Dallas Stars Need Royal Performance Against Los Angeles Kings

After a weekend off for some fun in the Tampa sun, the Dallas Stars will put their noses back to the grindstone against the Kings in Dallas.

How cryptic would it be of me to say this is the beginning of the end? In either case, it is in a way. The Dallas Stars have hit the home stretch of the season where every point lost or won has significance and consequence. While All-Star weekend was a nice distraction, it’s clear that the Stars were not interested in being distracted from the work ahead of them.

And tonight, that work starts with the L.A. Kings. The Stars didn’t go into the weekend quite like they wanted- a 4-1 loss to the Leafs is never anyone’s idea of a solid wrap-up. But this season, we’ve seen a Stars team that is highly motivated by their own shortcomings, and saddles back up pretty quickly after falling down.

The Kings have somewhat of an opposite story, with an overtime 2-1 win against Calgary to send them into the break. It was a welcome change of pace for L.A., whose recent six game losing streak had been looming large in their collective memory.

The Kings are just out of the final wildcard spot (currently belonging to Colorado) by the skin of their teeth, and are feeling the pressure to bounce back in a big way from their last nine game record of 2-7-0.

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Although the Kings are most likely feeling highly motivated, the Dallas Stars should be doubly so. This game will wrap up a three game homestand and send them on the road for to face Arizona.

While the Stars are clearly feeling the pressure of striding confidently into a playoff spot down this stretch instead of sliding haphazardly into it at the last second, the next few game can be a bit of fresh air for Dallas, if played right.

In retrospect, there was also a big push for the Stars to do well in January to start off 2018 well. With a win tonight, they will have secured an overall winning record for the month. Something about the opportunity to wrap things up, tie a big bow on them and call them done and a success, is a pretty exciting motivator. The Stars have that chance tonight.

Additionally, they’ll have a one game roadtrip to look forward to after it’s all said and done. The opportunity to rest and regroup can’t be a bad thing to see in the immediate future, either. Still, the Stars had been on a five game points streak before it all came crashing to a halt with that 4-1 thrashing by Toronto.

And they’ll have the backup goalie syndrome to contend with, as the King’s Jonathan Quick will be out, giving Darcy Kuemper the start. Speaking of who is in and who is out, the Stars have recalled Jason Dickinson, Dillon Heatherington, and Julius Honka to fill the voids that the potential absence of Antoine Roussel, Marc Methot, and Martin Hanzal could cause.

Next: Stars Know It's Time To Get Serious

This will be the first time the Stars and Kings duel it out this season, but if the Stars’ last season record of 2-0-1 against this team stands, they’ll finish out the month of January proudly and be ready to turn the corner to the homestretch.

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