KINGS (17-13-4) at CANUCKS (14-18-3)
10 p.m. ET; SN, FS-W, NHL.TV
Kings team scope
The Los Angeles Kings will reunite Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar on their top line. With forward Tyler Toffoli expected to miss at least one more week with a lower-body injury that kept him out the past two games, the Kings will play Kopitar and Brown with Marian Gaborik for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. "We had really good chemistry a couple years ago but I haven't really played with [Kopitar] for a couple years," said Brown, who kills penalties with Kopitar regularly. "We read really well off each other and [Gaborik] is an offensive threat so I think we fit well together with our skill sets. [Kopitar] does it all, I can create space for them and [Gaborik] doesn't need much space and it will be in the net." The Kings are playing the eighth of nine consecutive road games and have at least a point in five of their first seven (3-2-2). "We seem to be really hungry on the road trip," defenseman Drew Doughty said. "We were kind of sick of winning three games and losing three games. We knew we had to become more consistent and we put a lot of focus on that." Goalie Peter Budaj will start after watching Jeff Zatkoff play in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 23. Budaj started the previous four games, earning two shutouts and giving up three goals.
Canucks team scope
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler will return after missing 13 games with a broken finger. Vancouver was 5-7-1 during Edler's absence and has two wins in its past eight games. "Everything I've done feels really good so I am ready for a game now," said Edler, who was averaging 23:41 of ice time and had one goal and two assists in 21 games before being hit by a shot during a Nov. 26 game. "He's our best d-man I think," forward Alexandre Burrows said. "He's so reliable off breakouts, he reads the play well, he defends well. He's good offensively, so he's a big part of our defense for sure." Forward Jayson Megna, who was a healthy scratch for a 4-1 road loss at the Calgary Flames on Dec. 23, when the Canucks had 14 shots, will start on the top line with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Megna, who has three goals in 18 games, scored two of them on rare shifts with the Sedins during a 5-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 8. Megna replaces Jannik Hansen, who will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury sustained Dec. 22. "It's an excellent opportunity," Megna said. "It's big for me and a chance to show I can help the team win and contribute."
Kings projected lineup
Marian Gaborik -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson -- Jeff Carter -- Devin Setoguchi
Dwight King -- Nic Dowd -- Trevor Lewis
Andy Andreoff -- Nick Shore -- Jordan Nolan
Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty
Kevin Gravel -- Matt Greene
Peter Budaj
Jeff Zatkoff
Scratched: Tom Gilbert
Injured: Kyle Clifford (undisclosed), Tyler Toffoli (lower body), Brayden McNabb (collarbone), Jonathan Quick (groin)
Canucks projected lineup
Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Jayson Megna
Markus Granlund -- Brandon Sutter -- Loui Eriksson
Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Alexandre Burrows
Brendan Gaunce -- Michael Chaput -- Jack Skille
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Luca Sbisa -- Christopher Tanev
Ben Hutton -- Nikita Tryamkin
Scratched: Anton Rodin, Alex Biega, Andrey Pedan
Injured: Jannik Hansen (knee), Erik Gudbranson (wrist surgery), Alexander Edler (fractured finger), Derek Dorsett (neck surgery), Philip Larsen (concussion)
Status report
McNabb has been medically cleared to return from a broken collarbone sustained Oct. 29 but coach Darryl Sutter indicated he needs more practice time before getting back into the lineup. ... Toffoli was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. … Chaput is a game-time decision because of illness. If he can't play, Rodin will play his second NHL game on the right side of the fourth line with Gaunce at center and Skille on left wing.
Who's hot
Carter has eight goals in his past eight games after scoring two against the Stars and is tied for second in the League with 19. Setiguchi, who will play his 500th NHL game, has a goal and an assist on a two-game point streak. … Miller is 7-4-1 with a .927 save percentage in 12 games against the Kings, including his last NHL shutout on Oct. 13, 2015.
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