Kings make rare visit to Raleigh

KINGS (25-17-10) at HURRICANES (19-25-9)

TV: NHLN-US (HD); FS-W; FS-CR

Last 10: Los Angeles 5-2-3; Carolina 5-3-2

Season Series: It's the only meeting of the season between the teams, who haven't seen each other since the Kings won 4-3 at the Staples Center on Oct. 20, 2010. Los Angeles has won the last three meetings.

Big Story: The Kings play the second of a six-game trip as they make only their third visit to the RBC Center since 2003. They're still looking for their first goal after being blanked 1-0 in St. Louis on Friday night -- and they'll be playing a Carolina team coming off a 3-0 victory in Boston that completed a sweep of the season series against the defending Stanley Cup champs.

Team Scope:

Kings: There wasn't a lot of open ice for the Kings on Friday night. They managed only 22 shots and had few scoring chances against one of the tightest-checking teams in the League. Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for the Kings, allowing only a second-period goal by Jamie Langenbrunner. But that wasn't good enough to give the Kings a win in the opener of their annual Grammy trip.

"We just didn't get enough good quality chances," center Jarret Stoll said. "I don't think we moved the puck as well as we wanted to, coming out of our zone and in the neutral zone. They're a good team. They check well. They have good sticks, they move and we've got to work harder to get open to make good passes."

Hurricanes: Expect Cam Ward to be in goal when the Kings come to the RBC Center -- after all, how could coach Kurt Muller sit his starter after Ward set a franchise record for saves in a shutout by stopping all 47 Boston shots on Thursday.

"When your goalie has that confidence in his body language and in the way he's playing, it gives everyone a lot of confidence, and it's easier to play. It really is," Muller told the team's website. "He seems to have his game in the right state of mind as far as his of his mental approach. The break was probably better for him, even though he was playing well before. He seems to be tracking the puck well right now. Last night, they had good scoring chances, and he made it look easy."

Who's Hot: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has allowed just eight goals in his last five starts. … Ward has a .951 save percentage in his last 12 games.

Injury Report: The Kings are healthy except for forward Simon Gagne (concussion). … The 'Canes are still missing defenseman Joni Pitkanen (concussion) and backup goaltender Brian Boucher (lower body).

Stat Pack: The Kings have been involved in 10 shootouts, winning four. Carolina is the only team in the NHL without a shootout win (0-4). … Ward has started 10 straight games for the Hurricanes, going 5-3-2. He has faced an average of 33.8 shots in his last 12 starts.

Puck Drop: Though they've played better under new coach Darryl Sutter, offense is still at a premium for the Kings. They've scored a League-low 22 first-period goals and are last overall with 110 goals, five fewer than Minnesota. The reason they're still seventh in the West? Defense -- Los Angeles has surrendered only 108 goals. But someone has to start scoring soon; Friday's loss was the Kings' second 1-0 defeat in the last month.

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