(My Sportsbook) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to get back on track tonight, when they take on the Los Angeles Kings in a road test at the Staples Center.

The Avalanche are probably just glad to be playing a team other than the Calgary Flames, who just swept Colorado in a home-and-home set and have taken all four meetings so far against their Northwest Division rivals this year.

After losing a 4-1 contest in Calgary on Tuesday, the Avs were blanked by the Flames, 1-0, in Colorado two days later. The Avalanche failed to get any of their 18 shots past Miikka Kiprusoff, getting shutout by the netminder for the second time this year.

Peter Budaj made 32 saves in the loss for the Avalanche, who had won three in a row before their set with the Flames. Colorado's 16 points this year has the club last in the division.

Already without Joe Sakic for a fourth straight game due to a strained back, Marek Svatos left Thursday's game in the second period because of an abdominal injury. Both skaters are questionable for tonight. Sakic's offense will once again be missed, as he has 33 goals and 40 assists in 58 career games against the Kings.

Colorado has won two of its last three on the road and is 4-5-0 as the visiting team this year.

The Kings have been on a roll as of late, winning five of their last seven after Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals. Dustin Brown and Michal Handzus each had a goal and an assist in handing the Capitals their first regulation loss since November 1.

Drew Doughty and Patrick O'Sullivan lit the lamp in the win, while Anze Kopitar posted the Kings' first short-handed goal this season.

The victory was also Los Angeles' fourth in its last five home games, and the team is 6-5-2 at the Staples Center this year.

Erik Ersberg stopped 19 shots in the victory and is likely to make his first career start versus the Avs tonight. He stopped both shots he faced in 19 minutes of relief of Jason LaBarbera, who allowed four goals on 14 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Avs back on October 20.

That contest also featured Doughty's first NHL goal. Doughty was taken with the second-overall pick of this past draft.

Budaj stopped 26 shots to improve to 4-1-1 with a 2.51 goals against average versus the Kings. The victory was Colorado's fourth in the last five meetings with the Kings and third straight in Los Angeles.