LOS ANGELES — On the first game of their annual West Coast road trip, the Detroit Red Wings will battle the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Puck drop is set for 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT on Bally Sports Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).
Over the next six days, the Red Wings (7-4-3; 17 points) will face the Kings (9-6-1; 19 points), Anaheim Ducks (4-9-1; 9 points) and San Jose Sharks (3-9-3; 9 points) before finishing their four-game road trek at the Columbus Blue Jackets (4-9-0; 8 points) on Nov. 19. Detroit will not play at home again until Nov. 23 in its annual Thanksgiving Eve contest at Little Caesars Arena.
Looking to bounce back after Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the visiting New York Rangers, Detroit enters Saturday’s matchup focused on playing “exact to be successful.”
“We’ve shown when we’re at the top of our game, we can play with anyone,” head coach Derek Lalonde said. “You take it off just a little bit, against deep skill, and it just looks like that.”
Video: Meijer Postgame Comments | NYR vs. DET | 11/10/22
Through 14 games this season, the Red Wings are 5-2-2 inside Little Caesars Arena, and 2-2-1 on the road.
“We have to be ready for L.A.,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “That’s a tough place to play, but we gotta come out with a gusty effort similar to how we responded after the Buffalo game.”
Los Angeles boasts a 5-3-0 record at Crypto.com Arena, and improved to 3-0-0 on its current four-game homestand after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1, in overtime on Thursday.
Gabriel Vilardi (10-5-15) is tied with Kevin Fiala (4-11-15) for the team lead in points, while Anze Kopitar has three points in the last three games. Earning the bulk of the starts in net this season, Jonathan Quick has a 6-4-1 record with a 2.83 goals-against and a .904 save percentage.
Olli Maatta, who had eight points in 66 games with the Kings last season, returns to Los Angeles for the first time since signing a one-year deal with Detroit on July 14.
Saturday’s game is the second and final meeting this season between the two clubs. The Kings edged the Red Wings, 5-4, in overtime at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 17.