{"id":312579,"date":"2025-11-25T10:44:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/312579\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:44:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:44:11","slug":"11-24-preview-kuzmenko-talks-return-scoring-importance-helenius-back-in-armia-bumped-up-spence-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/312579\/","title":{"rendered":"11\/24 Preview – Kuzmenko Talks Return, Scoring Importance + Helenius Back In, Armia Bumped Up, Spence Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (10-6-6) vs. Ottawa Senators (11-6-4)
WHAT: 2025 Regular-Season Game 23\/82
WHEN: Monday, November 24 @ 6:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Crypto.com Arena \u2013 Los Angeles, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network \u2013 AUDIO \u2013 ESPN LA 710, ESPN LA App & LA Kings App \u2013 TWITTER: @dooleylak<\/a> & @lakings<\/a><\/p>\n

TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: The Kings continue on a stretch of eight consecutive games in California, as they host the Ottawa Senators to conclude the 2025-26 season series between the teams. <\/p>\n

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forward Alex Laferriere scored the only goal in a 1-0 Kings victory over Ottawa earlier this month, his first game-winning goal of the 2025-26 season. Laferriere has four goals in five career games played against the Senators, tied for the team lead in that span, while his +6 rating over the last three seasons leads all Kings players. Goaltender Anton Forsberg posted a shutout in the 1-0 win in Ottawa, but is not expected to start tonight\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held a highly-optional morning skate today, with the 6 PM puck drop, coming off a full-team practice yesterday at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. <\/p>\n

Look for goaltender Darcy Kuemper to get the start tonight, after the Kings had two days off, his third consecutive nod between the pipes. Kuemper has a lifetime record of 7-3-2 against the Senators, with a .892 save percentage and a 3.45 goals-against average, though much of that damage came from the 8-7 overtime loss in Ottawa early last season. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the Kings lined up during today\u2019s practice in El Segundo \u2013<\/p>\n

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

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

Kuemper
Forsberg<\/p>\n

Couple of changes tonight, with Joel Armia bumped into the Top-9, which is not unexpected, as forward Warren Foegele moves to the fourth line. On that line, look for forward Samuel Helenius to check in, with Alex Turcotte sitting out for the first time this season. <\/p>\n

SENATORS VITALS: Ottawa is currently in the midst of a stretch with seven consecutive road games, which began with a pair of 3-2 victories over San Jose and Anaheim last week. <\/p>\n

Per Ottawa\u2019s team account, here\u2019s how tonight\u2019s opponent lined up last time out against San Jose \u2013 <\/p>\n

Chabby’s back in the projected lines for tonight #GoSensGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uD3yt0GobA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Ottawa captain and top-line forward Brady Tkachuk will miss tonight\u2019s game due to injury. Defenseman Thomas Chabot returned to the lineup on Saturday but left early with an injury and will also be out tonight. Ottawa is expected to dress two former Kings \u2013 forward Michael Amadio and defenseman Jordan Spence \u2013 while former Ontario Reign forward Hayden Hodgson is also expected to be in tonight\u2019s Senators lineup. <\/p>\n

Storyline Of The Day \u2013 Kuzmenko Talks Return, Goals, Hard Work
I appreciated Andrei Kuzmenko\u2019s candor yesterday in speaking about his time out of the lineup.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t shy away from the questions, didn\u2019t push back, didn\u2019t blame others. He owned it. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s because, I think, he understands how important he can be for his team right now. In one of his answers, he noted how important the power play is for the Kings, because they\u2019re a team that only scores a couple goals per game, while defending well. So, one on the power play can be a difference maker. He seemed to see himself in the same way. As he should.<\/p>\n

On a team that is defensively sound, Kuzmenko is one guy with the skill to change games offensively. He\u2019s been more playmaker than goalscorer in his time in Los Angeles, but he\u2019s got a 39-goal season to his name from his time in Vancouver and he\u2019s shown the ability to be an offensive difference maker. He took ownership of what he called a \u201cslow start\u201d to the season, understanding what he wants to do to get back to the levels he was at last season. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a slow start for me and I understand that the team needs my goals, my plays for the goals, I understand that,\u201d Kuzmenko said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of a bad start for me, but I\u2019ve got to stay positive, it\u2019s simple. I\u2019ve been there a lot times, last season, same moment, and I understand how I can be better. If you work hard, you\u2019re successful. If you believe and keep working, doing hard work, it\u2019s so simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kings can\u2019t afford to give up on Kuzmenko. He\u2019s too skilled and the effort has always been there. The commitment defensively has been there. He\u2019s not cheating the game. He\u2019s fully bought in. It just hasn\u2019t come as effortlessly as it seemed to last year, offensively, when his impact was immense. That\u2019s why he\u2019s important, because he\u2019s capable of making plays that most aren\u2019t. <\/p>\n

