The Los Angeles Kings hit the road for a quick trip to San Jose facing the 6-12-5 Sharks.
This will be the third-of-four meetings during the 2024-25 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season between these two clubs, who won’t see one another again until March 30th, 2025.
The Kings picked up the win in their first matchup, on October 24th, 2024, in Los Angeles, with a final score of 3-2. LA forward Warren Foegele finished the night with two goals and a +2 rating during his 15:16 TOI. The Sharks won the second meeting five days later, in San Jose, 4-2.
“The whole game we weren’t crisp,” said Kings head coach, Jim Hiller, after Los Angeles’ loss to San Jose.
The immediate takeaway from both games is that the home team came out the victor. A win for the Kings would not only buck that trend but would increase their road win percentage to above .500.
Both clubs played this past Saturday with the Kings picking up a victory against the Seattle Kraken, 2-1, and the Sharks losing to the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2. LA will need to be sharp against a Sharks team who are coming off a three-game skid.
RITTICH-ULOUS
Since joining the Los Angeles Kings last season, goaltender David Rittich has faced the San Jose Sharks six times. He’s been lights out, posting a 4-1-1 record with a .915 SV% while allowing just one goal scored in three-of-the-six contests.
Rittich has backstopped the Kings in their last three games played, giving up just one goal in each contest. He could get the nod against San Jose, but with goaltender Erik Portillo recalled from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Ontario Reign on Sunday, it’s possible Rittich has earned a well-deserved night off.
Aside from the expletives, LA head coach, Jim Hiller, made sure Rittich was acknowledged for his efforts (against Seattle) when addressing the team postgame, simply pointing at his netminder and exclaiming, “Ritter!”
ASK-AROV AND YE SHALL RECEIVE
Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was recalled from the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on Monday. Askarov has been one of the premiere netminders in the AHL this season, with a 1.92 GAA, .939 SV%, and a 6-3-0 record including two shutouts.
Askarov’s first NHL game of the season came this past Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. He finished the night with a .935 SV% while giving up just two goals on thirty-one shots faced–the first just eleven seconds into the game after failing to connect on a breakout pass from the trapezoid.
Both goals against Askarov were generated from the left side of the ice along the goal line via a pass to the crease. This is a weakness LA should look to exploit if Askarov is called into duty for this game.
RETURN OF THE MACKLIN
Sidelined with an injury after the Sharks’ season opener on October 10th, 2024, Macklin Celebrini returned to the lineup on November 5th, 2024. In his last four games played, Celebrini has recorded three points (1G, 2A), coming on strong after a four game drought.
Despite missing an early chunk of the season, NHL.com Senior Director, Pete Jensen, believes Celebrini is a contender for this year’s Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Although Celebrini participated in the 2024 NHL Rookie Faceoff, the Kings never faced the Sharks in that tournament, meaning this will be Los Angeles’ first look at San Jose’s wunderkind.
Puck drop is slated for 7:40 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via the FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.
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