SoCal NHL Preview

Colorado (13-10-1) at Los Angeles (10-13-1), 7:30 pm , FSN
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - The Colorado Avalanche are one of the best teams in the game at home. It's on the road that they struggle. The Avalanche will be looking for just their fourth road win of the season when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Just 1-5-0 in its last six road contests, Colorado has had trouble putting the puck in the net away from home, totaling just six goals in the five losses. Top goal scorer Paul Stastny and captain Joe Sakic have just one goal each away from home this season. The Avalanche dropped a 3-2 decision at San Jose on Friday, getting goals from Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette in the loss. The Kings have dropped six of their last eight games, beating only the San Jose Sharks twice. They are averaging just 1.75 goals per game over the past eight contests. Los Angeles should be happy to return home, however, after playing the last five games away from the Staples Center. The Kings own a 6-7-0 record at home this season.

SoCal NHL Preview

Los Angeles (9-13-1) at San Jose (11-8-3), 7:30 pm, FSN
SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) - The San Jose Sharks hope that they will fare better with three days off than with six. Joe Thornton and the Sharks will look to avenge Saturday's loss when they get their rematch with Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in a battle of Pacific Division rivals. The Kings used first-period goals from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown to propel them to a 2-1 victory over the Sharks on Saturday. It marked Los Angeles' only win in its last seven contests. On the other hand, it was San Jose's first loss in regulation since November 7, going 4-0-2 in that span. The 2006 Hart Trophy winner, Joe Thornton has been held pointless in his last two games, but still leads the Sharks with eight goals and 16 assists this season. Michael Cammalleri leads the Kings with 12 tallies, while Alexander Frolov has a team-leading 16 assists and 20 points. Frolov, however, has not played in the previous two games with a groin injury. Los Angeles has the worst record in the Western Conference.

SoCal NHL Preview

Anaheim (11-9-4) at Vancouver (12-9-2) 7:00 pm
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Ticker) -- The Anaheim Ducks easily dispatched of the Vancouver Canucks en route to their first Stanley Cup title last season. Ryan Getzlaf and the Ducks will aim to continue their success against the Canucks on Tuesday. It's the first meeting between the clubs since the Western Conference semifinals last May. Anaheim outscored Vancouver, 14-8, in the five game series, which was just an extension of its dominance in the regular-season series.

The Ducks won three of the four meetings last season, outscoring the Canucks 14-6 in the process. Overall, Anaheim has won six straight here and Getzlaf, who has a career best eight-game points streak will try and help to make it seven in a row. The third-year player, who signed a five-year, $26.625 million contract extension last Tuesday, scored a pair of goals to help the Ducks' rally for a 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Sunday. Getzlaf, who has 10 goals and team-leading 25 points, has six goals and six assists during his points streak. The play of Getzlaf has helped Anaheim win five of its last seven games after a 3-8 start. Meanwhile, Ducks goaltenders Jean-Sebastien Giguere will be happy to see the Canucks. The 12-year veteran is 7-0-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average in nine career games vs. Vancouver.

As for Vancouver, it has been playing well and would like to exact some revenge. The Canucks have won seven of their last 10 and are coming off a 2-0 win over Chicago on Sunday. No one would like to redeem themselves more from last season's playoff loss than goaltender Roberto Luongo. Luongo, who stopped 27 shots on Sunday, went 1-4 with a 2.31 GAA vs. Anaheim in the postseason.

SoCal NHL Preview

Los Angeles (8-12-1) at San Jose (11-7-3), 10:30 pm, FSN
SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) - After having the last six days off, there is no doubt that the San Jose Sharks are fresh, but will they be rusty Saturday. The Sharks will aim to capitalize on their time off when they host the Los Angeles Kings in a battle of Pacific Division foes. San Jose has not played since the Anaheim Ducks snapped their four-game winning streak in a shootout last Saturday.

The Sharks have not lost a game in regulation since November 7 against the Dallas Stars, going 4-0-2 in that span. Joe Thornton leads the club with eight goals and 16 assists on the season. The nine-year veteran is just 16 points shy of 700 for his career. The Kings, who will visit San Jose twice in four days, are hoping to snap a five-game losing skid. The team has managed just one goal over their previous three contests.

Los Angeles has been led by Alexander Frolov, who has a team-high 16 assists and 20 points on the season. Michael Cammaleri leads the club in goals with 12, but he has not netted one in the last four games. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown each have eight goals, but no other King - besides Cammaleri - has more than four.

SoCal NHL Preview

Phoenix (9-10-0) at Anaheim (10-9-3), 1:00 pm
ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - The Anaheim Ducks seem to be shaking off their Stanley Cup hangover, which is bad news for the lowly Phoenix Coyotes. The Ducks will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Coyotes on Friday. Anaheim got off to a slow start this season after winning the franchise's first championship in June. The Ducks opened with nine losses in their first 13 games, seven in regulation. But the Ducks have been on a roll lately, outscoring their opponents by a combined 15-9 and winning four in a row prior to a 2-1 setback at Dallas on Wednesday. Top goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere earned the win in each game during the recent streak - winning twice in shootouts - and owns a 2.42 goals against average this season. The Coyotes are coming off back-to-back wins against the Los Angeles Kings. Phoenix has played the defending champs three times already this season, winning twice. Center Peter Mueller notched a hat trick in the Coyotes' 6-5 overtime win over the Ducks here on November 7. Ilya Bryzgalov was claimed by Phoenix off waivers from Anaheim on Saturday and has been in goal for each of the past two wins, allowing just one goal.