The Pacific Division is up for grabs Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, and you'll forgive the Kings for wondering how that happened.
The Anaheim Ducks will roll into the Staples Center on one hell of a streak, having won 10 in a row. They're flying, going 17-1-1 in their last 19, and posting a 20-4-2 mark since 2016 began.
The two teams have met three times since Jan. 17, with the Ducks losing the first meeting 3-2, but winning the next two games 4-2. Both have 80 points in 63 games, and both excel defensively.
"(Saturday's) a big game, one of the biggest games of the year," said Kings defenseman Brayden McNabb.
It should live up to the hype. Here's how the clubs match up, and there isn't much difference between them:
| Ducks | Statistic | Kings |
|---|---|---|
| 2.51 (22nd) | Goals Per Game | 2.63 (17th) |
| 2.29 (2nd) | Goals Against | 2.27 (1st) |
| 22.9% (3rd) | Power Play | 21.5% (9th) |
| 86.7% (2nd) | Penalty Kill | 81.4% (13th) |
| 53% (3rd) | Corsi For % | 56.3% (1st) |
| 91 (29th) | Goals For 5on5 | 98 (24th) |
| 99 (9th) | Goals Against 5on5 | 90 (1st) |
| 98.6 (29th) | PDO | 99.4 (22nd) |
Individually, the clubs line up similarly as well:
| Ducks | Statistic | Kings |
|---|---|---|
| Corey Perry (28) | Goals | Tyler Toffoli (24) |
| Ryan Getzlaf (42) | Assists | Anze Kopitar (35) |
| Getzlaf (51) | Points | Kopitar (54) |
| Frederik Andersen (17) | Wins | Jonathan Quick (32) |
| John Gibson (2.09) | GAA | Quick (2.18) |
| Andersen (.922) | SV% | Quick (.920) |
| Gibson (4) | Shutouts | Quick (3) |
Both teams have five players with over 35 points. Yeah, this game's going to be good.
Should the Ducks win, they'll set a new franchise record for wins in a row with 11. And you know, to a man, they'd love to set the record against the Kings.
"It's going to be the biggest game of the year, and everybody knows that goingin ," said Kings winger Dwight King. "We know what's on the line, so it's going to be pretty much playoff hockey."
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The New Jersey Devils may have lost their MVP on Friday night.
Goaltender Cory Schneider left the game early in the third period after making a brilliant right pad save on Dallas Stars forward Jason Spezza. Schneider was replaced by Keith Kinkaid, and was favoring his right leg as he left the ice.
The 29-year-old lunged back towards the goal line after a shot wide came off the boards to Spezza, who tried to put it in. Schneider got his pad down in time, but wasn't able to get back up after the play.
The Devils offered no update to Schneider's condition after the game.
"We'll see what happens when we get back to (New Jersey)," head coach John Hynes said, according to The Star-Ledger's Rich Chere. "If he's hurt, we'll move on without him. If he's not, we'll see him soon."
The Devils won't leave Dallas until late Saturday morning, according to The Record's Tom Gulitti.
Schneider didn't have a Schneider-like night Friday, allowing three goals on 18 shots. He came into the game with a .924 save percentage - ranking fourth among goalies who have played at least 40 games - and four shutouts in 54 starts.
If Schneider - recently named one of three goalies who will represent the United States at the World Cup in September - is hurt long term, the Devils can kiss their playoff chances goodbye. They're five points out of the second-wild spot, with the Pittsburgh Penguins owning three games in hand.
The Devils lost 3-2.
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Columbus Blue Jackets leading goal-scorer Brandon Saad will not travel to Philadelphia after suffering an upper-body injury in Friday's 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
Saad remained in the game briefly after appearing to be shaken up by an open ice. But he eventually left the contest, and the team later announced he would not return.
It will be just the second game he's missed in his first season with the Blue Jackets.
Columbus will return home following Saturday's clash with the Flyers before hosting the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday for the first of five straight home starts.
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Nick Schmaltz's goal deserves the full treatment, the whole play is nuts pic.twitter.com/PIHONUZtls
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) March 5, 2016
Even Chicago Blackhawks' prospects are scoring highlight-reel goals.
North Dakota forward Nick Schmaltz converted a sensational marker in NCAA action Friday night, stickhandling his way around a Western Michigan defender with a series of moves, then tucking the puck in from behind the net.
The 20-year-old added three assists as the Fighting Hawks cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Broncos.
Chicago selected Schmaltz 20th overall in 2014.
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Rather than waiting on the question, Trevor Linden prefaced his discourse Thursday at the Vancouver Canucks' ill-timed Town Hall, reiterating that the decisions made by Jim Benning and his staff are not being influenced by higher-ups.
"We had complete autonomy from ownership to make the decisions we needed to make," Linden said, via the team's official Twitter account.
They delved further into the topic of failing to yield a return for pending unrestricted free agents still on the Canucks' roster. Benning claimed defenseman Dan Hamhuis had just one team he would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to join, and they didn't receive a single offer on former 30-goal man Radim Vrbata.
Of course, effort isn't enough to appease the club's frustrated fan base or media members who spin the narrative in Vancouver and have suspected - or continue to suspect - that owner Francesco Aquilini is preventing hockey operations from committing to a firm direction.
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