The Los Angeles Kings didn't miss a beat without their top defenseman in the lineup. They're expected to have Drew Doughty back for this game as they visit the Phoenix Coyotes.
Doughty has missed the last five games due to an upper-body injury suffered on Oct. 15 versus the Flyers. Los Angeles won that game, played mostly without Doughty, and then went on to win its next three contests -- all by way of a shutout with Jonathan Quick in net.
Quick was then rested on Tuesday versus the Devils and the Kings lost a 3-0 decision. Quick returned to action on Thursday and made 30 saves in a 5-3 win over the Stars, their second victory over the club in three games.
Slava Voynov scored twice and had an assist, his first NHL points in what was his fifth career game. The young defenseman was promoted to the roster after Doughty's injury.
"Voynov, he's got a big shot. He shoots the puck. He's got a nice skill that you don't coach, and that's the offensive part of the game. He's got incredible composure," said Kings head coach Terry Murray.
The 21-year-old Russian will likely be the odd-man out with Doughty set to return despite his three-point effort.
"He has come through the practice feeling good," Murray told his club's website of Doughty on Friday. "He did some extra work at the end of the practice, down at the far end, 1-on-1, pushing and battling, and he came out of that fine. He's ready to go. He will play."
Justin Williams and Scott Parse scored, Dustin Brown added an empty-netter and Mike Richards dished out three helpers versus the Stars for the Kings, who are 3-0-1 on the road this season.
"The second period, we came out real well. I really liked the way we showed some support for the puck here tonight," Murray said. "That's the kind of play that we want to continue to build on."
One of Quick's shutouts came on Oct. 20 versus the Coyotes, a 2-0 victory in which he made 28 saves. It was the Kings' fourth straight victory over the Coyotes since a five-game series losing streak, and second in a row in Phoenix.
After being limited to four goals over a three-game slide at home, the Coyotes unleashed a season-high 42 shots in matched their highest output for goals this year in a 5-3 win over the visiting Devils on Thursday.
Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett reunited Ray Whitney with Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata, a trio that skated together last year, and Whitney responded with a pair of goals and one assist. Hanzal also scored and Vrbata had two assists.
"Sometimes you look at Europeans, they play a little bit different style of the game," said Whitney, an Alberta native. "It's a little more puck control, a bit more different thinking. I guess me being small, I always learned to play a little bit of that offensive game as well."
Patrick O'Sullivan scored his first goal with the Coyotes and Raffi Torres also tallied. Mike Smith ended with 31 saves.
With restricted free agent Kyle Turris having asked for a trade, the Coyotes acquired center Cal O'Reilly from the Predators on Friday for a fourth-round pick in the 2012 draft. The former fifth-round selection in 2005 had an assist in five games with the Predators after logging six goals and 12 helpers in 38 games last season.
O'Reilly is currently day-to-day with a groin injury, meaning he likely won't suit up tonight.
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