Game 22 Preview: Dallas at Los Angeles

Projected Starting Goaltender, Los Angeles – Jonathan Quick
Season: 16 GP (15 GS) / 7-6-2 record / 2.49 GAA / .900 Sv% / 0 SHO
Career vs Dallas: 18 (17) / 13-3-2 / 2.15 / .925 / 2
Last Game vs Dallas: 2/12/12 / 60 MP / 26/28 shots / 4-2 W
2012-13, Home: 6 (5) / 4-1-1 / 2.07 / .896 / 0

Projected Starting Goaltender, Dallas – Kari Lehtonen
Season: 14 (13) / 8-3-1 / 2.26 / .930 / 0
Career vs Los Angeles: 12 (12) / 6-6-0 / 2.72 / .900 / 0
Last Game vs Los Angeles: 2/12/12 / 59 MP / 12/15 shots / 2-4 L
2012-13, Away: 7 (7) / 4-2-0 / 1.95 / .938 / 0

Leading Scorers, Los Angeles
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (7-13=20)
Goals: Jeff Carter (15-2=17)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (7-13=20)
Plus/Minus: Slava Voynov (+10; 4-9=13), Justin Williams (+10; 2-10=12)
Penalty Minutes: Jordan Nolan (31; 2-2=4)

Leading Scorers, Dallas
Total Points: Jaromir Jagr (7-8=15), Loui Eriksson (7-8=15)
Goals: Jaromir Jagr (7-8=15), Loui Eriksson (7-8=15)
Assists: Derek Roy (3-11=14)
Plus/Minus: Derek Roy (+7; 3-11=14)
Penalty Minutes: Brenden Dillon (33; 3-3=6)

A stick tap goes to: Texas Stars (AHL) coach Willie Desjardins and Dallas’ division of player development. There are a handful of players making impacts at the NHL level that were adequately prepared to contribute during their stay with the Cedar Park (Austin), Texas-based club during the lockout. Defensemen Brenden Dillon, Jordie Benn and 6-foot-7 giant Jamieson Oleksiak have forged roles, while forwards Cody Eakin and Antoine Rousseau have added secondary scoring in the absence of Ray Whitney. The 6-foot-3 Dillon, a late-blooming, non-drafted free agent who signed a three-year entry level contract in March, 2011, has shown toughness in rising quickly through the team’s system and has provided some needed minutes in adding an option to the club’s blueline.

A fist shake goes to: 82-game NHL seasons. The Stars, who have missed the playoffs for four consecutive years, have not been a strong second-half team in their playoff drought. Dallas sputtered through a 3-8-1 February two years ago and missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season in April, 2011. Last year, the Stars led the Pacific Division after 70 games with 83 points before finishing with three wins in their final 12 games and missed the playoffs by six points. Since winning seven of nine division titles between 1996-97 and 2005-06, Dallas surprisingly hasn’t finished above third in the Pacific Division.

Why the Kings need to win this game: This is a home game against a divisional rival that will be in a dogfight for the playoffs. Jonathan Quick needs to continue to find his rhythm.

Rankings and Statistics
Goals/Game: LAK – t-13 / 2.81; DAL – 17 / 2.73
Goals Against/Game: LAK – t-6 / 2.43; DAL – 18 / 2.86
Power Play: LAK – t-16 / 16.5%; DAL – 13 / 17.7%
Penalty Kill: LAK – t-10 / 83.3%; DAL – 9 / 83.8%
Shots/Game: LAK – t-15 / 28.9; DAL – t-26 / 27.3
Shots Against/Game: LAK – 2 / 24.5; DAL – 22 / 30.5
Faceoffs: LAK – 7 / 51.9%; DAL – t-23 / 47.8%
Save Percentage: LAK – 20 / .901; DAL – t-15 / .906

Projected Lines – Los Angeles

Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Dustin Penner – Mike Richards – Jeff Carter
Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Colin Fraser – Jordan Nolan

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Rob Scuderi – Slava Voynov
Keaton Ellerby – Alec Martinez

Jonathan Quick
Jonathan Bernier

Notes: Jake Muzzin has set career-highs in ice time five different times this season. Los Angeles has improved from 22nd in the league to 7th in the league in faceoffs over the last eight games, logging a 7-1-0 record over that span. The Kings have outscored their opponents 16-2 in the third period since Nick Foligno’s goal late in a 2-1 Los Angeles win over Columbus on February 15. The Kings have scored 30 goals in their last eight games. As always, line projections are educated assessments and not definite alignments.

Projected Lines – Dallas

Loui Eriksson – Jamie Benn – Jaromir Jagr
Antoine Rousseau – Derek Roy – Erik Cole
Brenden Morrow – Cody Eakin – Reilly Smith
Eric Nystrom – Vern Fiddler – Ryan Garbutt

Stephane Robidas – Brenden Dillon
Alex Goligoski – Jamieson Oleksiak
Jordie Benn – Trevor Daley

Kari Lehtonen
Richard Bachman

Notes: Lines via Defending Big D and Mike Heika. Ray Whitney is eyeing a return next week from a stress fracture in his foot that has kept him out of the lineup since February 1. The Stars have recorded points in 16 of their last 20 games at Staples Center. Since the start of the 2006-07 season, Dallas has gained 26 points in Los Angeles, more than the point totals gained on the road against any other Pacific Division team. As always, line projections are educated assessments and not definite alignments.