Before the Kings shift their focus to the playoffs and the Ducks turn their attention toward June’s draft, the rivals will meet in this season’s final Freeway Faceoff on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.
For the Ducks, it’ll be the second game of a back-to-back set after hosting the playoff-bubble-straddling Calgary Flames on Wednesday. For the Kings, it’ll be an opportunity to get back on track after a rare home loss in regulation against the Seattle Kraken snapped their four-game win streak and obfuscated their chances of winning the Pacific Division.
The season series has been highly competitive, with the Ducks taking the last meeting in a shootout, the Kings winning a one-goal game in regulation and, before that, another 4-1 match that reached that disparity thanks to two empty-netters.
“They can skate, and we can skate. They’ve got a little bit more depth than we do with their scoring,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “They’re a terrific team, the balance they have, the scoring that’s spread across three lines kind of reminds me of Dallas a little bit. It’s a rivalry game and we’ve all gotta fight for space.”
Per Hockey Royalty’s Russell Morgan, Alex Turcotte (upper-body) was a full participant in practice Wednesday. He last played March 23. Drew Doughty (lower-body) and Joel Edmundson (upper-body) were both absent from practice after missing the Seattle game, as was Adrian Kempe, who left the match early (personal).
Though they didn’t score much against Seattle, the one goal the Kings did net was spectacular, with Quinton Byfield outworking Shane Wright to get a highly improbable one-handed deflection that allowed him to nudge in his own rebound.
At the other end of the ice, Darcy Kuemper made perhaps the most stunning stick save of the season, robbing Jaden Schwartz on a point-blank bid destined for daylight.
Kuemper tied his single-season high with five shutouts already this season and he’s on track to post the best goals-against average and save percentage of his career. If he can extend his string of 13 games with two or fewer goals allowed to 16, he’ll tie Miikka Kiprusoff’s expansion-era record.
The Kings’ goaltending pipeline also flowed, with Carter George arriving to the Inland Empire to join the Kings’ top minor-league affiliate. Hampton Slukynsky was gearing up for his big game Thursday: the collegiate national semifinal between Western Michigan and defending champion Denver.
“The kid is almost make-believe as far as the quality of young man that he is,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler told The Athletic about Slukynsky.
The Ducks had won four of six prior to their previous meeting with Calgary, a loss, and rebounded from a dreadful two-game road trip with a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
In that game, Cutter Gauthier deposited two goals, the second of which went straight to his highlight reel after he incinerated Evan Bouchard, zoomed in on net and went forehand to backhand for a top-shelf, go-ahead goal.
Cronin recently discussed Gauthier’s maturation over the course of his first pro season in terms of on-ice awareness, and Gauthier said he also learned that the longer, more rigorous NHL campaign came with adjustments in habits, too.
“It’s just a lot of wear and tear on your body, and being responsible for yourself and your body, whether that’s a lot more cold tubs, seeing the trainers and stuff,” Gauthier said. “Your body’s taking a beating over the course of 82 games, if you don’t stay on top of those little things, they’ll linger all season long.”
The Ducks have another top-five pick in the pipeline, Beckett Sennecke, whose Oshawa Generals were set to begin their Robertson Cup playoff series against the Brantford Bulldogs on Thursday.
Sennecke, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, had 18 more points in seven fewer games than last year during the Ontario Hockey League’s regular season. In a recent OHL coaches’ poll, Sennecke was ranked in the top three among players who were most dangerous near the net and who had the best shots in the league.
The Ducks’ other first-round selection last summer, the aggressive Norwegian Stian Solberg, wrapped up his season in snowy Sweden and made the trek to sunny San Diego to join the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate. While he’s known for his defensive prowess and mean streak, he’s produced four points in eight games for the Gulls.
DUCKS AT KINGS
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV: ESPN+, Hulu, Disney+
