Alex Turcotte scored twice and notched an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Thursday.

The Vancouver Canucks begin a homestand on Thursday night when the Los Angeles Kings roll into Rogers Arena for a Pacific Division matchup between the two West Coast teams. Following a five-game road trip,

BOTTOM LINE: The Vancouver Canucks face the Los Angeles Kings in a matchup of Pacific Division opponents. Vancouver is 19-14-10 overall with a 6-3-2 record in Pacific Division play. The Canucks have committed 168 total penalties (3.9 per game) to rank ninth in NHL play.

The NHL Department of Player Safety laid down the gavel on Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe on Tuesday. Kempe slew-footed Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid in the third period of the Oilers' 1-0 victory on Monday.

Alex Turcotte scored twice and notched an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling host Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Thursday. Turcotte’s first tally of the night came 51 seconds into the game and, before the end of the first period, the 23-year-old winger helped the Kings to a 3-0 lead.

The way the Canucks played Thursday, completely unengaged and unfocussed at the start, demonstrated how hollowed out they’ve become. They’re impossible to recognize as last year’s team.

This season the Kings have surrendered the fewest goals in the NHL, led by Darcy Kuemper in goal, but are coming off a shutout loss in Edmonton.

The Los Angeles Kings snapped their brief two-game losing streak on Thursday, thanks to a strong first period where they jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was 10 minutes old.

Alex Turcotte scored twice and notched an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1 on Thursday.

Alex Turcotte scored twice and added an assist as the Los Angeles Kings thumped the struggling Vancouver Canucks 5-1.