Los Angeles takes on New York on 4-game skid

This Sunday there are five games on the slate in the NHL. In one of the evening games, the Los Angeles Kings travel to New York for a meeting with the Rangers. Will the Kings be able to get a result in a difficult back-to-back situation?

New York Rangers: Comeback versus Buffalo came too late

The New York Rangers are currently seventh in the Metro Division and their playoff chances getting slimmer every game. Currently they are eleven points behind the last two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference, but the hockey team still has two games in hand, so they aren’t totally out of the playoff picture yet. The bookmakers give head coach David Quinn's team a small 4.2% chance of reaching the playoffs and it can hardly afford to lose any points from now on.

The Rangers rotate this season with three goalies. A trade from Alexander Georgiev to the Toronto Maple Leafs was eventually cancelled and as a result, the Russian is likely to alternate most of the games in the remainder of the season with his one year older compatriot Igor Shesterkin. A bitter pill for Henrik Lundqvist, as it looks like the experienced 37-year-old Swedish goalie will only serve as backup for them from now on. Last Friday, the Rangers went down with 3-2 at Madison Square Garden against the Buffalo Sabres. A late comeback with the help from the teenage talent Kaapo Kakko turned out to come too little too late in the end. 

Los Angeles Kings: Shutout loss to New Jersey

In the second half of the NHL season, the wheat is usually separated from the chaff, as far as the teams competing for the playoffs are concerned. The Los Angeles Kings have known for a longer time that they can book their vacation in early april this season. Los Angeles is last in the Western Conference with 43 points and already 18 points behind the last playoff spot. It will be anything but easy for head coach Todd McLellan to keep his players motivated towards the end of the regular season.

The Kings are struggling offensively this season. The bright spot is Anze Kopitar, who leads Los Angeles with 47 points (seventeen goals, thirty assists). The captain of the Kings has been in inferior form, as he was not involved in any goals in the last three games. The hockey team lost its fourth game in regular playing time in a row on Saturday. Visiting the New Jersey Devils, it suffered a 3-0 shutout loss. For the game against the Rangers, Los Angeles will again rely on Jonathan Quick in net, who is not having a great season.

New York Rangers in regulation

The Los Angeles Kings are back in action 23 hours after the 3-0 defeat in New Jersey against the Devils. It's also the fourth away game in six days for the Los Angeles hockey team and they have been out of the playoff picture for sime time now. The Rangers will start with the talented Shesterkin in net. The Russian has started his period in New York on a strong way with four victories out of five games. The Rags are more rested than the Kings and are in fine shape (seven victories from the last twelve games), moreover, they still have something to play for. So all in all I expect a win in regulation for the home team.