The Carolina Hurricanes are a victory on Saturday away from completing a perfect California trip and ensuring no worse than a .500 record on this road trip. All they have to do is beat the Los Angeles Kings, the team with the best record at home a season ago. Even for the last undefeated team in the league, that's an unenviable task.
It took three-point nights from Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere, a multi-point effort by Sebastian Aho, and an incredible start from Frederik Andersen to lead the Canes past the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Jarvis scored career goals 100 and 101, while Alexander Nikishin notched the first of his NHL career in the 4-1 triumph to extend the winning streak to four games.
On the Other Side: Los Angeles Kings
It has been a slow start to the campaign for the Kings after eclipsing 100 points a year ago and earning home ice for the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, they ran into the Oilers and were eliminated by Edmonton for the fourth straight season. It was a disappointing end to the season, but it has only been compounded by their slow start this season.
The Kings enter Saturday's contest at 1-3-1, and it calls into question what exactly the vision of their offseason was. They let Vladislav Gavrikov walk and traded Jordan Spence, only to replace them with Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci. They also added Corey Perry for some added veteran presence, though he's yet to play after an offseason injury.
The goal for every team is to win the Stanley Cup, but there is an added incentive for the Kings with Anze Kopitar announcing that he would be retiring at the end of the season. The current captain won't be in the lineup for this game after it was announced on Friday that we would be week-to-week with a foot injury. It's just another disappointing development for a playoff hopeful.
Last season: The Kings were one of three teams to sweep the season series with the Canes in 2024-25. They started by shutting down the Canes' offense in Raleigh to the tune of a 4-2 win in early February. When the Canes visited Los Angeles in March, the Kings blitzed them for seven goals, snapping their eight-game win streak.
Kings to Watch
Quinton Byfield: The Kings have their own television star in Byfield, who also featured in an episode of Amazon's Faceoff: Inside the NHL. Byfield's build to stardom was a slow one, but he has blossomed into a reliable force in the Kings' offense. He's tied for the team lead in points (5) with Adrian Kempe and is one of three Kings with multiple goals.
Alex Laferriere: With Kopitar not in the lineup, Laferriere appears to be in line to take his spot in the lineup as the first-line center. It has been a trying start to the season for Laferriere, who is pointless in five games and tied at a team-worst -4. Playing between Kempe and Andrei Kuzmenko, he will have plenty of chances to break his goose egg.
Hurricanes to Watch
Shayne Gostisbehere: It has been an incredible start to the new season for Gostisbehere, and the numbers don't lie. He leads all defensemen in assists (6) and is tied with Cale Makar for the most points with seven. He is also a league-best +9, recording a point and finishing +2 or better in each of the team's four contests. Gostisbehere is coming off a three-point game and is on a serious tear.
Jackson Blake: Like Gostisbehere, Blake enters Saturday's game with points in each of the team's four contests, picking up his first goal in San Jose and recording a helper on the power play in Anaheim. Blake has parlayed a strong preseason into an excellent start to his season. He has earned his promotion to the top unit of the power play and is showing why the team was wise to invest in him.