Kings are 2-0 this preseason. Forsberg shines in his LA debut.

Kings are 2-0 this preseason. Forsberg shines in his LA debut.

Two preseason games, two wins for the LA Kings. We had a few Kings making their LA debuts. More importantly, who looked good, who helped their chances of making the roster, and maybe who didn’t. We’ll discuss that and more on this edition of Locked On LA King. You are Locked on Kings. Your daily podcast on the Los Angeles Kings, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hey Kings fans, welcome to Locked on LA Kings, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks for making Locked on LA Kings your first listen every day. We are free and available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. I’m Eddie Garcia, your host of Locked on LA Kings. I’ve worked in sports media for the past 30 years. Also one of the co-hosts of Locked on NHL Game Night. Once the regular season gets going, it is your nightly recap of the night in the NHL. Also a passionate LA Kings fan for over 30 years. So, the Kings were back in action after their 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in their preseason opener Ontario on Sunday. Preseason game number two was Tuesday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. And the Kings are now 2-0 this preseason after another 3-1 win, this time in Sin City. Again, the final score in the grand scheme of things, not that important, but look, you always want to win if you can. Uh, usually when you win, it means you’ve played better than the other team. Usually it means that your players are better than their players. So, some individual performances to look at. But as far as the overall game in this one, uh, Kings new goalie, Anton Forsberg, is going to be the number two goalie behind Darcy Keer this year. We got our first look at him and uh not bad. Not bad at all. 32 saves, 33 shots on goal. Uh we’ll talk about our number one star, our three stars of the game coming up. He’ll certainly be in that group. As far as the goal scorers go, you got a goal from Taylor Ward. Jeff Meot, who continues to impress, gets the game winner, and Trevor Moore iced it with an empty net goal. So again, big picture as far as the game goes. Uh first and foremost, everyone came out healthy for the LA Kings as far as we know. Uh that wasn’t the case for the Vegas Golden Knights. They lost one of their top forwards in Pavlodorf who uh got hurt, didn’t come back. So in these preseason games, that’s always the first thing you kind of look at. Everybody come out okay. Looks so for the LA Kings. Um but as far as this performance team-wise for the Kings, I’d give LA a B. um mostly due to the players the Kings had in this game and the players that the Golden Knights had in this game. We’ll get more into that in a minute and we’ll certainly talk a lot more about the individual performances for the Kings coming up. But we do have some game stats to share and that’s not always the case for these preseason games. Uh sometimes the stats are available, sometimes they’re not. So, they were available so I figured why not go ahead and share them. Uh again, Kings get the 3-1 win. Shots on goal were in favor of Vegas 33 to28. Uh power plays. Vegas had four of them. They did not score a power play goal. The Kings had two. Also no power play goals. Faceoffs favored the Golden Knights. They won 54.9% of the faceoffs to the Kings 45.1%. Hits favored the Kings 22 to 17. Block shots favored LA 17-1. But want to check the lineup now for this game to give you an idea of who was in this game, who we’re keeping an eye on, and obviously then get into the performances. But the Kings would have five forwards in the lineup that played in the previous game on Sunday. Alex Turkot, who was the number one star in that game over the Ducks with a goal and an assist. Also, Jeff Meot and Liam Greenree, Andre Lee, and Samuel Helenius, all back in the lineup for a second straight preseason game. There were seven other forwards playing in their first preseason games of the year. Philip Deno, Trevor Moore, Warren Fogle. They were all on a line together as they will be for the LA Kings during the regular season. They were the top line in this game, third line for the Kings during the regular season. You had Taylor Ward who was on a line with a couple of roster bubble players in Helenius and Lee. and the third or there were three players, Franchesco Penelli, Jared Wright, and Cole Gutman playing on the fourth line. And all those guys will be in Ontario with the rain this season. On defense, we got our first look in game action at two new Kings defenseman for this season. Veteran defenseman Brian Dumlan and Cody Cece. They played together on the top pairing. Three defenseman who played in game one also saw action in game two. Jacob Overrar, Kyle Burroughs to