Surging Kings Look For Revenge Against Devils
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After setting a Los Angeles Kings record for consecutive shutouts, Jonathan Quick is likely to get the opportunity to avenge his only defeat of the season - while having a chance to match another team mark.
The Kings go for their fifth straight win when they host the injury-depleted New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Quick established a club record with his third shutout in a row in a 1-0 victory over Dallas on Thursday, making 28 saves. The last King to have four shutouts in a month was Felix Potvin in March 2001, a total that's also a franchise best.
"It feels great to have that done - but at the end of the day, it's one game and two points. That's all I was focused on," Quick said.
Quick, who improved to 5-0-1, suffered a 2-1 shootout loss to the Devils on Oct. 13 despite making 36 saves. The victory turned out to be costly for New Jersey, as goaltender Martin Brodeur suffered a right shoulder injury and hasn't played since.
Los Angeles (5-1-1) has been better at lessening Quick's workload since that game, as he hasn't faced more than 28 shots in the last three contests. The Kings have managed to do so despite the absence of defenseman Drew Doughty, who is out with an upper-body injury.
Doughty is eligible to return from the injured list Tuesday, but it's uncertain if he'll play. Slava Voynov was called up when Doughty was hurt and has filled in well.
"We've got guys battling at all areas of the rink, especially in the D-zone, where they're battling along the wall and in front of the net and clearing out rebounds," Quick said. "They're doing their job extremely well, and it's making my (job) just that much easier."
The Devils (3-2-1) continue to deal with injury concerns after losing another player over the weekend. Center Jacob Josefson broke his left clavicle in a 4-3 shootout loss to San Jose on Friday, and he's expected to miss extended time.
Josefson joins Brodeur and fellow center Travis Zajac as Devils who are likely to be out for a long period.
New Jersey fell 4-1 at Pittsburgh on Saturday after giving up three goals in the third period. The Devils were outshot 16-5 in the final 20 minutes.
"We really didn't give ourselves a chance in the third period," said left wing Patrik Elias, whose short-handed goal in the third extended his point streak to five games.
Johan Hedberg, who has started all three games since Brodeur was injured, made 16 saves against Los Angeles. He is 2-6-0 with 3.72 goals-against average against the Kings.
The Devils had dropped three straight to the Kings before the Oct. 13 matchup. Elias has three goals and two assists in the last five meetings after scoring in the most recent game.
