NHL Preview: Coyotes (21-40) at Kings (33-22)
Date: March 16, 2015 10:30 PM EDT
Jonathan Quick is playing well for the Los Angeles Kings.
His best effort may not be needed against the Arizona Coyotes.
Quick figures to start for the Kings on Monday night as they try to extend the Coyotes' road losing streak to seven games.
Los Angeles (33-22-13) is in a tight race for the playoffs, trailing Calgary by two points for the final automatic Pacific Division postseason spot and Winnipeg by one for the Western Conference's final wild-card berth.
The Kings will likely turn once again to Quick, who is 12-3-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average in his last 16 starts - a stretch he began with eight straight victories. Los Angeles is 2-0-1 in the season series, with Quick going 1-0-1 with a 2.40 GAA in two starts.
Quick will be facing an Arizona team that is averaging a league-worst 1.65 goals since the All-Star break. The Coyotes (21-40-8) have been outscored 23-8 during this road slide as they try to avoid dropping seven in a row on the road for the first time in a single season since a 0-6-1 stretch to close 2006-07.
Arizona is 1-13-1 in its last 15 games and has totaled three goals in a 0-3-1 stretch after Saturday's 4-1 home defeat to New Jersey. Cory Schneider stopped 30 shots by the Coyotes, whose coach didn't think the Devils goaltender was the sole reason for the performance.
"I think we make a lot of goalies look good," Dave Tippett said. "Not that we've played against some very good goaltenders and Schneider is a very good one, but as good as some of those goaltenders are we end up making some of them look pretty good."
This horrendous 15-game stretch has featured nearly no production from captain Shane Doan, who had just one assist in that span before ending a 14-game goal drought Saturday. Doan hasn't scored in his last six games against the Kings.
The beleaguered Mike Smith suffered his 34th regulation loss. No goalie has lost more in regulation in a single season since 2003-04 when Washington's Olaf Kolzig had 35 and Columbus' Marc Denis had 36.
"I am sure Mike would like to save every puck but the coverage has a lot to do with it," Tippett said.
Los Angeles may be concerned about mustering enough offense after Saturday's 2-1 home loss to Nashville. Jeff Carter's power-play tally in the first period looked to be enough until the Kings conceded twice in a 66-second span in the third.
"I don't think we managed the puck good enough, especially coming out of our zone to make plays and to really set up maybe chances on the rush or to have some o-zone time so we have to be better with that in the next game," center Anze Kopitar said.
Los Angeles totaled 17 goals in its previous five games before Saturday. Carter and Marian Gaborik have four apiece in the last six.
The Kings have killed off 38 of opponents' last 40 power plays. The Coyotes still have one of the league's better power plays at 20.8 percent, though that unit is 3 for 30 over the last 13 games.
