Scott Wedgewood, Dallas Stars put the Los Angeles Kings in checkmate 4-1

It took the Stars a period and a half to get going at the Crypto.com Arena tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Radek Faksa sparked the offense in the middle of the second period as the Stars scored two goals in 18 seconds. The Stars would win 4-1 against the Kings as they added two points to their Central Division lead. The Winnipeg Jets lost 5-0 tonight, so the Stars get some breathing room between first and second place. Here are the three takeaways from the game against the Kings

Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings Recap: 3. Penalty kill was huge tonight

The penalty kill for the Dallas Stars was big tonight against the Kings. Sometimes, you will get that whistle-happy referee crew that calls the slightest thing. It all started with Anže Kopitar stepping on Logan Stankoven's skate, and the ref called tripping on Stankoven. The Stars killed off the three power play opportunities that the Kings had tonight. The Stars must kill penalties on Tuesday night when they host the red-hot Florida Panthers at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings Recap: 2. Never letting up

Even though the Stars gave up that early goal 30 seconds into the game against the Kings, they never let up after that. The Stars outplayed the Kings even though they trailed after the first period. It wasn't until midway through the second period Radek Faksa tied the game up by hitting the crossbar. Eighteen seconds later, Robo gave the Stars their first lead. The Stars never give up until the final horn sounds after 60 minutes. Never giving up until the final horn makes the Stars a dangerous team that no one will want to go up against in the playoffs.

Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings Recap: 1. Got to fix the power play

I don't know where to begin about how horrible the Stars' power play has been this season. The Stars must come up with a new offensive strategy. The Kings had no issues clearing the puck out of the Stars' zone each time they were on the power play. If the power play isn't fixed by the end of the season, Steve Spott has to be fired. Scoring on only one power play out of five opportunities won't cut it. The Stars need a way to make their opponent pay for committing a penalty. They need to score on the power play Tuesday night because the Panthers will eat them alive if they don't.

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