Canucks at Kings preview

CANUCKS (7-3-1) at KINGS (4-8-0)
10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN360, SN1, FS-W, NHL.TV

The Canucks have earned a point in four straight games (3-0-1) and eight of their past nine (7-1-1). Vancouver has scored at least five goals in each of its past three games (2-0-1) and defeated the Florida Panthers 7-2 at Rogers Arena on Monday.
The Kings have lost three in a row while being outscored 15-4, including consecutive 5-1 losses at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

Players to watch

Canucks center Elias Pettersson has eight points (one goal, seven assists) during a four-game point streak. He has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past nine games.
Kings center Anze Kopitar needs one point for 900 in the NHL. He has 47 points (14 goals, 33 assists) in 54 games against the Canucks.

They said it

"He's making a lot smarter plays, I think. He knows he can make special plays, but now he knows there is a time and place for them. He's really buying into the system." -- Canucks forward Tim Schaller on center Elias Pettersson
"This is our mandate, to play a certain way and a certain type of game. We'll take it on the chin sometimes because of it, but we'll find the right people too and we'll make the players better here so they can have success." -- Kings coach Todd McLellan

Canucks projected lineup

J.T. Miller -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Jake Virtanen
Micheal Ferland -- Brandon Sutter -- Josh Leivo
Tim Schaller -- Jay Beagle -- Loui Eriksson
Alexander Edler -- Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes -- Chris Tanev
Jordie Benn -- Troy Stecher
Jacob Markstrom
Thatcher Demko
Scratched:Ashton Sautner, Adam Gaudette
Injured:Tyler Motte (lower body), Antoine Roussel (knee)

Kings projected lineup

Carl Grundstrom -- Anze Kopitar -- Jeff Carter
Alex Iafallo -- Adrian Kempe -- Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford -- Blake Lizotte -- Austin Wagner
Ilya Kovalchuk -- Michael Amadio -- Nikolai Prokhorkin
Ben Hutton -- Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez -- Sean Walker
Kurtis MacDermid -- Matt Roy
Jonathan Quick
Jack Campbell
Scratched:Joakim Ryan, Trevor Lewis, Tyler Toffoli
Injured: Derek Forbort (back)

Status report

The Kings did not hold a morning skate Wednesday. … McLellan said there would be lineup changes but did not provide specific details. … Grundstrom was recalled from Ontario of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. … Canucks defenseman Oscar Fantenberg joined Utica of the AHL on Tuesday for a conditioning assignment. He has not played in an NHL game this season because of an upper-body injury and illness.

Stat pack

Pearson will play in his 400th NHL game. … Schaller has scored four goals during a three-game streak. … Kovalchuk needs one goal to tie Pavel Bure (437) for fourth-most in NHL history by a Russia-born player. … Kempe will play in his 200th NHL game.