The first freeway faceoff of the season is upon us Friday as the Los Angeles Kings head into Anaheim to take on the Ducks.
The Kings are coming in on a three game winning streak, having outscored opponents 11-3 in that period.
The Ducks, on the other hand, have lost four straight and are struggling for offense outside of their second line.
I'm expecting John Gibson in net, as he's taken on the number one role in recent weeks.
The Ducks need some more production from a line other than Mason McTavish's in this game.
The Kings have some of the best depth in the league, meaning the Ducks can't rely on just one line and expect to succeed.
They also have to be careful in special teams situations.
The Kings are finding their feet on the power play and have the league's second-best penalty kill right now.
If this game turns into a special teams battle, the Ducks will be in trouble.
Projected Anaheim Ducks Lines:
Forwards:
Alex Killorn - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Frank Vatrano - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome
Max Jones -Adam Henrique - Jakub Silfverberg
Ross Johnston - Sam Carrick - Brett Leason
Defense:
Jackson LaCombe - Cam Fowler
Pavel Mintyukov - Ilya Lyubushkin
Urho Vaakanainen - Radko Gudas
Goalies:
John Gibson
Lukas Dostal
Projected Los Angeles Kings Lines:
Forwards:
Quinton Byfield - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Phil Danault - Trevor Moore
Alex Laferriere - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Arthur Kaliyev
Carl Grundstrom - Trevor Lewis - Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Defense:
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov - Matt Roy
Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence
Goalies:
Cam Talbot
Phoenix Copley