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Kings-Bruins Preview

Jan 30, 2010 - 7:37 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Los Angeles (31-19-3) at Boston (23-21-8), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Reaching the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons is a major motivator for the Los Angeles Kings, who are winning on the road routinely these days.

The Boston Bruins are just hoping for a victory of any kind.

The Kings go for their longest road winning streak in 35 years Saturday night when they face the slumping Bruins, who are trying to avoid their longest slide since 1997.

Los Angeles (31-19-3), which hasn't qualified for the playoffs since 2002, is currently sixth in the Western Conference - one point back of fifth-place Colorado and two behind Phoenix for fourth and home-ice advantage in the opening round.

With the way the Kings are playing on the road, home ice may be irrelevant.

They're 17-10-1 on visiting ice and have won five in a row away from Staples Center, outscoring opponents 23-10 in that span.

"(The) playoffs are the driving force," coach Terry Murray said.

The Kings, who are also trying to win a season-high five in a row overall, haven't won six straight road games since a franchise-record eight-game run Dec. 18, 1974-Jan. 16, 1975.

They won 4-1 at Columbus on Thursday as Anze Kopitar scored twice. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves, with 14 coming in the first period including seven in a span of 50 seconds.

"It was a little chaotic there," said Quick, who has a 2.00 goals-against average during the five-game road winning streak. "They came out hard, they came out flying. We got a couple of bounces there at the beginning. We were fortunate to have it 0-0 after the first 10 minutes."

Kopitar has four goals and four assists over his last four road contests. The center leads Los Angeles with 22 goals and 53 points on the season.

Kopitar and Dustin Brown came up big against the Bruins (23-21-8) on Jan. 16, each scoring to erase a two-goal third-period deficit before they both beat Tim Thomas in the shootout to clinch a 4-3 win.

Los Angeles, which concludes its five-game trip at Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey on Sunday, won its last visit to Boston 3-2 in overtime on March 19 in similar fashion, with Michal Handzus and Drew Doughty finding the net in the third period to force the extra session before Brown won it with 35 seconds remaining.

Quick started and won both of those matchups - his only two career games against Boston.

Including the loss to the Kings, the Bruins have dropped nine of 10 (1-8-1) to fall into 12th in the East, one point back of a five-way tie for the last two playoff positions. They won the conference with 116 points last season, but are on pace for just 85 in 2009-10.

"We need to pick it up and turn this around as quickly as we can," left wing Milan Lucic said.

Lucic found the back of the net Friday, but Boston fell 2-1 at Buffalo, its sixth straight defeat. The Bruins haven't dropped seven straight in a single season since March 17-April 3, 1997, en route to a league-worst 26-47-9 finish.

Thomas will likely be back in net after he was rested in favor of backup Tuukka Rask, who made 21 saves against the Sabres.

Expected to back up Buffalo's Ryan Miller along with Quick on Team USA at next month's Olympics in Vancouver, Thomas has lost four starts in a row, posting a 3.89 GAA and getting pulled twice in that span.