{"id":398123,"date":"2026-01-09T23:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/398123\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T23:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:26:07","slug":"1-9-preview-5-men-connected-turcotte-malott-seeing-expanded-roles-cole-guttman-recalled-from-ontario","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/398123\/","title":{"rendered":"1\/9 Preview – 5 Men Connected + Turcotte, Malott seeing expanded roles, Cole Guttman recalled from Ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (18-14-10) vs. Winnipeg Jets (15-22-5)
WHAT: 2025 Regular-Season Game 43\/82
WHEN: Friday, January 9 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Canada Life Centre \u2013 Winnipeg, MB
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

TODAY\u2019S MATCHUP: The Kings begin a quick, two-game road trip today in Winnipeg at Canada Life Centre, the third and final meeting between them and the Jets this season, and the beginning of a back-to-back set.<\/p>\n

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Adrian Kempe has factored in on three of the Kings\u2019 five tallies against Winnipeg this season after posting a goal and an assist with a +2 rating in a losing effort Oct. 11, before scoring one of three markers in a shutout performance by Darcy Kuemper on Nov. 4, which featured 23 saves. Mikey Anderson, Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala have also found the back of the net in the season series against the Jets. Doughty is LA\u2019s leading career scorer vs. Winnipeg among the team\u2019s healthy skaters, posting 22 points in 34 contests with three goals and 19 assists. Kempe, meanwhile, has 17 points from 24 games with seven goals and 10 helpers.<\/p>\n

KINGS VITALS: After a day off the ice with travel up north on Thursday, the Kings had an optional skate with most healthy players participating in the on-ice session.<\/p>\n

Without any line rushes, embedding a look at how LA aligned for Wednesday\u2019s overtime loss to San Jose below \u2013<\/p>\n

Tonight\u2019s @LAKings<\/a> Line Rushes \u2013<\/p>\n

Ward \u2013 Laferriere \u2013 Kempe
Foegele \u2013 Byfield \u2013 Malott
Fiala \u2013 Turcotte \u2013 Kuzmenko
Lee \u2013 Helenius<\/p>\n

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

Kuemper
Forsberg<\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Look for the Kings to once again dress 11 forwards and seven defenders this evening in Winnipeg, with Jim Hiller confirming that there won\u2019t be any expected changes to his personnel tonight. On Thursday, the team recalled forward Cole Guttman from AHL Ontario and placed Trevor Moore on injured reserve, but it doesn\u2019t appear likely that Guttman will be deployed just yet.<\/p>\n

None of the recently injured Kings skaters, which include Moore, team captain Anze Kopitar or Joel Armia were on the ice today and are not ready to rejoin the lineup. Guttman was the lone healthy scratch to skate this morning, with Corey Perry, who currently has a non-roster status due to a family illness, remaining away from the team.<\/p>\n

The first goaltender off this morning for the Kings was Darcy Kuemper, who is in line to make his fifth consecutive start later on today. Kuemper is coming off a 24-save effort that helped earn one point against San Jose on Wednesday. The netminder played in both previous matchups against Winnipeg earlier this season, going 1-1-0 with one shutout, a save percentage of .940 and a goals-against average at 1.53. In his career, Kuemper is 9-3-0 in 13 starts vs. the Jets with a .923 save percentage and a GAA of 2.43.<\/p>\n

JETS VITALS: It seems like nothing has gone according to plan for Winnipeg this season. Coming off a Presidents\u2019 Trophy award-winning campaign in 2024-25, where they finished with a 56-22-4 record and 116 points, the Jets are currently at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 15-22-5 mark and just 35 points. The Jets started off the year with a 9-3-0 mark in their first 12 contests, but since they visited LA and were held off the scoresheet in early November, they\u2019re just 6-19-5.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg suffered a 4-3 loss at home to Edmonton last night and, as a result, did not hold a team skate this morning. Per Ken Wiebe with the Winnipeg Free Press, here\u2019s how the Jets lined up on Thursday evening \u2013<\/p>\n

#NHLJets<\/a> rushes:<\/p>\n

Connor-Scheifele-Iafallo
Perfetti-Toews-Vilardi
Barron-Lowry-Niederreiter
Koepke-Zhilkin-Pearson<\/p>\n

