Capitals at Kings
Goaltender Jonathan Quick will make his third attempt at matching the franchise's all-time win mark when the Los Angeles Kings host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. The Kings have dropped three straight following an eight-game winning streak, leaving Quick one victory shy of tying Rogie Vachon's record of 171 career wins with Los Angeles. The Kings have dominated the series against the Capitals, winning five consecutive meetings - but the teams haven't faced off since January 2012.
Washington appeared on the verge of falling out of the playoff race after losing five of six but it has bounced back to win its last three, including a 3-2 victory at Anaheim on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game road trip. The Capitals are level on points with Columbus for the second wild card in the cluttered Eastern Conference, but the Blue Jackets have played two fewer games. Captain Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 46th goal against Anaheim and needs four to reach 50 for the fifth time.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, CSN Washington, FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (33-27-10): Washington owns the league's top-ranked power play and it has been exceptional with the extra skater since the Olympic break, converting on 14-of-35 chances in 11 games - including 5-of-9 during the three-game winning streak. "Power play is the key right now, probably for every team." Ovechkin said. "If you have that kind of opportunity, you have to use it." Jaroslav Halak has stabilized the goaltending situation since he was acquired at the trade deadline and has won his last three starts to establish a career-high victory total with 28.
ABOUT THE KINGS (38-25-6): Los Angeles has surrendered a league-low 148 goals but its defense has failed to come through in a pair of big spots during the three-game skid. The Kings blew a two-goal lead for the first time in nearly a year in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on March 13 and gave up a pair of third-period goals in Monday's 4-3 setback against Phoenix - their first defeat in 22 games this season when leading after two periods. Defenseman Alec Martinez has been a surprising source of offense with four goals and three assists in the last eight games, matching the numbers he put up in the first 40 contests.
OVERTIME
1. Kings coach Darryl Sutter needs one win to reach 500 for his career and tie Terry Murray for 18th place on the NHL’s all-time list.
2. Halak is 6-6-0 with a pair of shutouts in 12 games versus Los Angeles.
3. Quick has allowed five goals in winning both career starts versus Washington.