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Game Forty-Four Preview: Kings @ Kraken

keith fries
·3 min read

The Los Angeles Kings wrap up their five-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken.

LA are 2-2-0 on this current road trip, coming off a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

The Kraken just completed their own five-game road trip where they went 2-3-0 with a goal scoring ratio of 5:6.

In their last five meetings, the Kings are 4-1-0 against the Kraken, including a 2-1 regulation win back on November 23rd, 2024, the first of a four-game series this season.

TRAWL

In four career games against the Kraken, Kings Goaltender David “Big Save Dave” Rittich has gone 3-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .923 SV%. On November 23rd, 2024, Rittich backstopped the Kings to a victory, giving up just one goal on twenty shots faced.

Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper has played the Kraken three times in his career, with a 1-1-1 record, 3.33 GAA, and a .868 SV%.

The obvious choice (on paper) would be to go with Rittich, who not only has the numbers but a fresh set of legs coming off seven-days rest.

Seattle currently has the third-most goals scored in the Pacific Division (133) meaning the Kings will need a big net presence.

WRIGHT ON TRACK

Seattle Kraken Forward Shane Wright has recorded twenty-one points (8G, 13A) in forty-three games this season, including five power play goals.

Last season, Wright only played in eight games with the Kraken, posting five points (4G, 1A). In a forty-game span, he would have been on pace for twenty points – mirroring his output, this season.

Wright didn't play on November 23rd, 2024; a healthy scratch in the two games that preceded it, as well. He has only faced the Kings once in his career – April 3rd, 2024, held without a point, a -1 rating, and a 30% faceoff win percentage (ten draws) in 16:02 TOI.

Since being selected fourth-overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Wright has split time between the Kraken, the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Coachella Valley Firebirds, and the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Windsor Spitfires. Wright has shown a gradual progression from a superstar in juniors, to a standout performer in the minors, and now an everyday, contributing NHLer.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

In their last meeting on November 23rd, 2024, Kings Captain Anze Kopitar recorded two points (2A), a +1 rating, and won 65.2% of his faceoff draws (15-of-23).

Through eleven career matchups against Seattle, Kopitar has eight points (3G, 5A), a +2 rating, and 61.6% faceoff win percentage.

Puck drop is slated for 7:05 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via KCAL or listen live with the ESPN LA app.

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