/p>\n

Kings and Ducks today at 3 PM in San Jose. See how the LA can bounceback from last night\u2019s opener in the Freeway Faceoff, rookie edition. <\/p>\n