Los Angeles Kings Host the New Jersey Devils at 7:30 p.m. Tonight!
The Los Angeles Kings will host the New Jersey Devils at Staples Center tonight. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST.
The Kings come into the night with a victory after Monday’s shutout win, 2-0, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to Monday, the Kings had lost three straight games, losing two in overtime.
The Kings are now in the 3rd place in the Pacific Division and 7th in the Western Conference. L.A. has 50 points from a record of 20-13-10. The Kings are currently 15-5-4 at home, even after a 1-1-2 record in the first four games of this seven homestand.
New Jersey is in 14th place in the Metropolitan Division and 10th in the Eastern Conference. The Devils are 15-21-8 this season, 38 points in the standings and a 8-14-2 record on the road.
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Puck Prose
The Kings lineup should be the same as Monday’s game and is projected as follows:
Forwards:
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Jeff Carter
Dustin Brown – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Dwight King – Mike Richards – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Andy Andreoff – Jordan Nolan
Defensemen:
Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Matt Greene
Alec Martinez – Jeff Schultz
Goaltenders:
Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones
Quick will return to the starting position tonight. Monday night Jones got the start and shutout. Prior to the game against the Leafs, Quick had started 12 straight games for the Kings.
Quick’s record this season is 16-10-8 with 3 shutouts. Quick has a 2.44 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
Quick will be facing off against one of the NHL’s other top goaltenders tonight in Cory Schneider.
The Kings top line of Marian Gaborik, Anze Kopitar, and Jeff Carter had five points in Monday’s 2-0 win. If the Kings are going to continue to be successful the top line needs to continue to lead the way.
Anze Kopitar is on a four-game point streak and leads the Kings in points and assists. In his last four games, Kopitar has 2 goals and 6 assists. In 40 games this season Kopitar has 10 goals, 24 assists, 34 points, 5 power-play goals and an even plus/minus rating.
Jeff Carter is second on the team in points with 32 points. In 43 games Carter has 11 goals, 21 assists, 4 power-play goals, and a +6 rating.
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Pucks and Pitchforks
Marian Gaborik leads the Kings in goals with 14; in 30 games this season Gaborik’s scored 23 points, a +3 rating, and a team leading 6 power-play goals.
Devils to keep an eye on:
Jaromir Jagr is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer for sure. His name is synonymous with hockey. His play, stats, records, medals, and Stanley Cup victories have filled an impressive career. Jagr continues to add to his impressive career.
In 43 games this season Jagr has 9 goals, 16 assists, and a team leading 25 points.
The old war-horse plays on the power-play, and will be an offensive weapon on the ice tonight. An older statesmen in the game, Jagr will be hard to miss against the Kings.
Cory Schneider is one of the top young goaltenders in the NHL. Schneider started a team record 20-games in a row this season with the Devils, breaking the previous record held by another soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur.
Schneider ranks 15th in the NHL with a 2.40 goals against average, four spots higher than Quick. Schneider is 14th in the NHL with a .919 save percentage. Schneider’s numbers could have dropped because he has the biggest workload in the NHL, facing 1092 shots, and, another NHL leading 1004 saves.
Schneider will make it difficult for the Kings to score. L.A. has been snake-bitten this season, putting up high numbers of shots, and coming out with only a few goals a game.
Tonight is a game the Kings should win. If Cory Schneider doesn’t stifle the offense, the Kings should have the upper-hand and finish with successive wins.
Go Kings Go!
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Nov 21, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin (6) and New Jersey Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) on the boards in the first period of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports