When the Los Angeles Kings host the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night at Staples Center, they'll try to pick up where they left off before the Christmas break.
The Kings (14-20-3) have collected points in three straight games for the first time this season, beating the visiting Winnipeg Jets 4-1 followed by overtime wins at the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights on consecutive days last weekend.
"It's going to make the break that much better and we feel really good in here," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty told reporters after the win against Vegas on Sunday. "At the same time, we can't let this break slow down our momentum. We've got to carry it through and carry it on after."
The Coyotes (16-18-2) won two in a row before the break, beating the visiting Colorado Avalanche 6-4 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak before winning a shootout in San Jose on Sunday.
"It definitely boosts our confidence," said Arizona forward Alex Galchenyuk, who scored twice in regulation and had the only goal of the shootout against San Jose. "We're working hard, playing the right way, executing the game plan. We're a hard team to beat and we're creating scoring chances, we're going to the net and playing solid in our own end. ... We've got to keep going now. We're not satisfied. There's still a lot of games to be played and we've got to keep pushing."
The Coyotes have already won at Staples Center this season, beating the Kings 2-1 on Dec. 4.
Adin Hill made 25 saves in that game to improve to 4-0-0 in his rookie season, but he has allowed at least three goals in each of his past five starts and was returned to Tucson of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Darcy Kuemper likely will get the start against the Kings on Thursday. He earned the win against San Jose after losing his previous six starts, though the Coyotes were held to one goal in four of those outings and two in another.
The Kings remain last in the NHL in scoring at 2.30 goals a game, but they've done better lately, scoring at least three goals in four straight games for the first time this season.
Despite a rocky first three months of the season, Los Angeles is only eight points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
"You never know what can happen," Doughty said. "We know that if we can win, let's say 15 out of 20, 17 out of 20, something like that, we might be back in the picture. You never know, so we've just got to control what we're doing and win some hockey games."
The Coyotes are five points out of the final playoff spot. They also realize they need to keep winning if they hope to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 season, when they lost to the Kings in the Western Conference finals.
"It's going to be a big second half for us, a big push mentally," Arizona coach Rich Tocchet told reporters after the win against San Jose.
