Game 33 Preview: Los Angeles at Ottawa

Los Angeles Kings (21-7-4) at Ottawa Senators (13-14-6)
Saturday, December 14, 2013, 2:00 p.m. ET
Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
Referees: #8 Dave Jackson, #21 Don VanMassenhoven
Linesmen: #50 Scott Cherrey, #88 Mike Cvik
FOX Sports West, KTLK 1150 AM

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Martin Jones
2013-14 Season:4 GP (4 GS) / 4-0-0 record / 0.74 GAA / .974 Sv% / 2
Career vs Ottawa: First appearance
Last Game vs Ottawa: First appearance
2013-14, Away: 3 (3) / 3-0-0 / 0.98 / .969 / 1
-The Kings do not name starting goaltenders, and because there won’t be a morning skate on the front end of a back-to-back, projecting today’s starter is tricky. I’m going with the hot hand.

Ottawa Projected Starting Goaltender – Craig Anderson
2013-14 Season: 21 GP (21 GS) / 9-8-3 record / 3.28 GAA / .900 Sv% / 1 SHO
Career vs Los Angeles: 12 (11) / 1-6-4 / 3.64 / .868 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 10/9/13 / 60 MP / 28-32 shots / 3-4 OTL
2013-14, Home: 12 (12) / 4-6-1 / 3.35 / .892 / 0

2013-14 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (9-18=27), Mike Richards (6-21=27)
Goals: Justin Williams (11-11=22)
Assists: Mike Richards (6-21=27)
Plus/Minus: Anze Kopitar (+13; 9-18=27)
Penalty Minutes: Daniel Carcillo (55; 1-1=2)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (25:51; 6-10=16)

2013-14 Ottawa Leaders
Total Points: Bobby Ryan (15-15=30)
Goals: Bobby Ryan (15-15=30)
Assists: Erik Karlsson (8-21=29)
Plus/Minus: Clarke MacArthur (+12; 11-14=25)
Penalty Minutes: Chris Neil (88; 4-1=5)
Time On Ice: Erik Karlsson (27:44; 8-21=29)

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – 17 / 2.59; OTT – 9 / 2.82
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 1 / 1.91; OTT – t-25 / 3.06
Power Play: LAK – t-20 / 16.4%; OTT – 13 / 18.8%
Penalty Kill: LAK – 7 / 85.8%; OTT – 24 / 79.0%
Shots/Game: LAK – t-9 / 31.1; OTT – 3 / 33.2
Shots Against/Game: LAK – 4 / 26.6; OTT – t-27 / 34.4
Faceoffs: LAK – 1 / 54.5%; OTT – t-4 / 52.5%
Save Percentage: LAK – 3 / .928; OTT – t-17 / .911

Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League

Los Angeles Projected Lines

Dwight King – Anze Kopitar – Jeff Carter
Dustin Brown – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Tyler Toffoli
Daniel Carcillo – Linden Vey – Jordan Nolan

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr – Slava Voynov
Willie Mitchell – Alec Martinez

Martin Jones
Ben Scrivens

Level of confidence in projected lines: B. Though the defensive pairings shifted throughout practice yesterday, the above alignment depicts the team’s initial line rushes. Trevor Lewis (still on IR) and Matt Frattin skated as a “fifth line” during those rushes, while Colin Fraser has been ruled out of tonight’s game with what is believed to be a concussion. Though Matt Greene has been activated, it does not appear as though he will draw back into the lineup with the Kings carrying a five-game winning streak into this afternoon’s game. The toughest question surrounds who will start in goal. Jones has won the last four games of this winning streak and is coming off back-to-back off-days, though Scrivens could draw into today’s game on the virtue of his 2.01 GAA and .934 save percentage in three career games against Ottawa. Bank on the team alternating goaltenders for today’s game and Sunday’s game in Chicago.

Notes and milestones: The Kings are 17-7-2 all-time against the Senators and have compiled a 5-6-1 road record in Ottawa. Los Angeles has won four of the last six meetings at Canadian Tire Centre, though their last visit here, a 3-2 loss on November 22, 2010, was marred by a potential Ryan Smyth game-tying goal controversially being waved off with three seconds remaining in regulation after it was deemed the former Kings forward deflected the puck in the net with a high stick. Tonight’s game concludes the season series. … The Kings’ 46 points (21-7-4) after 32 games is the most in club history. Their 24 points (11-3-2) after 16 road games is the most in club history. … The Kings have not allowed a first period goal in 17 consecutive games, the longest streak in the NHL since at least 1989-90, when the statistic started being kept. … The Kings have points in 16 of their last 17 games, going 12-1-4. … Excluding shootout goals, the Kings have allowed two goals or less in 17 straight games, a team record. … Excluding the shootout goal in their win over Anaheim on December 3, the Kings have outscored opponents 17-5 in their five-game winning streak. … The Kings have scored two power play goals in their last 37 opportunities. Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty scored goals on consecutive power play opportunities in the wins over Montreal and Toronto. … The Kings have killed off 59 of the last 64 penalties, dating back to November 7, and 52 of the last 56 penalties, dating back to November 14. … Martin Jones has allowed one goal in the last 202:46, having stopped 93-of-94 shots. … Mike Richards has seven points (0-7=7) in the last five games, 19 points (4-15=19) in the last 19 games and 22 points (6-16=22) in the last 23 games. … Tyler Toffoli has six points (4-2=6) in the last five games. … Jarret Stoll has five points (1-4=5) in the last five games. … Kyle Clifford has three points (1-2=3) in the last two games and … Including playoffs, the Kings are 33-8-5 in the last 46 games Alec Martinez has played. … Dustin Brown is one point shy of 400 career points (187-212=399).

Ottawa Projected Lines

Clarke MacArthur – Jason Spezza – Erik Condra
Cory Conacher – Kyle Turris – Bobby Ryan
Milan Michalek – Zack Smith – Mika Zibanejad
Colin Greening – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Chris Neil

Erik Karlsson – Joe Corvo
Chris Phillips – Cody Ceci
Patrick Wiercioch – Eric Gryba

Craig Anderson
Robin Lehner

Notes and milestones: Lines via Graeme Nichols of the Ottawa Citizen. … Defenseman Jared Cowen will serve the second game of a two-game suspension for a hit to the head of Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons in a game in Buffalo on Tuesday. No penalty was called on the play. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound Cowen has three goals, six points and a plus-3 rating while averaging 18:56 of ice time. … The Senators are fully healthy and have lost only 15 man-games to injury this season. By contrast, the Kings have lost 62 man-games to injury. … Though their road power play ranks third in the league with a 25.0% success rate, Ottawa’s home power play has scored eight goals on 62 opportunities (12.9%), ranking 26th in the league. … After leading the NHL with an 88.0% penalty kill last season, the Senators’ penalty kill in 2013-14 ranks 24th with a 79.0% success rate. … Cody Ceci, selected 15th overall in 2011, logged 20:40 in his NHL debut in a 2-1 win over Buffalo on Thursday. In his first full season of professional hockey, Ceci led AHL-Binghamton defensemen in points with 17 (2-15=17) at the time of his recall. … Ottawa is 7-0-3 when Bobby Ryan generates at least two points and 6-14-3 when he does not. … Joe Corvo, a fourth round pick by Los Angeles in 1997, recorded 77 points (27-50=77) in 203 games with the Kings from 2002-06.

Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League

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