Kings at Sharks
THE STORY: One day after extending the Anaheim Ducks' franchise-record road losing streak, the Los Angeles Kings have the chance to halt the San Jose Sharks' run of success at home when the Pacific Division rivals face off at the HP Pavilion on Friday. Los Angeles made Darryl Sutter a winner in his first game as the club's coach with a 3-2 shootout victory at home over Anaheim on Thursday. The victory ended the Kings' three-game home skid and gave them three wins in four meetings with the Ducks this season. San Jose is looking for its fifth straight triumph in its own building. The Sharks are 3-0-0 on their six-game homestand and 3-0-2 in their last five contests overall.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE KINGS (16-14-4): Sutter is now 410-320-131 in 861 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Sharks, Calgary Flames and Kings. He is seventh among active coaches in both games and wins, 27th all-time in games and 24th overall in victories. Mike Richards made a successful return to the lineup Thursday as he scored Los Angeles' first goal of the game. Richards had missed the Kings' previous eight contests with a head injury suffered in a win over the Florida Panthers on Dec. 1.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (18-10-3): Benn Ferriero wasted little time making an impact during his second stint with San Jose this season. Recalled on Wednesday to replace Martin Havlat on the roster, Ferriero scored a goal that night in a 7-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 24-year-old recorded one goal in four games with the Sharks in late October. Havlat is expected to miss eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn hamstring.
OVERTIME:
1. Sharks captain Joe Thornton's two assists Wednesday moved him past Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for 69th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,029 points.
2. San Jose has scored a total of 15 goals in winning the first three contests of its homestand.