roster bubble defenseman and junior level blue liner and King’s first round pick from this season, Henry Bustavich also back in the lineup for a second straight game. We also got our first look at the NHL level uh in action of Krill Croissonoff Crosenoff. Uh someday I’ll get that name right. Uh I’m trying though. And he’ll be with the Ontario Ram this season. And in that we mentioned Anton Forsberg as well getting his first start for the Kings. Looked solid in the win. Phoenix CPPley was the backup for the second straight game. Now as for Vegas, they put out a pretty good lineup in this game against the Kings. Both their top goalenders. Aiden Hill their number one. Akira Schmid their number two. Both played in this game. So the Kings faced the two best possible goalies that Vegas could throw out there. Golden Knights played their full second and third lines in this game that they’ll have during the regular season. So, on paper, the Vegas lineup was better than the LA lineup. Uh, Golden Knights in this game did have their moments, especially early on, especially on the power play as well. There were some quality scoring chances. They didn’t capitalize in some cases. Didn’t even get the shots off. Um, and they looked a little rusty. It looked like it was the first preseason game of the year for the Vegas Golden Knights, but the Kings were very scrappy in this game. Worked hard, got the job done, didn’t have a lot of style points, but in the end turned out to be the better team on the scoreboard. Did want to look at several individuals from this game for the LA Kings. And we’ll mention it again, goalie Anton Forsber. Uh, he leads the way in this win. Now, was it an A+ game for him? No. Uh there were again some Vegas missed opportunities, especially on the power play, but Forsberg stopped all but one of the shots he saw. He did his job as the number two goalie. An effort like this more often than not will be what we’re looking for, and that’s to at least keep the Kings in the game. He wasn’t spectacular, but he was efficient and ultimately solid job in the Kings debut of new backup goalie Anton Forsber. Jeff Malot continues to look like he’s going to be in the King’s starting lineup on opening night in place of the injured Cory Perry. He just keeps doing what he’s been asked to do. And I mentioned it earlier, scored the game-winning goal in this one. Put a nice pass um in close after his initial shot was saved. He put in the rebound. Uh he’s playing like a player that wants to be in the NHL. He’s playing like a player that sees an opportunity and he’s going to make the most of it. And I think you can make a case he’s maybe already locked up that spot on opening night with two solid performances uh to start the preseason. I don’t know how many games he’s going to play in this preseason, but again, he’s doing his job and then some. And I think maybe because he is an older guy, because he’s a veteran player, he knows he can’t let this opportunity pass him by. He has to make the most and seize this opportunity that has opened up for him and he’s doing it. So far, he’s absolutely doing it. So, there is another King player who’s younger who may should take notes from what Jeff Meot is doing. We’ll talk about that a little bit later. Alex Turkot, another solid game for him. followed up his one goal and one assist effort in the win over the Ducks with a primary assist on the game-winning goal in this one. Didn’t have as many opportunities in this game as he did the last game, but when he had a chance to make a play, he made it with a key pass. Uh Turkot has done nothing but improve his chances that he will be the Kings fourthline center to start the season. Had a great game against Anaheim, had a good game against Vegas. So, Alex Turkot off to a very good start as he’s trying to lock down that center position on the fourth line. And also playing on that same line with Malot and Turkot was this year’s or say last year’s first round draft pick. Liam Greenree probably he and Carter Hart the two or Carter Hart Carter George uh the two biggest prospects in the Kings system. Uh, Green Tree had two secondary assists in this game, including starting off the nice passing play to on the game-winning goal. So, a good game for Liam Greenree. I don’t know though, as it stands right now, if he has done enough because he’s competing with Jeff Mulot, who’s going to replace Cory Perry on the left side on the fourth line on opening night. Uh, I I think Green Tree, as I’ve mentioned, he had to have a really big camp, and I think he had to have some really significant playoff games to get a shot at that spot to stay in the NHL for a few games, uh, and then go back to his junior team. So far, if that if that’s the competition, and it looks like it is, Malot has the edge over Liam Greenree. Now, you could say in