Kings aim to extend road winning streak against Devils in Newark
The Los Angeles Kings face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, with forward Quinton Byfield listed as day-to-day and goaltender Jake Allen expected to start for New Jersey.
Los Angeles continues its five-game road trip with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Saturday afternoon. The Kings have not held a morning skate, leaving the starting goaltender undecided; Darcy Kuemper holds a 1-6-4 record against New Jersey with a .917 save percentage, while Anton Forsberg is 3-4-1 with a .899 save percentage. Forward Quinton Byfield remains a day-to-day after an upper-body injury that forced him out of recent games, and the team announced he will not play tonight.
New Jersey, sitting at 6-4-0 to start the season, is expected to start Jake Allen in goal following a trade that sent forward Dawson Mercer and goaltender Nico Daws to Winnipeg. Allen has a 7-8-1 career record against Los Angeles and a .922 save percentage.
Artemi Panarin leads the Kings with 48 points in 38 games against New Jersey, and his line with Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe has been productive, accounting for the majority of the team's recent goals. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson has drawn attention for his offensive zone time, with the Kings holding a shot-attempt advantage when he is on the ice.
Both clubs will look to bolster secondary scoring; the Kings have struggled to generate goals beyond their top line, while the Devils possess depth with multiple players contributing four or more points this season. The outcome could determine whether the Kings secure a winning road trip with two games remaining.