Ottawa native Ceci gets second game with Senators

OTTAWA - Rookie defenseman Cody Ceci will get to play a second game in a row for the Ottawa Senators against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Ceci made his NHL debut Thursday in Ottawa's 2-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres. He finished plus-2 in 20:40 of ice time, which included time on the power play and penalty killing shifts.

The 19-year-old Ottawa native was recalled from Binghamton of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Thursday to fill in for Marc Methot, who will miss his second straight game Saturday as he recovers from the flu.

"He's here today and he's working out, but we're going to see how he is," MacLean said of Methot. "He hasn't skated for a couple of days and he's been dehydrated because of it, so we're really going to make sure before we do anything with him as far as getting him back in, but it appears like he's on the road to recovery."

With defenseman Jared Cowen serving the second and final game of his suspension, MacLean will use the same lineup that faced Buffalo on Thursday for Ottawa's second and final game against Los Angeles this season.

The Kings defeated the Senators 4-3 in overtime at Staples Center on Oct. 9.

Rookie goalie Martin Jones made stopped 38 of 39 shots Thursday in Los Angeles' 3-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jones has won four straight starts, including consecutive shutouts against the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens after making his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 3.

The Kings are on a 12-1-4 run, and have not allowed a first-period goal or more than two goals in any of their past 17 games.

"They're a very difficult team to play against," MacLean said. "They play the game very simple, but they play it physical. Their goaltenders have been very good. They're a good defensive team. They don't give up a lot and they really make you work for your opportunities. Much like the Boston Bruins, they wait you out. They wait you out and wait for you to force something in, and they take advantage of it."

Here are the projected lineups for the Kings and Senators:

KINGS

Dwight King – Anze Kopitar – Jeff Carter

Dustin Brown – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams

Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Tyler Toffoli

Daniel Carcillo – Linden Vey – Jordan Nolan

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty

Robyn Regehr – Slava Voynov

Willie Mitchell – Alec Martinez

Martin Jones

Ben Scrivens

Scratched: Matt Greene, Matt Frattin, Trevor Lewis

Injured: Jonathan Quick (groin), Colin Fraser (concussion)

SENATORS

Clarke MacArthur – Jason Spezza – Mika Zibanejad

Cory Conacher – Kyle Turris – Bobby Ryan

Colin Greening – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Chris Neil

Milan Michalek – Zack Smith – Erik Condra

Joe Corvo – Erik Karlsson

Chris Phillips – Cody Ceci

Patrick Wiercioch - Eric Gryba

Craig Anderson

Robin Lehner

Suspended: Jared Cowen

Scratched: Matt Kassian

Injured: Marc Methot (flu)