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Jokinen set to make Rangers debut against red-hot Kings

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02/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the New York Rangers made a move to try and bolster their struggling offense, the Los Angeles Kings are seeking their best win streak in almost 18 years.

Los Angeles will try to win its seventh game in a row tonight at Staples Center versus a New York club that is still searching for answers after halting a season-long five-game losing streak.

Seeking to make the postseason for the first time since 2002, the Kings have won six straight for the first time since March 11-23 of that season. Los Angeles hasn't put together seven consecutive victories since matching a club record with an eight-game winning streak from February 23-March 9, 1992.

Los Angeles is currently fifth overall in the Western Conference, two points behind fourth-seeded Phoenix.

The Kings kept their winning streak alive in impressive fashion on Sunday, as Wayne Simmonds and Drew Doughty both scored on New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur in the game's final 1:46 to give LA a stunning 3-2 victory.

Simmonds scored the first goal on a backhand shot from a tough angle, while Doughty's power-play marker came through traffic and with 27.3 seconds left to play. Michal Handzus scored Los Angeles' first goal, while Jonathan Quick ended with 26 saves.

"Quite a few times we've come back from two-goal deficits...There's not a doubt on anyone's mind on the bench," Quick said.

The victory allowed the Kings to go perfect on a five-game swing and run their road winning streak to seven games, one shy of a club record. Los Angeles now begins a three-game homestand tonight against a new-look New York club.

Averaging just 2.52 goals per game, the Rangers made a trade late Monday night with the Calgary Flames, acquiring forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust in exchange for forwards Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik. The on-again, off- again deal was reportedly held up because the Flames wanted Jokinen to play in last night's home loss to the Flyers.

Jokinen, who has 11 goals and 35 points this year, will try to help a Rangers team that scored just five goals over their recent five-game skid that ended with Sunday's 3-1 win over Colorado.

With Calgary having played at home last night, Jokinen is expected to be in Los Angeles in time to make his Rangers debut in this game.

The trade also ends disappointing Big Apple tenures for both Kotalik and Higgins. Kotalik signed a three-year deal this past offseason that included a no-trade clause, and had been sent home by the team in preparation for a trade. He had been a healthy scratch in eight of New York's last nine games and has eight goals and 14 assists on the season.

Higgins, meanwhile, had his rights acquired by New York this past summer in the deal that sent Scott Gomez to Montreal. He had six goals and eight assists in 55 games with New York after reaching at least 20 goals in three of his previous four seasons.

As he has for much of the season, Marian Gaborik accounted for all of New York's offense by netting his 10th career hat trick and first with the Rangers. Gaborik, who reached 500 lifetime points with his first goal, completed his natural hat trick on a breakaway 9:17 into the third period, and his last two goals were both set up by Vinny Prospal.

"It's definitely better to play with that lead. It gave us a lot of confidence and we got comfortable," said Gaborik, who is fourth in the NHL with 33 goals. "We brought our energy tonight."

Making his second straight start for the ill Henrik Lundqvist, Chad Johnson made 34 saves to earn his first NHL win in his fifth career appearance and fourth start.

New York, which won for just the third time in its last 11 games, also snapped a four-game road losing streak and is tied with Florida for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers posted a 4-2 home win over the Kings on October 14 behind a pair of power-play goals from Prospal as well as a tally from Gaborik. They won their second straight over the Kings and are 3-1-0 with a tie in their last five trips to Los Angeles.