\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHO: Los Angeles Kings (4-1-0) @ Utah Mammoth (0-4-1) \u00a0<\/p>\n TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: The Kings head to Salt Lake City for the penultimate game of the 2025 preseason, with a game against the Utah Mammoth on tap this evening at Delta Center.<\/p>\n HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Mammoth face off today for the second time in three days, following a 3-2 Kings victory on Tuesday evening in Boise, ID. Forward Andrei Kuzmenko scored his first goal of the preseason in that game and is one of a few players from Tuesday\u2019s lineup who is expected to feature again tonight against Utah.<\/p>\n KINGS VITALS: The big boys are back. The Kings are expected to ice their NHL lineup for tonight\u2019s game, the first of two games this week they are approaching as a dry run for Opening Night.<\/p>\n Below are the lines the Kings used during yesterday\u2019s practice at Toyota Sports Performance Center \u2013<\/p>\n Kuzmenko \u2013 Kopitar \u2013 Kempe Anderson \u2013 Doughty Kuemper \/ Forsberg<\/p>\n In net, I am expecting Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg to each get one of the next two games in their final preseason prep. Kuemper said that he doesn\u2019t have a preference on how many exhibition games he got and he\u2019ll wind up with two full games, as will Forsberg, to get both set for regular-season play. The Kings also recalled Erik Portillo this morning and it\u2019s expected that he will serve as the backup to whichever backstop gets the start tonight.<\/p>\n The questions for tonight\u2019s lineup center around defenseman Joel Edmundson, who missed yesterday\u2019s practice for a maintenance day. Assuming Edmundson is good to go, I\u2019d expect to see him alongside Ceci, while Dumoulin moves with Brandt Clarke. More on that perhaps to come later in the day.<\/p>\n MAMMOTH VITALS: Look for Utah to also dress something close to their NHL roster tonight. With the game being on home ice, teams typically like to load up for those games to play veterans in front of a home building while also minimizing travel for veteran players during exhibition games.<\/p>\n Per Catherine Bogert from the Utah team website, here\u2019s how the Mammoth lined up at this morning\u2019s skate \u2013<\/p>\n Utah Mammoth morning skate attendance: D: Marino, Schmidt, DeSimone, Simashev, M\u00e4\u00e4tt\u00e4, Sergachev<\/p>\n G: Van\u011b\u010dek, Vejmelka#TusksUp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Catherine Bogart (@CatherineBogart) October 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Storyline Of The Day \u2013 Dress Rehearsal Players have been strategically slotted into certain games, certain lineups, both to hit NHL-mandated veteran quotas and to give players an opportunity to play in specific roles and situations. The thing is, though, that while numbers of reps have been good, not all reps are built the same.<\/p>\n Take Alex Turcotte for example. Turcotte was the first-line center for the Kings in Boise on Tuesday but that\u2019s not the role he\u2019s expected to play with the Kings this season. For Brandt Clarke, I think he\u2019s played five games with five different defensive partners. Phillip Danault\u2019s line has played twice already and in both games, they were the undisputed first line.<\/p>\n All of those things have benefits but tonight, we\u2019ll see the pieces of the puzzle constructed as they were imagined. Because, while reps are important, situational reps matter too. Danault\u2019s line might very well lead the Kings in minutes on some nights, but being one of three lines in contention there, as opposed to one of one, is important. Same goes for Clarke, who will have an expanded role this season but played close to 30 minutes in Idaho, something that won\u2019t happen in the regular season. For Turcotte, it\u2019s important he not only gets reps with his linemates but that he gets them playing the role he\u2019ll play in Game 1.<\/p>\n All part of the plan and something Hiller wants these games to do for his team.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a long preseason with certain rules around who has to play can lead to players getting the reps they need, but not necessarily in the roles we\u2019re expecting for Game 1.<\/p>\n Tonight and Saturday, that is no longer the case. The Kings are expected to play a full lineup in both games, which will give players the feeling of playing the roles they\u2019ll be expected to play in regular-season games. With this team, perhaps that\u2019s less important, considering the consistency from last season. But I do think it\u2019s important, as does Hiller. So, we\u2019ll get our chance to look at that tonight and see how things go.<\/p>\n Forwards Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield weighed in on the importance of these games.<\/p>\n Kopitar \u2013 I think that was the plan all along, to have the full squad going for the last two games, so it\u2019ll be good. Obviously, it\u2019ll be good to be in the same room with everybody and I guess just really get mentally prepared for for Tuesday [for Opening Night].<\/p>\n Byfield \u2013 I think it\u2019s good just to kind of get a feel for it before the real thing starts. A lot of guys have been playing multiple different games and we haven\u2019t played with some lines in the lineup, so just getting those guys back in the locker room, back on the ice together, it\u2019s nice having hopefully two games here all together before we get into it will be good.<\/p>\n See how things shake out on the ice tonight in Utah.<\/p>\n 3 To Watch For \u2013 We did see the first power-play unit for the game in Anaheim when all five members played. We got a glimpse of what PP2 might look like as well during a recent practice that had two defensemen \u2013 Brandt Clarke and Drew Doughty \u2013 both playing on that unit. Here\u2019s how the power play looked during yesterday\u2019s practice \u2013<\/p>\n Some heavy PP work this morning for the @LAKings<\/a>. Units as follows \u2013<\/p>\n PP1 \u2013 Kempe, Byfield, Kopitar, Kuzmenko, Fiala
WHAT: 2025 Preseason Game 6
WHEN: Thursday, October 2 @ 6:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Delta Center \u2013 Salt Lake City, UT
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network \u2013 AUDIO \u2013 ESPN LA App & LA Kings App \u2013 TWITTER: @jaredshafran<\/a>\u00a0& @lakings<\/a><\/p>\n
Fiala \u2013 Byfield \u2013 Laferriere
Foegele \u2013 Danault \u2013 Moore
Malott \u2013 Turcotte \u2013 Armia<\/p>\n
Dumoulin \u2013 Ceci
Moverare \u2013 Clarke<\/p>\n
F: Peterka, McBain, But, Tanev, Smith, Douglas, Schmaltz, Guenther, Crouse, Keller, Hebig, Yamamoto, Agozzino, Stenlund, Carcone<\/p>\n
Throughout the preseason, the Kings have dressed a wide, wide, WIDE variety of lineups.<\/p>\n
\u2013 One part of playing a full lineup is a true look at where special teams are at.<\/p>\n
PP2 \u2013 Clarke, Doughty, Danault, Laferriere, Armia<\/p>\n