Arizona Coyotes vs LA Kings: previews, predictions, live stream info

Don’t worry- let’s go into this game stronger as a team, and as a community.

Arizona Coyotes vs Los Angeles Kings

The Arizona Coyotes had one of the roughest season openers across the league, falling to the Winnipeg Jets 6-2. Mike Smith posted one of his poorest SV% to date, and the team was ultimately unable to come back from a disastrous first period in time to make up for a three-goal deficit established in those first twenty minutes.

Luckily for the Coyotes, the LA Kings also had a disastrous season opener, falling to the San Jose Sharks 4-0 in a shutout at home just hours after raising the Stanley Cup banner. Netminder Jonathan Quick looked lazy and sluggish, and the team’s most reliable players looked rusty and disjointed on the ice.

Both teams will be thirsty for a win, but the Coyotes have home-ice advantage. This rivalry should heat up within seconds- welcome to the 2014-2015 season.

Date: Saturday, October 11th
Start Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Glendale, AZ (home game, part deux)
Arena: Gila River Arena
TV Info: Fox Sports AZ (yep, this is a home-broadcast game)
Live Stream: GameCenter NHL
Ticket Information: check out our schedules tab for direct links to ticket purchases. 

Keys to Victory

The Arizona Coyotes were just a hair away from making the playoffs last season- and in contrast, the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. This game will be more than just a rivalry match- it will be a case of the defending champs trying to live up to their name vs the underdogs trying to prove their worth.

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Puck Prose

In order for the Coyotes to meet with success, though, they need to step it up considerably. Oliver Ekman-Larsson looked sloppy in the season opener, and that can’t be repeated. Keith Yandle needs to improve his puck possession, and the team as a whole needs to work on placing someone near the net to capitalize on puck rebounds. If Quick is as messy as he was in the Kings’ home opener, catching him off guard could make all the difference in the world.

The one strength for the Coyotes in the past game was their faceoff percentage, but the team has to maintain possession of the puck once they’ve won it. Anze Kopitar and Sam Gagner were both terrible in the face-off circle during the two teams’ first games, but any improvements made by these two key players will make little difference if the teams are unable to make moves off of strong play openings. Overall, the Coyotes and the Kings both have an equal shot of winning- it will come down to which team is able to find their rhythm for the season first.

Keep your eye on:

• Oliver Ekman-Larsson is coming off an extremely weak first game. Look for him to improve
• Mike Smith openly admitted that he didn’t play his best in the season opener, but is known for cracking under pressure. Expect to see him either step up his game, or be relieved as Devan Dubnyk makes his season debut.
• Sam Gagner wants to find a home in the desert- expect to see him step up his play, hopefully in the faceoff circle as well as during plays on the ice.
• Shane Doan, Connor Murphy, Martin Hanzal, and Mikkel Boedker all had stellar games in the season opener- hopefully they can continue this trend, and bring their team up through their leadership and confidence.