Ducks face Kings, seek top seed in West

ANAHEIM – Goalie Frederik Andersen has been the Anaheim Ducks' best option in net during the last weeks of the regular season, and it appears he will try to help them clinch the top seed in the Western Conference on Saturday night.

Andersen was off the ice first at the morning skate and fellow rookie goalie John Gibson stayed out for extra work. Goalie Jonas Hiller reportedly said he wasn't playing Saturday and wasn't on the ice.

Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said he wanted to give Andersen a start this weekend because he hasn't played since April 4, when he took a shot off his mask by Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber.

"I think it's important just because he got a little bit dinged up in the last game and he hasn't played since then, and he didn't start that game," Boudreau said. "So we want to get a good start in him. He hasn't started a game in a week, and [we want to] get him feeling ready, so all three goalies can feel ready."

Anaheim needs one point against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center to secure the West's top seed for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Ducks end the regular season Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche.

"It's a good opportunity for us," defenseman Cam Fowler said. "It's something that we've worked really hard for. We know the kind of test it's going to be. Every time we go in to L.A. it's a battle and they certainly are a hard team to play against. But we still have something to play for so that makes it a meaningful game for us."

Fowler began the previous game partnered with defenseman Stephane Robidas but is back with defenseman Ben Lovejoy.

"Whoever they put me with is going to be good for me, but obviously me and [Lovejoy] have a lot of experience together," Fowler said. "We've come a long way this year in our partnership … it was good to be back playing with him but we have a lot of good options with on this team."

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty reportedly stayed on for extra work at the morning skate. He has missed the past three games with an upper-body injury.

Here are the projected lineups:

DUCKS

Matt Beleskey – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Jakob Silfverberg – Rickard Rakell – Andrew Cogliano

Daniel Winnik – Nick Bonino – Kyle Palmieri

Patrick Maroon – Mathieu Perreault – Devante Smith-Pelly

Hampus Lindholm – Francois Beauchemin

Cam Fowler – Ben Lovejoy

Bryan Allen – Stephane Robidas

Frederik Andersen

John Gibson

Injured: Mark Fistric (lower body), Tim Jackman (hand), Sheldon Souray (wrist)

Scratched: Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Luca Sbisa, Sami Vatanen

NOTES: Selanne and Koivu are being given the game off. Selanne will play his final regular season game, the 1,451st of his career, on Sunday.

Boudreau said Sbisa is available but Fistric is not.

KINGS

Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams

Jordan Nolan – Mike Richards – Jeff Carter

Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown

Kyle Clifford – Trevor Lewis - Tyler Toffoli

Jake Muzzin - Matt Greene

Robyn Regehr – Slava Voynov

Willie Mitchell – Alec Martinez

Jonathan Quick

Martin Jones

Injured: Drew Doughty (upper body)

Scratched: Andrew Campbell, Tanner Pearson

NOTES: Regehr told reporters that he is available after he missed three games with an undisclosed injury.