Morning skate notes: Looks like Peter Budaj will be in goal again for the Kings

Reporting from GLENDALE, Ariz. —  Greetings from Glendale, Ariz., where the Kings held meetings and an optional skate at Gila River Arena on Thursday morning in advance of their game against the Coyotes.

Even though this will be the Kings’ second game in two nights — following their 4-1 loss to San Jose on Wednesday night at Staples Center — it’s all but certain that Peter Budaj will be their starting goaltender.

That would extend his consecutive-games streak to 22. Coach Darryl Sutter has made it known that he has been less than pleased with the performances of Jeff Zatkoff (0-3-0, 3.39 goals-against average, .875 save percentage), so Budaj looks to be the starter again. That’s a lot of work, but the team is scheduled to have Friday off and won’t play again until Sunday’s noon start at home against Montreal.

“I think our schedule sets up for one goalie,” Sutter said.

That one goalie isn’t Zatkoff, although Sutter might have to call on him soon. The Kings will play nine straight road games starting Dec. 13, with the Christmas break interrupting after the first seven of those games. They’ll have three back-to-back sequences during those nine games, leaving room for Zatkoff to play if he regains Sutter’s trust.

Sutter mixed his lines late in Wednesday’s game, a standard ploy to ignite some scoring and punish or reward players for their work. He said Thursday he plans to give winger Marian Gaborik more time alongside center Anze Kopitar; Gaborik played his second game Wednesday after recovering from a broken foot, and Kopitar played his third game after sitting out because of a hand or arm injury. Gaborik missed the last 28 regular-season games last season because of a knee injury and had only 12 goals and 22 points in 54 games.

“Gabby’s played now two games that were important in eight months,” Sutter said. “He came back for the playoffs last year and he was probably 75%. Because he wanted to and his heart and we trusted him, but he was never up to where he wanted to be or where we expected him to be. He’d had a tough regular season already as part of that….

“He is going to affect changes in the lineup more than anybody else, talking about players that were injured or not injured. We’ve got lots of guys who can play on the fourth line. That depends on our opponent. We had five or six guys that are going to go in and out of the lineup and play on our fourth line. That’s something based on how much they’ve contributed in terms of scoring and things like that.”

He also said he’d like to keep the Tanner Pearson-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli line together, “but the wingers have got to produce. A lot of it is how they’re playing.” Sutter added, “We need to get Kopi up to speed. I think he was better [Wednesday] night. He’s been really good early in games, but his ability to sustain a high level, which we expect out of him, for the course of the game is something he’s got to work on. And I think the bottom line is quite honestly he’s on the ice for too many goals against. You can’t just be on the ice to be a minus player. Got to be a better line for us or else it’s not a line.”

Kopitar has two goals and nine points in 18 games this season, including one assist in three games since he rejoined the lineup. “I feel good,” he said. “I guess every time you miss 10 days or five games, nothing is the same as playing games. But I feel like I got the jump. I feel good, so hopefully it shows up on the score sheet fairly soon.”

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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