The Los Angeles Kings face the Vancouver Canucks with both teams on opposite ends of the Pacific Division to start the season. The Kings have an 11-7-1 record and with seven wins in the last 10 games, have leaped into second place in the division while the Canucks have a 5-9-3 record this year. Both teams are looking to improve within the division and the Western Conference and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Kings are having a great season behind an offense that is scoring 3.32 goals per game including 12 goals in the last three games. Kevin Fiala, Trevor Moore, and Gabriel Vilardi have scored 21 goals and 27 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Anze Kopitar, Arthur Kaliyev, and Phillip Danualt have scored 14 goals and 26 assists while defensemen Sean Durzi and Drew Doughty have added four goals and 15 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has looked great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.37 goals per game. Drew Doughty and Michael Anderson have combined for 2.1 defensive point shares and 54 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to carry the puck into the offensive zone and find open shots on the net. In addition, goaltender Jonathan Quick has struggled in the net with a .895 save perc entage and a 3.09 goals-against average on 373 shots.