Saturday, January 25, 2025 – 7:00 PM EST
Nationwide Arena – Columbus, OH
TV: FDSNOH; Radio: 97.1 FM
Los Angeles King (26-14-5, 57 points, 3rd Pacific, 7th West)
at
Columbus Blue Jackets (23-19-7, 53 points, 4th Metro, 8th East)
After a four game road trip, the Blue Jackets are back home for one game before heading out west later in the week.
It’s also Star Wars night! What’s your favorite movie or TV series in the franchise? I’m going to be cliched and say Empire Strikes Back is best but of the recent stuff I’ve really loved Rogue One and Andor. I also quite enjoyed the most recent show, Skeleton Crew. It’s one the whole family can watch together.
Player to Watch
Darcy Kuemper
The Kings acquired Kuemper in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade this summer, and it has paid off in a big way. He has bounced back with a .922 save percentage and a staggering 2.06 GAA. This is a good test for the Jackets, who have had no trouble scoring at home.
Jackets Notes
Boone Jenner participated in morning skate today, which is a huge step in his recovery from his shoulder injury. He is still not close to joining the lineup again but this is a positive sign that he’s on track to be back by March 1 … Denton Mateychuk will return to the lineup after missing three games with an illness. Cole Sillinger is still out with an upper body injury … In news around the league, the Carolina Hurricanes completed a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks in which they acquired Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall. Holy crap! I’m glad we don’t have to play the Canes any more this season.
The Other Bench
The Kings have cooled off a little bit, with a 2-4-0 record in their last 6 games. The last one was a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers, however … Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Angelenos affected by the massive wildfires still burning throughout Los Angeles county. It’s devastating to see the scope of the destruction, with entire neighborhoods wiped out in places like Malibu and Altadena. If you would like to help the recovery efforts, the Kings have a page with links to where you can donate.
Season Series
11/09/2024 CBJ 2 @ LAK 5
01/25/2025 LAK @ CBJ
Stats
Los Angeles | Columbus | |
2.91 (18) | GPG | 3.31 (6) |
2.44 (2) | GAPG | 3.37 (28) |
16.2 (28) | PP% | 22.8 (11) |
82.1 (7) | PK% | 74.6 (26) |
52.3 (5) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 48.0 (27) |
53.7 (4) | 5v5 Unblocked Shot Attempt % | 48.7 (22) |
9.5 (7) | 5v5 Shooting % | 10.0 (3) |
92.3 (6) | 5v5 Save % | 90.5 (22) |
Adrian Kempe, 24 | G Leader | Kirill Marchenko, 19 |
Anze Kopitar, 31 | A Leader | Zach Werenski, 38 |
Adrian Kempe, 44 | P Leader | Zach Werenski, 53 |
Tanner Jeannot, 69 | PIM Leader | Mathieu Olivier, 90 |
11-11-4 | Home/Road | 16-5-3 |
6-4-0 | Last 10 | 7-2-1 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dmitri Voronkov | Adam Fantilli | Kirill Marchenko |
James van Riemsdyk | Luca Del Bel Belluz | Kent Johnson |
Zach Aston-Reese | Justin Danforth | Mathieu Olivier |
Mikael Pyyhtia | Sean Kuraly | Kevin Labanc |
Zach Werenski | Dante Fabbro |
Denton Mateychuk | Ivan Provorov |
Jake Christiansen | Damon Severson |
Elvis Merzlikins |
Daniil Tarasov |
Los Angeles Kings
Alex Turcotte | Anze Kopitar | Adrian Kempe |
Warren Foegele | Quinton Byfield | Trevor Moore |
Kevin Fiala | Phillip Danault | Akil Thomas |
Tanner Jeannot | Samuel Helenius | Trevor Lewis |
Mikey Anderson | Vladislav Gavrikov |
Joel Edmundson | Jordan Spence |
Jacob Moverare | Brandt Clarke |
Darcy Kuemper |
David Rittich |