{"id":350884,"date":"2025-12-15T22:16:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T22:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/350884\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T22:16:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T22:16:07","slug":"12-15-preview-precarious-power-play-kuemper-as-the-teams-backbone-danault-byfield-out-with-flu-kopi-on-the-dot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/350884\/","title":{"rendered":"12\/15 Preview – Precarious Power Play + Kuemper as the team’s backbone, Danault\/Byfield out with flu, Kopi on the dot"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (14-8-9) vs. Dallas Stars (21-7-5)
WHAT: 2025-26 Regular-Season Game 32\/82
WHEN: Monday, December 15 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: American Airlines Center \u2013 Dallas, TX
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FanDuel Sports Network \u2013 AUDIO \u2013 ESPN LA 710, ESPN LA App & LA Kings App \u2013 TWITTER: @jaredshafran<\/a> & @lakings<\/a><\/p>\n

TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: The Kings begin a three-game road trip in Dallas tonight, visiting the Stars for the second time this season.<\/p>\n

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Monday\u2019s battle is the second of three total matchups between the Kings and Stars, with the third and final also to be played on a Monday in LA next month on January 12. Forward Adrian Kempe gave the Kings a 3-2 overtime win in the first contest on October 23 in Dallas. Last season, the Kings won two of the three meetings against the Stars, both of which came at Crypto.com Arena. Forward Warren Foegele led the team with three goals and four points in the series a year ago and has scored nine points in his career vs. Dallas (6-3=9), while Joel Armia has posted a team-high plus-5 rating in 23 games with 10 points on six goals and four assists.<\/p>\n

KINGS VITALS: After a Sunday spent traveling, the Kings held a full team morning skate today.<\/p>\n

That is, for those who are healthy. LA will be without forwards Quinton Byfield and Phillip Danault tonight, who per head coach Jim Hiller, are both out due to the flu. For Danault, it will be the second straight game he\u2019s missed after he was scratched on Saturday vs. Calgary.<\/p>\n

Darcy Kuemper was the first goaltender off the ice, indicating he\u2019ll make his second consecutive start in net. Kuemper was excellent once again in Saturday\u2019s overtime loss to Calgary, stopping 36 shots before surrendering an overtime winner on a 2-on-1. Against the Stars, Kuemper has a career record of 10-7-3 and a 0.911 save percentage in 20 appearances.<\/p>\n

Without two of their top three centers, here\u2019s how the Kings aligned during this morning\u2019s on-ice session \u2013<\/p>\n

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

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

Kuemper \/ Forsberg<\/p>\n

Andrei Kuzmenko is set to make his return and is expected to be back alongside Kopitar and Kempe, two linemates he\u2019s had plenty of experience playing with. The flu bug will also elevate Alex Turcotte, who is expected to be deployed between Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore. A big opportunity for Turc, who played over 14 minutes with Danault out on Saturday, and also saw reps with the second power play unit during the latter portion of today\u2019s skate. Defensively, the three pairings we\u2019ve seen recently are expected to remain intact, but should a change be necessary, Jacob Moverare is available to check back in.<\/p>\n

STARS VITALS: Dallas has dropped back-to-back contests this week after posting a recent 11-game point streak, which spanned from Nov. 20 through Dec. 9 and propelled them up the standings into second place in both the Central Division and the entire NHL behind Colorado. The Stars fell by a 5-2 score to Minnesota on Thursday before getting blanked for the first time this season by Florida, 4-0.<\/p>\n

Dallas held an optional morning skate today. Per Sam Nestler with DLLS Sports, here\u2019s how the team lined up at the start of their last game on Saturday against the Panthers \u2013<\/p>\n

Stars warmup lines vs Florida:<\/p>\n

Steel \u2013 Johnston \u2013 Rantanen
Robertson \u2013 Hintz \u2013 Benn
Hryckowian \u2013 Duchene \u2013 Bourque
B\u00e4ck \u2013 Faksa \u2013 Blackwell<\/p>\n

Lindell \u2013 Heiskanen
Capobianco \u2013 Lyubushkin
Harley \u2013 Petrovic<\/p>\n