Morrissey-Pionk
Samberg-DeMelo
Stanley-Schenn<\/p>\n

Hellebuyck starts in goal.<\/p>\n

Likely scratches: Namestnikov, Nyquist, Miller.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ken Wiebe (@WiebesWorld) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Winnipeg has been led offensively by a pair of high-scoring attackers in Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele, who have each eclipsed the 50-point mark through the team\u2019s first 42 games. Connor, who has found the back of the net in each of the team\u2019s last three outings, has 21 goals and 51 points on the year, while Scheifele has recorded 20 goals and 30 helpers.<\/p>\n

There are three former LA skaters on the Jets\u2019 roster in Gabriel Vilardi (17-20=37), Alex Iafallo (7-8=15) and Tanner Pearson (5-2=7). Vilardi leads Winnipeg with six power play goals this year and has recorded two assists against his former team in the head-to-head series, while Iafallo has one of the team\u2019s three goals and Scheifele recorded the other two. Jonathan Toews, who returned to the NHL this season and is in his first campaign with the Jets, leads the team with 41 points in 48 career games against the Kings, with all of his scoring coming as a member of Chicago, having been held off the scoresheet in the first two matchups this season.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg is without defender Haydn Fleury, who suffered an injury earlier in the week that required him to be stretchered off the ice. The blueliner was immediately taken to the hospital on Tuesday but has since been discharged and was able to be back around the rink with his teammates prior to Thursday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

After Connor Hellebuyck saw the net against Edmonton, it\u2019s expected that Eric Comrie will start for the Jets in goal this evening. Comrie has a 6-9-1 record from 16 appearances this season with a .880 save percentage and a 3.49 goals-against average. Although Hellebuyck started both games earlier this season against LA, Comrie has made four starts against the Kings in his career, going 2-1-1 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.25 goals against.<\/p>\n

Storyline Of The Day \u2013 5 Men Connected
For LA\u2019s first two goals on Wednesday, which were both scored on loose rebounds that were available near the crease in San Jose\u2019s zone, the same group of five skaters was on the ice together, dictating play in the offensive end.<\/p>\n

Up front, it was the line of Kevin Fiala, Alex Turcotte and Andrei Kuzmenko, who have been the trio to generate the most high-danger chances for the Kings of late, that were able to get on the inside and finish on the available looks in front of goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.<\/p>\n

First, it was Fiala who had an initial shot midway through the second period that was blocked. He got his own rebound for another look that Askarov turned out, but the puck remained available for Turcotte, who swept it into the net to tie the game at 1-1.<\/p>\n

Then, after San Jose had gone ahead for the second time early in the third, it was Turcotte who pounced on a loose rebound in the slot and dropped it back to Fiala for the finish that evened the score again, just over a minute after the Sharks\u2019 goal.<\/p>\n

Both of those goals also had the same defense pairing on the ice, complementing the forward line\u2019s newfound chemistry. Brandt Clarke, the younger, more offensively inclined right-shot blueliner, was involved in the play prior to Turcotte\u2019s tally, while Joel Edmundson, the veteran presence on the left side, had the initial shot that led to Fiala\u2019s goal and recorded a second assist on the play.<\/p>\n

The same group of five was out there again later in the period when it appeared Edmundson had given the Kings the lead, but the apparent goal was disallowed after it was ruled it had been directed into the net off the defender\u2019s glove.<\/p>\n

