Oilers at Kings
The Los Angeles Kings attempt to climb back into a playoff spot when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Los Angeles enters the contest trailing Winnipeg by two points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and Calgary by three for third place in the Pacific Division with a game in hand on both teams.
The Kings are coming off a five-game road trip that began with three straight victories before they dropped 4-1 decisions at Minnesota and Chicago. Edmonton was denied its second four-game winning streak of the season on Wednesday as it suffered a 5-1 loss at division-rival Anaheim, allowing the Ducks to clinch their third consecutive Pacific title. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the lone goal for the Oilers, who were handed just their second regulation loss in nine contests (5-2-2). Los Angeles went 2-0-1 over its first three meetings with Edmonton, which hosts the finale of the five-game season series next Tuesday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, RSN West (Edmonton), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE OILERS (23-41-13): Hours before missing his third straight game due to a bad back, Matt Hendricks was named Edmonton's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy. The 33-year-old, who has recorded eight goals and eight assists in 67 contests, also was nominated for the award by Colorado in 2009-10 and Washington the following season. Richard Bachman, who stopped 58-of-59 shots in back-to-back starts (both victories), was not with the team for Wednesday's game due to a death in the family.
ABOUT THE KINGS (37-25-14): Slava Voynov's nightmare season got even worse last week as the defenseman underwent surgery for a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered "in a recreational activity," according to the L.A. Kings Insider website. The 25-year-old Russian, who has been suspended since his arrest on felony domestic violence charges on Oct. 20, is expected to need at least four months to recover from the procedure. Voynov notched two assists in six games this season prior to his suspension.
OVERTIME
1. Hendricks is one goal away from matching his career high set in 2009-10 with the Avalanche and matched the following campaign while playing for the Capitals.
2. Los Angeles D Andrej Sekera will miss Thursday's contest due to a lower-body injury, but C Jarret Stoll (head) could play for the first time since March 12.
3. Edmonton LW Taylor Hall was held without a point Wednesday for the first time in seven total games - and six contests since returning from a leg injury.