Kings at Stars
The Los Angeles Kings are the league's best home team, but it's been a different story on the road for the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who open a three-game road trip against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Los Angeles extended its winning streak to three with a 3-2 victory over Carolina and hope to carry the momentum onto the road. “I think it’s always important getting a win before you go on the road,” captain Dustin Brown said. “Just from a morale standpoint. It keeps us in good spirits."
The Kings have won only once in seven games (1-3-3) on the road - at Dallas on Nov. 4 - but face an opponent that had dropped seven in a row at home (0-5-2) prior to Thursday's 3-1 victory over Arizona. Rookie defenseman John Klingberg provided a spark and erased an early deficit by scoring his first NHL goal in his sixth game, giving him four points in his last three contests. "It's a special goal. It lit the building up," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "It was something our fans needed, something we needed."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Southwest Plus (Dallas)
ABOUT THE KINGS (11-5-4): Following a blazing start to the season that included a stretch of seven goals in seven games, Tanner Pearson's production came to a screeching halt with only one point during a 11-game goalless drought. Pearson was demoted to the fourth line Thursday night, but he snapped out of his funk at an opportune time, scoring the tiebreaking goal in Los Angeles' win over Carolina. "It feels good," said Pearson, who is tied with Tyler Toffoli for the team lead with eight goals. “Whenever you are kind of in a drought, and I obviously haven’t been playing my best hockey lately, but definitely this game helped a lot.”
ABOUT THE STARS (7-9-4): Acquired from Ottawa in an offseason deal, veteran center Jason Spezza signed a four-year contract extension Friday. Spezza, who was in the final season of a seven-year, $49 million contract, has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games to pretty much match his career point-per-game pace (705 points in 706 contests). "Jason is a world-class player and his commitment to the organization is a reflection of what we are building in Dallas," Stars general manager Jim Nill. "The professionalism and production he brings to our group is key for our success moving forward and we value the leadership he brings to our team."
OVERTIME
1. The Stars acquired D James Demers and a third-round pick from San Jose on Friday in exchange for D Brenden Dillon.
2. Kings G Jonathan Quick is 16-6-2 lifetime versus Dallas, his most wins against any opponent.
3. The Stars have won three of the last four meetings, including a 2-0 victory at Los Angeles on Nov. 13.