Kings at Oilers
The Los Angeles Kings have two games left to get things turned around before they take on the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Losers of three straight and four of five, the Kings begin the process when they take on the Edmonton Oilers in the finale of their four-game road trip on Thursday. Los Angeles has gone 0-2-1 over the first three games of its trek, scoring a total of five goals in the setbacks.
The Kings can take a positive out of Wednesday's shootout loss in Calgary as they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to earn a point. They hope to carry that momentum into Thursday's contest as they attempt to complete a sweep of their four-game season series with Edmonton, which has been outscored 8-3 in the three losses. The Oilers are 1-1-0 on their season-ending four-game homestand, defeating Anaheim on Sunday before dropping a 4-1 decision to Colorado two days later.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), TSN (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE KINGS (45-28-7): Dwight King made an immediate impact in his return from an undisclosed injury that cost him four games. The 24-year-old scored the game-tying goal with 7:42 remaining in the third period Wednesday, giving him three tallies and two assists in his last five contests. King has 15 goals this season after totaling nine in 80 games over his first three campaigns.
ABOUT THE OILERS (28-43-9): A piece of its future just got a step closer as Edmonton assigned Darnell Nurse to Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League. The 19-year-old defenseman, who was drafted seventh overall last June, registered 13 goals and 37 assists in 64 games with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League this season. David Perron scored his 28th goal Tuesday, moving one ahead of both Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle for the team lead.
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles D Drew Doughty has missed two straight games with a shoulder injury.
2. C Boyd Gordon needs two goals to become the ninth member of the Oilers to reach double digits.
3. The Kings conclude their regular season at home against Pacific Division-champion Anaheim on Saturday.