Oettinger
DeSmith<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sam Nestler (@samnestler) December 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Per Brian Rea of the Stars, it\u2019ll be Casey DeSmith in between the pipes for Dallas, and Nils Lundkvist checking in on the back end in place of Capobianco. DeSmith is 7-1-3 on the year in 11 contests with a 0.920 save percentage, but is just 1-4-0 in five career matchups vs. LA with a 0.853 save percentage and a 3.97 goals-against. The Stars are also without veteran forward Tyler Seguin, who is out long-term after suffering an ACL injury earlier this month.<\/p>\n

A trio of All-Star attackers lead the way for Dallas up front, with Mikko Rantanen (42 points), Jason Robertson (40 points) and Wyatt Johnston (37 points) providing the bulk of the team\u2019s offense, which ranks sixth in the league, scoring an average of 3.27 goals per game. Rantanen has 11 points (5-6=11) in his last six games against the Kings and has totaled 42 points (15-27=42) in 31 career games vs. LA which is the most among Dallas skaters, while Robertson, a California native, has 17 points (7-10=17) in 12 games against the Kings. His 1.42 points per game average is the best in the NHL among players who have played LA at least five times. 18 of the Stars 21 wins have come in regulation, which is tied for the second-most ROW in the NHL this year.<\/p>\n

Storyline Of The Day \u2013
As the Kings get set for Game 32 of 82 on the year, they still find themselves searching for some way to be more dangerous on the power play.<\/p>\n

To this point, nothing they\u2019ve tried in the first 31 games has led to any consistency. The 5-forward unit that produced very successful results after the trade deadline last season was unable to keep opponents on their heels as it had previously. Whether other teams watching and studying video changed the way they defend the attack, or if something else changed with the group, it wasn\u2019t working, and personnel changes were needed.<\/p>\n

First, it was Brandt Clarke who got an opportunity with the first unit, and then Drew Doughty replaced him once he returned from injury 10 days ago. And yes, the group has scored twice over that five-game span, but it\u2019s hard to say the group has been jumpstarted as of late, either.<\/p>\n

Hiller wasn\u2019t too displeased with the unit in Wednesday\u2019s overtime loss to Seattle, which included a third period man-advantage goal by Kevin Fiala to give them a lead, but went 1-for-5 overall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got in the zone and we had a lot of pucks bouncing around in front of their net, so we were not perimeter,\u201d Hiller said of their overall looks on the five chances. \u201cYou\u2019re hoping that one of those just ends up on a stick, we\u2019re around it, but we didn\u2019t get that bounce. The guys executed really well on the entry and so we\u2019ll take one, but we had a chance for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of overall offensive production, the Kings have still found themselves in games every night because of their team defense and timely goaltending. And they\u2019ve consistently found ways to pick up points, whether it be from wins or overtime losses, with 37 total coming from 23 of their 31 games (14 wins, nine OTL). That\u2019s good for third place in the Pacific Division, in playoff position and certainly nothing to sneeze at.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we\u2019re in a good spot, really,\u201d said captain Anze Kopitar of where the Kings sit after Saturday\u2019s overtime loss to Calgary. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to find a way to score more goals, obviously starting with power play. We have to figure something out, find something in order to jumpstart the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding a way to get even a few more man-advantage goals would make a big difference. If they\u2019d done so over the past few weeks, maybe they wouldn\u2019t have had so many contests go to overtime, and they\u2019d be even higher in the standings.<\/p>\n

While the team\u2019s 13 power play goals aren\u2019t the least in the league, the overall conversion rate of 13.7% ranks at the bottom among all teams.<\/p>\n

The big question is: How can they achieve better results?<\/p>\n

Most of the time, players will point to getting back to basics, and we\u2019ve certainly heard that multiple times from different voices this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimplify, first, I think,\u201d Kopitar said as a response when asked what the first step is to getting the power play back where he wants it to be. \u201cJust getting more pucks to the net and then seeing if we can create something off of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