the grand scheme of things, Jeff Balot’s just a guy he’s not going to be part of the King’s future. Liam Greenree is. Let’s get him those reps. let’s give him that taste of the NHL. Uh, but I think it’s pretty clear the the coaching staff of the Kings have have said based on what Jeff Malot did when he replaced Tanner Jano last year, based on him being in the lineup, where he’s played and how he’s played this preseason, I think it’s uh Jeff Meot definitely has the edge right now to play on that fourth line in place of Corey Perry. And Liam Greenree is doing okay, but I don’t know that it’s quite enough to get that opportunity over the way Jeff Malot has been playing. So, Malot is seizing his opportunity. There’s another Young Kings player who really isn’t. We’ll discuss that and more next on Lock in LA Kings, your team every day. 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The difference is again perhaps Helenius who’s still just 22 is not playing with the urgency that a guy like Jeff Malot is. Malot obviously is an older player. Uh this is a golden opportunity for him to get to play some NHL level hockey. Maybe Helenius doesn’t have that sense of urgency that he’s a young guy that eventually he’ll get his chance. I think it’s the wrong way to go about it. You never know how things are going to go. you have to seize the opportunity when it’s there, but um just I don’t see Helenius playing with the urgency that a player that is fighting for a spot on the opening night roster needs to be playing with. Now, he’s not been terrible, but he also hasn’t really looked like he’s trying to win a job. There was one play I thought really illustrated this point. um he was on the forche and he had a chance to put a really big hit on a Vegas player into the boards and instead it was more of a courtesy bump and look if you want to make the opening night roster of an NHL team you have to do things that make you stand out and you have to do things that get the coach’s attention make them make a difficult decision by you playing hard right now I don’t think it’s a difficult decision for the LA Kings so you know hitting is something that is about effort effort. It’s about attitude. Um sometimes, look, the puck just doesn’t go your way. Um you know, maybe the goalie makes a great save on you, but but hitting and doing that kind of thing, especially if you’re a big strong guy like Sammy Helenius, that’s something that’s within your control. And uh I just I just would need to see more from Sammy Helenius to make me think that he would he would have a shot of being on the opening night roster. I’m not seeing it so far. Again, I don’t think he’s been terrible, but again, when you’re trying to win a roster spot, when you’re trying to impress the coaches, uh he he just isn’t playing with that urgency that I’ve seen so far. I did want to take a look at the defense and we got our first look at New Kings Blueliners, Brian Dumlin and Cody Cece. Um my first impression was they were okay. Um certainly five on five they were adequate. Um certainly didn’t see any major breakdowns or misplays. what you would expect from a couple of veteran defensemen. Neither of them was overly physical and as expected, neither of them was really looking to skate the puck out of their own end. Um, Dumlan did have a nice primary assist on the Kings first goal. Um, I thought he was certainly the better of the two and they were both fine. Um, again, nothing spectacular, but did their job. I think the only minor concern to me was that both Dumlain and Cece were on the Kings number one penalty kill in this game. Uh, and while the PK didn’t give up a power play goal, Vegas’s power play did have some great A chances. So, there’s some things they’ll need to clean up on the PK. I know Ken Holland talked a lot about Cody CC and the benefits of getting him and that he’s a penalty killer. And yes, they’re new players and this is just one preseason game and new system they’re trying to learn, all that kind of stuff, but um you know, certainly give them a little more time on that. Um overall, I thought they were both fine, but I thought on the penalty kill, not quite as good as maybe it needs to be. I thought the the Kings dodged a couple of bullets there when they were killing off those Vegas power plays. Uh, as far as a battle for that extra defensive spot on the roster if the Kings decide to just take one defenseman, you’ve got Jacob, you’ve got Kyle Burroughs, both playing in this game, both playing in their second straight preseason game. I thought Moar was more noticeable in this one. I thought he actually had a few shots on goal, which you don’t see a lot from Jacob Molar. He’s not an offensive minded player. I like it when he when he wants to shoot the puck. Um, and he did it a couple of times in this game. Maybe that’s why it