{"id":379933,"date":"2025-11-15T04:41:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T04:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/379933\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T04:41:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T04:41:13","slug":"practice-11-14-rest-day-for-kuemper-foegele-talks-lineup-return-hiller-on-kuzmenko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/379933\/","title":{"rendered":"Practice 11\/14 – “Rest” Day For Kuemper, Foegele Talks Lineup Return, Hiller on Kuzmenko"},"content":{"rendered":"

Final practice day of the trip, Insiders.<\/p>\n

The Kings hit the ice at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ontario for around 30 minutes today, in advance of tomorrow\u2019s matchup with the Ottawa Senators. They bring with them a perfect 3-0-0 record on this trip thus far, which has bolstered an 8-1-2 road record this season, as the Kings lead the NHL with 18 points away from home.<\/p>\n

The focus from today\u2019s skate was pretty simple.<\/p>\n

The Kings arrived late last night from Toronto, getting into the hotel close to 2 AM. The majority of the skate looked more like getting the legs going, puck touches, flow drills. At this point in the trip, that was important. There was also a competitive element, pitting forwards and defensemen in 2-on-1 situations, designed to add a bit of that competition into the mix. Wasn\u2019t just a flush the legs day, there was some intent behind it and a couple of things worked on to hopefully set the stage for tomorrow against the Senators. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the Kings aligned during today\u2019s practice \u2013<\/p>\n

Armia \u2013 Kopitar \u2013 Kempe
Fiala \u2013 Byfield \u2013 Laferriere
Foegele \u2013 Danault \u2013 Moore
Malott \u2013 Turcotte \u2013 Perry
Kuzmenko \u2013 Helenius<\/p>\n

Anderson \u2013 Doughty
Edmundson \u2013 Clarke
Dumoulin \u2013 Ceci
Moverare<\/p>\n

Forsberg<\/p>\n

Goaltender Darcy Kuemper did not practice today, in what Jim Hiller confirmed was just a maintenance day. Kuemper has started and played well in all three games on the trip thus far and he\u2019s in a run with seven or eight played in total. No injury concerns, just a deserved day off the ice for 35. Anton Forsberg was the lone NHL goaltender on the ice, along with a local EBUG on the Ottawa side. <\/p>\n

\n

No Darcy Kuemper on the ice today for the @LAKings<\/a>. Just a rest day, no concern. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sure played a lot, good chance to give him a break\u201d, per Jim Hiller. <\/p>\n

DK has started 7 of last 8 games, including all 3 on this trip. Good choice to give him the day.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) November 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Forward Andrei Kuzmenko was the extra forward in gray, while Samuel Helenius was the extra forward in white. In time, Kuzmenko will get another opportunity. For now, Jim Hiller and the staff are looking at it as a reset opportunity for him. He might not play tomorrow, but he\u2019ll get back in, hopefully with a fresh slate. Here\u2019s what Hiller had to say today about Kuzmenko \u2013 <\/p>\n

\u201cKuzy was such an important addition for our team last year and brought us so much, both 5-on-5 and on the power play and this year it probably hasn\u2019t gone as well with him as he had hoped or we had expected,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a lack of effort and it\u2019s not like he hasn\u2019t played well, but you take Malott out and we figured we lost a little there, so if we want to put Malott back in, then who\u2019s got to come out? We have a lot of veteran guys now, so that makes it a difficult choice. He\u2019ll be back in. I can\u2019t tell you exactly when, but I expect him to be a big part of our team before it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiller was asked about the conversations he\u2019s had with Kuzmenko and chose to keep the details of those conversations private. As you\u2019d hope he would. About a specific on-ice conversation they had at yesterday\u2019s morning skate in Toronto, Hiller did share that he really values that Kuzmenko\u2019s \u201cheart is in the right place\u201d. He called him a team guy and that as a coach, Hiller is always open to having those conversations for the player to \u201cexplain where his position is\u201d, which is something that I believe players respect about Hiller. <\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019d have been surprised if the Kings did make a change today. <\/p>\n

The fourth line was outstanding in Toronto, one of their best games of the season. In 7:37 together at 5-on-5, the Malott\/Turcotte\/Perry line had 16 shot attempts for, compared to just two against. 7-0 in scoring chances, 5-0 in high-danger chances. With two minutes left in regulation, 3-3 game, there was that line on the ice, in search of the game winner. While I do want to see Kuzmenko get back in, I\u2019d be really hard pressed to split that line up right now after that performance in Toronto. Jeff Malott came back in and played a really effective game, with Hiller adding that that line with Malott has been when it\u2019s played at its best. So, he\u2019s earned the chance to go again.<\/p>\n

On the skaters who were in the regular rushes, it\u2019s nice to see Foegele back in that group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last game was his best by far, and it wasn\u2019t just the goal,\u201d Hiller said of Foegele. \u201cI think he was a little more physically engaged. Warren\u2019s got to move his feet, one, and he\u2019s got to use his body, he\u2019s got a big body and we had some good clips of him, in on the forecheck, finishing some checks, pressuring their defensemen and making it a little bit harder for them to break out. He hadn\u2019t been doing that, so it\u2019s nice to see him back on his game again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foegele was such a good story for last season\u2019s Kings team, as he led the group in 5-on-5 goals.\/ From a production standpoint, he got off to a slower start, with just one goal from 10 games before missing five with an upper-body injury. Since he\u2019s come back, he\u2019s been quite good. <\/p>\n

Foegele scored the empty netter in Montreal, to seal that game and perhaps get things going for himself. He followed that up with the first Kings goal against Toronto last night. As he\u2019s played more and more, he\u2019s started to look more like himself again, with last night\u2019s game in Toronto a pretty vintage game for himself and for his line. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m trying to get better each day and I\u2019ve felt like each game, I\u2019ve kind of taken that step and I felt like last game was probably the best game out of the three for me,\u201d Foegele said. \u201cIt\u2019s never fun sitting out, but the good thing is, you get your legs working really hard when you\u2019re not playing in those games, so my legs have felt pretty good. Just try to keep trending in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Markham, Ontario native was on the ice for 15 shot attempts for, compared to just five against. Shots on goal were 6-1, including his goal off the rush, and the Kings didn\u2019t allow a high-danger chance with him on the ice. Something that tends to happen when you spend most of the night in the offensive zone, despite being on for more defensive-zone faceoffs than any other line. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s an important line for the Kings, depth wise, and seeing them back at or towards that level has been nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought yesterday was a good game for us,\u201d Foegele said of his line. \u201cEven in Montreal, in that third period, I thought we were tenacious and hard on pucks. I think the more we do that, the more we stick to our identity as a line. We know we\u2019re at our best when we\u2019re playing fast and not passive, so for us as a line, we\u2019ve got to continue to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n