{"id":241916,"date":"2025-10-21T21:10:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/241916\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T21:10:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:10:04","slug":"10-21-preview-corey-perry-time-perry-to-debut-in-stl-kuemper-to-dress-kopitar-update-ir-cleaning-up-the-breakdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/241916\/","title":{"rendered":"10\/21 Preview – Corey Perry Time! Perry To Debut in STL + Kuemper to Dress, Kopitar Update\/IR, Cleaning Up The Breakdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (1-3-2) @ St. Louis Blues (3-2-0)
WHAT: 2025 Regular-Season Game 7\/82
WHEN: Tuesday, October 21 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Enterprise Center \u2013 St. Louis, MO
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network \u2013 AUDIO \u2013 ESPN LA App & LA Kings App \u2013 TWITTER: @dooleylak<\/a> & @lakings<\/a><\/p>\n

TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: A five-game roadtrip for the Kings begins this evening, as they visit St. Louis for the first time this season. <\/p>\n

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Five different Kings collected multiple points in the 2024-25 season series against St. Louis, led by two goals from forward Quinton Byfield and two assists each from defensemen Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty. Over the last five seasons, only Colorado\u2019s Cale Makar has more points against St. Louis among defensemen than Doughty, who has collected 14 (3-11-14) from 17 games played in that span. <\/p>\n

KINGS VITALS: From a lineup perspective, looks like at least two changes based on today\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

Unclear on tonight\u2019s starting goaltender. Darcy Kuemper will dress, per Jim Hiller, but unconfirmed on whether he or Anton Forsberg will be in net. Forsberg has four career games played against the Blues, bringing with him a 1-2-0 record with a .889 save percentage and a 2.88 goals-against average. Should Kuemper return from injury tonight, he brings with him a 10-6-1 career record against St. Louis, with a .915 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average. <\/p>\n

After a full-team practice yesterday, the Kings held an optional morning skate today in Missouri. For reference, here\u2019s Saturday\u2019s lineup against Carolina \u2013<\/p>\n

Tonight’s @LAKings<\/a> Line Rushes \u2013<\/p>\n

Kuzmenko \u2013 Laferriere \u2013 Kempe
Fiala \u2013 Byfield \u2013 Armia
Foegele \u2013 Danault \u2013 Moore
Malott \u2013 Helenius \u2013 Turcotte<\/p>\n

Dumoulin \u2013 Doughty
Edmundson \u2013 Clarke
Anderson \u2013 Ceci<\/p>\n

Forsberg
Copley<\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) October 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

So. Corey Perry will play tonight. Darcy Kuemper, as noted above, will dress. That\u2019s two of the four injured players referenced HERE in yesterday\u2019s article<\/a>. The other two players are Anze Kopitar and Kyle Burroughs, who both skated in non-contact jerseys at today\u2019s morning skate. Based on morning skate, expecting Perry to check in for Samuel Helenius, with Alex Turcotte moving to center, but we\u2019ll learn for sure during warmups tonight. <\/p>\n

BLUES VITALS: Tonight is game three of four on the current Blues homestand, after they evened their record at 1-1 on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. <\/p>\n

Per Chris Pinkert of the Blues team website, here\u2019s how St. Louis lined up on Saturday \u2013<\/p>\n

Dylan Holloway \u2013 Robert Thomas \u2013 Jake Neighbours
Pavel Buchnevich \u2013 Pius Suter \u2013 Jimmy Snuggerud
Mathieu Joseph \u2013 Brayden Schenn \u2013 Jordan Kyrou
Alexandre Texier \u2013 Nick Bjugstad \u2013 Nathan Walker<\/p>\n

Cam Fowler \u2013 Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg \u2013 Justin Faulk
Tyler Tucker \u2013 Matthew Kessel<\/p>\n

Jordan Binnington<\/p>\n

Forward Jake Neighbours is off to a strong start this season with a team-high four goals from his first five games played. Neighbours has been productive against the Kings over the last two seasons, as he leads all St. Louis skaters with three goals and five points from six games played. Neighbours set career highs in assists (24) and points (46) during the 2024-25 season. <\/p>\n

Storyline Of The Day \u2013 Disappointment, Not Discouragement
Corey Perry time!<\/p>\n

After missing the first six games of the season following knee surgery, Perry will make both his season debut and his LA Kings debut this evening in St. Louis. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the type of player that I think was an important addition for us,\u201d Jim Hiller said this morning. \u201cWe\u2019re really looking for the stuff he does for us on the ice, on the bench and in the room. All those intangibles that go along with his storied career to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry has been skating on his own for a few weeks now and has integrated himself into the team a bit more over the last week or so. Expecting Perry to likely play on the fourth line tonight while also potentially integrating onto the power play. <\/p>\n

