4/17 Preview – One More Time! Edmundson In, Ward Recalled + Byfield Update, Game 1 Set & THANK YOU!

TODAY’S MATCHUP: 82/82! We’ve reached the final home game of the regular season, as the Kings host Calgary tonight at 6:30 PM.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings have dropped both games played against Calgary this season, a pair of low-scoring defeats in Alberta in November and January.

Forward Trevor Moore and defenseman Jacob Moverare have the Kings goals this season against Calgary, with forwards Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield each collecting one assist.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held an optional morning skate today, in advance of Game 82.

Goaltender David Rittich was off first today, look for him to get the nod in goal tonight against the Flames. Rittich has played four times against his former team, including the game in January earlier this year, when he made 16 saves on 18 shots in a narrow, 2-1 defeat.

Expecting several changes tonight, but for reference, here’s how the Kings lined up against the Kraken on Tuesday –

Tonight’s @LAKings Line Rushes –

Kuzmenko – Turcotte – Kempe
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Fiala – Laferriere – Malott
Thomas – Helenius – Lewis

Gavrikov – Spence
Moverare – Clarke
Jones – Burroughs

Rittich
Kuemper

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) April 16, 2025

As noted, should be multiple lineup changes from this group above. Detailing what we know below.

The players who sat out on Tuesday were Mikey Anderson, Quinton Byfield, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. Earlier today, defenseman Caleb Jones was assigned to the AHL, while Taylor Ward was recalled and will make his NHL debut tonight. More on the rest of the lineup below.

FLAMES VITALS: Despite a comeback, 5-4 win over Vegas on Tuesday, Calgary was eliminated from playoff contention with results elsewhere around the league.

Per Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960, here’s how the Flames lined up against the Golden Knights –

#Flames projected tonight vs. Vegas:

Huberdeau-Kadri-Klapka
Coleman-Backlund-Coronato
Sharangovich-Frost-Pospisil
Lomberg-Rooney-Farabee

Hanley-Weegar
Bahl-Andersson
Bean-Pachal

Wolf

— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 15, 2025

Calgary forward Matt Coronato leads the Flames with three points (1-2-3) against the Kings this season, while forward Jonathan Huberdeau has two goals from the two head-to-head matchups. Huberdeau has played 25 career games against the Kings and has collected 25 points, including eight with Calgary.

Storyline Of The Day – One Last Dance
Here’s what was confirmed this morning.

Forward Taylor Ward was recalled from AHL-Ontario and will make his NHL debut tonight against Calgary.

“What’s great about it is he’s earned it,” Head Coach Jim Hiller said of Ward. “He’s just made his way through, made a real impression on us this year in preseason. He went down, Sammy [Helenius] and [Andre Lee] stayed ahead of him, they got their games, he went down and he’s continued to just get better. So, it’s one of the ones that you’re so happy for a guy who’s had nothing given to him, it’s earned and here he is. We’re really excited.”

Additionally, defenseman Joel Edmundson will return to the lineup tonight against Calgary, after he missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.

“It’s been a good week, just taking care of the body and it hasn’t been too long, I’ve still been able to skate, so I feel good,” Edmundson said this morning. “I’m excited to play tonight and just get ready for Game 1.”

Edmundson added that if Game 1 was last week, he’d have been in the lineup. Yeah, he was not 100 percent, but he could’ve gone. As it turns out, though, Game 1 was not last week and Edmundson was able to get what he needed away from playing in games.

Additionally, per Jim Hiller, the Kings are “waiting on a couple of things” on other players, with forward Quinton Byfield included in that group.

Byfield skated today, which is great, with the upper-body injury. But both player and coach were unsure if that meant he’d play tonight.

“Feeling a bit better here, but about tonight’s game, I’ve got to check in with the medical staff, see how that goes and hopefully I’ll be able to get out there.”

On the play that injured Byfield, he said it’s “in the past” and he’s just “looking to move forward.”

All class on that front, because the play was certainly dirty. But he’s moving forward and looking ahead to getting back at it, whether that’s tonight or in Game 1 on Monday.

Beyond those guys, the plan for tonight is clear, right? Tune things up, get what you need and get ready for Game 1 on Monday. As far as additional changes, I’m not sure who else might come out. Hiller put Byfield in a group with multiple players who could play or sit tonight potentially, so we’ll have to wait for warmups tonight to detail things for sure.

Does the fact that the Kings won’t play Game 1 of the playoffs until Monday impact those decisions?

Normally, the gap is less than that, but this season, due to various circumstances, it’ll be three days between Game 82 and Game 1. For those who don’t play tonight, it would be five days between playing in Seattle and playing on Monday. That’s a bit of a gap but Hiller said that ultimately it did not factor in.

“We did talk about that, it’s the extra day, but in the end, it had no effect,” Hiller said.

More importantly will be sticking to the plan in place. Ultimately, one extra day in between games isn’t the worst thing in the world. It’s not as if the Kings thought they’d play Sunday and are now playing Thursday. Just the one day.

So, there are decisions to be made and players to be signed off on. Keep an eye our for warmups, as I’d expect a lineup that does look a bit different than usual, just unsure exactly in which areas.

3 To Watch For –
– The Kings have recalled forward Taylor Ward this afternoon and he is expected to make his NHL debut in tonight’s game versus the Flames.

The Kings had one non-emergency recall remaining and I was wondering if they might use it on a younger forward who has yet to make his NHL debut. That turns out to be Ward, who is at the end of his third full season of professional hockey, all spent with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Ward is a worker. He was on an effective line last season during the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs with Ontario alongside Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee. Ward isn’t quite as physically imposing as those two players but he is 6-2 and plays that style of hockey. An honest game and a working game.

Ward is an older debutant, at 27-years-old, after spending four collegiate seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, before signing with the Kings as a free agent in the spring of 2022. As noted with the quote above from Hiller, he’s a guy who has deserved everything he’s gotten. Will get the chance to play tonight and that’s pretty cool.

– Little addition from yesterday. Shared yesterday afternoon that the Kings would play Game 2 on Wednesday, April 23 and it’s now official that Game 1 will be on Monday, April 21. Both games will be played at 7 PM.

Game 1 – Monday, April 21, 7 PM Start
Game 2 – Wednesday, April 23, 7 PM Start
Game 5 – Tuesday, April 29, Start Time TBD
Game 7 – Saturday, May 3, Start Time TBD

Imagine that the Kings will be perhaps the final series to get underway of the eight. The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday with two games – Winnipeg/St. Louis and Colorado/Dallas. Imagine we will see a full slate of 3-4 games on Sunday and could even see some teams playing Game 2 on Monday before the Kings play Game 1. That’s Pacific time, baby

Either way, consider that one to be in the bank.

In terms of broadcast information, national broadcast details for Games 1 – 4 have been released. Game 1 will be shown nationally on ESPN2. Games 2 and 4 will be shown on TBS/Max, with Game 3 on TNT/Max. Local broadcast details, as well as national broadcast information for Games 5 – 7, will be released at a later date.

– Lastly, Insiders, just a thank you from me to you!

82 games is a long time, man. And there were a lot of ups and downs along the way. But what a fun regular season it was to cover and share with everyone here. Probably my favorite of the five I have been around for. I am hopeful the content and stories along the way was helpful and engaging in keeping everyone as up to date as possible with the club. This place is one of a kind in the NHL and I’m just honored to be the guy who gets to lead the way right now. But that doesn’t come with the group here, so the biggest thank you, certainly.

This is the last one, regular season style, but certainly not the last one this season. And that’s exciting as LAKI hits playoff content starting tomorrow!

Kings and Flames. One more game to conclude the regular season before the real fun begins!