caught my attention cuz he doesn’t do it very often. Um, I would say after the first two preseason games, if this is a battle for who is going to be the extra defenseman on the roster on opening night, I think Jacob Overar continues to have the edge over Kyle Burroughs. So, I I do I think the Kings are only going to keep one defenseman. We’ll see. But if that’s the case, I think Jacobar has the edge over Kyle Burroughs. Uh I was a little disappointed that I did not see more from the Kings top line in this game. Uh and that was Philip Deno, Trevor Moore, and Warren Fogle. Um Deno really wasn’t very noticeable. Um wasn’t great in the faceoff circle. Very surprising. Warren Fogle was maybe only slightly more noticeable and that’s very rare with Warren Fogle. He always seems to kind of stand out with that effort that he gives. um you know, maybe this line was matched up against, you know, the Vegas top line and there’s just more talent on that Vegas top line and so that’s why they were a bit on their heels a bit a bit defending more and didn’t really get anything going offensively at all. Of the three, Trevor Moore was the only player who was a bit noticeable. Um he did have a nice steel and uh had a short-handed scoring attempt. Um but that was short-handed. It wasn’t five on five, so killing penalties. Um, and of course, Trevor Moore did have the empty net goal to seal it, but all in all, I would have expected a little bit more from that trio of players. Uh, so a little bit disappointed from them, a little bit. Uh, not disappointed in Kings first round pick this season, defenseman Henry Bustavvich. Um, while we know he is not going to make the Kings roster this season, he’s getting some really valuable experience and he looks the part of an NHL player. Now, the Kings only had two power plays against Vegas in this game, but it was Boo Davich who was running the top power play unit on the Kings power play and he looked pretty comfortable doing it. Uh, let loose a couple of shots from the point. He was very respectable defensively. He’s still got a long way to go, but I I like what I’ve seen so far in these two preseason games from the Kings first round pick, defenseman Henry Bavich. He he looks like, yes, he’s a guy who’s going to need more experience. He’s going to need more seasoning and all that for sure. Um, but he’s not a deer in the headlights. It It’s not too much for him. He looks like he’s comfortable. Like I said, there is a learning curve. He’s got a lot to learn, but just kind of first impression, you can see, you could see this guy has got the instincts. Um, he’s got the talent. He just needs to get the experience, but I think he can be a pretty solid NHL level defenseman. All right, so we got our first look at a couple of Kings prospects who are just getting their feet wet in pro hockey as well. We’ll talk about them next here on Lockdown LA Kings, your team every day. Ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it’s easy to lose track. That’s where Monarch Money comes in. Your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn’t just a budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts, investments, and spending in one place. So, you stop just managing your money and you start building wealth. Instead of juggling multiple apps, you can use Monarch to check your finances, track spending, and even plan long-term goals. Managing your money with your partner is smoother than ever. You can track shared and personal accounts, set goals, and stay on the same page without the stress. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use the code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com. You’ll get 50% off your first year. That’s monarchoney.com, code locked on NHL for half off your first year. All right, we are looking back at Tuesday’s 3-1 win by the LA Kings over the Vegas Golden Knights in preseason game number two. Two of seven preseason games for the LA Kings. And we got to see a few of the younger Kings prospects for the first time in the preseason. Uh forward Jared Wright played on the fourth line. Uh but he’s a guy who you you really saw it in the in the rookie face off. Um he’s got high-end speed. Um and one play in particular in this game uh he he went in very hard on the forche and while he didn’t force a turnover, he forced the defenseman to give the puck up when he didn’t want to. He passed it off and then it was his teammate that turned it over and that led to a scoring chance. So uh Wright makes the play that ends up making the play that ends up getting a scoring chance. So that’s those little things like that though can add up and can turn into big opportunities for your team. So he’s got a lot of good speed. I don’t know if he kills penalties or not. He certainly didn’t do it in this game. Um but he if he can work on the