The Kings earned a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at home in early preseason action, giving fans a taste of what’s to come for the regular season.
While the result won’t count in the wins column, it’s still a valuable performance by the Kings as they prepare for the 2025-26 regular season in just a few weeks.
Now, here are three takeaways below that Kings’ fans should be excited about what they saw tonight and should expect to see more of in the regular season.
1. Kings Depth Makes Its Case
Preseason is very important because it gives a chance for the younger players and other players who are looking to crack the roster and depth chart. We saw Alex Turcotte
played a great game, finishing with 1 goal, 2 points, and one assist.
The 19-year-old goaltender Carter George also officially played his first game in a Kings uniform and didn’t disappoint, leading the Kings to a win in his first NHL career start, finishing the game with a .963 save percentage for the day.
Several other players also stepped up, including Alex Laferriere and Andre Lee, both finishing with a goal and combining for seven goals attempted. Again, the game doesn’t seem important, but it definitely is, and the coaching staff will have something to think about to decide who makes the final roster spot.
2. Defense Continues to Hold Up
As mentioned before, the Kings were great in the game defensively, especially first-year goaltender Carter George, anchoring the defense and holding the Ducks to just one goal on the night.
This was a team that was No. 1 in defense by lowest expected goals against, and today they showed the league how versatile they could be again.
Granted, it was just one preseason game, but this is still a good sign, especially considering the losses of Corey Perry to injury and David Rittich and Vladislav Gavrikov to the Rangers and Islanders, respectively.
It gave us a chance to see the Kings’ depth step up, and it was very exciting to see the younger players demonstrate they have what it takes to play big.
3. Goaltending Remains Consistent
The Kings can’t just rely on Darcy Kuemper this season, who is among the best goaltenders in the league, but he is 35 years old and will need some help in the backup role.
Whether that backup is George, Pheonix Coply, or Anton Forsberg, it will be interesting to see who competes and wins that spot to be the primary backup for Kuemper.
Again, it was one preseason game for George and his first-ever start in the NHL, and the regular season is a whole other level, so we have to wait and see what happens there.
But for now, give credit to George for being ready and prepared for his first-ever career start and delivering in a great win.
Looking Ahead
Preseason won’t define everything in a season, but the Kings’ 3-1 win over the Ducks showed their prepared for anything, and it was very encouraging for Kings fans to be happy about.
With its young players playing for something to prove, goaltending staying steady, and the defense continuing to remain strong, LA is positioning itself to start the 2025-26 season on a high note.
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