Los Angeles at Dallas 3/26/09

[LAKINGSNUT]

LOS ANGELES KINGS (30-33-10 = 70)

at

DALLAS STARS (33-32-8 = 74)

March 26, 2009

Up next for the Kings: Dallas
The Kings, who have lost three in a row, play a Stars team that has dropped four straight.

Game Time: 5:30 PM PST | 8:30 PM EST
Location: American Airlines Center | Dallas, TX
TV Broadcast: Away Team: FS-W
Home Team: FS-SW (HD)

Radio Broadcast: KTLK 1150 AM; XM 237
Online broadcast: NHL Game Radio: Kings at Dallas
Internet Stream: NOT AVAILABLE AT POST TIME

Update: As the chase for the final Western Conference playoff berths narrow, both teams are going in the wrong direction. Dallas has lost four in a row, the Kings three. According to the website SportsClubStats.com, the Kings had a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs entering Wednesday's play. The Kings have scored two goals in the three consecutive losses. They haven't scored an even-strength goal in 180 minutes, since Dustin Brown's overtime winner against Boston that began their six-game trip. Brendan Morrison, claimed off waivers from the Ducks, has scored three goals in the last three games for Dallas.

-- Billy Witz


GAME PREVIEW
There are still several playoff spots up for grabs in the wide-open Western Conference. The Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings, however, aren't getting any closer to claiming them.

The Stars look to snap a four-game losing streak Thursday night when they host the Pacific Division rival Kings, losers of three straight.

Dallas (33-32-8) appeared to be in good shape for its sixth consecutive postseason berth after going 9-3-0 in its first 12 games after the All-Star break. Since that hot streak, however, the Stars have gone 4-11-1 to fall into 12th place in the West.

They've been outscored 16-7 during their four-game slide, which continued with a 5-2 home defeat to Vancouver on Tuesday night. Dallas is one loss shy of matching its season-high skid, set from Feb. 21-March 1.

"It's disappointing," said forward Brendan Morrison, who scored his third goal in three games. "We have nine games to go and who knows what can happen. We have to approach the next game like it's the last game of the year."

Sixth-year forward Steve Ott, who has never missed the playoffs in his career spent entirely with Dallas, hopes the Stars can start playing with more urgency down the stretch.

"You hate to even think of yourselves out of a playoff spot and right now we're out of a playoff spot," Ott told the team's official Web site. "The reality is we have to win games and collect points to make a playoff push. We have nine games left and we're going to have to start Thursday night and start getting points. If not, we're going to be dreaming about this and having a hell of a long summer."

Los Angeles (30-33-10) appears to be on the way to its sixth consecutive long summer after following a 4-2-1 stretch with three straight losses. The 13th-place Kings, four points behind the Stars, have been outscored 10-2 during the losing streak but haven't given up on contending for a playoff spot.

"We are in the playoff hunt," forward Michal Handzus told the Kings' official Web site after a 2-0 loss at St. Louis on Tuesday night. "Obviously, we are farther away than we wanted to be, but we still want to win some games."

Playoff-bound or not, the Kings consider the stretch run a significant part of their rebuilding process.

"They're huge and important games for us as a team," captain Dustin Brown said. "From a growth standpoint, these are playoff atmosphere games, playoff teams that are fighting for playoff spots. We want to be in the playoffs this year or any year to come after. These are games we're going to have to learn how to play in."

Los Angeles and Dallas have played each other closely this season, going to two shootouts and one overtime in the first four meetings. The Kings have gone 3-0-1 in the series, while the Stars are 1-1-2.

They meet for the final time Tuesday night in Los Angeles.


PROBABLE LINES
Los Angeles Kings: (subject to change)

Handzus - Kopitar - Williams
Purcell - Stoll - Brown
Calder - Richardson - Simmonds
Ivanans - Armstrong - Harrold

Quincey - Doughty
O'Donnell - Johnson
Greene - Drewiske

Probable Starter: Jonathan Quick

Healthy Scratches: Moller, Zeiler

Dallas Stars: (subject to change)

Neal - Modano - Lehtinen
Eriksson - Ribeiro - Ott
Brunnstrom - Morrison - Lundqvist
Bégin - Wandell - Conner

Grossman - Robidas
Daley - Fistric
Sydor - Niskanen

Probable Starter: Marty Turco


INJURIES
Los Angeles Kings:
Alexander Frolov (Lower body injury on 3/23/09) day-to-day
Denis Gauthier (Upper body injury on 03/19/09) day-to-day

Dallas Stars:
Brenden Morrow (Right knee surgery on 11/21/08) IR
Toby Petersen (Broken left foot on 02/24/09) IR
Brad Richards (Left hand/wrist surgery on 03/24/09) IR
Brian Sutherby (Lower body injury on 03/25/09) day-to-day
Sergei Zubov (Left hip surgery on 11/29/08) IR


***Sources: LA Times, Kings fan site, CBS Sports.

[LAKINGSNUT]

did anybody else see the tumble weed running through this thread?

godamn Kings, can't even lose a game for a higher pick!