The Hockey News' Derek Lee previews the Ducks' matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Ducks will face the Los Angeles Kings in their final game before the Four Nations Face-Off break. In their previous games, the Ducks won 2-1 over the Dallas Stars on Feb. 4 while the Kings beat the Stars 5-4 in a shootout on Friday.

"(The Kings) are a really defensive-minded team," Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. "Their defensive stats are top in the league. I think they do a really good job trying to smother scoring chances against and they've got enough team speed across all four lines to get up into the play and counterattack. They're just a really balanced team."

The previous Ducks-Kings matchup was just over two months ago on Black Friday, with the Kings beating the Ducks 2-1. The Kings will look slightly different on Saturday compared to that November win. Erik Portillo, the winning goaltender for the Kings in that game, is currently in the AHL. Darcy Kuemper is expected to start after David Rittich started against the Stars.

Defenseman Drew Doughty was also not in the lineup that day, recovering from ankle surgery following a broken ankle that he suffered during preseason. He'll be in the lineup on Saturday and presumably be one of the Kings' major minute munchers on the backend.

The Ducks could also be without a veteran defenseman on Saturday. Radko Gudas missed Thursday and Friday's practices due to an illness. When asked on Friday, Cronin was unsure if Gudas would be available.

With a 7:30 p.m. puck drop, the Ducks did not have a morning skate prior to bussing up to the venue formerly known as Staples Center. Lukáš Dostál is expected to get the start after John Gibson started on Tuesday against the Stars. The Ducks have continued to run a rotation with both of their goaltenders performing well––and it keeps both fresh too.

Ducks Projected Lines

Trevor Zegras - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Troy Terry
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Robby Fabbri
Ross Johnston - Isac Lundeström - Brett Leason

Pavel Mintyukov - Jackson LaCombe
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Brian Dumoulin - Drew Helleson

Lukáš Dostál (projected)

Kings Projected Lines

Alex Turcotte - Anže Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Warren Foegele - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Alex Laferriere
Tanner Jeannot - Trevor Lewis - Akil Thomas

Vlad Gavrikov - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Jacob Moverare - Jordan Spence

Darcy Kuemper (projected)