Dawdler
Run to the Hills!!
- Aug 2, 2005
- 2,315
- 4
KINGS (28-25-4) at DUCKS (30-19-10)
Kings team scope
The Los Angeles Kings play their 10th road game in the past 13 games. They are 13-15-3 on the road, have lost four of five overall (1-4-0) and two points behind the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Goaltender Peter Budaj has started 10 straight games including a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Backup Jeff Zatkoff hasn't played since relieving Budaj against the Washington Capitals on Feb. 5 and hasn't started since Jan. 23 at the New York Islanders. ForwardTanner Pearson will try to match the longest regular-season point streak of his NHL career. Pearson has seven points (four goals, three assists) in three games. He had six points (four goals, two assists) in a four-game point streak from Oct. 18-25.
Ducks team scope
The Anaheim Ducks have fallen from eighth to 12th in the NHL in power play efficiency in the past month. The Ducks are 2-for-24 with the man advantage in their past nine games and are 3-5-1 in that span, dropping them from first in the Pacific Division to third, six points behind the San Jose Sharks following a 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday. "When you go through with rough stretches, usually what you resort back to is defensive zone coverage, special teams and your forecheck," coach Randy Carlyle said. We've [been] negligent in some areas over the road trip but in some of the games, we were very good. It gives you a little bit of a jolt when you come home and play but we didn't play to the level that was required last night." The Ducks have scored two goals in two games. "We need to start playing as a team and help each other out and, "defenseman Hampus Lindholm said. "You can't lose games the way we lost the other night."
Kings projected lineups
Anze Kopitar -- Tyler Toffoli --- Trevor Lewis
Tanner Pearson -- Jeff Carter -- Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford -- Nic Dowd -- Marian Gaborik
Dwight King -- Nick Shore -- Adrian Kempe
Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin -- Alec Martinez
Brayden McNabb -- Paul LaDue
Jeff Zatkoff
Peter Budaj
Scratched: Andy Andreoff, Kevin Gravel
Injured: Jordan Nolan (muscle pull), Matt Greene (undisclosed), Jonathan Quick (lower body)
Ducks projected lineup
Ondrej Kase -- Ryan Getzlaf -- Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie -- Rickard Rakell -- Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano -- Ryan Kesler -- Logan Shaw
Joseph Cramarossa -- Nate Thompson -- Jared Boll
Cam Fowler -- Sami Vatanen
Hampus Lindholm -- Josh Manson
Brandon Montour -- Kevin Bieksa
John Gibson
Jonathan Bernier
Scratched: Korbinian Holzer, Corey Tropp
Suspended: Antoine Vermette
Injured: Simon Despres (upper body), Clayton Stoner (lower body)
Status report
Gibson did not practice Saturday after allowing three goals on 30 shots in the loss to Florida. He is expected to start against the Kings for the third time this season. ... Cogliano will play in his 764th consecutive game, the fifth-longest streak in NHL history and the longest in nearly 23 years. Craig Ramsay is fourth on the list at 776 consecutive games.
Who's hot
Carter has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past eight games. ... Kopitar has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in his past 16 games. ... Silfverberg has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his past eight. ... Lindholm has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past four games. ... Perry has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past four games.
