Flames at Kings
The Los Angeles Kings attempt to regain first place in the Pacific on Thursday, when they host the division-rival Calgary Flames. Los Angeles, which has lost four of its last five games, fell one point behind Anaheim for the top spot in the division when the Ducks cruised past Calgary 8-3 on Wednesday.
The Kings, who are riding a six-game point streak at home (5-0-1), sit three points ahead of San Jose for second place in the Pacific and home-ice advantage in a potential first-round playoff matchup. Calgary continues a four-game road trip on which it split the first two contests. The Flames have lost four of their last five overall contests, surrendering a total of 25 goals in that span. Los Angeles outscored the Flames 6-2 in winning the first two contests of their four-game season series, which concludes in Calgary on Tuesday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Calgary), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (32-39-6): Defenseman Mark Giordano scored Wednesday to reach the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career. The captain, who has recorded a career-high 53 points this season, joined Al MacInnis, Gary Suter, Paul Reinhart and Dion Phaneuf as the only blue-liners in franchise history to hit the 20-goal mark. Joni Ortio, who is 3-1-1 in his last five starts, is expected to be in net against Los Angeles after being a healthy scratch Wednesday.
ABOUT THE KINGS (45-26-5): Anze Kopitar needs two points to reach 70 for the sixth time in his 10 seasons in the league. The 28-year-old Slovenian leads the team in scoring but has recorded just one goal in his last six contests. Kris Versteeg, who has been sidelined since suffering a foot injury while blocking a shot on March 19 against Boston, is unsure when he will return to the lineup but is making the most of his time on the sidelines. "Hopefully, I can just learn as much as I can while I'm out and take all the knowledge and try to come back in and help out again in whatever way I can," he told lakingsinsider.com.
OVERTIME
1. Kings C Tyler Toffoli tops the club with 29 goals and has notched five points in his last two contests.
2. Calgary LW Johnny Gaudreau, who leads the team in goals (28), assists (45) and points (73), has yet to play on the road trip because of an upper-body injury.
3. Los Angeles has allowed a total of 20 goals during its last five games.