Kings at Ducks
The Los Angeles Kings appear to be heating up at just the right time and can tighten their grip on third place in the Pacific Division when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Los Angeles topped Arizona 4-2 on Thursday to move two points ahead of the Ducks and improve to 6-2-2 in its last 10 contests.
Jeff Carter was the difference against the Coyotes as he celebrated his 900th NHL game with his sixth career regular-season hat trick, giving him 13 goals in his last 16 contests and seven points during his four-game streak. Anaheim, which has a game in hand on the Kings, is even in points with St. Louis but occupies the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The Ducks are beginning their final homestand of the season after going 2-1-1 on a road trip that concluded Tuesday with a 4-1 loss in Vancouver, which halted their six-game overall point streak (5-0-1). Anaheim, which has won three straight and is 10-1-2 in its last 13 at Honda Center, is 2-0-1 against Los Angeles this season - including a 2-1 home victory Jan. 19.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, KCOP-13 (Los Angeles), Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE KINGS (43-28-7): Anze Kopitar scored his 35th goal of the season Thursday, eclipsing the previous career high he set in 2009-10. The 30-year-old Slovenian, who hasn't been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive contests since a three-game drought from Dec. 23-30, has registered 18 tallies and 31 assists over his last 39 games. Defenseman Jake Muzzin is expected to miss his second straight contest after suffering an upper-body injury in Monday's victory over Calgary.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (39-25-13): Troy Terry made his NHL debut in the loss to the Canucks, registering two shots in 12 1/2 minutes of ice time. The 20-year-old right wing, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract Monday, spent three seasons with the University of Denver before recording five assists in five games for the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics last month. Captain Ryan Getzlaf collected three goals and 16 assists over 11 contests before being kept off the scoresheet Tuesday.
OVERTIME
1. Ducks G John Gibson has gone 13-4-2 since the All-Star break.
2. Carter reached 350 goals in the NHL with the first of his three Thursday.
3. Anaheim RW Corey Perry is three assists shy of 400 for his career.