Kings 3, Stars 2
Michal Handzus' goal with 21 seconds left in regulation capped a wild finish as the Los Angeles Kings pulled out a pivotal 3-2 win over the host Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon.
Just 22 seconds after Dallas' Jamie Langenbrunner tied the score, Handzus converted an Alexei Ponikarovsky pass from in close for his 10th goal of the season. The Kings held on from there to jump ahead of the Stars and into a fourth-place tie with the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference standings.
Defenseman Drew Doughty and Dustin Penner added goals for Los Angeles while Jonathan Quick stopped 21 shots to become the first goaltender in Kings history to fashion consecutive 30-win seasons.
Brad Richards and Langenbrunner countered for the Stars, who lost in regulation for the first time in nine games. It was a costly loss for Dallas, which slipped into a tie for sixth place in the West with the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves in defeat while Dallas forward Jamie Benn was held off the scoresheet, snapping his consecutive goal-scoring streak at five games.