Overview of 4/5 – Big Game, biggest implications + Fine Form in Kuemper, Kings are at home, Hiller Podcast

WHOs: Los Angeles Kings (43-23-9) against Edmonton’s Oilers (44-26-5)
WHAT: 2024-25 regular season game
WHEN: Saturday April 5 at 1 p.m. Pacific
OR: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
How to follow: Video: Fanduel Sports Network – Audio – ESPN The app – Twitter: @Dooleylak & @Lakings

Today’s matchup: The Kings go home to start another three-game house, with the EDMONTON Oilers in town for a massive inclination on Saturday afternoon.

Tête-à-tête: The Kings and Oilers have divided the series of the season to date, each team winning a match at a goal in their home building.

The attackers Quinton Byfield (2-1-3) and Warren Foegele (1-2-3) led the Kings this season with three points of the two games played, with the three points for the two players who won a 4-3 victory in overtime in December. In the past two seasons, between regular and qualifiers, Byfield has 13 points (4-9-13) from 11 games played against Edmonton.

Kings Vitals: With the drop of afternoon washer, the Kings did not contain morning skating before today’s match.

After having another solid performance, I would consider the projected starter of the goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper this evening against the Oilers, although this is not confirmed. Kuemper arrested 53 of the 57 shots he was faced this season against Edmonton, displaying a 1-1-0 record with a percentage of .930 stops. For his NHL career, he obtained a file of 11-4-4, with a percentage of stops of .919 and an average of goals of 2.43.

For reference, here is how the Kings lined up Thursday in Utah –

This evening @Lakings Line line –

Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
MALOTT – Helenius – Lewis

Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Gavrikov
Moverare – Clarke

Kuemper
Rittich

It looks like Moverare in Spence, if the rubies are true.

– Zach DOOLEY (@dooleylak) April 4, 2025

The Kings made a change of range on Thursday, inserting defender Jacob Moverare in place of defender Jordan Spence. Shortly, if this change will stick, or if may other changes may happen.

Do not expect Tanner Jeannot or Alex Turcotte to be available, but Spence, as well as defender Kyle Burroughs and striker Akil Thomas are both able to go.

Head coach Jim Hiller will address the media today at 11:45 a.m. before the match.

Vital Oilers: Edmonton won three consecutive games with a 3-2 score, extended with Thursday’s victory in San Jose.

According to Tony Brar of Oilers TV, here is how Edmonton aligned himself in the victory against the Sharks –

EDM vs. SJS lineage:

Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Hyman – RNH – Kapanen
Skinner – Janmark – Brown
Jones – Henrique – Perry

Walman – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson

Pickard
Rodrigue#Oilers

– Tony brar 🚀 (@tonybrarotv) April 4, 2025

The two biggest questions arise around the two best players from Edmonton – Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

McDavid missed the last six games with an injury to the lower body, but is traveling and patinated this week. Draisaitl recently returned to alignment but left the victory of early Thursday with another injury. We shouldn’t play in today’s game.

In addition, Edmonton is currently without defender Mattias Ekholm, striker Evander Kane and goalkeeper Stuart Skinner, although striker Trent Frederic can potentially return today.

Scenario of the day – not much bigger than this
Spoke in the game in Utah that the Kings must have had their whole goal on Thursday.

Although he didn’t play their best game for 40 minutes, I don’t think it’s a focus problem. No sign I could see from a team, looking beyond this match. In the end, the Kings did the work in the third period, after a fight in the first 40. With Edmonton who takes care of the defeat of San Jose later at night, it was a good thing they did.

Now it prepares the scene.

Kings against Oilers, Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. For a regular season match, it is as close as possible. Kings head coach Jim Hiller has expressed his excitement and hopes that everyone will correspond to the arena later today.

“It’s going to be a good match, we will be excited, they will be excited,” said Hiller. “I’m sure our fans will appreciate it and will be noisy and proud, I hope. The place should swing, I think, come (this) afternoon.”

By entering today’s match, the Kings have 95 points, reinforced by this victory over Utah. Edmonton followed the pace of victory over theirs, winning 3-2 in San Jose, returning two points from the Kings in the ranking with 93. A Kings victory today would see them move 3 or 4 points from Edmonton, while pulling a vegas point at the top of the division. A loss would see the gap narrowing at a single point or moving to zero, the equality breakage always pointing in the favor of kings.

