3 QUESTIONS FOR KINGS v UTAH (Sep 30th)
Tonight is the fifthh preseason game for the LA Kings on the 2025-26 Preseason schedule and the first time the Kings will face the Utah Mammoth with their new name and jerseys. The Kings are 3-1-0 in the preseason so far with three games remaining.
The Game roster is listed here.
With the knowledge of who will be available to play in Boise today it leaves me asking three questions.
QUESTION ONE: Who will play minutes in goal?
So far the Kings have played Carter George, Anton Forsberg, Darcy Kuemper and Erik Portillo in net in the preseason. Isaiah Saville has served as the EBUG (emergency backup goaltender) in all four and could play that role again tonight.
Jim Hiller has repeatedly stated that he relies on the goaltending coach and department to guide his decisions on who should play and for how long in each game but Pheonix Copley is the only goalie listed on tonight’s roster that has yet to see preseason action.
So far the Kings have let the starting goaltender complete each preseason game they have played in.
QUESTION TWO: What will the forward lines look like?
Tonight’s lineup will feature the least amount of familiar forward combos I think I’ve seen in the preseason so far. Andre Kuzmenko is the highest profile name in the group and he will not be playing alongside Kopitar and Kempe as they have the night off. It’s anybody’s guess as to what the line combos are but if I had to guess at the centers I would say Turcotte, Helenius, Gawdin and Guttman would be the leading candidates. How they plan on weaving Kuzmenko and Greentree into the lineup is a mystery to me.
QUESTION THREE: WHAT WILL THE DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS BE?
Similar to the forward lines, the defense corps also features mostly players that didn’t play more than 50 games for the Kings last season. Jacob Moverare and Brandt Clarke are both on the game roster and could be a pair tonight but with the lack of NHL experience in the group we’ll just have to wait for warmups to see who is likely to play with whom.
You can watch the game on LAKings.com
For more information on HOW follow the link and stay tuned for updates from the LA Kings.
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