Kings at Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens look to post consecutive victories for the first time since Nov. 20-22 as they continue their five-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday. Montreal went 1-5-1 since allowing a total of one goal in triumphs over St. Louis and Boston but halted its three-game skid with an emotional 3-1 win over Vancouver in the homestand opener on Tuesday. Max Pacioretty recorded a goal and an assist while Tomas Plekanec snapped a tie late in the third period after the Canadiens held a pregame ceremony to pay tribute to Hall-of-Famer Jean Beliveau, who passed away last week.
Los Angeles improved to 1-1-0 on its five-game road trip with a 5-3 triumph at Ottawa on Thursday. Anze Kopitar broke a 2-2 deadlock with a power-play goal 2:20 into the third period and defenseman Jake Muzzin collected three assists as the Kings halted a two-game slide during which they produced one tally. Los Angeles won both meetings with Montreal last season, outscoring the Canadiens by an 8-1 margin.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, KCOP-13 (Los Angeles), RSN East, RDS (Montreal)
ABOUT THE KINGS (15-9-5): Kopitar's goal on Thursday was just his sixth of the season and first in 11 games. The 27-year-old Slovenian had not tallied since Nov. 15 against Anaheim. Los Angeles' offensive output against Ottawa was its largest since recording a 5-2 victory over Florida on Nov. 18.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (18-10-2): Sven Andrighetto has made a splash since being recalled from Hamilton of the American Hockey League. The 21-year-old native of Switzerland scored a goal against Dallas in his NHL debut on Saturday and set up Plekanec's winning tally three nights later. "It's hard to compare him with all of the guys I've played with or seen that young on the team, but he's definitely up there," Plekanec told the team's website. "He's off to a really, really impressive start in the NHL."
OVERTIME
1. With the three assists on Thursday, Muzzin matched his total from the previous nine games.
2. Plekanec is one point away from tying Aurele Joliat (460) for 25th place on Montreal's all-time list.
3. Los Angeles C Mike Richards' next assist will be the 300th of his career.