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The Los Angeles Kings come out of the All-Star break on the road to take on the Dallas Stars tonight. The Stars are currently the first Wild Card in the Western Conference and will likely be one of the teams the Kings are fighting in order to make the playoffs.
Right now, the Kings are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the second Wild Card spot, one point back of the Calgary Flames for third place in the Pacific Division, two points behind the San Jose Sharks for second place in the Pacific Division, and three points behind the Stars for the first Wild Card.
This will be the first of three matchups with the Stars this year and it will be an important season series because of the playoff implications. Last season the Kings were 1-1-1 against the Stars with two of the games going into extra time.
LA will be without Jonathan Quick for this game due to his absence from the All-Star Game this past weekend. The star goalie elected to skip the festivities, claiming he has been playing through a nagging injury. Due to league rules, if a player elects to miss the game, he is suspended for one game afterwards.
Thus Darcy Kuemper will be getting the start tonight. In the 13 games the 27-year-old has appeared in this season, he is 6-1-3 with a 2.07 GAA and .934 save percentage. Over his career, he has faced the Stars 12 times, more than any other team, and has a 6-3-3 record and 3.09 GAA with a .910 save percentage.
Dallas will be going with their star goalie, Ben Bishop. The 31-year-old goalie is in his first season with the Stars where he has a 21-13-3 record, 2.46 GAA, and a .917 save percentage. After having a bit of a slow start this season he is 8-4-1 in his last 13 games.
The Stars are 6-3-1 in the 10 games going into the All-Star break, but are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game where they could not get much going offensively.
Three Things To Watch:
1. Rest or Rust?: We’ve been through this twice already after the Christmas break and the Bye Week. Will this team be able to come out swinging or will it take a while for them to find their legs? Of course this is a situation for both teams but it will be a matter of who can find their game first.
2. All-Star Fatigue: It’s been a whirlwind weekend for Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The All-Star Weekend is not a vacation, the players have their own requirements that they have to fulfill. Then on top of that there’s the flight back to Dallas where there’s a slight time change. This is an experience that both players have dealt with before, so in theory they should know what they need to do to get ready. However, it is something to think about when looking at the top center and top defenseman.
3. Goaltending: As mentioned Kuemper will get the starting nod in place of the suspended Quick. Backing him up will be Jack Campbell, who was called up from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. He last started against the Flames right before the All-Star break in the Kings 2-1 overtime win. It was a game the Kings needed desperately as they had lost seven of their last eight prior. He has always been solid throughout the season but there have been times where he’s been outdueled by the opposing target. The goal for him will be just to give his team a chance to win.