The Los Angeles Kings are confident they can win in a variety of ways this season.
They get their next opportunity when they visit the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles ended a season-high, three-game skid with a 3-2 shootout win against the host Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
It was just the third time in 17 victories this season that the Kings won when scoring three goals or fewer.
“I’m confident our group can play in those games and win those games,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “We just haven’t had to play in many of them this year.”
The Sharks are the lowest-scoring team in the NHL at 2.13 goals a game, while the Kings give up the fewest goals in the league at 2.41.
Good scoring opportunities are hard to come by against Los Angeles.
“They’re outstanding defensively,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said of the Kings. “They play hard. They shut down the middle of the rink. They’re able to break out with structure and beat your forecheck by a few feet here and there.”
The Kings sustained a loss to their back end when goalie Pheonix Copley left practice early on Friday and was placed on long-term injured reserve on Sunday with a lower-body injury.
David Rittich was recalled from Ontario of the AHL, and he likely will back up Cam Talbot against the Sharks.
On the offensive side of the ice, the line of Kevin Fiala, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore continues to be the most productive for Los Angeles.
Moore scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season against Seattle, his ninth goal on the road. Fiala recorded his team-high 21st assist of the season, and Danault registered his 11th assist of the season.
“They have been our most offensive line over the last 10 days or two weeks, but the ledger hasn’t been balancing out. They’ve been giving up a few too many,” McLellan said. “I thought (against the Kraken), they really made a commitment to play on the south side of the puck, not always on the north side, and as a result they were pretty good offensively as well.”
The Sharks have lost two in a row, most recently going down 6-2 against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday in Denver. They fell 1-0 to the Arizona Coyotes on Friday in Tempe, Ariz.
San Jose defenseman Calen Addison sustained a lower-body injury at the end of the second period against Colorado and did not return. The Sharks did not practice on Monday, so his status for the Kings game was unknown.
Sharks left winger Anthony Duclair could return to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch against the Avalanche. He failed to get onside during a scoring chance against the Coyotes, resulting in a nullified goal.
Duclair, a 31-goal scorer for the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season, has six goals in 27 games this season.
San Jose center Ryan Carpenter is close to returning after missing the past six games with an undisclosed injury.
Jack Studnicka made his Sharks debut against Colorado after he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. He replaced Nico Sturm, who was injured last week.
“Didn’t really have my legs,” said Studnicka, who hadn’t played in an NHL game since Nov. 2. “It’s kind of been a whirlwind. It’s no excuse.”
–Field Level Media
