Bruins vs. Kings: Swayman Starts as Zacha Sits in Los Angeles

Boston has an opportunity to extend its road-trip momentum against a Los Angeles team still searching for its first win. The Boston Bruins enter Saturday at 6-2-0 after winning their first two games on this four-game trip. The Los Angeles Kings are 0-3-2, with puck drop set for just after 9:00 p.m. ET.

The matchup also brings immediate lineup questions for Boston. Jeremy Swayman is confirmed to start, while Pavel Zacha will miss the game with an upper-body injury. Fraser Minten moves to first-line center and Matt Poitras takes the second-line center spot. Nikita Zadorov is a healthy scratch, a coach’s decision.

Boston’s lineup changes and Swayman’s start

Coach Marco Sturm confirmed the changes after the Bruins skipped their Saturday morning skate. He said Zadorov’s discipline on the ice needs to improve, while describing the defenseman as a strong player, a leader and a competitor. Sturm expects him to respond to the decision and return stronger.

Swayman gets the net after serving as backup Friday. His listed record is 5-1-0, with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. Those numbers give Boston a steady starting point as it tries to keep its trip perfect through three games. The Kings’ confirmed starter is Anton Forsberg, whose listed line is 0-0-1, a 2.94 goals-against average and an .853 save percentage.

Minten’s promotion gives him the first-line center assignment between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak. Poitras is slated between Marat Khusnutdinov and JJ Peterka. The other projected forward combinations are Casey Mittelstadt with Elias Lindholm and James Hagens, plus Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic.

On defense, the expected pairs are Hampus Lindholm with Charlie McAvoy, Jonathan Aspirot with Will Borgen, and Frederic Brunet with Mason Lohrei. The projected Bruins lineup was reported by Adam Pellerin of NESN.

Los Angeles looks to turn around its start

The Kings have yet to win in their first five games under new head coach Peter Laviolette. Their recent scoring has been a particular concern: Los Angeles has managed three goals across its last three games. Boston’s penalty kill will face a unit that has converted 15.8 percent of its power plays, ranked 23rd in the figures provided.

The larger special-teams gap sits on the other side. The Kings have killed 11 of 19 penalties, a 57.9 percent rate that ranks 32nd. Boston’s power play is at 27.3 percent, fifth in the league, while its penalty kill is at 80.0 percent, ranked 17th. That makes discipline and special-teams execution a clear part of the matchup: Los Angeles needs to limit Boston’s chances, while the Bruins can test a penalty kill that has struggled early.

Boston won both meetings with Los Angeles last season, including a 2-1 overtime decision at Crypto.com Arena. Jeannot also faces a former team. He spent a year with the Kings and now wears an “A” for Boston. Sturm said earlier in October that Los Angeles had made clear it missed Jeannot’s contributions in certain areas.

Sturm knows the Kings’ organization well from his time there. He spent seven years working with Los Angeles, including as head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign from 2022 to 2025 and as a Kings assistant from 2018 to 2022. Six players in Los Angeles’ expected lineup played for him in Ontario, and four others played for the Kings during his time as an assistant. That familiarity gives him a close view of several players he helped coach, though the game will turn on what the current lineups produce.

Projected Kings lineup and game details

Los Angeles is expected to start up front with Artemi Panarin, Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe. The next three combinations are Trevor Moore, Quinton Byfield and Erik Haula; Joel Armia, Scott Laughton and Jared Wright; and Andre Lee, Samuel Helenius and Corey Perry.

The projected defensive pairs are Brandt Clarke with Erik Gustafsson, Joel Edmundson with Drew Doughty, and Mikey Anderson with Brian Dumoulin. The Kings’ lineup was reported by Alexander Legget of Mayors Manor. Forsberg’s start was confirmed by Zach Dooley of the Los Angeles Kings.

Saturday’s game is listed for 9:00 p.m. on NESN, with radio coverage on 98.5 The Sports Hub. The teams meet again Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Boston at 7:00 p.m. After Los Angeles, Boston’s listed schedule continues Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Dallas at 8:00 p.m., followed by Nashville at home Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:00 p.m. For now, the immediate test is whether the Bruins can take advantage of the Kings’ early penalty-kill trouble and leave Los Angeles with a third straight road win.