Kings at Ducks
THE STORY: The first order of business for Bruce Boudreau is to teach his new team how to protect multi-goal leads. In two games as the new coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Boudreau has witnessed his club squander an early three-goal lead to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and a two-goal advantage to the Minnesota Wild two days later. "It's tough when you're up 3-0 and 2-0 in these games and lose both of them," reigning Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry said. "We got away from our game plan again, and once we do that, we're not the same team. We were sitting on our heels and turning the puck over." Boudreau did his best to lift the spirits of a team that has lost nine of its last 10 and 18 of 21 overall. "I said to them, 'Don’t hang your head. You look like you’re a beaten crew,' " Boudreau said. " 'If you can’t face adversity in hockey, you’re not going to get anywhere. Pull up your socks and get mad, rather than feeling sorry for yourselves.' " Anaheim will have a chance to do just that Tuesday against the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings, who will be attempting to secure the 500th victory in Terry Murray's coaching career.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), FS Prime Ticket (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE KINGS (13-9-4): Goaltender Jonathan Quick was named the NHL's third star of the week after winning both his starts - including one by shutout. The 25-year-old Connecticut native has certainly fared well versus the Ducks, posting an 8-4-2 career mark. Quick stopped 58 of 62 shots to lift the Kings to a home-and-home sweep of Anaheim in the Freeway Faceoff last month. Left wing Dustin Penner returned from a nine-game absence because of a hand injury and netted Los Angeles' lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (7-14-5): Goaltender Jonas Hiller is certainly getting frustrated with his team's troubles. "I don't think we're playing really solid in our own end," Hiller told the Orange County Register. "I think that's where you can see why we're not winning. It's kind of like those guys always seem to get inside ... to kind of walk through two guys and suddenly get a two-on-one out of nothing. Even though we have guys back, it seems like we're just too cute." Hiller has yielded at least four goals in four of his last five games.
OVERTIME:
1. The Kings have been decimated by injury of late. Center Mike Richards (concussion) and left wing Scott Parse (hip) were the latest to join the list, with the latter being sidelined 4-to-5 months.
2. Despite Anaheim's recent troubles, center Saku Koivu has been red-hot as of late. The 37-year-old Finn has collected three goals and five assists in his last eight contests - and is averaging nearly a point per game (23 points, 26 contests) in his career versus Los Angeles.