Coyotes at Kings
Struggling at the bottom of the Pacific Division standings, the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are feeling a bit better about themselves as they meet Tuesday in California. Los Angeles is coming off a 2-0 victory over Carolina on Sunday but has the fewest points in the NHL (21) along with St. Louis, which Arizona routed 6-1 on Saturday for its third straight victory.
"We need points. I don't care who's on the other side," Kings defenseman Alec Martinez told reporters Sunday after scoring the tiebreaking goal with 2:13 remaining. The Coyotes have received a lift from Adin Hill, who earned Second Star of the Week honors after yielding one goal on 61 shots in victories at Minnesota -- in relief -- and Nashville, and against St. Louis while filling in for Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper (lower-body injuries). "To come in and give us that calmness he's provided when other teams had chances, he's done a tremendous job both games he's started," Arizona's Christian Fischer told reporters about Hill. The clubs split their four-game season series in 2017-18 as the home team won each time with Los Angeles' Jeff Carter scoring five goals in the two contests he played and teammate Drew Doughty recording six assists.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Arizona Plus, FS West
ABOUT THE COYOTES (12-11-2): Nick Schmaltz has a goal and three assists in three games since coming over from Chicago via trade with coach Rick Tocchet telling reporters: "The sky's the limit on him. There's another level to him." Said Schmaltz about his new club: "If we're moving our feet, I don't think a lot of teams can skate with us. When we're playing fast and moving the puck north, our speed and skills can take over and eventually wear teams out." Clayton Keller has team highs of eight goals and 18 points after scoring three and adding two assists in the last three games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (10-16-1): Jonathan Quick, who missed 18 games this season with lower-body injuries, recorded his 50th career shutout Sunday -- the most among American-born goaltenders -- after stopping 34 shots for his first victory of the season. Captain Anze Kopitar (team-high 17 points) has been held off the scoresheet for two straight contests after recording a goal and seven assists during a four-game point streak. Dustin Brown leads the club with eight goals, including five in a three-game stretch before being shut out in the last two.
OVERTIME
1. Arizona owns the league's top penalty-killing unit at 89.7 percent, permitting eight power-play goals this season and no more than one in a game.
2. Los Angeles owns the second-worst power play at 14.4 percent with only 12 goals - four apiece from Carter and Brown - and the fourth-lowest penalty-killing rate at 73.8.
3. Kings F Adrian Kempe missed Sunday's game with an upper-body injury and is considered day-to-day.