As it stood Saturday afternoon, the Anaheim Ducks lead the L.A. Kings by 14 points in the Pacific Division standings. But the Kings have something the Ducks don’t, and that’s a 2014 Stanley Cup championship.
The two met last year in the second round of the playoffs, with the Kings prevailing in seven games. And they’ve clashed twice already this season, with both games needing to be decided in either overtime or the shootout. Both teams have wins in this season series.
The Ducks see this game as a test.
“They’ve been sitting home three days and i don’t think they’ve been happy [after loss to NJ],” said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau following Friday’s win over New Jersey, as per Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times.
“We’ll know where we are after Saturday’s game,” he added.
For the Kings, it should be an emotional night. Rob Blake will have jersey retired to the rafters at Staples Center.
“To have this kind of fulfillment on this weekend,” Blake told the L.A. Times, “kind of relays what I wanted to do when I got here, even though it was far-fetched at the time or a stretch I never thought I could get to.”