Jerome Miron – USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Kings have been on quite a roll lately, taking at least a point from seven of their last eight games. As they continue to fight the San Jose Sharks for second place in the Pacific Division (and likely the fourth seed in the Western Conference), each point is precious for the Kings and on Sunday they have a chance to exact some revenge on the one team that has beat them in regulation in the past two weeks: the Dallas Stars.
The Stars didn’t just beat the Kings on Apr. 9, they dominated them for most of the game. After Drew Doughty got a playoff goal in the first period for the Kings, the Stars scored five goals of their own while getting a huge performance from backup goaltender Richard Bachman.
Since that loss, Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has been stellar, allowing two goals or fewer in four straight games. The Kings offense hasn’t exactly been blowing opponents away, but they have done enough to get a pair of one-goal wins and a shootout victory. While Anze Kopitar has been chipping in points on a regular basis, the rest of the Kings’ top line needs to chip in more. Dustin Brown and Justin Williams have been too quiet lately, as has Jeff Carter (three games without a point since netting his 24th goal of the season).
While the Kings are playing for a better playoff spot, the Stars are playing for their playoff lives. They control their own destiny, and can secure a bid by winning out. That should make them extra motivated, but the Kings can prevail if Quick is in top form and the offense has a big night.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
