Game 5 Preview: Los Angeles at Chicago

(3) Los Angeles Kings (11-7) at (3) Chicago Blackhawks (9-7)
Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 5:00 p.m. PT
United Center, Chicago, IL
Referees: #25 Marc Joannette, #33 Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: #89 Steve Miller, #68 Scott Driscoll
NBCSN, CBC, RDS, KEIB 1150 AM

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick
2013-14 Playoffs: 18 GP (18 GS) / 11-7 record / 2.68 GAA / .911 Sv% / 1 SHO
Career, Playoffs: 68 (68) / 40-28 / 2.19 / .924 / 8
2013-14 Playoffs, Away: 10 (10) / 6-4 / 2.76 / .912 / 1

Chicago Projected Starting Goaltender – Corey Crawford
2013-14 Playoffs: 16 GP (16 GS) / 9-7 record / 2.34 GAA / .918 Sv% / 1 SHO
Career, Playoffs: 53 (52) / 30-22 / 2.13 / .922 / 3
2013-14 Playoffs, Home: 8 (8) / 7-1 / 1.71 / .941 / 1

2013-14 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (5-17=22)
Goals: Marian Gaborik (10-6=16)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (5-17=22)
Plus/Minus: Tanner Pearson (+10; 3-8=11)
Penalty Minutes: Kyle Clifford (37; 0-3=3)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (27:13; 3-11=14)

2013-14 Chicago Leaders
Total Points: Jonathan Toews (8-6=14), Marian Hossa (2-12=14)
Goals: Jonathan Toews (8-6=14)
Assists: Marian Hossa (2-12=14)
Plus/Minus: +5, four players tied
Penalty Minutes: Brent Seabrook (17; 2-9=11)
Time On Ice: Duncan Keith (27:06; 3-7=10)

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – 1 / 3.39; CHI – 7 / 2.81
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 4 / 2.61; CHI – 5 / 2.69
Power Play: LAK – 3 / 26.7%; CHI – 8 / 17.4%
Penalty Kill: LAK – t-9 / 84.1%; CHI – 7 / 84.5%
Shots/Game: LAK – t-8 / 30.0; CHI – 13 / 26.2
Shots Against/Game: LAK – t-5 / 29.2; CHI – 8 / 30.5
Faceoffs: LAK – t-1 / 53.4%; CHI – 10 / 49.6%
Save Percentage: LAK – 7 / .910; CHI – 6 / .912

Los Angeles Projected Lines

Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Mike Richards – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Willie Mitchell – Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones

Level of confidence in projected lines: A-. No changes to lines or pairings were evident when the entire team took part in line rushes at the morning skate. Robyn Regehr took the ice late in the session, though there still remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Notes and milestones: Los Angeles is 105-133 all-time in the playoffs, a record that includes a road mark of 46-79. The Kings are 5-9 all-time against the Blackhawks in the playoffs (4-2 home, 1-7 road). … Los Angeles is 17-14 all-time and 1-1 this postseason in Game 5. When winning Game 5, the Kings have won 11 of 17 series. When losing Game 5, they have won five of 14 series. … Los Angeles has won all four best-of-seven series in which they held a 3-1 series lead. The last time the Kings held a 3-1 lead in a series was against New Jersey in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. In that series, they lost Game 5 on the road before returning home to win Game 6. … Los Angeles is 16-for-56 (28.6%) on the power play in the last 15 games, dating back to Game 3 versus San Jose. … Since dropping the first three games of the San Jose series the Kings have gone 11-4, outscoring their opponents 53-30 over that span. … Los Angeles leads all NHL teams with an average of 3.39 goals per game in the postseason. … The Kings are 6-2 in their last eight road playoff games. … Los Angeles is 8-0 when not allowing a power play goal and 8-0 when leading after two periods in the playoffs. … The Kings have scored goals in eight straight periods. … Anze Kopitar leads all playoff scorers with 22 points (5-17=22), while Jeff Carter ranks second with 20 points (8-12=20). Only Wayne Gretzky (1993 / 40 points) and Tomas Sandstrom (1993 / 25 points) have recorded more points in a single postseason in franchise history. … Carter has points in five straight games (5-6=11) and eight points (4-4=8) in his last three games. … Tanner Pearson has points in five straight games (2-4=6). … Tyler Toffoli has points in five straight games (3-2=5). He has 11 points (6-5=11), a plus-nine rating and a 54.6% Corsi percentage (131 CF; 109 CA) in 12 career regular season and playoff games against Chicago. … Justin Williams has 15 points (6-9=15) in the last 15 games in addition to a three-game point streak. … Jake Muzzin has four points (2-2=4) in the last three games and a three-game point streak. … Marian Gaborik leads all postseason scorers with a career-high 10 goals. … The Kings have outscored opponents 24-13 in third periods this postseason.

Chicago Projected Lines

Bryan Bickell – Jonathan Toews – Marian Hossa
Brandon Saad – Andrew Shaw – Patrick Kane
Patrick Sharp – Michal Handzus – Kris Versteeg
Brandon Bollig – Marcus Kruger – Ben Smith

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya – Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy – Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford
Antti Raanta

Notes and milestones: Chicago is an NHL-best 7-1 on home ice in the postseason, having outscored opponents 27-15. The Blackhawks’ 31.8% home power play percentage leads the league. … Marian Hossa ranks second in the NHL with 10 home points (1-9=10). … Bryan Bickell has 34 points (24-14=34) in 54 career playoff games. His 18 goals in 45 games since the start of the 2012 postseason ranks second in the NHL over that span. He leads the league with six home goals scored. … Corey Crawford leads the league with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage at home. … Chicago has been out-shot 358-287 after the first period in the postseason.

Brandon Saad, on how to find success in Game 5: