SoCal NHL Preview

Los Angeles (22-30-3) at Detroit (41-10-4), 4:30 pm, FSN

DETROIT (Ticker) - Best meets worst when the Detroit Red Wings host the woeful Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. The Red Wings, who lead the league with 86 points, will be gunning for their ninth straight win against a club with an NHL-worst 47 points.

Detroit has dominated the series in recent years, having won four straight and 16 of 17 meetings. The Wings are outscoring their opponents 25-11 during this win streak and are getting outstanding goaltending. Dominik Hasek, who stopped 24 shots in a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, has a 5-0-0 mark with a 1.57 goals-against average during the run. Although, Chris Osgood will likely get the start as coach Mike Babcock continues to rotate his netminders. The All-Star is 3-0-0 with 1.00 GAA during the streak.

In the last meeting, Osgood stopped 27 shots to record his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win on January 22 in Los Angeles. But the Kings enter this one with some confidence having won seven of their last 11 games. Los Angeles improved to 2-1-1 on its season-high eight game road trip with a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Jason LaBarbera stopped 39 shots on Tuesday, but is 0-3-1 with a 4.52 GAA in five career games vs. Detroit.