Anaheim @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 12, 2019 ) Los Angeles 2, Anaheim 1

The Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks are sitting in traffic behind all the other Pacific Division teams as they resume the Freeway Series on Saturday in L.A. Anaheim remained two points ahead of last-place Los Angeles after a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Friday while the Kings snapped a five-game slide (0-4-1) with a 3-2 overtime victory at Arizona on Thursday.

Los Angeles forward Alex Iafallo, who recorded his first career hat trick Thursday and has five goals in his last four games, remains wildly optimistic the Kings - 15 points out of the final wild-card spot - can make a playoff push. "There's a lot of time left and you never know what can happen,'' Iafallo told reporters. "St. Louis did it last year (by surging in the second half and winning the Stanley Cup) and we have the guys in here that can do it. That's our goal, to make it to the playoffs. We're trying to stay positive and keep working every day." Goals will probably be hard to come by Saturday as the Ducks (2.49 goals per game) and Kings (2.50) are the second and third lowest-scoring teams in the league. The clubs have split the last 18 meetings, including a pair this season with the Ducks' Derek Grant scoring three goals in the two games.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: Prime Ticket, FS West

ABOUT THE DUCKS (20-26-5): Michael Del Zotto played a strong game Friday with a goal, assist, a plus-2 rating, three shots and three blocked shots, recording his multi-point game since Nov. 22, 2017. Captain Ryan Getzlaf registered two assists versus Tampa Bay and leads the club with 35 points while Rickard Rakell (30) had a goal and an assist, and was a plus-2 for the first time since Nov. 25. Ryan Miller is expected to start in goal Saturday after John Gibson made 18 saves Friday to finish 3-6-0 with a 3.36 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage in January.

ABOUT THE KINGS (19-28-5): Anze Kopitar paces the club with 17 goals and 46 points, and boasts six points in his last four games after recording two assists Thursday. Dustin Brown has two goals and three assists during a five-game point streak. Iafallo is one goal shy of his career high of 15 set last season and his 13.3 shot percentage is second on the club to Kopitar (17).

OVERTIME

1. Los Angeles D Drew Doughty (undisclosed) has missed the last two contests as his consecutive game streak ended at 460 on Wednesday.

2. Anaheim has killed 12-of-12 penalties in its last five games.

3. The Kings have scored a power-play goal in each of their last two contests and are 5-for-11 in the past five games.

PREDICTION: Kings 3, Ducks 2