Kings at Maple Leafs preview
Tavares returns for Toronto; Quick expected to start for Los Angeles
by Dave McCarthy / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
KINGS (5-9-0) at MAPLE LEAFS (7-5-3)
7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4, FS-W, NHL.TV
The Game
John Tavares will return for the Toronto Maple Leafs when they host the Los Angeles Kings at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
Tavares, who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games, missed the past seven games with a broken finger. The Maple Leafs were 3-2-2 without him in the lineup.
Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin will face Los Angeles for the first time since being traded to Toronto on January 28. He had 213 points (51 goals, 162 assists) in 496 games with the Kings over parts of eight seasons.
Jonathan Quick is expected to start for the Kings, who are playing the first game of a three-game road trip and have been outscored 23-11 in their past five games (1-4-0).
Players to watch
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scored in overtime in a 4-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and has three points (one goal, two assists) in his past two games.
Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner has five points (one goal, four assists) during a four-game point streak.
They said it
"I've known him since I was like 9 years old so just miss hanging out with him, beating him at golf and obviously miss him in the room and on the ice. He was my partner for a few years and we had great chemistry. We'll chirp each other, no doubt about that. He's going to try to rush the puck and I'm going to try to stand him up. Everyone says even if you're friends off the ice, it's all business on the ice." -- Kings defenseman Drew Doughty on Jake Muzzin
"It'll be different, I've never done that. It'll be fun out there seeing some of guys I played with for a long time, it'll be a little different but it will be fun. I had a good career there, a lot of good memories and a lot of good friendships." -- Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin
Kings projected lineup
Carl Grundstrom -- Anze Kopitar -- Jeff Carter
Ilya Kovalchuk -- Blake Lizotte -- Tyler Toffoli
Alex Iafallo -- Adrian Kempe -- Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford -- Michael Amadio -- Trevor Lewis
Alec Martinez -- Drew Doughty
Ben Hutton -- Sean Walker
Kurtis MacDermid -- Matt Roy
Jonathan Quick
Jack Campbell
Scratched: Joakim Ryan, Austin Wagner, Nikolai Prokhorkin
Injured: Derek Forbort (back)
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Andreas Johnsson -- Auston Matthews -- William Nylander
Trevor Moore -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Ilya Mikheyev -- Alexander Kerfoot -- Kasperi Kapanen
Nic Petan -- Nicholas Shore -- Frederik Gauthier
Morgan Rielly -- Cody Ceci
Jake Muzzin -- Tyson Barrie
Travis Dermott -- Justin Holl
Frederik Andersen
Michael Hutchinson
Scratched: Jason Spezza, Dmytro Timashov, Martin Marincin
Injured: Zach Hyman (ACL)
Status report
The Kings are expected to dress the same lineup as their previous game against the Blackhawks on Saturday. … Hyman said he's feeling "really good" and is "really close" to returning to the lineup. … Petan was recalled from Toronto of the American Hockey League and will play.
Stat pack
The Kings have the second-worst power play in the NHL at 9.1 percent (5-for-55) and the worst penalty killing at 67.3 percent (33-for-49). … Barrie will play his 500th NHL game. … Rielly has four points (one goal, three assists) during a four-game point streak. ... Mikheyev has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past four games. ... Babcock will tie Jacques Martin for 12th on the all-time games coached list (1,294).