Maple Leafs at Kings
The Los Angeles Kings remain in search of a win on their seven-game homestand, which hits the midway point with Monday's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Los Angeles went 0-1-2 over the first three games of its lengthy stretch at Staples Center, sandwiching an overtime loss to Nashville and a shootout setback against Winnipeg around a regulation defeat versus the New York Rangers. The trio of contests has seen the Kings land on both sides of consecutive goal runs, with Saturday's loss to the Jets featuring three straight tallies by the visitors to open the game before the hosts fought back with four in a row.
Toronto is heading back to the road for four contests after splitting a two-game homestand thanks to a 5-2 triumph over Columbus on Friday. The pair at Air Canada Centre was preceded by a seven-game trek on which the Maple Leafs posted a 2-5-0 record, resulting in the firing of coach Randy Carlyle. Toronto edged Los Angeles 4-3 in a shootout at home on Dec. 14 as James van Riemsdyk scored the tying goal during a power play at 8:49 of the third period and Joffrey Lupul netted the lone tally of the bonus format in the first round.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, RSN (Toronto), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (22-17-3): Van Riemsdyk scored two goals and set up another while Phil Kessel, Daniel Winnik and Tyler Bozak each recorded a tally and an assist versus Columbus to help earn Peter Horachek his first win as the team's interim coach. He guided Florida to a 26-36-4 record in the same role last season. Kessel, whose goal Friday was just his second in 11 games, was selected as Toronto's representative for the All-Star Game in Columbus on Jan. 25.
ABOUT THE KINGS (19-13-10): Los Angeles, which has dropped five of its last six overall games (1-2-3), will be without two members of "That 70s Line" for the immediate future. Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson both are out indefinitely as the former is sidelined with mononucleosis while the latter suffered a fractured left fibula when he slid into the end boards feet-first midway through the second period of Saturday's shootout loss. Prior to the game, Pearson was selected to participate in the Skills Competition during All-Star Weekend later this month.
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles C Anze Kopitar and D Drew Doughty both were named All-Stars on Saturday - marking the first time the club has had multiple players participate since 2002, when the Kings hosted the event and were represented by RW Ziggy Palffy and D Jaroslav Modry.
2. The Maple Leafs are riding a three-game winning streak at Staples Center.
3. Kopitar has collected 19 points and RW Marian Gaborik has notched 14 over the Kings' last 11 contests.