Kings at Devils
The Los Angeles Kings are halfway through what has quickly become a hazardous four-game road trip. The Kings visit the New Jersey Devils on Friday hoping to win another game without starting goaltender Jonathan Quick, who appeared to hurt his groin or hamstring in Los Angeles’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. He traveled back to Los Angeles for further evaluation to leave the door open for backup Ben Scrivens, who made 23 saves in a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders Thursday.
The Devils play their next two games at home, where they are 3-1-2. Veteran netminder Martin Brodeur allowed two goals in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday after posting back-to-back shutouts, making life difficult for Cory Schneider, who is 1-4-3 with the Devils despite a 2.09 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. Part of Schneider’s struggles can be attributed to a lack of scoring by New Jersey, which has just 38 goals in 18 contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports West, MSG Plus
ABOUT THE KINGS (12-6-1): Young forward Tyler Toffoli scored on Thursday, extending his point streak to seven in the five NHL contests he’s played this season. Mike Richards saw his five-game point streak end on Thursday, while Justin Williams has three points in the last three contests. Along with losing Quick, Los Angeles placed forward Kyle Clifford and defenseman Matt Greene on injured reserve this week.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (6-7-5): Jaromir Jagr, 41, leads the team with 14 points and reached 1,700 in his career during Sunday’s game against Nashville, when he scored the game-winning goal. Jagr’s production is important considering forwards like Damien Brunner have fallen silent. Brunner has been held off the scoresheet for seven consecutive contests after starting the season with five points in his first five games. Ryan Carter scored his first two goals of the season Tuesday against the Rangers, snapping a drought that stretched 18 games - back to April 20.
OVERTIME
1. Scrivens is 2-1-1 with a 1.92 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in six games (three starts) with the Kings.
2. The Devils have scored three times on 20 home power-play opportunities.
3. The Kings have been limited to 17 goals in nine road contests, as opposed to 34 goals in 10 home games.