Boston @ Los Angeles preview
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Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2019 ) Los Angeles 4, Boston 3
A cross-country clash of streaking teams will take place Monday when the Los Angeles Kings play host to the Boston Bruins.
The Kings enter on a five-game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight to move into second place in the Pacific Division.
The Bruins have won four consecutive games, three of which have been on the road. Boston is also 2-0-0 to open a five-game Western Conference road swing.
The Kings were a pedestrian 9-9-4 near the start of December, but have since found their stride behind a blend of youth and veterans guided by future Hall of Famer Anze Kopitar.
In his past five games, Kopitar has eight points, seven of them on assists. One of those helpers came in Saturday's convincing 5-2 home victory over the New York Islanders as the veteran reached 50 points in his ninth consecutive season.
The victory also moved Los Angeles past the Vegas Golden Knights in the division standings.
Forward Trevor Moore and defenseman Matt Roy each had a goal and an assist for the Kings on Saturday, when Los Angeles was 0-for-5 on the power play but outshot New York 35-28, including 26-15 in the first two periods when it grabbed a 4-1 lead.
It was the 20th consecutive game the Kings took more shots than their opponent.
Roy scored his first goal of the season in his 51st game. Brendan Lemieux scored his eighth goal of the season but his first since Jan. 1.
"I just saw an opportunity to jump in," Roy said. "Everyone was excited for me. It was a long wait."
Kings head coach Todd McLellan has missed the last two games while in COVID-19 protocol. Assistant Trent Yawney has taken over the head duties.
The Bruins' most recent victory was a 3-1 decision at San Jose on Saturday. Brad Marchand had a pair of goals to give him 23 on the season. He also had an assist to move him into the team lead with 52 points. David Pastrnak has 51 points and leads the team with 28 goals.
Marchand's three points came in his second game back from a six-game suspension assessed for roughing and high sticking on Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry during a Feb. 8 game. Boston lost three of their first four games of the suspension.
"When you play a lot of minutes, missing two weeks is tough, so I was really happy with how things felt in the game," Marchand said.
Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman needed to make just 15 saves to close out the victory.
"That's definitely a defense-first victory," said Swayman after the Bruins held the Sharks to a season-low 16 shots. "Super happy with how we played in front of me. It was fun to watch."
If there is an area for improvement within the Bruins, it is their work on the power play. Boston was 0-for-3 against the Sharks and over the last eight games they are just 1-for-20 (5 percent).
--Field Level Media