Game 82 Preview: Los Angeles vs Winnipeg

Los Angeles Kings (48-28-5) vs Winnipeg Jets (34-39-8)
Saturday, April 9, 2016, 7:00 p.m. PT
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Referees: #16 Brian Pochmara, #37 Kyle Rehman
Linesmen: #55 Shane Heyer, #57 Jay Sharrers
Prime Ticket, KABC 790 AM, I Heart Radio

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick
2015-16: 67 GP (67 GS) / 40-23-4 record / 2.21 GAA / .918 Sv% / 5 SHO
Career vs Winnipeg: 10 (10) / 4-4-1 / 3.17 / .881 / 0
Last Game vs Winnipeg: 3/24/16 / 60 MP / 20-23 shots / 1-4 L
2015-16, Home: 38 (38) / 24-12-2 / 2.21 / .911 / 2

Winnipeg Projected Starting Goaltender – Michael Hutchinson
2015-16: 30 GP (25 GS) / 9-15-3 record / 2.84 GAA / .907 Sv% / 0 SHO
Career vs Los Angeles: 3 (3) / 2-1-0 / 3.67 / .855 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 3/1/15 / 60 MP / 18-20 shots / 5-2 W
2015-16, Away: 21 (19) / 6-12-1 / 2.92 / .904 / 0

2015-16 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (25-48=73)
Goals: Tyler Toffoli (30-27=57)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (25-48=73)
Plus/Minus: Anze Kopitar (+35; 25-48=73), Tyler Toffoli (+35; 30-27=57)
Penalty Minutes: Brayden McNabb (92; 2-11=13)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (28:01; 14-37=51)
Corsi-For Percentage: Nick Shore (61.2%; 3-7=10)

2015-16 Winnipeg Leaders
Total Points: Blake Wheeler (25-51=76)
Goals: Mark Scheifele (29-31=60)
Assists: Blake Wheeler (25-51=76)
Plus/Minus: Mark Scheifele (+16; 29-31=60)
Penalty Minutes: Dustin Byfuglien (119; 19-34=53)
Time On Ice: Dustin Byfuglien (25:09; 19-34=53)
Corsi-For Percentage: Matthieu Perreault (57.1%; 9-32=41)*
*Not expected to play tonight; next highest is Paul Postma (55.2%; 2-0=2).

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – 14 / 2.72; WPG – t-19 / 2.58
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 2 / 2.33; WPG – 22 / 2.88
Power Play: LAK – 9 / 20.0%; WPG – 30 / 15.0%
Penalty Kill: LAK – t-16 / 81.2%; WPG – 25 / 78.4%
Shots/Game: LAK – t-3 / 32.0; WPG – t-16 / 29.6
Shots Against/Game: LAK – t-1 / 27.4; WPG – t-14 / 29.6
Faceoffs: LAK – t-11 / 50.4%; WPG – 28 / 46.8%
Save Percentage: LAK – t-10 / .915; WPG – t-25 / .903
Corsi-for Percentage: LAK – 1 / 56.4% / WPG – 11 / 51.5%

Los Angeles Projected Lines

Milan Lucic – Anze Kopitar – Tanner Pearson
Dustin Brown – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Vincent Lecavalier – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Andy Andreoff – Kris Versteeg

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Luke Schenn
Rob Scuderi – Jamie McBain

Jonathan Quick
Jhonas Enroth

Notes and milestones: Los Angeles is 12-5-5 all-time against the Winnipeg franchise, a record that includes a home mark of 7-0-3. The Kings have never lost a home game in regulation to the Jets or Thrashers, dating back to the teams’ first meeting on December 8, 1999, a Jamie Storr-backed 4-0 L.A. shutout. Los Angeles is 1-1-0 against Winnipeg this season. … The Kings are 28-19-2 against the Western Conference and 10-8-2 against the Central Division. … In the race for the Jennings Trophy, Anaheim entered today with 189 goals against in 80 games, followed by Washington with 190 goals against in 80 games and Los Angeles with 191 goals against in 81 games. … This is the 3,800th regular season game in Kings history. … Jonathan Quick is the 30th different goaltender and sixth American to record 40 wins in a season. NHL goalies have won 40 games in a season 53 different times. … Anze Kopitar and Tyler Toffoli share the NHL lead with a +35 rating. … In 36 games since January 24, Drew Doughty has seven goals, 27 points and a +14 rating. … Jeff Carter has 10 points (6-4=10) in the last eight games. With 37 assists, he is one assist from tying his career-high of 38, established in 2008-09. … Kris Versteeg has goals in two straight games. … Five Los Angeles skaters (Kopitar, Carter, Toffoli, Lucic, Doughty) have eclipsed the 50-point mark, the first time since 2009-10 in which at least five players recorded at least 50 points. … With his 34 assists, Milan Lucic is one assist shy of his career-high of 35 (twice; last: 2013-14). … Kris Versteeg has 20 points (9-11=20) in 23 career games against Winnipeg. … Jonathan Quick’s .881 save percentage against Winnipeg is his lowest against any NHL opponent. … With 101 points, Los Angeles is tied with the 2009-10 club for the third-most points in club history. Only the 1974-75 team (105 points) and 1990-91 team (102 points) have topped 101 points in an NHL season. Both the 1974-75 and 1990-91 teams played 80-game NHL schedules.

Winnipeg Projected Lines

Nikolaj Ehlers – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Marko Dano – Alex Burmistrov – Drew Stafford
Brandon Tanev – Adam Lowry – Chris Thorburn
Nic Petan – Andrew Copp – Joel Armia

Ben Chiarot – Dustin Byfuglien
Mark Stuart – Jacob Trouba
Julian Melchiori – Paul Postma

Michael Hutchinson
Ondrej Pavelec

Notes and milestones: Lines via Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun … The Jets will be without Toby Enstrom (knee surgery), Matthieu Perreault (concussion), Tyler Myers (knee surgery), and Bryan Little (fractured vertebrae). … Winnipeg has won three in a row for the first time this season (5-1 vs MIN, 201 @ ANA, 5-4 @ SJS). … Blake Wheeler has points in 10 consecutive games, posting 14 points (7-7=14) over that span. With a point today, he’d match Marian Hossa’s franchise-record 11-game point streak. His 76 points place him in a tie for eighth place in the league. … Mark Scheifele has points in nine straight games and leads the NHL with 33 points (17-16=33) in his last 25 games. … Winnipeg is tied for second in the NHL with 10 shorthanded goals. … Dustin Byfuglien’s 53 points rank eighth amongst NHL defensemen. … The Jets have four goals on their last 10 power plays after going scoreless in their previous 25 chances. … Michael Hutchinson appeared in 28 games with the ECHL’s Ontario Reign in 2013-14, going 22-4-2 with a 2.08 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and three shutouts.