After alluding to the power play\u2019s struggles being a pain point for the team, defenseman Brian Dumoulin suggested something else that wasn\u2019t even a special teams tactic, saying that the group needs to find a way to have more opportunities with an extra man. That\u2019s not entirely up to them, but penalties drawn are usually a reflection of how hard a team is working. At the very least, Dumoulin felt a key might be to find a way to have more power plays than their opponents, something which hasn\u2019t been the case in any of LA\u2019s past four games.<\/p>\n

Looking at the whole season, the Kings have drawn 95 power play opportunities, which ranks 18th-most in the 32-team league, certainly not an alarmingly low number. Comparatively, they\u2019ve been shorthanded 103 times and have allowed opponents to score on 20.4% of their chances.<\/p>\n

As for tonight, with both Kuzmenko expected to be back on the top unit, and Turcotte joining the second grouping, Hiller said they expect the Stars to defend the lower part of the zone, so we may see the team use the point more.<\/p>\n

\u201cDallas does a pretty good job down low, so we need to just try to deliver some pucks where the open area is,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cWe know that, and then we just have to be there, screen, create some rebounds and chaos. When you\u2019re struggling, the perfect goal generally doesn\u2019t appear, and we\u2019ve seen that, so we\u2019ve just got to get greasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turcotte also mentioned that when the group practiced during morning skate, they were looking to get as many shots as possible from their quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for us, being the second unit, we\u2019ve just got to get pucks to the net and create havoc there,\u201d Turcotte said. \u201cI think that\u2019s what we did in practice today, a lot of shots from Clark, that\u2019s going to be open, so just getting it to the net. We won\u2019t have too much time, anyway, so we\u2019ve got to make the most of it and just create havoc and hopefully get a greasy rebound goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward Kevin Fiala, who scored that most recent goal in Seattle, said he\u2019s more encouraged by the way they\u2019ve been playing of late and thinks they\u2019ve been improving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the power play has been moving way better lately,\u201d Fiala said after the morning skate. \u201cWe scored a goal in Seattle, and I think it\u2019s feeling way better. The motions and stuff, it\u2019s getting in there. The positions were back to what we had before, so I feel like everybody feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to find a positive outcome tonight in Dallas, the play on special teams will certainly be a priority.<\/p>\n

3 To Watch For \u2013
\u2013 Where would the Kings be if they didn\u2019t have Darcy Kuemper? A question that certainly was asked last season when the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native went 31-11-7 in 50 starts with a 0.921 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average to finish as a finalist for the league\u2019s Vezina Trophy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been more of the same standout play as of late for the goaltender, who is 10-6-6 this year with a 0.916 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA in 22 appearances. Kuemper hasn\u2019t allowed more than two goals in any of his last five starts, but has only won two of those games. All of his last six losses have been by just one goal, supporting the theory that the Kings have been in every game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is our backbone. He has been since he arrived, and he\u2019s the backbone of the team. He was last year, and he carried that on this year,\u201d said Jim Hiller after the team\u2019s most recent practice on Friday.<\/p>\n

That was before Kuemper had one of his best efforts of the season against Calgary to keep his team in the game. Despite the overtime loss, LA never trailed despite getting out-shot 38-21 overall in the contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the reason why we got the one point,\u201d Kopitar said. \u201cThe second period, he was outstanding. I mean, he\u2019s been outstanding all year and last year. We almost take it for granted. We\u2019ve got to find ways to score more goals and give him some run support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dumoulin echoed Kopitar\u2019s thoughts, using the word \u201cphenomenal\u201d to describe Kuemper\u2019s effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn their power play and at even strength, he made a lot of big-time saves, was really good with his rebound control and gave us a chance there,\u201d Dumoulin said.<\/p>\n

Hiller has been asked multiple times in the last week about his goaltender\u2019s outlook for Team Canada at the upcoming Olympics in February and although he did mention that his opinion doesn\u2019t count, saying \u201cthey don\u2019t ask me\u201d, his performance has certainly put him in contention for a roster spot. Looking at more than just the numbers, watching what he has done consistently over the body of the past two seasons, he\u2019s right up there with anyone in the league.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just seems pretty obvious, the way he\u2019s played, that he has to be in serious consideration,\u201d Hiller said of Kuemper\u2019s chances at being selected. \u201cNot just this year, right? Let\u2019s take it right back. He\u2019s been just incredible for us. Biased or not, it would be hard to say that he doesn\u2019t deserve to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another chance tonight for Kuemper to prove himself on the road against one of the best offenses in the game. Surely the folks who will be making decisions for Canada will be watching.<\/p>\n

