Los Angeles @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 27, 2018 ) Arizona 1, Los Angeles 2

The Arizona Coyotes are hanging around the Western Conference wild-card race and have goaltender Darcy Kuemper mostly to thank as they host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Arizona has won seven of its last eight games (all Kuemper starts) after Thursday's 2-0 victory over West-best Calgary featured 30 saves by Kuemper, and is three points behind Minnesota for the final wild-card spot with two games in hand.

Kuemper, who owns a .949 save percentage while winning eight of his last nine starts, has already set personal bests in wins (21) and games played (41), and matched a career high with his third shutout Thursday. "He's been unbelievable. He makes it look so easy, he's always so calm," Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun told reporters after recording a goal and an assist Thursday. "He's a calming presence back there and he's going to make the saves he should make. That's nice to rely on." Los Angeles, which is last in the West, has lost two straight and 12 of its last 13 contests (1-8-4) after completing a 1-2-1 homestand with Thursday's 4-0 setback to St. Louis. "It wasn't a good effort on our part,'' Kings coach Willie Desjardins told reporters. "They're a good team but that's not good enough from us."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), FS Arizona

ABOUT THE KINGS (24-35-8): The frustrations are mounting for a franchise that won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, with Tyler Toffoli (12 goals, 28 points) telling reporters: “It’s getting to the point where we just need to stick together, and we can’t let one breakdown turn into two. We’ve got to find a way to … bounce back instead of falling back.” Anze Kopitar leads the club in goals (19) and points (48) after recording career highs of 35 and 92 last season. Drew Doughty (36 points), the 2016 Norris Trophy winner, is a club-worst minus-28 while playing a team-high 26 minutes, 54 seconds per game.

ABOUT THE COYOTES (33-29-5): Clayton Keller (team-high 42 points) scored for only the second time in 19 games Thursday, giving him 13 this season after scoring 23 as a rookie in 2017-18. "(Keller) wasn't happy (about scoring one goal in previous 18 games)," coach Rick Tocchet told reporters. "He wanted to watch video yesterday, so we watched video and had a good talk. He played a determined game, and that's a big goal." Michael Grabner (six goals, 11 points in 26 games) recorded five shots and three hits in 17:40 of ice time versus Calgary after missing the previous 41 contests because of an eye injury.

OVERTIME

1. Arizona is second in the league on the penalty kill at 85 percent and second in short-handed goals with 13.

2. Los Angeles rookie LW Austin Wagner (nine goals in 49 games) has missed the last two contests with a lower-body injury.

3. The clubs split a pair of 2-1 verdicts in the first two of four meetings this season with the Kings' Jonathan Quick stopping 44-of-47 shots, running his record versus the Coyotes to 19-18-4 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.

PREDICTION: Coyotes 3, Kings 2