No matter what’s going on today, the Kings will be in second place in the Pacific division with six games to play. Los Angeles is holding this first break in equality on Edmonton by a fairly comfortable margin and less than a very strange set of results in the section for the two teams, if the kings and the oilers end equally, the Kings would hold the advantage.

Six games remaining after today. Four of these six games for the Kings come to the ice at home and only two come against a current qualifying series team, including a final confrontation with the Oilers in Rogers Place. The first part is certainly welcome. The latter, not so sure, with the way the results have sometimes taken place this season. But guy, what a fun opportunity.

Standing on the way to extend the gap in it is obviously a familiar enemy.

“We have played a lot in recent years, probably our first -round opponent, so we’re going to give everything,” said striker Trevor Moore. “We obviously know these guys and it’s going to be a difficult game.”

Between regular seasonal matches and qualifying matches, the Kings and the Oilers clashed 33 times in the last four seasons, with today’s match by making 34.

In the end, the Kings know what awaits them.

It is an opportunity.

It doesn’t matter who the oilers will dress, the Kings will pass a severe test. Edmonton is certainly in digital disadvantage today, without a doubt. In fact really a great opportunity for the Kings, but taking this game with something less than its best, despite whom does not play, it would be a mistake. The one they do not seem determined to do.

“We are two points ahead of Edmonton at the moment and it will be a battle until the end, it’s a good team,” added Quinton Byfield. “Both points will be massive in the section. It will be a really competitive match, a eliminatory match.”

3 to watch –
– Although I guess we don’t know it for sure, it would be difficult to imagine that kings are moving away from Darcy Kuemper in Net this evening. After all, if it was him, he feels good enough to play every match remaining.

“It’s not mine, but I would play them all if I could,” said Kuemper laughing. “I feel good.”

Kuemper between this evening match on a section that no one else in the history of the Kings has never been. In fact, only Jonathan Quick was in a game in Kings history. During his last 12 departures, Kuemper granted two goals or less during the 12 years. It has been more than a month since the 5-1 defeat in Chicago, when Kuemper was in net for four of the goals against. What a race it is.

But it’s not just a race, however, isn’t it?

After having recorded victories on Winnipeg and Utah, Kuemper ranks second in the NHL on average of goals and third as a safeguard percentage among goalkeepers with at least 40 games played. It ranks fourth in the goals saved above average and considers that Kuemper plays for a superior defensive team in the NHL, which means that this number is certainly not swollen by a porous defense. What we see at the moment of Kuemper is exceptional and it happens almost every evening.

For a team that was released last season with no goalkeeper under contract and a lot of uncertainty in this position, there are very few now. Everyone knows what to expect when Kuemper is in a net. And he is a solid goalkeeper. With another big test here today against the oilers, the Kings will need Kuemper to be who it has been all season.

“I felt good all year round, it was a great year and it was very fun,” he added. “I just want to keep having fun and good things happen.”

– If you are going to have a big match, it is certainly pleasant to play at home. Especially if you are the Kings of Los Angeles.

The Kings, if you remember, are the best NHL team at home. I don’t know if you heard.

28-4-4 this season at Crypto.com Arena and obviously, there is a lot of confidence when the team plays in Los Angeles.

Kuemper called this a “belief” by playing in this building. He said that it was not something that players were talking about, it’s just something they feel in a game. Adrian Kempe simply referred to a “confidence” at home. They don’t just think they will win, they feel like they win. It is an important distinction. He called this a different feeling compared to past seasons.

In the above quote, Jim Hiller spoke to the support of the fans he expects from the team today. It was something he has referred all the season when he was asked about the home record. Kings are a team that thrives on energy, which plays with a ton of energy. Maybe it plays a role? Players may be inclined to agree.

“I grew up by going to Kings’ matches, so I’m partial, but I think we have the best fans in the league, so it’s huge when our fans are our buzz,” said striker Trevor Moore. “Perhaps we do not score all the goals in the world, but they are still there behind us. It is huge.”

I will need it to be huge today, given the issues. With a big game in the tap, it is certainly pleasant that this game came to Los Angeles.

– Finally, sharing this interview with Podcast Ray and Dregs, while Hiller joined the program with Ray Ferraro and Darren Dreger.

A little light listening when you prepare for what should be a fun game to come in a few hours!

Kings and Oilers. Big one for sure. Puck falls at 1 p.m. Pacific in Los Angeles!