Sharks at Kings
After losing three of four to conclude a six-game road trip, the Los Angeles Kings look to regain their footing at home on Tuesday when they face the Pacific Division-rival San Jose Sharks. Los Angeles has won each of its last six contests at the Staples Center, but hardly looked like world-beaters on Saturday when it finished its lengthy trek with a 5-0 setback to lowly Toronto.
Jonathan Quick sat out that contest on the heels of a season-high 45-save gem in a 3-0 victory over Montreal on Thursday, but was treated rudely in his last meeting with San Jose. The 29-year-old Quick was blitzed for five goals in a season-opening loss at home to the Sharks on Oct. 7 before watching Jhonas Enroth improve to 4-0-0 in his career versus San Jose by making 39 saves in a 4-1 triumph two weeks later. Sharks netminder Martin Jones has faced his former team twice this season and looks to rebound after failing to hold a third-period lead in a 4-3 overtime setback to Chicago on Sunday. The loss was the second in a row and eighth in 10 outings (2-6-2) for San Jose.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN
ABOUT THE SHARKS (16-15-2): Joe Pavelski collected a goal and three assists in the first two meetings with Los Angeles and has four of each in his last six games overall. Despite the offensive surge, Pavelski has seen his team routinely fall short by the slimmest of margins. "It's just those fractions that are certainly the difference lately," he said. "We've got to stay with it."
ABOUT THE KINGS (20-10-2): Jeff Carter scored two goals and set up two others versus San Jose on Oct. 22, but has mustered just one assist in his last five contests following a seven-game point streak. Fellow forward Anze Kopitar has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his last 14 contests, but was kept off the scoresheet in the first two meetings with the Sharks this season. Kopitar has been paired with familiar faces Milan Lucic and veteran Marian Gaborik in a bid by coach Darryl Sutter to ignite the team's sputtering offense.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose is 4-for-10 on the power play in the last three contests and killed off all 11 short-handed situations in the last six.
2. Los Angeles has won eight of the last 11 encounters between the teams.
3. Sharks RW Joel Ward is expected to miss his second straight contest with an upper-body injury, CSNBayArea.com reported.