\u2013 As mentioned above, illness is once again dictating changes to the Kings forward lines. It\u2019s been a very inconsistent grouping this season for different reasons. Obviously, sometimes there are players down with injuries, as was the case with Warren Foegele a few weeks ago, other times the alignment changes due to performance, and that has been seen with Kuzmenko as of late, who has been a healthy scratch on five separate occasions.<\/p>\n

Jim Hiller did reveal that he and his coaching staff discussed going with 11 forwards and seven defenders, a look that they were very comfortable with last season, but said ultimately the decision was made to bring Kuzmenko back in due to their thinness down the middle and the fact that Laferriere will be moving over to play center.<\/p>\n

That will lead to more opportunity for Turcotte, who Hiller would like to get more offense from without sacrificing his better defensive play of late.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust continue what he did last game,\u201d Hiller said of what he\u2019d like to see from the young pivot. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a strong offensive game against Calgary, but Turc played really well defensively. He\u2019s on the power play tonight, so just generally an increased role for him, let\u2019s see if that can help his confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about having the chance to play alongside Fiala, Turcotte said he\u2019s not looking to overthink things, but that he definitely understands it\u2019s a great opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying not to think about it too much, honestly,\u201d Turcotte said. \u201cJust go out and play, have fun, do the best I can. Obviously, it\u2019s tough with those guys out, but just going to go out and play my game and make the most out of it. We were talking about it today a little bit, I still have to attack, you still have to play your game. You can\u2019t just defer. I\u2019m going to try to get him the puck as much as I can, but I still have to take it to the net if I have the chance or shoot if I have the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be the first time we\u2019ve seen Fiala and Turcotte get a run together, and Fiala said he\u2019s excited about playing with a player like Turcotte.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s easy to play with him,\u201d Fiala said of his new linemate. \u201cHe works hard, grinds, goes to get the puck, backchecks, he plays hard and he does everything. He can make plays, he sees the eyes, he can shoot the puck, you know what you get from him, and that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013 Nothing new here for you, Insiders, but wanted to highlight another stretch of excellence by Kopitar in the faceoff circle. As he has been throughout his career, the captain is grinding away at the dot and coming out with exceptional results.<\/p>\n

Kopitar has been on the ice to take more than 20 faceoffs in six of the Kings last seven games, while playing over 19 minutes in four of those contests.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, in a game where faceoffs were crucial for the Kings as they took a lot of them in their own zone, Kopitar won 19 of 27, a success rate of 70.4%. I asked him afterward what\u2019s been working for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess figure out what I\u2019m going to do and just kind of sticking to my gameplan,\u201d Kopitar said.<\/p>\n

Against Seattle, it was 20 faceoff wins from a season-high 31 draws for the Slovenian. After a win in Utah last Monday night, which included 23 faceoffs, Jim Hiller confirmed he\u2019s going to his leader for those important draws late in games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept him busy there, for sure, but he was good,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cHe won those big faceoffs. I was leaning on him a lot, and that stick is heavy when he gets it on the dot.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of his longtime linemates, Adrian Kempe, also gave some more insight recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s one of the best in the league, has been for the last 20 years, so it\u2019s pretty nice to be out there with him, whether it\u2019s in the d-zone or the o-zone,\u201d Kempe said. \u201cYou pretty much expect him to win every faceoff, and he\u2019s so good at it, so it\u2019s a great asset to have, and for the coaches to put him out there, you\u2019re pretty confident that he\u2019s going to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The puck drops in Dallas at 5 p.m. Pacific time later this afternoon! Tune in on FanDuel Sports West with John Kelly alongside former Kings forward Tony Granato on the call. More on Tony filling in, courtesy of Zach Dooley, here! I\u2019ll be back tonight with the game thread and a recap after the final horn.<\/p>\n