Need to Know: Bruins at Kings

LOS ANGELES –– Marco Sturm took the ice for morning skate on Friday in a familiar arena.

The Boston Bruins bench boss is back in Los Angeles for the first time as an NHL head coach ahead of his team’s 10:30 p.m. ET game against the Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Sturm previously spent seven years in the LA organization.

“It’s good. A little weird on the other side. It’s always nice,” Sturm said. “It’s a great organization. Great players, great staff. I knew one day I am going to miss it. They’re just good people. I’m glad to come back here and face these guys, and be a Boston Bruin, that’s for sure.”

​Sturm was an assistant coach for the Kings from 2018 to 2022, and the head coach of the Ontario Reign, which is LA’s AHL affiliate club, from 2022 to 2025. Sturm also logged 17 games with the Kings during his playing career in the 2010-11 season.

“They taught me how to actually coach in the [NHL]. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Sturm said. “I would say that was the time I just needed to be more of a complete NHL head coach. And I had to go through those phases and go through minors. I am glad I did it, because that gave me the opportunity now to be a head coach.”

Tanner Jeannot is also making his return to LA, where he played 67 games last season before signing his five-year contract with Boston in July. The 28-year-old forward has cemented his role on the third line with Fraser Minten and Mark Kastelic, and has nine points (two goals, seven assists) through 22 games.​

“Every time that you come back to a building you used to play in, you obviously have some feelings that you really want to get this one tonight,” Jeannot said. “Just excitement for the game, getting ready with the guys. It’s going to be a fun one tonight.”​

The B’s are looking to bounce back after losing 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. The matchup with the Kings marks the second of four games on this road trip.

​“We have to be patient. They’re going to be really right defensively, and they’re going to be waiting for their opportunities to strike,” Jeannot said. “We have to be really smart with the puck, execute our plays, keep putting pucks behind them and not turning it over in the neutral zone, because they’ll strike on those. Just being sound with our systems and executing our plays and just working hard.”

Wait, There’s More

• Matěj Blümel is expected to be on the first line with Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. The 25-year-old forward was recalled from Providence this week and has played two games since. Blümel had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) through 13 games in the AHL before joining the B’s. Blümel has also slotted on the power play.
• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes and made 29 saves. Swayman has a 2.99 goals against average and a .902 save percentage through 13 games this year.
• Riley Tufte reenters the lineup for Jeffrey Viel. Tufte was recalled from Providence with Blümel and had the B’s only goal on Monday against the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-6 forward will be on the fourth line with Sean Kuraly and Mikey Eyssimont.

Opposing View

• The Kings are entering the second game of a back-to-back; they fell 4-3 in a shootout to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday. Joel Armia, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe scored in the loss, and goaltender Anton Forsberg made 21 saves.
• Kempe leads LA with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) through 21 games. The 29-year-old forward is skating on the first line with Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield. Fiala has the most goals (9) for the Kings, two of which have come on the power play.
• Brandt Clarke is skating on the first pair with Joel Edmundson. The 22-year-old defenseman was a first-round pick for the Kings in 2021 and leads all LA blueliners with nine points (two goals, seven assists) this season. Clarke is also on the first power-play unit.