Game 8 Preview: Los Angeles vs Columbus

Los Angeles Kings (5-1-1) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (4-3-0)
Sunday, October 26, 2014, 1:00 p.m. PT
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Referees: #14 Dennis LaRue, #33 Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: #55 Shane Heyer, #56 Mark Wheler
FOX Sports West, KABC 790 AM

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick
2014-15: 6 GP (6 GS) / 4-1-1 record / 1.54 GAA / .958 Sv% / 2 SHO
Career vs Columbus: 16 (16) / 11-5-0 / 1.94 / .918 / 2
Last Game vs Columbus: 2/6/14 / 63 MP / 24-25 shots / 2-1 W
2014-15, Home: 5 (5) / 4-1-0 / 1.26 / .965 / 2

Columbus Projected Starting Goaltender – Sergei Bobrovsky*
2014-15: 7 GP (6 GS) / 4-3-0 record / 2.47 GAA / .920 Sv% / 0 SHO
Career vs Los Angeles: 5 (5) / 1-3-1 / 2.01 / .916 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 2/6/14 / 62 MP / 18-20 shots / 1-2 OTL
2014-15, Away: 4 (3) / 2-2-0 / 2.58 / .918 / 0
*Columbus did not name a starting goaltender or hold a practice yesterday. Bobrovsky is listed by default as the club’s starter.

2014-15 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Jeff Carter (4-4=8), Tyler Toffoli (3-5=8)
Goals: Tanner Pearson (5-2=7)
Assists: Tyler Toffoli (3-5=8)
Plus/Minus: Jeff Carter (+9; 4-4=8), Tyler Toffoli (+9; 3-5=8)
Penalty Minutes: Mike Richards (23; 0-2=2)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (27:00; 0-3=3)
Corsi-For Percentage: Jake Muzzin (63.2%; 0-0=0)

2014-15 Columbus Leaders
Total Points: Ryan Johansen (5-5=10)
Goals: Ryan Johansen (5-5=10)
Assists: Scott Hartnell (1-8=9)
Plus/Minus: Nick Foligno (+4; 3-6=9)
Penalty Minutes: Jared Boll (16; 0-1=1)
Time On Ice: Jack Johnson (24:19; 0-3=3)
Corsi-For Percentage: Tim Erixon (64.4%; 0-1=1)

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – t-23 / 2.29; CBJ – t-10 / 3.00
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 2 / 1.43; CBJ – t-16 / 2.86
Power Play: LAK – 19 / 17.4%; CBJ – 20 / 17.2%
Penalty Kill: LAK – 5 / 88.0%; CBJ – 8 / 85.0%
Shots/Game: LAK – 26 / 27.1; CBJ – t-15 / 30.0
Shots Against/Game: LAK – 29 / 35.0; CBJ – 20 / 31.4
Faceoffs: LAK – 15 / 49.8%; CBJ – 7 / 51.9%
Save Percentage: LAK – 1 / .959; CBJ – t-15 / .909
Corsi-For Percentage: LAK – 23 / 48.3%; CBJ – 11 / 51.5%

Los Angeles Projected Lineup

Dwight King – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Andy Andreoff – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Jordan Nolan

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr – Alec Martinez
Brayden McNabb – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones

Level of confidence in projected lines: A. The Kings utilized the same lines in practice on Saturday as they did in the game against Buffalo on Sunday. Trevor Lewis and Marian Gaborik have resumed skating but won’t play against Columbus today. Jonathan Quick left the ice first at yesterday’s practice and is expected to start in net.

Notes and milestones: The Kings are 27-18-4 all-time against the Blue Jackets, a record that includes a home mark of 16-8-1. They are 7-3-0 in the last 10 games on home ice in the series. Los Angeles and Columbus will conclude the season series at Nationwide Arena on Monday, February 9. … The Kings are 5-0-0 in their six-game home stand (10/12 LAK 4, WPG 1; 10/14 LAK 6, EDM 1; 10/16 LAK 1 STL 0 (SO); 10/19 LAK 2, MIN 1; 10/23 LAK 2, BUF 0; 10/26 CBJ). No Kings team has ever posted a perfect 6-0-0 home stand. In 1990-91, the Kings were 5-0-1 on a home stand, which to this point represents the best six-game home stand in club history. … Los Angeles is on a five-game winning streak, tying the longest home winning streak from last season (5-0-0; December 2-21, 2013). The Kings have points in six straight games (5-0-1). … Since Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s overtime game-winner in Arizona on October 11, Los Angeles has killed 17 consecutive penalties. … The Kings have scored the first goal in five of six games this season (5-0-1). … Over their five-game winning streak, Los Angeles goalies have stopped 172 of 175 shots for a .983 save percentage. Jonathan Quick has stopped 143 of 145 shots over his last four games. … Los Angeles’ 11 points through seven games is tied for the most points through seven games in club history; the feat was also accomplished by teams in 1980-81 (5-1-1), 1990-91 (5-1-1), 1995-96 (4-0-3), and 2011-12 (5-1-1). … The line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli has combined for 23 points (12-11=23) and a plus-25 rating over the last six games. They have accounted for 12 of the team’s 16 goals this season (and 13 of 17, if Carter’s shootout game-winner against St. Louis is counted). … By playing today, Matt Greene will play his 361st game with the Kings, which ties him with Gary Galley for 14th place on the club’s all-time games played list by a defenseman. … Drew Doughty has 20 points (4-16=20) in 21 career games against Columbus. … Anze Kopitar has 28 points (13-15=28) in 27 career games against Columbus. … Jeff Carter recorded 25 points (15-10=25) in 39 games with Columbus during the 2011-12 season.

Columbus Projected Lines

Scott Hartnell – Ryan Johansen – Nick Foligno
Matt Calvert – Marko Dano – Jack Skille
Mark Letestu – Artem Anisimov – Corey Tropp
Adam Cracknell – Michael Chaput – Jared Boll

Jack Johnson – David Savard
Tim Erixon – James Wisniewski
Ryan Murray – Dalton Prout

Sergei Bobrovsky
Anton Forsberg

Notes and milestones: Brandon Dubinsky (abdominal), Boone Jenner (hand), Nathan Horton (back) and Marko Dano (lower body) are out; Cam Atkinson (facial laceration) is questionable, per Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, and Ryan Murray (knee) is questionable to make his season debut. Should Atkinson not be able to play, Corey Tropp is a candidate to enter the lineup. Should Murray be able to play, he could enter the lineup in place of Dalton Prout and could see time alongside James Wisniewski. UPDATE, 11:40 a.m.: Atkinson and Prout are out; Dano and Murray are in. … The Blue Jackets are 0-3-1 at Staples Center since a 1-0 win on February 1, 2012. … Columbus has scored in six of seven second periods this season … With 99 career wins, Sergei Bobrovsky is one win from 100 in his career. … The trio of Ryan Johansen, Nick Foligno and Scott Hartnell have combined for 28 points and nine of the team’s 21 goals in the first seven games. Johansen(5-5=10) is tied for fifth in the league in scoring and has points in all seven games. … By collecting two penalty minutes on October 9 in Buffalo, Jared Boll became the club’s all-time penalty minutes leader. He now has 1,041 penalty minutes in his career. … Jack Johnson recorded 124 points (30-94=124) with Los Angeles from 2006-12. He has four points (2-2=4) in six career games against the Kings.