penalty kill with that speed and quickness he could get some I could see him being a guy who could get a lot of short-handed chances. Not sure if that’s part of his game at this point but maybe it will be. But Jared Wright, the speed of him uh is very noticeable. Uh defenseman Krill Croissanov uh played on the second pairing. Um not too noticeable in this game, but as I always say, not being noticed as a defenseman isn’t the worst thing in the world. That means he didn’t get beat for any scoring chances. He also didn’t have any glaring mistakes or bad turnovers. Another guy who has a long way to go and just getting his feet wet in North America for the first time. But, uh, I think he’s getting some valuable experience as well in this preseason, and I look forward to kind of seeing him develop and how he turns into, uh, possibly a future NHL player. Taylor Ward is not a young upand cominging prospect. He’s an AHL guy. Uh, probably that’s all he’s going to be, but he did have the Kings first goal in this one, and it was a really nice wrist shot that beat a number one goalie in the NHL, a pretty good one in Aiden Hill. top corner of the net, glove side. Beautiful shot by uh Taylor Ward. And if you remember, Ward had that late season call up. Thought he scored his first NHL goal and a gorgeous move to the net and then it was waved off on an offsides challenge. So, um Taylor Ward has got some skills. He’s got he’s got a nice shot. He’s got some moves. Um so, yeah. Yeah, looking forward to seeing him with the Ontario R this year. And who knows, maybe he gets another shot with the Kings. doubtful, but uh that was a nice shot from him uh in this game. And you can always say I scored a goal on a pretty good NHL goalie even though it was in a preseason game. Uh we are going to do our three stars. We did not do that in the first game after the win over the Ducks, but we’re going to do it this time. And I always enjoy doing this because it means the Kings win. We don’t do it when they lose. Uh the number three star, I’m going to go with Liam Greenree for his two assists game. Uh Jeff Malot with the game-winning goal gets the number two star. And our number one star is goalender Anton Forsberg for his 32 save performance in the win over the Vegas Golden Knights. And uh we saw a quote from him on LA Kingsider.com uh about his night. He said, quote, “I had fun out there. Super fun, great game. I thought we fought hard. Guys were battling. It was fun to get to know the system a little bit. It’s a little bit different from what I’ve played before, but I had fun out there and this is a great feeling.” end quote. That was New Kings goender Anton Forsberg who gets the win against the Vegas Golden Knights with a uh nice debut performance for him. All right, for you every day, those you listen to and watch Lockdown on the Kings every day, Kings are right back in action on Wednesday in Anaheim to face the Ducks for the second time this preseason. Now, I had said that the game on Tuesday was going to be on the NHL network. I thought it was also streaming on the Kings website. Unfortunately, that was not the case. So, I’m sure um there was a lot of you that maybe didn’t see that game. I’m almost certain that this game, Kings Ducks in Anaheim, will be streamed on the LA Kings website. Of course, we will have all the recap for you if you can’t watch the game coming up on our next show. And of course, at the end of the week, we always have our Friday feedback Friday fan feedback show. uh if you want to chime in with any of your thoughts on how the Kings are playing so far in the preseason, any players that have stood out to you um positively or negatively, whatever’s on your mind or anything else involving the Kings, uh the email address is locked ongmail.com eddie. You’re always welcome to post your thoughts if you’re watching on YouTube in the comment section. We’d love for you to stay connected with the show on social media, X, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok. We’re locked on LA Kings. And uh if you’re interested in some LA Kings extra content, we actually had a watch party live chat going on during the Kings Golden Knights game. If you want to be a part of those things going forward, send me an email. LA [email protected]. We will get you that information. I’m Eddie Garcia. Thank you for listening and watching. Locked on LA Kings, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. Have a great rest of your day. We’ll talk to you next time. And as always, go Kings. Go.

Two preseason games, two wins for the LA Kings. We had a few Kings making the LA debuts. More importantly, who looked good? Who helped their chances of making the roster and who maybe didn’t. We discuss that and more on this edition of Locked on LA Kings.

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