LA Kings vs Montreal Canadiens Preview as Kings Push for Playoff Spot
The defending NHL Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings will welcome the Montreal Canadiens as they meet at Staples Center.
Coming off a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers, the Kings are looking to put together another win streak following three consecutive losses.
Before dropping three straight games against the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Winnipeg Jets, the Kings were on a roll and had an eight-match winning run.
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They are trying to crawl their way back to playoff contention as they are currently ninth in the Western Conference and fourth in the Pacific Division.
Jeff Carter leads the team with 49 points behind 21 goals and 28 assists, while Anze Kopitar has been a steady force with a team-high 35 assists so far.
The Canadiens were on a four-game win streak before facing the San Jose Sharks earlier in the week.
In those wins, they scored a total of 17 goals, averaging 4.25 per contest. However, that seemed to elude them as they faced the Sharks, losing 4-0 as they were only allowed 20 shots on goal, while their defense fell through by allowing at least one goal each period.
Hosting the Ducks the next game, much of the same happened. They allowed the lead to balloon to 3-0 before scoring a consolation goal in the 59th minute of the contest.
They have already met once this season, with the Canadiens dominating the champions 6-2.
Dictating the pace early on, the Canadiens wowed their home crowd by going up 3-0 after the first two periods.
The Kings tried to hustle their way back as Jake Muzzin narrowed the gap to two-goals inside the first four minutes of the third period, but Montreal had too much fire power on that night.
Carey Price was impressive in that contest, saving 44 out of a possible 46 attempts on goal, while his counterpart only had a 70 percent save rate after going 14-of-20.
The match will start 10:30 p.m. ET, and for live scores and play-by-play visit NHL.com. A live stream of the game can be watched online by clicking here.
