Blues at Kings
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Kings are starting to enjoy the comforts of home. Coach Darryl Sutter's club has won the first two contests on its four-game homestand and five in a row overall. The Kings will test their mettle against the NHL's points leader on Thursday when the St. Louis Blues pay a visit to the Staples Center.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSMW, FSW
ABOUT THE BLUES (46-20-8): Captain David Backes and David Perron scored and rookie Jaden Schwartz tallied for the second time in as many NHL games, but St. Louis suffered a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. The Blues' setback was just the second in 12 outings against a Pacific Division club and dropped them to 2-2-1 on their season-high seven-game road trip. Jaroslav Halak yielded four goals on 22 shots, but has fared considerably better against the Kings. He stopped all 22 shots in a 1-0 win on Feb. 3 to improve to 6-2-0 in his career versus Los Angeles.
ABOUT THE KINGS (36-25-12): Mike Richards collected his third shorthanded goal and 26th career during Tuesday's 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The victory allowed Los Angeles to move past Phoenix and claim the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Anze Kopitar, who extended his goal-scoring streak to four contests, has secured a point in 10 of his last 11 games. After shutting out St. Louis on Oct. 18, All-Star Jonathan Quick yielded the lone goal in the aforementioned 1-0 loss to fall to 2-8-1 in his career versus the Blues.
OVERTIME:
1. St. Louis, which has eight games remaining, is five wins away from matching the franchise record of 51 set in 1999-2000.
2. Captain Dustin Brown, who has collected 18 points in his last 14 games, had a goal and an assist in Los Angeles' 5-0 win over St. Louis on Oct. 18.
3. The Blues are one point ahead of the New York Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.