Tonight at 7 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Kings (6-1-2, 14 points) and Pittsburgh Penguins (5-2-1, 11 points) face-off for the first of two meetings this season live from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The game can be live streamed here. Los Angeles fans can hear all the action on Fox Sports 570 while Pittsburgh fans can do the same on WXDX 101.5.
Los Angeles is on a tear to start this season, but it had its six-game winning streak snapped last time out while Pittsburgh is in search of its third straight win.
The Kings are coming off of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday where the team received goals by Tyler Toffoli (shorthanded) and Mike Richards.
Toffoli and his linemates Jeff Carter and Tanner Pearson -- collectively known as That 70s Line, have been a spark for Los Angeles this season.
Toffoli is tied for third in the NHL with 13 points while Carter is second on the team with 12 (five goals, seven assists) and Pearson is tied for third in the league with seven goals. Anze Kopitar (upper-body) isn't expected to play despite taking part in the morning skate.
The Penguins are coming off of an 8-3 rout in which they scored seven unanswered goals against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Captain Sidney Crosby had two goals in the win and now ranks second in the NHL with a team-best 14 points and tied for third in the league with seven goals.
Patric Hornqvist is also having a big year in his first season in Pittsburgh, notching five tallies and six helpers to rank tied for second on the team with Evgeni Malkin (four markers, seven assists) with 11 points.
Crosby knows the defending Stanley Cup champions offer a tough challenge.
"You know that they're experienced and they believe in the way they play," the Penguins captain told NHL.com. "So, you have to be ready to do the same thing on your side. I think you get up for these ones, knowing who you're playing against, and we want to make sure we're at our best."
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty knows he'll have his hands full with "Sid the Kid."
"I'm going to be matched up against Sid as much as I can [Thursday]," Doughty said per NHL.com. "And I've had the opportunity to play with him a few times. I obviously know how good of a player he is. He's the best player in the league and he's going to be my biggest challenge of the year."
It appears as though Los Angeles will turn to backup Martin Jones in net. Jones won his only other start this season and allowed just one goal on 33 shots.
No. 1 backstop Marc-Andre Fleury is slated to man the crease for Pittsburgh and he is 5-2-0 thus far this season with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
The Kings look to rebound from their first loss in seven games while the Penguins hope for their third straight win when the puck drops on these two teams tonight at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
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