Overview
- Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. PT at Crypto.com Arena as both teams return from the holiday break after losses to the Seattle Kraken.
- Anaheim enters tied on points atop the Pacific Division and won the first meeting on Nov. 28 in a 5-4 shootout.
- Leo Carlsson and Mikael Granlund rejoin the Ducks after missing the previous game, boosting a lineup that has cooled in recent weeks.
- Los Angeles continues to struggle to score, carrying a 13.5% power play that ranks among the franchise’s worst since 1977 and a goals-per-game rate near the bottom of team history, with center depth thinned after the Phillip Danault trade.
- With Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve, Anton Forsberg starts for the Kings; he is 5-5-3 with a .901 save percentage and 2.73 goals-against average.