Dallas Stars Must Take Advantage Of Matchup With Los Angeles Kings

After a few days off from action, the Dallas Stars have another chance to get back in the win column. Their next chance comes against a lowly Los Angeles Kings team that is just as desperate for a win as they are.

When the Dallas Stars dropped to 3-4-0 on Friday night after a loss to the Minnesota Wild, a certain feeling of urgency immediately settled in. It was the Stars’ third straight loss and helped extinguish all of the hype that had been built through the first four games.

To make matters worse, the Stars didn’t have a chance to immediately act on their urgency. Following Friday’s game, the team shifted into practice mode. They had three days off from action that they used to polish certain elements of their game, prepare for the week ahead, and to better themselves overall.

It’s a relatively easy week for the Stars in terms of scheduling. They only play two games in a seven-day span, with both happening on home ice at the American Airlines Center. Regardless of the easy scheduling, though, it will be up to Dallas to take advantage. Three days off can either be a good thing or bad thing.

On Tuesday night, we’ll get a first glimpse at how they mixed their time off with their hunger to get back into the win column.

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The Los Angeles Kings will visit the Stars tonight for the first time in this early portion of the regular season. And, like Dallas, the Kings are struggling to find their footing all of a sudden.

After qualifying for the playoffs in each season from 2009-2014 and winning two Stanley Cups, the Kings have only been to the postseason twice in the past four years. In both years, they were knocked out in the first round.

The Kings have stumbled out of the gate so far this year, posting a record of 2-5-1. Their only two wins came against Detroit and Montreal, both of which are arguably bottom-ten teams in the NHL. Other than that, they have dropped games against teams like Buffalo, Ottawa, and the New York Islanders.

They are currently riding a four-game losing skid. During that span, they have been outscored 21-5. As a result, they own the second-worst goal differential in the entire league with a -13. The only team with a worse average is the Red Wings, who look to be in store for a terrible year.

In other words, the Kings are in a tough spot right about now. Their offense is practically nonexistent, averaging 1.88 goals per game (second-worst in the league). In the back end, their defense is giving up 3.50 goals against per game (ninth-worst in the league). Their power play is the third-worst unit in the NHL and their penalty kill isn’t far behind at sixth-worst.

They just cannot seem to get things going in the right direction. They are losing to teams they should be beating, falling quickly in a stacked Western Conference race, and have an even tougher slate of opponents on tap over the next month. Everything seems to be working against them right now.

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And that’s why it is critical for the Dallas Stars to capitalize tonight. This is a team struggling to do even the simplest things correctly, and Dallas has to use that to their advantage.

Don’t forget that the Stars are in a similar boat, though. Dallas has dropped three straight games, been outscored 10-2 over that span, looked a little rugged on special teams, and cannot seem to win games against opponents they should be beating.

They are 3-4-0 and are already sitting in last place in the Central division. It’s a divisional race that will wait for no team this year, so the Stars must catch up and do so quickly.

Tonight is another opportunity to do just that.

But it won’t be easy. Alexander Radulov and Valeri Nichushkin will both miss a second straight game with injuries, meaning Justin Dowling will slot into the lineup for his first NHL game of the year. In addition, Tyler Pitlick will also be moved up to the first line to skate alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin following their request for the winger.

The lineup will look different yet again, meaning that the team must find a way to make it all gel and click. But learning and adapting on the fly is what good hockey teams do.

The Stars will need to be firing on all cylinders tonight. Offense, defense, goaltending, and special teams could all play a role in a dominant bounce back win for Dallas, assuming they take advantage.

Three losses in a row is a frustrating spot to be in, but it’s still early in the season. Tonight is another chance to get back into the driver’s seat and turn things around.

And with a struggling Kings team coming to town, it doesn’t get much more opportune. All the Dallas Stars have to do is use it wisely.