Kings at Penguins
Dion Phaneuf didn't have to leave the Steel City after the Ottawa Senators traded the three-time All-Star defenseman to the Los Angeles Kings. Phaneuf will make his debut with his new team on Thursday as the Kings play the fourth contest of their season-high seven-game road trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won nine in a row at PPG Paints Arena.
"I was very fortunate to be in the same city that the team was coming to. It worked out really well," said Phaneuf, who joined Nate Thompson in being sent from Ottawa for forwards Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore. The 32-year-old Phaneuf is expected to bolster an already strong defensive corps for the Kings, as he'll likely be paired with former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty while Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez will comprise another solid tandem. Phaneuf's addition comes at a time that Los Angeles' back end was scorched for 11 goals in back-to-back losses and faces a tall task in the form of superstar captain Sidney Crosby and the high-octane Penguins. Crosby collected three assists in Tuesday's 6-3 triumph over Ottawa to raise his point total to 29 (five goals, 24 assists) in his past 16 games, during which Pittsburgh has posted a 12-3-1 mark.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), Sportsnet, TVAS, AT&T Sports Network-Pittsburgh
ABOUT THE KINGS (30-21-5): Captain Anze Kopitar scored and set up a goal in Tuesday's 7-3 setback at Carolina to extend his point streak to five contests while increasing his point total to 21 (six goals, 15 assists) over his last 17. The 30-year-old Slovene also set up Adrian Kempe's second-period goal during Los Angeles' 3-1 setback versus Pittsburgh on Jan. 18 while Jonathan Quick made 28 saves in that contest. The former Conn Smythe Trophy recipient has struggled mightily of late, permitting four goals on 20 shots in just over 21 minutes versus Carolina to see his save percentage dip to .872 in the past five games.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (32-22-4): Evgeni Malkin scored and set up a goal versus the Senators to increase his point total to 16 (10 goals, six assists) in his last eight outings. The 2012 Hart Trophy winner has recorded five multi-point performances in that stretch, and he also collected a goal and an assist in the previous encounter with the Kings. Fellow forwards Crosby and Phil Kessel are also red hot as they carry nine-game home point streaks into Thursday's tilt. Crosby has 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) and Kessel has 18 (six goals, 12 assists) in that span.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh G Matt Murray, who is 6-0-1 in his last seven decisions, is expected to play in his 100th career regular-season game.
2. The Kings' fourth-ranked penalty kill has surrendered six goals in the last four contests heading into the tilt versus the Penguins' top-ranked power play.
3. Pittsburgh owns a 9-3-3 mark in its last 15 encounters versus Los Angeles.