Tonight the Los Angeles Kings will travel to the Calgary to face the Flames for the second time in three games. Game time is in an hour and a half: puck-drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PST.
The Kings made the best of their holiday break, recovering with some much-needed rest. L.A. got a big win upon the return to the rink beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1. The victory gives L.A. a record of 18-11-7, pitting the Kings in a three-way tie for second in the Pacific Division with the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks. All three teams have 43 points, tied for 6th in the Western Conference.
Last week in their previous meeting the Flames erased a three-goal lead and beat the Kings in overtime. Calgary’s young star Johnny Gaudreau scored a natural hat-trick, two of the goals coming late in the third with the Calgary goaltender pulled, to tie the game.
The Flames have dropped off from the success they saw early in the season. Calgary’s current record is 19-15-3 for 41 points, putting them in 5th in the Pacific and 9th in the West.
Calgary is on a two game win streak after beating the Kings then Edmonton Oilers 4-1 on Saturday.
L.A.’s projected lineup for this game should be the same as Saturday’s contest against the Sharks. The Kings lines are projected as follows:
Flame for Thought
Forwards:
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Jeff Carter
Justin Williams – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson – Trevor Lewis – Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Dwight King
Defensemen:
Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene
Brayden McNabb – Jamie McBain
Goalies:
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Jonathan Quick is expected to start in goal for the Kings. Quick’s game has slide in the last four or five outings. In Quick’s last 7 games he’s average 3 goals allowed. However, in 29 starts Quick still maintains an impressive 2.35 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. The numbers put Quick at 13th and 11th in the NHL, respectively.
After some rest, coming out of the break, Quick allowed 1 against the Sharks. Look for the Kings star netminder to get back on track with his shutdown goaltending tonight.
Marian Gaborik is on a 6 game point streak. In the last two weeks of 2014 Gaborik has amassed more points than he had the rest of the season. In has last 6 games Gaborik has 7 goals and 10 points. Gabby’s season totals are now 11 goals and 18 points in 24 games.
When Gaborik and his Deadly Duo partner Anze Kopitar get going the Kings get wins. Tonight should be a continuation of the domination.
Dec 14, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) tries to score against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Raanta (31) during the first period of their NHL game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Calgary players to keep an on eye on:
Johnny Gaudreau is clearly a threat. Perhaps the rookie star flew under the radar in the teams first meeting. That will not be the case tonight. After the natural hat-trick that brought the Flames back from the dead, the Kings will certainly know when Gaudreau is on the ice.
Gaudreau has 12 goals, 29 points and a +11 rating in 36 games this season. That includes 3 power-play goals and 3 game-winning goals.
Mark Giordano is a defensemen, and he leads the Flames in points. Giordano leads all defensemen in the league in points, by 6 points. Giordano is headed for a career year with 10 goals, 35 points and a +16 rating in 37 games.
Giordano will be a major factor on the Flames power-play, so the Kings need to play smart and stay out of the box. L.A. needs to keep the puck away from Giordano, limiting his ability to move the puck up-ice and keep the Kings hemmed in their own zone.
Sean Monahan is sixth on the Flames with 22 points in 37 games. Monahan is in his second year with Calgary, and currently is third on the team with 11 goals. Monahan has 2 power-play goals to his credit, and gives the Flames depth at the center position and on the second power-play unit. A quick player whose willing to battle along the boards and shows no quit. Keep an eye on Monahan, whose name might pop-up on the score-sheet.
It’s an early start tonight with puck-drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m. but it will be an entertaining Pacific Division matchup as the Kings look to get revenge from last week’s overtime defeat.
Go Kings Go!
Dec 22, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) battles for the puck with Calgary Flames center Lance Bouma (17) in the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports