Though the Kings returned home from another densely packed road trip, there will be little rest for the weary as they welcome the star-laden New York Rangers on Tuesday.
The Kings have played the most games of any team in the NHL to date. They’ve also competed in as many away matches as the Arizona Coyotes, who had to start their season with a six-game swing and are in the midst of a journey that will span more than a month due to myriad scheduling conflicts at their temporary Tempe home.
That type of hectic calendar –– the Kings have played 21 games in 40 days overall, including three road back-to-backs, each as part of stretches with three games in four nights –– has meant limited practice time and less-than-ideal rest.
“Maybe, but that’s nothing we think about. Every single team in this league, they go through stretches with a lot of games. Being tired is never an excuse in this league,” said veteran defenseman Alex Edler, who has recorded an assist in four of his past five appearances.
“Whether it’s a back-to-back, or you’ve played a lot of games lately, you’ve got to come out and battle and execute your system. The good teams win, even if they play back-to-back or have a lot of games.”
Edler was reunited with former partner Matt Roy in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, which trails the Kings by a point in the standings but has a superior points percentage and goal differential. Coach Todd McLellan was pleased with the pair’s calmness and physical presence.
Edler’s ascent in the lineup was due to Sean Durzi’s lower-body injury, though Durzi could return as soon as Tuesday. Defenseman Jacob Moverare, who was inserted into the mix Saturday, was loaned to the Ontario Reign Sunday along with forwards Rasmus Kupari and Lias Andersson, though those were likely paper transactions.
The Kings also dropped the front end of their consecutive-game set in the Pacific Northwest, stumbling against the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-1 loss Friday. Edler assisted on the lone goal in that game, scored by sparkplug center Blake Lizotte. Lizotte’s five goals put him on pace to blow past his career high of 10, in addition to the broader contributions he has provided.
“When you have a player like that, that gives you every last ounce of everything he has, when he makes mistakes they’re much more livable than maybe the players that don’t quite get to that level. That’s why his teammates love him,” McLellan said.
Lizotte has most recently centered a line with Kevin Fiala and Arthur Kaliyev, giving the Kings three lines with scoring punch. There have been few games where all three trios have clicked, and Saturday both the Kings’ tallies came from second liners.
They’ll need offensive equilibrium against the Rangers, who lug in tow two anchors on the back end along with some hefty pieces of hardware.
Last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin has been brilliant again thus far. In his 14 starts, the Rangers have nine wins and have earned points in 12 of those games. His backup, Jaroslav Halak, is winless in five decisions but seems more likely to start against the Ducks Wednesday as the Rangers conclude a two-night sweep through Southern California.
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Defenseman Adam Fox, who won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, trails only the resurgent Erik Karlsson in terms of scoring by a defenseman this season. They are among the half dozen blue-liners averaging more than a point per game in 2022-23.
Winger and 2020 Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin, predictably, leads the Rangers in points as well as assists. Center Mika Zibanejad tops the team in goals and sits tied with Fox for second in points on the club.
New York Rangers at Kings
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/IHeartRadio