Los Angeles @ Montreal preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 5, 2019 ) Montreal 3, Los Angeles 1

The Montreal Canadiens have been rather inconsistent of late while the Los Angeles Kings have consistently struggled this season. The Canadiens will look to rebound from an overtime loss in their last outing when they host the Kings on Saturday night.

Montreal fell to 4-1-1 in its last six games on Thursday following its 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia, but Carey Price was not to blame as he made 40 saves to earn First Star of the night honors. The former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner sports a 7-3-0 record in 10 career encounters with the Kings, with his last meeting netting a milestone as he tied Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for the all-time franchise lead in wins following a 26-save performance in a 3-1 victory on March 5. Like the Canadiens, Los Angeles also dropped a 3-2 overtime loss in its last outing, but that defeat came at the expense of lowly Ottawa and dropped the club to 1-5-1 in its last seven games. "I don't think anybody in this room wants to be playing to lose," Kings forward Tyler Toffoli said. "We're playing to win games and we're frustrated. We want to be winning games and that's a big point we all wish we could have had."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), CITY, Sportsnet East, TVAS (Montreal)

ABOUT THE KINGS (5-10-1): Toffoli's goal with eight seconds remaining in the third period gave Los Angeles a well-earned point, but coach Todd McLellan wasn't satisfied with the final result. "We were aggressive. We had to be, we had no choice," McLellan said. "We got some pucks to the net. They had an opportunity at an empty net and overpassed, and sometimes that comes back to haunt you, and it did, so good for us to find a way to get a point. Not so good on us to leave a point behind." Jonathan Quick hopes to snap a four-game losing skid and improve upon a 1-5-0 mark away from the Staples Center when he gets the nod on Saturday.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (8-5-3): Captain Shea Weber scored his third goal of the season on Thursday to record his fifth point in five games (two goals, three assists), but the 34-year-old lamented the six power-play opportunities that Montreal afforded Philadelphia. "It's tough when you're on the PK because only a certain number of guys get in the game and your skilled players are sitting on the bench for a long time," Weber said. "It's tough for them to be part of the game. It's a good thing our PK got going (Thursday), but we have to be better Saturday." Weber has 23 career points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 38 career games against the Kings, including a goal and an assist in the last meeting in March.

OVERTIME

1. Los Angeles RW Dustin Brown scored his first goal since Oct. 13 on Thursday, giving him a point in three straight games after failing to do so in his previous eight.

2. The Canadiens are 8-0-1 this season when scoring at least four goals and 0-5-2 when netting three or fewer.

3. The Kings are 5-10-1 after 16 games this season, matching their mark from 2018-19.

PREDICTION: Canadiens 4, Kings 1