Los Angeles Kings vs. Dallas Stars Pick & Prediction MARCH 9th 2024

The Los Angeles Kings feel as if the are back on track after a disastrous post-Christmas stretch.

They will get another opportunity to see how far they’ve come when they host the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

The Stars have won four in a row to match their longest winning streak of the season.

The Kings are 10-4-1 in their past 15 games and are in third place in the Pacific Division, three points behind the second-place Edmonton Oilers and two points in front of the Vegas Golden Knights.

“The attitude has changed quite a bit in our room and I think that shows,” Los Angeles forward Blake Lizotte said.

In their most recent performance on Thursday, the Kings trailed the visiting Ottawa Senators 2-1 entering the third period, scored two straight goals to move ahead and then gave up a late tying goal before winning 4-3 in overtime.

Lizotte said the Kings might not have found the will or the way to mount a comeback two months ago, when they were in the midst of an eight-game losing streak (0-4-4).

“When we get scored on, it’s, ‘Hey, let’s get going, get right back in this thing,’ versus kind of a mope around,” Lizotte said. “I think (the Ottawa game) was a perfect example of that.”

Lizotte has become a valuable fourth-line center for Los Angeles. He contributed an assist against the Senators while playing in his 300th NHL game, something he only dreamed of growing up in Lindstrom, Minn.

“I just wanted to play a game in the league, but looking back on 300 games, it’s pretty lucky to be where I’m at,” he said. “I’ve worked very hard to be here, so I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’ve been able to reach that mark.”

There is something much more important that he hopes to accomplish with the Kings, however.

“I’m looking for the Stanley Cup and not exactly how many games I’ll play in this league,” he said. “I’m here to win, so that’s kind of No. 1 on the mind and (the game milestone) is kind of a secondary accomplishment, if you will.”

For the second straight game, the Kings will be facing a team that played the Anaheim Ducks the night before.

Ottawa lost to the Ducks 2-1 on Wednesday, but the Stars had a much easier time on Friday night in Anaheim, coasting to a 6-2 win.

A 5-1 cushion at the start of the third period allowed the Stars to lessen the minutes of some of their top players heading into the matchup in Los Angeles.

“We’re in a real dogfight for playoff positioning right now,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said after the victory. “We’re trying to win the division. There’s us, Winnipeg and Colorado all are within two points of each other. Both those guys won (Friday) night, so there’s a lot of pressure around that.”

Jake Oettinger made 25 saves against Anaheim, meaning Scott Wedgewood likely will be in goal for Dallas against the Kings. Wedgewood is 3-2-0 in five career starts against Los Angeles with 2.60 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.

The Stars beat the Kings 5-1 in their first meeting on Jan. 16 in Dallas behind 31 saves from Oettinger. The teams face off again on March 16 in Dallas.

–Field Level Media