The Los Angeles Kings will open their season tonight by playing host to the San Jose Sharks at a sold-out Staples Center, beginning their quest to rebound from their first non-playoff season since the 2008-2009 campaign.
The Kings finished fourth in the seven-team Pacific Division last season with a 40-27-15 record for 95 points, two points behind the Calgary Flames in the race for the division’s final playoff berth.
Since the end of last season, there have been several high-tech improvements to Staples Center and changes to the Kings roster and to rules governing overtime and a coach’s challenge.
The printed Royal Reign game program has been replaced by the custom microsite, LA Kings Edition, which focus on upcoming games and opponents and provide player profiles. It will be accessible via both web and mobile devices.
Fans will be able to order a selection of merchandise from Staples Center Team LA store via the LA Kings App and have it delivered to their seats.
The new PictureMe app in LA Interactive next to the Figueroa Bar on Staples Center’s main concourse allows fans to take photos with digital doubles of Kings players. The app projects a digital image of the selected player adjacent to the fan. The photos can be easily shared on Twitter and Facebook.
The Kings have begun a partnership with the robotic imaging technology company Fanpics, allowing fans to enter their seat location into the Fanpics app, during or after the game, to instantly access and share photos. The score, time and description of the play is added to each image.
Tonight’s game marks the opening of the DraftKings Fantasy Sports Bar and Lounge, located near the Star Plaza Entrance. Fans will be able to follow the game and other events on more than 35 Toshiba smart televisions, six Toshiba Virtuoso Screens, 15 Microsoft Surface Tablets and four iMacs.
During the off-season, three players left the Kings through free agency and defenseman Robyn Regehr retired. The team’s key acquisition was left wing Milan Lucic, a three-time 20-goal scorer, obtained in a June 26 trade with the Boston Bruins.
On the eve of the start of training camp, defenseman Slava Voynov cut ties with the team and announced plans to return to Russia after serving jail time for spousal abuse and being detained by federal immigration authorities
Rule changes include reducing overtime to three skaters per team, which is expected to have fewer games be decided by shootouts, and allowing teams to request a coach’s challenge to review situations where an off-side play may have led to a goal or in which the goaltender may have been interfered with.
Tonight’s game will be the 132nd consecutive home regular-season sellout and team-record 162nd consecutive sellout at Staples Center, including playoff games.
The Kings expect to sell out all 41 regular-season games at Staples Center, a team official said, continuing a sellout streak that began on Dec. 3, 2011.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 7 p.m. for pregame festivities. A Fan Fest will be held in the LA LIVE Plaza from 4:30-7 p.m. Former Kings Rogie Vachon, Sean O’Donnell, Nelson Emerson, Jaroslav Modry, Darryl Evans and Mike Donnelly and broadcasters Bob Miller and Nick Nickerson will appear in the Toyota booth from 6-6:30 p.m.
