Contrary to a prior report, Edmundson (upper body) will be available Monday versus the Oilers, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Edmundson missed two games due to his injury. The left-shot defenseman will slot in on the second pairing beside Brandt Clarke and most likely fill a role on the penalty kill. The Kings will still roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, but Andreas Englund will come out of the lineup as a result of Edmundson's return.
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Kings' Joel Edmundson: Won't play Monday
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Edmundson (upper body) will not be in action versus the Oilers on Monday, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.
Edmundson will be out of action for the third straight game due to his lingering upper-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the 31-year-old blueliner was stuck in a 12-game goal drought during which he registered two assists, 20 shots and 21 hits while averaging 21:02 of ice time. Without Edmundson in the lineup, Andreas Englund figures to serve in a third-pairing role.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: First off Monday
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Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider reports, indicating he will defend the road net versus Edmonton on Monday.
Kuemper made 24 saves in a 4-3 overtime victory over Edmonton on Dec. 28 to begin his four-game winning streak. He has a 12-2-5 record with two shutouts, a 2.16 GAA and a .919 save percentage through 20 appearances this season. The Oilers sit eighth in the league with 3.31 goals per game in 2024-25.
Moverare scored a goal and blocked three shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Calgary.
Calgary got a little scrambled after a couple of failed clearing attempts. The second of those mistakes ended up on Moverare's stick, and he made no mistake on his lone shot of the game, putting the Kings ahead, 1-0, at 6:19 of the first period. The defenseman has four points over his last five contests, giving him five points, 17 shots on net, 21 hits, 28 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating through 22 outings this season. He's in no immediate danger of losing his place in the lineup, but his recent scoring success is unlikely to last.
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Kings' David Rittich: Takes narrow loss Saturday
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Rittich allowed two goals on 18 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Calgary.
Rittich took his third loss in his last four starts, a span in which he's allowed 11 goals on 85 shots. The 32-year-old netminder couldn't get the better of his former team despite another strong defensive effort by the Kings. Rittich is now at 11-9-0 with a 2.52 GAA and an .887 save percentage over 21 appearances. The Kings' road trip continues in Edmonton on Monday, but Darcy Kuemper will likely be in goal for the next few games since there are no back-to-back sets on the schedule over the next week.
Edmundson (upper body) isn't expected to play Saturday versus Calgary, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Edmundson has four goals, 10 points, 60 hits and 57 blocks in 36 outings in 2024-25. It will be LA's second straight game without the 31-year-old defenseman. His next opportunity to return will come Monday in Edmonton.
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Kings' David Rittich: Facing former team Saturday
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Rittich will protect the road goal versus Calgary on Saturday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site
Rittich will face the team that gave him his NHL debut back in 2016-17. The 32-year-old went 2-2-0 with 11 goals allowed on 95 shots over four games in December. Rittich will start because Darcy Kuemper played in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Moverare notched an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Moverare has logged a helper in three of his last four games. He also saw 19:11 of ice time Friday, far and away the most he's logged in any one contest this season. He's at four helpers, 16 shots on net, 21 hits, 25 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over 21 appearances. Moverare's place in the lineup is likely to be safe until both of Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) and Drew Doughty (ankle) are cleared to play.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sets up game-winner
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Clarke notched an assist in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
The Kings dressed seven defensemen again Friday, but with Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) out, it looked like head coach Jim Hiller really only trusted five of his blueliners. Clarke is firmly in that group, as evidenced by his presence on the ice in overtime when he set up Adrian Kempe for the game-winning goal. Clarke has six helpers over his last 10 outings and is now at 22 points, 79 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 39 appearances this season.
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Kings' Anze Kopitar: Helps out in overtime
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Kopitar notched an assist and went plus-2 in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Kopitar had the secondary helper on Adrian Kempe's game-winning tally in overtime. The 37-year-old Kopitar had been held off the scoresheet in five of his previous six games, a rare quiet stretch for a player that has been the picture of consistency for much of the campaign. He's now at 12 goals, 28 helpers, 50 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a plus-19 rating through 39 outings overall. He's finished above a point-per-game pace just once in his career in 2017-18, when he had a career-high 35 goals and 92 points over 82 contests, so there's no guarantee he can continue to play at this level in the second half of 2024-25.
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Kings' Alex Turcotte: Opens scoring Friday
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Turcotte scored a goal on three shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Turcotte tallied at 4:39 of the second period, ending his seven-game goal drought. In that span, he racked up three assists. The 23-year-old continues to see even-strength minutes on the top line, but he hasn't elevated his offense to be in line with that assignment, and his ice time remains more like that of a middle-six forward. Turcotte has five goals, 11 helpers, 37 shots on net and a plus-12 rating through 34 appearances.
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Kings' Adrian Kempe: Two points in overtime win
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Kempe scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Kempe set up Alex Turcotte for the opening goal in the second period before scoring the game-winner himself 1:14 into overtime. This was Kempe's fourth straight outing with a goal, and his second in a row with the game-winner. The 28-year-old has four goals and four assists during his six-game point streak. Overall, he has 20 tallies, 19 assists, 105 shots on net, 44 hits and a plus-21 rating through 39 appearances.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Wins close game
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Kuemper stopped 18 of 19 shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
Kuemper picked up his fourth straight win, and it was a return to form for the Kings' often stingy defense. The Jets' goal was a Mark Scheifele power-play tally midway through the third period. Kuemper has allowed just five goals during his winning streak. He improved to 12-2-5 with a 2.16 GAA and a .919 save percentage over 20 starts this season. The Kings complete their back-to-back set in Calgary on Saturday, and it'll likely be David Rittich in goal against one of his former teams.
Edmundson (undisclosed) won't play Friday versus the Jets, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Edmundson is on the Kings' five-game road trip, but he is dealing with an injury and has an uncertain return timeline. That makes it unclear if he'll play in the second half of a back-to-back when the Kings visit Calgary on Saturday. Both of Kyle Burroughs and Andreas Englund are in the lineup Friday as the Kings stick with a seven-defensemen lineup.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: In goal Friday
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Kuemper will start in goal on the road versus the Jets on Friday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper hasn't played since Saturday because the Kings' game against Calgary was postponed Wednesday due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The 34-year-old Kuemper gets the first half of a back-to-back Friday, and he comes into the game on a three-game winning streak in which he has allowed just four goals. The Jets are a tough opponent, but they've won just three of their last six games while scoring 19 times in that span.