As of late, it\u2019s been rare for the Kings to have a group of five build the type of successful chemistry we saw on Wednesday, and it\u2019s something Jim Hiller and his coaching staff were leaning into.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo question,\u201d Hiller said when asked after the game if it was intentional to have them all on the ice at the same time. \u201cThere was a lot of faceoffs in the offensive zone, so we were able to get all five of them out there to start together but yeah, they\u2019re driving the offense, those two from the back end and the other line is driving the offense from the front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the forwards, who were first grouped together prior to the holiday break before a loss to Seattle on Dec. 23, they\u2019ve been on the same line for seven straight games and have embraced their time as a unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve relied on them a fair amount I think over the last little while, pretty much ever since they\u2019ve been put together,\u201d said Hiller of the Fiala, Turcotte, Kuzmenko line. \u201cThey were dangerous and they turned a few over early too, but you saw in the third period they played in the offensive zone. Those guys were in there pretty consistently, they get the o-zone faceoffs, Turc\u2019s doing a good job winning them, and they\u2019re making something happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiala also spoke about his line after the overtime loss, saying that Turcotte\u2019s goal came off a plan they executed before the puck was dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was actually Kuzy\u2019s idea,\u201d Fiala said. \u201cGreat idea on that faceoff to make a play there, and Leddy didn\u2019t see the puck, so I found it first and had a good shot on it and then Turc found it, and then it was in the back of the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiala expanded on what it\u2019s been like to have that chemistry with Kuzmenko, who wasn\u2019t credited with any points on Wednesday, but came into the contest having recorded seven points from his previous seven appearances with four goals and three assists.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very creative,\u201d said Fiala. \u201cTalks a lot, which is good. Wants to get better, wants to do more, so I really like his energy, his excitement about playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supplementing that offensive chemistry has been a very effective defensive pairing that has been together for most of Edmundson\u2019s time with the Kings, since he signed prior to the 2024-25 campaign. It\u2019s been well documented that he and Clarke mesh well together and have formed a reliable duo on the back end. But having them grouped with a particular line and seeing offense isn\u2019t something we\u2019ve always seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just the three forwards when they were holding on to the puck, they were making some smart plays and they were trying to find us at the top if we were open,\u201d Edmundson said Wednesday. \u201cI think the five of us had a good connection tonight, and it changes every game, but I liked that line tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmundson\u2019s right, it has changed every game. But what if that wasn\u2019t the case and they kept that group together more often?<\/p>\n

\u201cThose two guys are very good,\u201d Fiala said when asked about what it was like to play with the defensive pair. \u201cTwo different guys, one very good defensively, one better offensively, so it gives us a great balance. Eddy\u2019s shot is amazing as well, so we always have his one-timer. Clarkie\u2019s creative, going down the wall, doing some give-and-gos, and stuff like that. Great chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see tonight in Winnipeg if there\u2019s more for this group to build on together. With many key forwards out of the lineup for the Kings right now, and offense being so hard to come by for the team this season, it would be nice to see more consistency for at least some of the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sucks to have those guys out but other guys have to step up,\u201d Fiala said. \u201cThere\u2019s no one-line or one-man show, it\u2019s a team thing. I think we did a good job with the new guys here, they did an amazing job in my opinion. It\u2019s not easy to come in and make an impact right away and we\u2019re missing a lot of guys, not just one or two, but important guys too. Happy for them to get one under their belt, too bad we couldn\u2019t get the win but on to the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n

3 To Watch For \u2013
\u2013 One of the members of the hottest line for the Kings, Alex Turcotte, has points in three straight games for the first time this season, the third time he\u2019s had a point streak of three games in his NHL career.<\/p>\n

His 17:22 of time on ice represented a career-high, which was bolstered by seeing time on the penalty kill due to injuries to multiple forwards that regularly play on the kill.<\/p>\n

With a goal and an assist on the first two LA tallies of the contest, Turcotte recorded his third goal of the campaign and second multi-point effort of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been around the net,\u201d Hiller said of Turcotte after the overtime loss. \u201cWe keep telling him to go to the net and he\u2019s there and there\u2019s shots going past him. Even on Kevin\u2019s goal, he\u2019s right at the front of the net. He loosens it up and Kevin scores, so you get there, you stand there, you do that enough times, soon enough you\u2019re going to score. I think everybody felt pretty good for him because he\u2019s been there and he\u2019s had chances.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taken a while for Turcotte to earn the type of trust he\u2019s receiving from his coaching staff, but when you\u2019re playing on the team\u2019s hottest line and doing all the little things away from the puck that he\u2019s done all season, it seems like we\u2019re seeing the best version of what the pivot brings to the table. The seven straight games without a change to his line probably doesn\u2019t hurt either.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel really good, playing really well, making a lot of plays and they\u2019re easy guys to talk and communicate with,\u201d Turcotte said of how he\u2019s feeling with his line after morning skate today. \u201cIt feels pretty natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

