Dallas Stars Cannot Complete Rally, Fall To Kings In Overtime

The Dallas Stars could not replicate their performance from Tuesday night tonight and fell to the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 as a result.

The American Airlines Center hosted hockey for the first time in a week tonight with the Dallas Stars looking for their third win of the season. Instead, the Los Angeles Kings spoiled their homecoming by besting the Stars 4-3 in overtime.

Game recap

The Kings struck first in a tightly contested first period when Nic Dowd capitalized on LA’s first power play of the game. Just a few moments later, Radek Faksa scored on a semi-empty after Kings’ goalie Peter Budaj evacuated to chase down the puck.

The second period was where the Kings began attempting to pull away, but the play of Kari Lehtonen kept it close. Jeff Carter scored his first goal of the season early in the second period, only to be followed up by Jamie Benn scoring on the power play to tie things at 2-2. Patrick Eaves and Patrick Sharp both exited with injuries in the second period and did not return. Tanner Pearson scored to take the 3-2 lead for Dallas heading into the second intermission.

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Through a riotous and fast-paced third period, Jason Spezza notched a goal in the final three minutes to tie things up and send the game to overtime. But Alec Martinez would have the final say in extra time, scoring to win the game for the Kings by a final score of 4-3.

Thoughts and Observations

-The Dallas Stars now fall to a record of 2-1-1 on the season with five points. Both the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche won tonight, meaning they move into a two-way tie for second place. The Stars are now fourth place in the Central and hold the first wild card spot.

-In terms of injuries, the Stars lost both Patrick Sharp and Patrick Eaves tonight on separate occasions. Sharp was on the receiving side of a nasty check in the second period that caused him to leave for the remainder of the game. He went under tests for concussion protocol and is out with concussion-like symptoms. Eaves was deemed to have a lower-body injury after taking a friendly fire shot while screening in front of the net and was also benched for the game.

-Kari Lehtonen had a fabulous game, stopping 35 of 39 shots. He finished with a .897 save percentage and is the only reason the Stars actually escaped with a point in this one.

–Antoine Roussel continued to be a pest under the Kings’ skin throughout the night. He finished the game with 18 penalty minutes, including a 10 minute misconduct. He avenged Sharp by getting in a scrap with Brayden McNabb after a whistle and almost scored the game-tying goal late in the second. In other words, it was a good night for Roussel.

–Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza were on a roll for the Stars. Spezza finished with a goal and an assist, while Seguin tallied two helpers. These new lines definitely have their pros.

-But on the flip side of that, the new lines are also stalling the typical Dallas Stars offense. The Stars were outshot 39-20. That’s almost double the shots in favor of LA. Dallas will need to figure out how to find their spark once again before the season goes any further if they want to stay alive in the tough Central Division.

-The Stars had a relatively successful night regarding statistics once you overlook the shot totals. They won 61 percent of the face-offs, went 1/4 on the power play and 5/6 on the penalty kill, and blocked 20 shots.

-That game winning goal for the Kings will likely not sit well with Dallas Stars fans for the next couple of days. On the goal by Martinez, Kings forward Tanner Pearson is seen directly in front of the crease while attempting to screen Lehtonen. As the shot is fired, Lehtonen attempted to turn his head. But Pearson’s elbow was in the way and caused Kari to completely miss the shot. The Stars lobbied for interference, but ended up not receiving the call.

Next: Stars Show Central Division Staying Power

The Kings simply had the Stars’ number tonight and were hungry for their first win. They outdid Dallas on the ice, and the Stars were lucky to come away with a point. Now it’s simply time to re-rack and get ready for Saturday night’s contest with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Make sure to tune in and catch all the action!