Opening night has finally arrived with the Kings set to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday at Staples Center.
While this is the first game of 82 – not 56 as in last year’s pandemic-shortened campaign – the Kings are an organization seeking a shift in culture, attitude and reputation. They want to establish a firm direction as quickly as possible.
“We have a tough matchup right off the bat against Vegas, and we’ve got to get a win there and get ourselves feeling good about where the team is going and with each other,” alternate captain and defenseman Drew Doughty said.
At 31, Doughty is the youngest member of the old guard, which also features fellow two-time Stanley Cup champions Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick. Despite the overall youth movement in the organization and the acquisition of two veterans in their late 20s, Doughty said he didn’t see the role of that quartet transforming significantly this season or in the near future.
“I don’t see it changing too much, maybe just putting that foot on the gas pedal a little bit more now that we have a team that can compete for a playoff spot, in my mind. It makes it exciting for us and we’re looking forward to driving the bus,” Doughty said.
Making their Kings debut will be winger Viktor Arvidsson, who was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators; Phillip Danault, the defensive-minded center brought in from the Montreal Canadiens to stabilize the Kings in the middle; and defenseman Alex Edler, a former divisional foe who had been a mainstay for the Vancouver Canucks.
Doughty was among those who praised those newcomers, as well as another who will make his NHL debut Thursday, winger Vladimir Tkachev, whom the Kings signed out of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
“He’s able to make plays in tight spaces, he’s able to slow the game down and speed it up when he needs to, and that’s what we’re looking for,” said Doughty, who also praised Tkachev’s vision and hockey sense.
Winger Arthur Kaliyev, who played one game last season, will be in the lineup, adding another dynamic offensive player and potential power-play contributor to the Kings’ mix. After some initial optimism, it appears that the lower-body injury sustained Saturday by forward Lias Andersson will preclude him from competing in the opener.
In goal, Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick will likely split the first two games of the season – against Vegas on Thursday and the visiting Minnesota Wild on Saturday – though Coach Todd McLellan did not commit to an opening-night starter in Wednesday’s session with reporters. Petersen signed a three-year, $15 million extension in the offseason.
“I’ve slowly established myself a little bit, but I still have a lot to prove for me,” Petersen said. “I’m comfortable and confident in that regard, that I know I can play at this level and be successful, but I’m extremely hungry to prove myself even more and show what I believe, in my eyes, I can do.”
Vegas opened its schedule Tuesday, defeating the expansion Seattle Kraken 4-3 in the franchise’s first game. Max Pacioretty had two goals and an assist and his running mate Mark Stone contributed three helpers.
Pacific Division favorite Vegas, which fell two wins shy of its second Stanley Cup Final appearance in four campaigns last season, retooled significantly over the summer.
Marc-Andre Fleury, the team’s first selection in the 2017 expansion draft and last year’s Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goalie, was sent to Chicago in a controversial salary dump.
Robin Lehner now becomes their No. 1 netminder, while the salary cap space savings helped facilitate the additions of free-agent goalie Laurent Brossoit and trade acquisition Evgenii Dadonov, who scored 81 goals across three campaigns with the Florida Panthers before spending last season with Ottawa.
Vegas also acquired former No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick in exchange for Cody Glass in a swap of young forwards, and re-signed former Kings defenseman Alec Martinez to a three-year contract extension.
Vegas at Kings
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Staples Center
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/IHeartRadio