Perry is known for his ability in front of the net, as well as the way he plays in the corners. Ask Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson. Both players make a living in front of the net, with Edmundson a big, strong defenseman who prides himself on clearing that space and Perry a forward who does the same but in an attacking way. Edmundson knows just how hard to handle Perry can be and he\u2019s looking forward to having him in the lineup tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sneaky, he goes to the blue paint, and he\u2019s hard to push to the corner,\u201d Edmundson said. \u201cHe\u2019s been doing it for 20 years. I think some of our young guys are picking his brain about how to do that around the net and I think he gets under the goalies skin and definitely the defenders. It\u2019s something that we need in our lineup and I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry is new to the Kings as a teammate, certainly, but that doesn\u2019t go for everyone. Warren Foegele and Cody Ceci both played with Perry in Edmonton, as Edmundson and forwards Phillip Danault and Joel Armia did in Montreal. <\/p>\n

Ceci \u2013 It\u2019s huge, just to have a veteran guy like him in the lineup, just saying the right things, leading by example. He gets to the net and I think a lot of guys can do the same. It\u2019s going to be big when he does come back. <\/p>\n

Foegele \u2013 He\u2019s such a smart player, lots of leadership, he brings experience, he\u2019s a great teammate. It\u2019s good to see him back out there. We\u2019ve missed him. <\/p>\n

Not expecting Perry to play a ton of minutes tonight and Hiller said as much. First game back, likely in a fourth-line role to begin, with some power-play time as well. But even in that capacity, he can help the team. Veteran player who has been around and knows what he\u2019s doing here. Does a lot of the things that perhaps the Kings have been missing, things he was signed specifically to bring. Good to have Perry in action tonight against the Blues. <\/p>\n

3 To Watch For \u2013
\u2013 The other note from this morning is that goaltender Darcy Kuemper will dress tonight, coming off a lower-body injury. Jim Hiller confirmed that Kuemper will dress but did not disclose who will start. That will be a game-time reveal. <\/p>\n

Kuemper was never placed on injured reserve so there\u2019s no roster move required there. <\/p>\n

For Perry to play, though, he does need to be activated to an active roster that currently has 23 players on it, including goaltender Pheonix Copley. Would expect some clarity in that area later <\/p>\n

On Anze Kopitar, who re-joined the group today in a non-contact capacity, Hiller was optimistic in seeing him practicing in the red jersey this morning. <\/p>\n

\u201cNice to see him on skates, skating and anytime a guy gets that red on, gets around the guys, at least you\u2019re getting some hope internally that he\u2019s not as far away as you think he is,\u201d Hiller said of Kopitar. <\/p>\n

So, it won\u2019t be tonight. Kopitar is week-to-week, so a little patience there is likely the approach. But him being on the ice is certainly a positive that things are trending closer to week than weeks at this time. Kopitar was placed on injured reserve today to accommodate Perry, but since his injury came last week on Monday, a retroactive designation means he could be activated at any point if he is ready, with a corresponding move.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know yet for when that day would be just yet, so will provide updates throughout the week. <\/p>\n

\u2013 One area of focus tonight has to be inner-slot goals against. <\/p>\n

On Saturday, goals one and two were simply blown coverages in the inner slot. One off the rush and on the backcheck for the Kings and the other off an in-zone read. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s interesting is the Kings have actually defended the inner slot very well this season. Per SportLOGIQ, the Kings are a Top-5 team in limiting shot attempts and shots on goal from the inner slot. That\u2019s very good. However, 35.6 percent of those attempts have come unpressured, as both goals against were on Saturday. That\u2019s 26th in the NHL. To me, that signals individual breakdowns, as opposed to structural flaws. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we talked about, just cleaning up those moments in the games and trying to play a clean 60,\u201d defenseman Cody Ceci said. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to happen every night, but the more we can push for that, the better for our group.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kings, again, are a Top-5 at prevention of non-pressured inner-slot attempts, it\u2019s just that of the limited number that they are allowing, a higher rate are coming unpressured than most teams. As you might expect, unpressured chances from the inner slot are winding up in the back of the net at a high rate. Clean up those individual breakdowns, those moments within games, without sacrificing the overall structure and I think you\u2019ll see improvement.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lastly, a special homecoming for Kings broadcast John Kelly.<\/p>\n

Kelly was the play-by-play voice of the Blues for several seasons, from 2005\u201325 and will call tonight\u2019s game for the Kings on FanDuel Sports Network. Kelly made his Kings debut in Minnesota one week ago and will call three games on this trip, including tonight\u2019s opener against St. Louis. Kelly has family and friends here, raised a family here and that obviously leads to a special night for him. Hoping that tonight\u2019s game affords him a moment he certainly deserves. <\/p>\n

Kings and Blues, first of five on the road for the Kings here on their first extended trip of the season. Big one to start the trip off on the right foot. <\/p>\n