The Los Angeles Kings return home to Crypto.com Arena after a forgettable loss in San Jose on Monday.
They’ll matchup against the red hot Winnipeg Jets who sit in first place in both the Central Division and Western Conference. Their 18-4-0 start to the season has been nothing short of amazing, with the four losses coming outside of the Pacific Division (Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida, Nashville) — a division the Jets have outscored 23-9 (nearly a 5:2 ratio).
This is the first-of-three meetings between the Kings and Jets this season, with LA playing host for two of those contests.
Kings fans will likely take a keen interest in this game after Los Angeles’ General Manager, Rob Blake, dealt a package of players to Winnipeg in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois (later traded for Darcy Kuemper); notably forward Gabe Vilardi who has sixteen points (8G, 8A) in twenty-two games played, this season, while only seeing the penalty box for a total of two minutes.
Related: Kings: Revisiting Rob Blake’s Late Season Trades for Playoff Aspirations
Alex Iafallo (included in the trade from Los Angeles) scored two goals in the Jets’ game against the Minnesota Wild on Monday, giving him one hundred total goals in his National Hockey League (NHL) career.
TALL TASK, BIG ASK
LA has ridden goaltender David Rittich hard and for good reason. Heading into the Kings’ last game against San Jose, he had averaged a 1.00 GAA and an incredible .947 SV% in three consecutive starts.
Things seemed to be status quo heading into the third period against the Sharks with the score tied 2-2 before the Kings crumbled in the final twenty minutes of play, giving up five goals on ten shots faced.
The Kings are now between a rock and a hard place. Instead of giving Erik Portillo the nod in San Jose and reserving Rittich for Wednesday against Winnipeg, head coach Jim Hiller, must now: A) throw the young Portillo into the lion’s den, B) recall Pheonix Copley from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Ontario Reign in a cold start, C) activate Darcy Kuemper from injured reserve pending he’s ready to play, or D) see if there’s some juice left to squeeze out of Rittich.
With the Kings set for a quick drive down to Anaheim on Friday afternoon, option A is probably off the table as this is likely where Portillo finds his first taste of NHL action – provided he’s still up with the team. Option D seems to be the only answer, meaning Rittich is going to have to…