During training camp, Turcotte mentioned that the coaching staff had him sit in on all of the team\u2019s penalty kill meetings. While he wasn\u2019t deployed when the team was down a man right away, it seemed like he was being groomed for a potential role in those situations.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t happen right away, with many of the club\u2019s experienced forwards like Kopitar, Moore, Danault and Armia eating up those minutes. But now three of those players are injured and one is no longer on the roster, so it became necessary for Turcotte to jump in during those situations, which, admittedly, there have been too many of.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew just to be prepared,\u201d Turcotte said. \u201cI kind of knew in the back of my mind and I talked with them a little bit so I was prepared mentally for it. I think it brings more versatility, more trust with the coaches. I\u2019ve always PK\u2019d my whole life so I think I have the attributes in my game to be effective and I\u2019m excited to hopefully get that chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiala, who has had a close-up view of Turcotte\u2019s recent play, said after Wednesday\u2019s game that he\u2019s playing better with the added responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves it, he\u2019s a great player, and you can see it, he\u2019s getting rewarded,\u201d said the Swiss attacker. \u201cHe\u2019s always working hard, every day since I\u2019ve got here, and winning battles, doing those little things. He\u2019s just a reliable player, and I\u2019m very happy for him that he\u2019s getting a chance now to play more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two important back-to-back games await to close out the week, and the Kings will be looking for Turcotte to continue what he\u2019s shown lately.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Forward Jeff Malott made his return to Canada Life Center earlier this season and dropped the gloves with Luke Schenn midway through the first period. He finished the game after playing 6:37 of ice time, including nine shifts.<\/p>\n

It appears that Malott will have a bigger role this time around after he played a season-high 15:30 on Wednesday against San Jose. He\u2019s only played more minutes twice during his NHL career, which came as he was making a good impression with the Kings late last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt good to get involved at that rate,\u201d Malott said after today\u2019s morning skate. \u201cIt was a good challenge, playing against a strong line and all year it\u2019s kind of been trying to be responsible and try and earn some trust and that was a great challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Hiller not only confirmed that Malott will stay in the lineup tonight but also said the physical attacker has earned the extra time based on how he has been playing this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a really strong season for him,\u201d Hiller said today. \u201cHe\u2019s had to sit out at times, undeservedly in many respects, but it\u2019s just the nature of the roster that we have. Bringing him in, we\u2019ve always felt that he could provide more than just a fourth-line role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malott moved up in the lineup and started alongside Quinton Byfield and Warren Foegele, but also saw time with many of the team\u2019s other forwards as Hiller rotated around his 11 attackers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you have guys out of the lineup, others have to step up and be responsible. Those guys out of the lineup have a big role, so there\u2019s a lot to fill, but I think staying predictable and reliable and trying to make the most of the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re out for that amount of time, you play against other teams\u2019 top players and Malott had to go up against Macklin Celebrini, who ultimately had a big say in the outcome of the game, but not while Malott was on the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe played against Celebrini\u2019s line and they got a couple, but none of them were on him so he did a really good job with that added responsibility,\u201d Hiller said when discussing what Malott was able to do after coming back in.<\/p>\n

The Winnipeg arena is a building Malott\u2019s familiar with, having played four full seasons here for the Manitoba Moose before signing with the Kings prior to 2024-25.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool because we\u2019re here over on the Moose side, and there\u2019s a lot of familiarity there and a lot of familiar faces as well. It\u2019s good to see some old friends and people in the organization, you come back and you get a lot of memories and it makes for a fun game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malott, along with defender Jacob Moverare, both had to stay ready, serving as healthy scratches for the better part of the last month. Now they\u2019re both back in the lineup and are getting another chance to prove themselves with important minutes this week.<\/p>\n

\u2013 As mentioned above, the Kings recalled Cole Guttman from the Ontario Reign on Thursday morning. Guttman isn\u2019t a stranger to the NHL, having played 41 career games with the Chicago Blackhawks during his first two professional campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also familiar with the Kings and playing in California, after growing up in nearby Northridge and suiting up for the Jr. Kings organization in El Segundo before graduating to the USHL, where he helped lead the Dubuque Fighting Saints prior to playing collegiately at Denver. He didn\u2019t overlap with the other Kings-signed forwards from Denver, Trevor Moore or Jared Wright, but Guttman did help the Pioneers to a National Championship as a senior captain in 2022.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old signed with the Kings as a free agent in July after a career-high 57-point campaign with the Rockford IceHogs a year ago and got off to a slower-than-expected start with Ontario this season, but has come on as of late, posting an eight-game point streak from Nov. 22 through Dec. 13 and seven points in his last five outings on four goals and three assists. Overall, he has 23 points from 31 AHL games on nine goals and 14 helpers.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s not expected that Guttman will enter the lineup tonight, he\u2019s an option to make his Kings debut on this trip, which continues with a second game in as many days in Edmonton on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The Kings and Jets drop the puck later this afternoon with a 5 p.m. Pacific time start. Live thread and game updates coming soon as this one gets going in Winnipeg!<\/p>\n