12/10 Preview – Malott in, Armia to PP1 + Forsberg in net, Fiala’s Playmaking Impact, Kopitar’s NHL 32

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings look to conclude their two-game roadtrip with four of four points, as they visit the Seattle Kraken off a 4-2 win over Utah on Monday evening.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Forwards Adrian Kempe (3-1-4) and Kevin Fiala (0-4-4) led the Kings with four points apiece against Seattle last season. Fiala ranks third in NHL history with 16 assists against the Kraken, including 11 from his 11 games played as a member of the Kings. Kempe has six career goals versus Seattle, tied with forward Trevor Moore for the most goals in franchise history in this matchup.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings returned to the ice this morning at Climate Pledge Arena for a full-team morning skate, in advance of tonight’s game in Seattle.

Goaltender Anton Forsberg was off the ice first this morning and appears set to make his first start of the month tonight against Seattle. Forsberg has a lifetime record of 3-1-0 against Seattle, with a.929 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average.

Here’s how the Kings lined up during today’s morning skate –

Laferriere – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Armia
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Malott – Turcotte – Perry

Anderson – Doughty
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci

Kuemper
Forsberg

Look for the Kings to make one change in tonight’s lineup. Forward Jeff Malott is set to check into the lineup, in place of forward Andrei Kuzmenko. More on that below. Should the Kings need any additional changes, forward Samuel Helenius and defenseman Jacob Moverare are options to check into the lineup.

KRAKEN VITALS: Seattle enters tonight’s game on a six-game losing streak, including the first two games of its current three-game homestand.

Per the Joe Pohoryles of The Herald, here’s how the Kraken lined up last time out against Minnesota –

#Kraken Warmup Lines

McCann-Beniers-Eberle
Marchment-Stephenson-Tolvanen
Nyman-Wright-Kakko
Kartye-Gaudreau-Winterton

Dunn-Larsson
Lindgren-Montour
Evans-Mahura

Grubauer

— Joe Pohoryles (@Joe_Poho) December 9, 2025

Seattle captain Jordan Eberle has scored at just over a point-per-game clip against the Kings as a member of the Kraken, as he’s collected 13 points (4-9-13) from 12 head-to-head matchups. Eberle has been a member of the Kraken since their inception and ranks second in franchise history with 76 goals.

Storyline Of The Day – The Fiala Factor
I probably couldn’t write it any better than Adrian Kempe said it.

Adrian Kempe on Fiala –

“He’s pretty much unstoppable when he gets hot and when he gets into these types of games where he’s feeling it. We’ve seen it before. When he gets hot, he’s one of the best players out there. It’s fun to watch.” https://t.co/RrxXe4xZWV

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 9, 2025

When Kevin Fiala is feeling it the way that he was last time out against Seattle, he’s one of the most dynamic players in the NHL. You could just see it early that Fiala was on his game.

His first assist came on a terrific goal from Kempe, one of two plays he set Kempe up skating through the neutral zone with speed. Kempe’s goal was one of the prettiest of the season for the Kings, but Fiala’s speed and puck movement set it up to tee up Kempe to do what he does. His second assist was the one that really stood out, as he made a three-line stretch pass to spring Joel Armia in transition. Wouldn’t have counted 25 years ago. Now, it’s a beauty.

“It’s great, he’s so skilled, reads the play well, so it’s just been nice to play with those two guys,” Armia said. “I just try to give him the puck and let him do his thing. He’s so creative on the ice, so it’s nice to see.”

I played it on the postgame but I wanna keep looking at it cus the Fiala pass was INSANELY good. pic.twitter.com/GJR9gxKvuZ

— Jesse CohenAll The Kings Men (@KingsMenPodcast) December 9, 2025

Sometimes, you just need your best players to be your best players. The Kings haven’t gotten the offensive production they’ve needed from several areas of their lineup. Fiala is on pace for 60 points, which is what he produced last season, but he’s got 80-point upside, even in the defensive-first Kings system. On Monday, the Kings got that from Fiala and Kempe for sure.

Against Seattle, and moving forward, those are the players the Kings need to be able to rely on.

The Kraken, like the Kings, are a lower-scoring team. No team in the NHL has scored fewer goals per/60 than Seattle, at 2.48. The Kings rank a few spots higher at 2.72. Only San Jose is averaging fewer shots on goal per/60 than the Kraken. So, when you have two, lower-scoring teams like this, every goal becomes that much more important. It’s players like Fiala and Kempe, who thrived in Utah, who are capable of changing games, who can do just that tonight. The Kings are confident in their defensive structure, but understand that offense can come along with that, not in spite of it.

“The more you score and don’t give up anything, it’s better for everyone,” defenseman Mikey Anderson added this morning. “Guys have been able to finish well, make some good plays, a couple last game were on some really nice plays. Bottom line, we want to defend hard, but be able to try and score a little bit more than we have been. It’s nice to see it going right now.”

10 goals in two games. Certainly don’t mind it. See if the Kings can keep that going tonight against the Kraken.

3 To Watch For –
– One lineup change tonight for the Kings, as forward Jeff Malott checks in, replacing Andrei Kuzmenko.

“He’s going in for Kuzy and that line, we’ve broken them up for different reasons, but maybe not a good reason, they’ve been very good for us,” Hiller said of the change. “Let’s get Malott back in there, forechecking with Turc.”

Kuzmenko’s penalty against Utah saw the Mammoth score a power-play goal and had a couple of decisions that saw him not play the final period in Utah, including an avoidable icing. Malott is a different option, bringing a very different game, and a more traditional fourth line with Alex Turcotte and Corey Perry, a line that has been very cohesive together. Seems like every time they play together, they play well together. A united approach as a line that always seems to make themselves noticeable in a positive way. Looking forward to getting that traditional fourth-line presence in Seattle and seeing what they can do when they go to work.

– Kuzmenko coming out also has an effect on the power play.

The Kings opted for a move that’s perhaps a little bit outside of the box, moving Joel Armia to the top unit in Kuzmenko’s spot, while keeping the second unit together. Would’ve thought maybe we’d see Corey Perry there, bringing his netfront presence, especially with Drew Doughty’s shot threat from the point in place. However, as Hiller I think correctly pointed out, Armia has played well in just about every situation he’s been involved in, and he’s deserving of an opportunity to do more. He’ll get that tonight in Seattle.

“Army’s been good everywhere, he’s showed us a lot of poise and he’s obviously been able to score, he’s made good plays with the puck, so we feel like he’s just earned this chance to get up there and see what he can do at that goal line.”

For his side of it, Armia had a short checklist of what he’s looking to do in that role.

– Netfront
– Puck Recovery
– Make Plays

His ability to win pucks back will be very important in a lower position, but he’s showcased enough skill to be a facilitator as well, more than just a bulldog on getting the puck back off plays by others.

For a Kings power play that has obviously struggled, hard to really poke holes in any idea to get it going. Armia has probably been one of the two or three best forwards on the Kings this season in my opinion. Give him a look and see what he can bring, while keeping the second unit together, which I think has been pretty effective in limited minutes.

– Lastly, a little stick tap to Anze Kopitar for completing the NHL 32 on Monday in Utah.

Kopitar has now scored against all 31 NHL clubs besides the Kings, with the Mammoth completing the list. Kopitar also scored against the Arizona Coyotes, making it 32 teams in total. Looking specifically at road cities, Utah was one of two that Kopitar had not scored in. That list is now just one, with Toronto the only city Kopitar will not have a goal in throughout his legendary career.

Kings and Kraken, 7 PM puck drop tonight in Seattle! See if the Kings can keep it going here tonight on the road before a short return home.