Kings reach Ottawa with 6-game winning streak

The Kings volition tow a drawstring of six consecutive victories into a gathering with the Ottawa Senators connected Thursday, having enactment 2 Original Six franchises and respective erstwhile teammates successful their rearview reflector already this week.

The Kings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs connected Monday, an enactment that molded Kings forwards Trevor Moore and Carl Grundstrom, and 1 that presently features erstwhile Kings goalie Jack Campbell, defenseman Jake Muzzin and winger Wayne Simmonds. It was halfway Phillip Danault dominating with a three-point effort, a nighttime earlier helium faced his erstwhile mates successful Montreal, including existent Canadiens and erstwhile Kings winger Tyler Toffoli.

There, the Kings won disconnected winger Adrian Kempe’s overtime winner connected Tuesday, and winger Alex Iafallo extended his scoring streak to 7 games. Iafallo is approaching his career-best agelong of 9 consecutive games with astatine slightest 1 point. Andreas Athanasiou has besides been motivated since his instrumentality from injury. He has scored successful each crippled he’s played for a full of 4 points successful 3 games, successful summation to offering Kings Coach Todd McLellan greater flexibility successful his enactment combinations.

The Kings person besides outscored opponents 5-2 connected the powerfulness play during the streak, winning the wide peculiar teams tally contempt besides surrendering 2 shorthanded goals on the way.

“We conscionable support playing our game. I deliberation we person the close mindset going into the game,” Kempe told reporters. “Our peculiar teams person been good, our five-on-five crippled has been unreal and our goalies person been unbelievable.”

The Kings person besides been stout defensively, ceding 2 oregon less goals successful each crippled during the streak for an mean of 1.83 goals allowed crossed the six-game span. Their goaltending has done its part, peculiarly successful seasoned Jonathan Quick’s superb show successful Toronto. Quick has a .946 prevention percent during the streak, Cal Petersen posted a .930 people and the 2 goalies person divided the six wins evenly.

All that occurrence has travel contempt the absences of Drew Doughty and Sean Walker connected defense, arsenic good arsenic those of 4 forwards, including first-line winger Viktor Arvidsson.

“I deliberation the information that we’ve mislaid 2 beauteous bully defensemen, it sent a awesome to everybody other that we’ve got to tighten it up each implicit the rink,” McLellan told reporters. “We perpetrate to that first, and past instrumentality our chances astatine the different end. It mightiness not ever beryllium pretty, it mightiness not ever beryllium the benignant of crippled that you privation to watch, but it’s been moving for us.”

On platform for the Kings are the Senators, who person been led by a breakout show up beforehand from Drake Batherson. After notching 34 points successful 56 games successful his archetypal afloat NHL season, Batherson has been a point-per-game subordinate for Ottawa frankincense far.

Winger Brady Tkachuk, member of Flames winger Matthew and lad of erstwhile powerfulness guardant Keith, was named skipper of the Senators earlier the play and signed a seven-year, $57.5 cardinal declaration extension. Second-year halfway Tim Stutzle and defenseman Thomas Chabot stay players of involvement contempt unremarkable starts to their campaigns.

Kings astatine Ottawa

When: 4 p.m. Thursday

Where: Canadian Tire Centre

TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeartRadio