KINGS (24-16-5) at DUCKS (21-16-9) 10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV
The Kings, who were tied for second in the Western Conference with the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 4, are tied for the second wild card spot. Los Angeles hasn't lost six in a row since an eight-game losing streak (0-8-0) from Dec. 12-26, 2007. Darcy Kuemper is expected to make his 10th start this season after Jonathan Quick allowed three goals on 31 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Quick has lost four straight starts. The Ducks are 5-2-1 in their past eight games, including a 4-2 win in Los Angeles on Saturday. Anaheim is two points behind the Kings for fourth place in the Pacific Division.
Players to watch
Kings forward Anze Kopitar has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past six games. Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his past eight games, and four assists in his past two games against the Kings.
They said it
"We're going to need everybody on the team to get us out of this. We're going to need our leadership to take charge of the room and lead the way." -- Kings coach John Stevens "It's a tough, physical, emotional series we have with each other, but there's definitely respect there because we've been playing a lot of (those) guys for a long time." -- Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano
Kempe was moved from second-line center to left wing on the top line with Kopitar against the Penguins and scored a goal. Stevens indicated he planned to stick with the same lineup against the Ducks. ... Cogliano returns from a two-game suspension for interference against Kempe on Saturday.
Stat pack
Kuemper has not faced Anaheim since Dec. 5, 2014, when he played for the Minnesota Wild. ... Kase had two goals and an assist on Saturday, and has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past three games.
