Dallas Stars’ Can Resuscitate Roadtrip In L.A. Against Kings
After a disappointing launch to their roadtrip, the Dallas Stars will head to Los Angeles to attempt to right their road trip wrongs.
Although the Stars had high hopes for this roadtrip, dropping their first game in St. Louis, a match they felt they deserved, was a swift blow to morale. However, how they respond to that loss in this game will be telling.
Get ready for a midnight thriller, folks. Don’t forget to tune in and catch puck drop from Staples Center at 9:30 CT.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars worsened their record to 16-16-8 after their 4-3 loss to the Blues on Saturday. They were able to produce comebacks twice in the game, but ultimately untimely goals against prevented a strong roadtrip start and brought their road record in the last ten games to a meager 2-6-2.
The Stars are scraping the bottom of the bucket in both the Conference and Division standings, but coming back during this roadtrip could help turn things around.
The L.A. Kings are 20-16-4 after their most recent win, which was 4-3 in overtime at home against the Wild on Saturday. They also erased a goal deficit and utilized power play prowess to secure the win.
Three of their past four games have landed them in the win column, and they still have four games to go in their seven-game homestand. The Kings sit four points above Dallas in Conference standings.
Storylines
Out of time in overtime
The Dallas Stars have not been able to pull many overtime wins this season. Although the Stars seemed primed for greatness when the league first implemented the new overtime structure, the Stars have not been able to latch onto a successful strategy this season.
The Kings, however, have a 20-4 overtime record in the history of three-on-three. The Kings owe their success to good puck control and retaining possession. If this is the case, the Stars will need to watch their turnovers and eliminate the stickiness they can experience in their defensive and neutral zones, should they make it to extra time.
New year, end of a series
This will the final game of a three game season series between the Stars and Kings. This series, the Stars have a 1-0-1 record against the Kings- their only loss to them is, of course, in overtime.
However, this will be the first meeting of the two teams on the Kings’ turf. Each previous game was decided by only one point, meaning tight back and forth struggles.
If the Stars can win this game and pull ahead for a winning series against L.A., it could be the confidence boost they need to turn the road trip around.
Goal diggers
The Stars have simply gotten into the habit of allowing goals. On the road, their average G.A. is 3.68 per game, while they have allowed 22 road power play goals, the most in the league this season.
On top of that, the Stars have not had luck on their end scoring on the power play. In the last three games, they have a 3-10 PP record and their penalty kill percentage has dropped to 68.1 as compared to the Kings’ 83.5, which is fifth in the league.
In tonight’s game, the Stars simply need to remember to score early and often. While they can’t forget to play neatly and make good passing choices in the neutral zone and the defensive end, they must score to give themselves a fair shake in what is likely to be a close offensive game with a tight ending score.
Watch for the Stars’ defense to be involved in the offense. John Klingberg has scored three in the last five games, which could contribute to a win in L.A.. Korpikoski and Eaves added to Klinger’s efforts against St. Louis as the only goal scorers. With Jamie Benn still benched with a foot injury, the Stars’ other leading forwards (looking at you, Seguin and Spezza) will perhaps need to contribute for a well-rounded effort the Kings can’t beat.
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Projected Lines
Dallas Stars
Jiri Hudler – Jason Spezza – Tyler Seguin
Patrick Sharp– Radek Faksa – Devin Shore
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Patrick Eaves
Lauri Korpikoski – Adam Cracknell – Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell – John Klingberg
L.A. Kings
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Devin Setoguchi
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Nic Dowd – Dustin Brown
Dwight King – Nick Shore – Jordan Nolan
Next: Dallas Stars' Revolving Door Of Defensemen Is A Major Issue
Predictions
The Dallas Stars need to focus on a few things. Special teams, focus in a possible overtime situation, and whole-team scoring efforts. They really need to end up in the win column on this one with an important roadtrip record on the line. If the Stars can put Saturday’s loss behind them and continue to play intentionally, they can come out on top. It’ll be a tight score, with the Stars pulling ahead 4-3.