He wants to be a difference maker and knows he can be. He understands the pressure coming back into the lineup but seems to embrace it. He looks at his place on the Kings, the lack of goals all around, and knows he can be a part of the solution. Seems quite motivated to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s pressing hard on me, I love it, I love this moment,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand it and I love it. It\u2019s pressing in every game I go on the ice, I understand I need a goal, let\u2019s go, keep going. Sometimes, games we have are good, sometimes not good, but we need more goals from everyone in this building. This is my work, the goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Kuzmenko was out, Jim Hiller alluded to several conversations between the two, as a matter of defining expectations. <\/p>\n

Hiller said that he\u2019s always there to hear what Kuzmenko things, hear his side of things. While both sides declined to share the specifics of those conversations, Kuzmenko believes that they are both on the same page now. <\/p>\n

\u201cI understand what he wants, he understands what I want, I understand what he wants from me, it was a good connection with him,\u201d Kuzmenko added. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say what it was about, but we understand together what we need, because the team needs me at my best and I understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought Kuzmenko looked more like himself in the first two games back. Before he came out, it looked like he was gripping the stick maybe a little bit too tightly, but he seemed to operate more freely over the last couple games. On the power play, he loves to draw defenders in towards him with his stickhandling before trying to find an open man. Noticed him do that with a lot more success against San Jose and Boston. He was the most dangerous facilitator on the 5-on-3 on Friday, even though the Kings didn\u2019t score. Hiller felt Kuzmenko had a \u201csolid\u201d game in San Jose and that part of the process of bringing him back into the the lineup was getting him more involved with more power-play touches. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing we talked about last year was that Kuzy had the puck seemingly all the time on the power play, this year he hadn\u2019t touched it as much. [In San Jose] we got back to getting him the puck a little bit more. Overall, good. He works, Kuzy is trying. It\u2019s never a lack of effort for him, by any means. I was happy with his game.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Kings look to turn things around offensively, Kuzmenko has a part to play in that. Seems clear that he understands that and is taking it with the approach of seizing it. <\/p>\n

3 To Watch For \u2013
\u2013 First game in awhile for forward Samuel Helenius. Jim Hiller said it\u2019s been a point of discussion of late to try and get him in and tonight felt like the right opportunity. <\/p>\n

Helenius took line rushes yesterday between Warren Foegele and Corey Perry, as the Kings shuffled the deck a little bit on the bottom six. Helenius has only played twice this season and both games came in mid-October. He\u2019s comfortable in his role as a 4C, where he played in home games against Pittsburgh and Carolina earlier this season, but he hasn\u2019t played since then. <\/p>\n

Still, he\u2019s a pretty simple player, which should help him. He\u2019ll play with Foegele and Perry, which creates a line that Jim Hiller believes should have a clear identity to play to by establishing the forecheck. <\/p>\n

\u201cSammy and Perrs both are \u2013 probably Sammy a little more on the forecheck \u2013 but Perrs is always into the extracurriculars, if that\u2019s what you want to call it, whether it\u2019s between the whistles or after and I think Sammy likes that type of game too. then, we\u2019ve got Foegs there with a little bit of speed for them, so it should be a forechecking line. It should be a little bit of smash mouth kind of hockey there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 The other change up front is Joel Armia moving into the Top-9, which is unsurprising, considering Hiller\u2019s comments after the Boston game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves to play more minutes than he\u2019s currently getting these last couple games, he hasn\u2019t played as much, but he\u2019s played really well,\u201d Hiller said of Armia. So, I\u2019ve had to talk to him about that. We\u2019ve got some other players that have been here, have done a good job for us, so I\u2019m loyal to those guys, but he\u2019s slowly scratching and clawing. He\u2019s going to take somebody\u2019s job. That\u2019s just the way it goes. In the end, you have to perform and he\u2019s performing and [he\u2019s somebody who is] going to play more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armia has done his damage shorthanded over the last two games, scoring while a man down in both matchups, but he\u2019s exceeded expectations 5-on-5 as well. Not hard to see why he\u2019s a guy who is deserving of more. He\u2019ll get that opportunity tonight on a line with Phillip Danault and Alex Laferriere. Danault and Armia didn\u2019t play together regularly in Montreal a few years back, but they had a bit of success in limited time together, controlling just shy of 54 percent of scoring chances, while being on the ice for six goals for, compared to four against. <\/p>\n

Armia has earned his minutes here and he\u2019ll get rewarded with more of them here tonight.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Lastly, would expect a nice recognition for Jordan Spence tonight in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

First game back for Spence since he was traded to Ottawa over the summer. He was a Kings draft pick, developed in Los Angeles and was well-liked during his time here. Imagine there will be a recognition for Spence during the first period at a media timeout and he deserves a good ovation. <\/p>\n

Kings and Senators, heading into three days off before the Thanksgiving break. Big one to go in with a victory. 6 PM puck drop to accommodate the Amazon Prime broadcast in Canada\u2026\u2026get down early if you\u2019re going!<\/p>\n