Kings at Coyotes
The Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes both hope to bounce back from lopsided season-opening losses when they face off at Gila River Arena on Saturday. The reigning Stanley Cup-champion Kings delighted their home crowd with a banner-raising ceremony on Wednesday, but the fun ended once the puck dropped as they suffered a 4-0 loss to San Jose. Jonathan Quick allowed all four goals on 27 shots over two periods for Los Angeles, which also was thoroughly defeated by Chicago in the 2012-13 season opener following a championship triumph.
Arizona began the campaign with a 6-2 setback against visiting Winnipeg on Thursday. The Coyotes allowed five consecutive goals after Mikkel Boedker scored at 7:38 of the first period to forge a 1-1 tie. Martin Hanzal also tallied for Arizona, which was outshot 16-8 in the opening session as it trailed 4-1 at the first intermission.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE KINGS (0-1-0): Los Angeles will be without defenseman Jake Muzzin and center Trevor Lewis on Saturday due to injuries. Muzzin also missed the season opener with an undisclosed injury, while Lewis suffered a lower-body injury in the loss to San Jose. Looking to bounce back from a dismal 2013-14, veteran center Mike Richards got off to a rough start as he finished with a minus-2 rating and lost 13 of his 15 faceoffs.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (0-1-0): Arizona on Friday announced an agreement to sell 51 percent of the franchise to Andrew Barroway, who will begin serving as the team's chairman and governor once the deal is approved by the NHL Board of Governors. "This is truly a dream come true for me and my family," Barroway said. "I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity of a lifetime." The Coyotes complete their season-opening four-game homestand against Edmonton and St. Louis before playing six of their next seven contests on the road.
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles lost three of the four meetings between the Pacific Division rivals last season.
2. Arizona captain Shane Doan celebrated his 38th birthday on Friday.
3. The Kings are back in action Sunday, when they take on Winnipeg in the opener of their six-game homestand.