The Los Angeles Kings continue their two-week long home stand tonight against the New York Islanders.
The Kings, now 5-9-2 overall, are 2-3 on the home stand and have lost their last two. They were shut out for the first time this season in their 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper is off to a tough start - allowing 3.53 goals per game on a .878 save percentage. Backup goaltender Anton Forsberg has looked great in contrast to Kuemper, allowing 2.44 goals on a .907 save percentage. However, Forsberg 0-5-1 this season due to lack of offensive support in his starts.
The Kings were shut down by Predators' goaltender Juuse Saros on Tuesday, who made 30 saves in the shutout. Alex Laferriere, Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield and Artemi Panarin all had 3+ shots on goal, but they couldn't get one past the Predators' net minder.
Panarin still leads the Kings in total points (18), assists (10) and goal (8). Kempe has 13 points on a nearly even split of six goals and seven assists and Laferriere has 11 points on eight assists and three goals.
The Islanders are led by center Bo Horvat and defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who each have 17 points this season. In the last matchup with the Kings, Los Angeles won in overtime 3-2, led by two goals from Panarin and 41 saves from Kuemper.
First Pick: Artemi Panarin over 0.5 points
Rundown: This game feels like a must-win for the Kings, who need to salvage this home stand after losing three of their first five. Panarin will enter this game with extra urgency - playing against his former team. In their last matchup, Panarin had two early goals, propelling them to overtime where they eventually found the game winner. Prior to the dud of a game against Nashville, Panarin had five points in his last two games. Expect the Kings' leading scorer to produce in a big game.
Second Pick: Bo Horvat over 2.5 shots on goal
Rundown: Horvat has eclipsed 2.5 shots on goal 11 times this season. He's taken 12 shots through three games in November - including seven in the Islanders' shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks.