Need to Know: Bruins at Kings

LOS ANGELES -The Bruins' season-long, six-game road trip rolls on as they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night in search of their fifth straight victory. The Kings, meanwhile, carry a five-game winning streak of their own into what should be an entertaining East-West showdown at Crypto.com Arena.
"They're playing well, good hockey," Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron said of the Kings. "They have a lot of depth. They bring a lot of speed as well, offensively, talent. But also, guys that play hard and play the right way. We have our hands full tonight for sure. I think we've got to bring the same kind of effort that we brought to San Jose, have the same type of start and build from that."
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the 10:30 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

DeBrusk Stays Put

Jake DeBrusk, who carries a four-game point streak (4-1-5) into Monday's contest with the Kings, will once again ride alongside Bergeron and Brad Marchand on the B's top line. To Bergeron's eye, the winger has fit in seamlessly since earning the promotion at the start of the road trip.
"He's played really good hockey," said Bergeron. "He's been engaged, kind of the things we've talked about, being engaged…we like to go out on the forecheck and find ways to turn the pucks over and that's usually how we create the offense that we kind of need from him.
"When he uses his speed, he's usually gonna be - or most likely gonna be - first on that puck. When you're able to keep the puck and sustain some pressure in the other team's zone, you start creating a little bit more and you start having some confidence as a line to make some plays."
Bergeron said it hasn't been much of an adjustment to having a left stick on that side of the ice, pointing to former Bruins winger Reilly Smith as an example of one of the previous lefties who have worked in that spot.
"It's happened in the past," said Bergeron. "It's not that bad of an adjustment. It's more for him than us, to be honest with you, if he's comfortable there. But he seems like he is. That's been a good transition."
Boston's captain also believes that the communication that he and Marchand try to have with DeBrusk - or any player who slots into that role - has helped all of them acclimate quickly to the new look trio.
"I hope we make it easy for the guys that are coming in," said Bergeron. "I always go back to communicating. I think that's the biggest and most important thing to do with whoever you're playing. The more you communicate, the more you let him know what we like as a line and what we can maybe change or what we're seeing on the other team's defense that we can maybe try to take advantage of, I think it's important that we do communicate.
"I've been used to playing with Brad for so long maybe some of those guys think it's an adjustment to come play with us but at the same time we're trying to adjust. We should all just play our game and bring whatever we bring to the table. That's how you're effective. If you try to change your game, that's when I think you're not at your best."

Opposing View

Since winning their second Stanley Cup in three years back in 2014, the Kings have missed the playoffs in five of seven seasons, including the last three. But Los Angeles appears to be back on the rise, having posted a 29-17-7 record with 65 points to this point, putting them just three points back of Calgary for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
"Go way back to Darryl [Sutter's] team, they're heavy, they're big, play behind you. Now they've mixed in more youth and speed, get behind you, get involved," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "Goaltending's still solid. You can't win without that. I think those are Todd [McClellan's] types of teams, what he had in San Jose; they played fast and they had good skill.
"It just takes a while to get those guys up to NHL level every night. I think that's probably the hiccups they've been through. I haven't seen them in a long time…those kids are coming around now and able to play at a high pace every night."
Stalwart centerman Anze Kopitar is still leading the way for the Kings with a team-high 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 53 games. Fellow pivot Adrian Kempe, in the midst of a career year, paces L.A. with 25 goals, while newcomers Victor Arvidsson (15-20-35) and Phillip Danault (15-15-30) round out the Kings' top four scorers.
Former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty still anchors the Kings' top defensive pairing and leads all L.A. backliners in scoring (7-23-30) despite playing in just 34 games.
In between the pipes, 2012 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick (14-10-6, 2.55 GAA, .913 save percentage) has teamed up with youngster Cal Peterson (14-7-1, 2.65 GAA, .900%) to form a solid one-two punch.

Wait, There's More

• No lineup changes are expected for Boston, as Jeremy Swayman gets the start between the pipes and Jesper Froden remains as the B's fourth-line right wing.
• The Bruins and Kings have not met since Dec. 17, 2019 - a 4-3 overtime victory for Los Angeles at TD Garden. The Black & Gold last visited Los Angeles on Feb. 16, 2019, a 4-2 win for Boston.

Monday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Jesper Froden

DEFENSEMEN
Mike Reilly - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton

GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark