Stars at Kings
The Los Angeles Kings have been solid at Staples Center this season, going 12-5-1 to stay afloat in the competitive Western Conference as they have floundered to an 8-11-3 record on the road. The Kings have an opportunity to improve their standing in the West with a seven-game homestand that continues Monday against the Dallas Stars.
Los Angeles was blanked by Detroit in the opener of the string after sweeping a home-and-home series against Pacific Division-leading San Jose but bounced back to edge Minnesota 4-3 on Saturday as Tanner Pearson scored 3:32 into the extra session for his second overtime winner in three contests. Dallas is looking to halt a winless streak that reached three games (0-2-1) with a 4-3 loss to St. Louis on Saturday in the opener of its three-game road trip. Patrick Eaves scored his 14th goal of the season in the setback to match the second-highest total of his career and tie Tyler Seguin for the team lead. The 32-year-old Eaves has tallied in two of his last three games after recording only two goals in his previous 11 contests.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN Southwest Plus (Dallas), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE STARS (16-16-8): Dallas has fallen close to the basement in the NHL on the penalty kill thanks to its recent struggles. The club is just 2-for-8 over the last three games, allowing two power-play goals in each contest, and ranks just ahead of last-place Buffalo (74.3) with a 75.2 percent overall success rate but is bringing up the rear on the road at 68.1 percent. Defenseman John Klingberg has been finding the net lately, scoring three of his five goals on the season over his last five games.
ABOUT THE KINGS (20-16-4): Captain Anze Kopitar will become the sixth player in franchise history to play in 800 games when he takes the ice Monday. The 29-year-old Slovenian also needs one goal to overtake Wayne Gretzky (246) for sole possession of sixth place on the team's all-time list and one short-handed tally to pass Ziggy Palffy (10) for the fifth spot. Former captain Dustin Brown moved ahead of Marcel Dionne for third place by appearing in his 922nd game for Los Angeles on Saturday while Drew Doughty notched a pair of assists to snap a tie with Mark Hardy (250) for second on the franchise list among defensemen.
OVERTIME
1. Kings D Jake Muzzin's next assist will be the 100th of his career.
2. Dallas has lost eight of its last 10 road games (2-6-2).
3. Los Angeles is 8-1 in overtime this season and 20-4 since three-on-three play was implemented at the start of last season.