The set-up: The 15-12-2 LA Kings are in Pittsburgh to take on the 20-7-3 Penguins. The Penguins are riding a seven-game winning streak and are tied with the Rangers atop the Metropolitan Division with 43 points. LA's No. 1 goaltender Jonathan Quick has missed most of the season because of a groin injury (he's be out until around mid-February) and that has left the Kings just hanging around the playoff cutoff in the West.

Los Angeles: Leading scorer Jeff Carter (14 goals, 24 points) criticized his team after the 6-3 loss at Buffalo on Tuesday, calling it "fragile," and the Kings responded with a solid effort in Detroit. Los Angeles outshot the Red Wings 31-18 and got 17 saves from Jeff Zatkoff, who may face his former team with fellow goalie Peter Budaj sporting a .859 save percentage this month. Budaj was asked to pick up most of the slack with Quick out and maybe he was asked to do too much. He had started 25 of 26 games before former Pittsburgh backup Jeff Zatkoff started Thursday in Detroit.

Pittsburgh: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was Pittsburgh's franchise, go-to goalie for more than a decade. However, a concussion last spring opened the door for matt Murray, who backstopped the Penguins to the Stanley Cup. Murray has started a season-high four games in a row but Fleury is expected back in the Pittsburgh Penguins' net in the next two nights. A good guess would be Friday against the Los Angeles Kings, with back-to-back games on tap. The Penguins are averaging a robust 5.6 goals in December with captain Sidney Crosby (nine-game point streak) and fellow forward Evgeni Malkin (16 points, 10 games) leading the way.

The pick: Whether it's Fleury or Murray in net for the Penguins, don't expect much to get past either one. As for the Pens, they can't keep up this scoring barrage much longer. The Under is a 10* play.