Canucks at Kings
The Vancouver Canucks have gone eight games without a victory while the Los Angeles Kings are losers of four straight at home. One of the slides will come to an end on Saturday, when the Canucks visit the Kings for the finale of their three-game road trip.
Vancouver fell to 0-7-1 on its skid with Friday's 4-0 setback in San Jose, marking the fifth time it has been limited to fewer than three goals during the winless streak. The Canucks, whose last win was an 8-5 triumph in Boston on Nov. 8, have matched their longest slide since March 26-April 9, 2017. Los Angeles' losing streak at Staples Center continued on Wednesday, when it kicked off a three-game homestand with a 7-3 setback against Colorado. The Kings, who haven't won in their own rink since topping Anaheim on Nov. 6, have been outscored 16-5 during their skid at home.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet360, CBC, CITY (Vancouver), FS West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CANUCKS (10-13-2): Anders Nilsson made his return to the crease on Friday and turned aside 20 shots in the setback. The 28-year-old Swede, who has lost four straight starts after winning his first three of the season, hadn't played since Oct. 25 due to a broken finger. Loui Eriksson has gone seven games without a goal after registering his season total of four over his previous four contests.
ABOUT THE KINGS (7-13-1): Los Angeles received most of its offense on Wednesday from a pair of 21-year-old rookie forwards as Matt Luff and Austin Wagner each recorded a goal and an assist. Wagner's points were his first in 10 NHL games while Luff has notched all three of his points in his last two contests after being kept off the scoresheet in his first five career games. The Kings could be without Adrian Kempe on Saturday as the forward exited the loss to the Avalanche with a lower-body injury.
OVERTIME
1. Kings LW Ilya Kovalchuk leads the team with 14 points but is in the midst of a seven-game drought.
2. Vancouver had recorded a power-play goal in five straight contests prior to Friday's blanking.
3. Los Angeles C Jeff Carter has gone eight games without a goal after tallying in back-to-back contests.