Both the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings are struggling early in the NHL regular season.

After winning their first game against the Buffalo Sabres, the Senators dropped a close 4-5 decision against their bitter intra-Ontario rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Similarly, the Los Angeles Kings are 1-2, losing their last two games against the Winnipeg Jets and their cross-country adversary New York Rangers by a combined margin of four goals.

The Kings would like nothing more than to redeem their winning record at Staples Center. Their loss against the Rangers was their first at home, and it didn't quite sit well with the home crowd. They lost in such a dominated fashion that they allowed their opponents to score in all three periods. They would also like to get back to .500 before they leave on a four-playdate road trip that takes them to the East Coast where a gauntlet of also-rans awaits them.

The Senators are in the midst of a six-playdate road trip that pits them against four teams from the 2012 NHL playoffs, including the San Jose Sharks, which pushed the Kings to the limit in their Western Conference semifinal match up.

One player to watch is the Senators' Bobby Ryan who was part of the Los Angeles Junior Kings prior to playing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. As a member of the Ducks, he scored 11 goals in 46 games, and his experience with playing against Southern Californians should serve him well against Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Kings, on the other hand, are counting on Slovenian Anze Kopitar for offense. Carter scored 10 goals in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and scored another goal in the Kings' win against the Minnesota Wild.

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