The final game of the Vancouver Canucks' California road trip should prove to be their toughest test.
The Canucks fended off a pesky San Jose Sharks team, then crushed the Anaheim Ducks, but the Los Angeles Kings are in a completely different tier from those two teams. The Kings are a contender for a playoff spot in the Pacific, if not first in the division.
Even without Drew Doughty, the Kings have gone 8-3-3 to start the season and are sitting second in the Pacific. They're a puck possession powerhouse, with a 60.5% expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 that is behind only the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL.
More importantly, they're not the same team that played the dreadfully boring — but painfully effective — 1-3-1 trap like last season. They're more aggressive on the forecheck, as they look to force their opponents into making mistakes, instead of patiently waiting for them to make mistakes. As a result, they're scoring more, but it also means they might be more vulnerable to quick counter-attacks, if the Canucks can break out effectively against the Kings' forecheck.
The Canucks, meanwhile, have a lot to prove. They've shown that they can beat the basement-dwellers of the NHL; now they have to show they can beat top teams too.
Vancouver Canucks projected lines
According to Rick Tocchet, there won't be any lineup changes for the Canucks after their dominant win over the Ducks, which makes sense.
Here are the projected lines:
A lot of attention will be on Brock Boeser, who has 17 goals in 20 games against the Kings. Boeser currently has 6 goals and 11 points in 11 games this season, on pace for 45 goals.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will once again be Kevin Lankinen in his ninth start of the season. He currently leads the NHL in GAA and has a sparkling .923 save percentage.
Los Angeles Kings projected lines
The Kings are getting scoring from multiple lines this season, with their leading goalscorer, Alex Laferriere, expected to start on the third line against the Canucks. That makes them tough to match up against, making the Canucks' third line of Danton Heinen, Teddy Blueger, and Kiefer Sherwood potentially very important in this game.
Here are the Kings' projected lines.
Andre Lee - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Warren Foegele - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Tanner Jeannot - Trevor Lewis - Akil Thomas
Mikey Anderson - Vladislav Gavrikov
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence
Darcy Kuemper
David Rittich
Anze Kopitar leads the Kings in points this season with 15 in 14 games, while Laferriere is on fire with 8 goals. Three other Kings have 12 points this season, including rookie defenceman Brandt Clarke, who has stepped up in a big way in the absence of Drew Doughty.
In fact, Clarke might be the most dangerous King on the ice at any given time, all due respect to Kopitar, Laferriere, Adrian Kempe, and Kevin Fiala. His skill and hockey IQ make him an excellent playmaker and he knows when to jump up in the rush and activate in the offensive zone. Keeping track of him on the ice will be a priority.
The Kings' starting goaltender will be Darcy Kuemper and if the Kings have any weakness, it's in net. Kuemper has an .899 save percentage this season, which is better than David Rittich's .884 but still isn't particularly good.
Still, the Kings have earned a point in all seven of Kuemper's starts with a 4-0-3 record, just like Lankinen has earned a point for the Canucks in each of his eight starts. With that track record, perhaps this game is destined to go to overtime, with each team earning at least a point.
