3/16 Preview – Do You Standings Watch? No Skate Today + Rittich Likely, Lone-Star Struggles, Milestone Moment

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (34-21-11) @ Dallas Stars (40-19-9)
WHAT: NHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
WHEN: Saturday, March 16 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings conclude a quick Midwest swing tonight in Dallas, as they conclude their season series against the Stars.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Defenseman Drew Doughty leads the Kings with two points from two games played this season against Dallas, the only LA skater with multiple points. Forward Kevin Fiala scored when these teams met earlier this month in California and has four points (2-2-4) from five games against the Stars since he joined the Kings organization.

KINGS VITALS: Considering the back-to-back, the Kings did not hold a morning skate in advance of tonight’s game.

With Cam Talbot getting the nod last night against Chicago, consider goaltender David Rittich to be the projected starter this evening versus the Stars. Rittich brings with him a lifetime record of 2-2-1 against Dallas, with a .923 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average.

For reference, here’s how the Kings lined up last night against the Blackhawks –

Missed line rushes but expecting this for the @LAKings tonight in Chicago –

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Fiala
Turcotte – Dubois – Laferriere
Lewis – Lizotte

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Spence
Moverare

Talbot
Rittich

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) March 16, 2024

The Kings currently have only 19 skaters, with Arthur Kaliyev as the lone extra who could check into the lineup tonight. Kaliyev has had success in his career versus the Stars, with four goals from six games. Should Kaliyev check in, he would change the alignment from the 11/7 look we’ve seen as of late to a 12/6 alignment. We’ll hear from Jim Hiller later in the day and look for more lineup clarity in a bit.

STARS VITALS: Dallas has dropped consecutive games – losses to Florida and New Jersey – which saw their recent five-game winning streak come to an end.

Goaltender Scott Wedgewood is expected to get the start tonight for Dallas, in what would be his seventh career appearance versus the Kings, tied for the most of any opponent. Wedgewood made 24 saves on 25 shots when these teams met in LA earlier this month and has a 4-2-0 record lifetime, with a .925 save percentage and a 2.34 goals-against average.

Per NHL.com, here’s how Dallas is expected to line up this evening –

Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Joe Pavelski
Mason Marchment — Matt Duchene — Sam Steel
Jamie Benn — Wyatt Johnston — Logan Stankoven
Ty Dellandrea — Radek Faksa — Craig Smith

Thomas Harley — Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell — Chris Tanev
Ryan Suter — Jani Hakanpaa

Scott Wedgewood
Jake Oettinger

No team in the NHL has more 20-goal scorers than the Dallas Stars, who have six forwards with at least 20 entering tonight’s game. California native Jason Robertson has four points (1-3-4) from the two head-to-head matchups versus the Kings this season and has 11 points (4-7-11) throughout his career against LA.

Notes –
So……Do You Check The Standings?
It’s the time of the year for scoreboard watching. But is that just something we do, or do the players do it as well?

Pierre-Luc Dubois made a good point last night. Two points in March count the same as they do in October, but two points in March are the ones that really make you notice how it impacts the standings. In October, when point totals are so low, you’re really not focused on the standings. In March, two points earned versus two points lost, or gained by teams around you, can really make a noticeable difference.

“Two points in October mean as much as two points in March, but you can really see the difference two points can mean in the standings,” Dubois said. “The games are just as important, but you can see that race developing, see the standings developing, but we prefer to concentrate on results and really just focus on how we get two points, how we play.”

For a team like the Kings, every point matters right now. Last night’s win over Chicago brought the Kings to 79 points, four shy of Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division, two points clear of Vegas for third.

The see-saw battle between those three teams, not to mention Nashville in the wild-card race or surging teams like Minnesota, is likely to continue for the rest of the season. The Kings are focused on holding serve themselves, because that’s what’s most important, but with the tightness of the race right now, it’s still something they’re paying attention to.

“Every day, in our conference especially, trying to see if they win tonight, if they didn’t, but it’s also good that it’s a tight race,” defenseman Jordan Spence said. “It keeps us focused, keeps us really engaged. Obviously it’s going to be a battle until the end and we’re really looking forward to it, really excited from now on.”

That’s part of why now, perhaps more than usual, players are paying attention to what’s going on outside of their own bubble. It doesn’t take focus away from what the Kings are doing with their own games, but it does add to the intrigue of the out of town scoreboard.

Kevin Fiala admitted he doesn’t watch the out of town scores very often for most of the season. Over the last 20 games or so, he dials in.

“This time of the year, more and more,” Fiala said. “I’m starting to watch more and more, now it’s more of every single game, the last 20 games, you usually watch.”

At the end of the day, though, what happens outside of what the Kings are doing doesn’t matter. The Kings are focused on their own results first, because even if they’ve got an eye on what other teams are doing, they don’t have any control over those results. And, with where they’re at in the standings, if they take care of their own business, they’ll be one of the 16 teams that extend their season.

It’s stretch-run time. Every point is important and every point impacts the standings, night in and night out.

“We just worry about ourselves, worry about winning games, that’s how we’re going to get into the playoffs and hopefully get a good spot,” defenseman Drew Doughty, who doesn’t pay much attention himself but knows most guys do, added. “We can’t control what other teams do, but now that it’s kind of getting down to the end of the season, I’m sure guys are paying attention to it a lot more.”

Lone-Star Struggles
American Airlines Center hasn’t been kind to the Kings over the last couple of seasons.

The hosts have won each of the last four played in Dallas. Admittedly, the Kings have been dealt some tough hands, including the one they’ll have to tackle tonight. The Kings touched down in Texas touched down in Dallas just after 2 AM. They didn’t get to the hotel until right around 2:30 AM and likely weren’t truly settled until 3 AM……or beyond. The 7:30 PM puck drop in Chicago, followed by longer than usual travel on a back-to-back, didn’t do anyone any favors. Of the four defeats, three were the second half of a back-to-back, including the 5-1 loss earlier this season, which followed a game in Carolina, at the end of a six-game trip.

It’s the NHL, though, and you don’t get pity points for difficult situations. The Kings know they have to find a way to win, against a team that’s taken it too them twice already this season, by a combined 9-2 scoreline.

Making things slightly better was last night’s game flow, which allowed the Kings to really spread around the minutes, especially up front. With the game already close to decided pretty early, the Kings had the luxury of distributing minutes more evenly than the 11/7 approach might otherwise dictate. Each of the 11 forwards played at least 11 minutes and none played more than 18. Depth is a key part of back-to-backs and the Kings did well to spread minutes around on the first night when they had the opportunity.

No matter how you slice it, though, a very difficult test awaits the Kings in Dallas.

Dallas is one of the NHL’s deepest teams and presents a tough game regardless of who you are and where you’re coming from. The Kings know they’ll need everybody, whether they opt to dress 12 forwards or 11, it doesn’t much matter. Depth tonight will be paramount. The Kings got three goals with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alex Laferriere on the ice in Chicago. Didn’t have to just rely on a top-six line. It’s nights like that – in which that line was excellent – that help in situations like this.

Time to go get one.

Lastly, Insiders, a note on Kings Head Athletic Trainer Chris Kingsley. Kingsley is set to work his 2,000th professional game behind the bench tonight. Kingsley is a long-time veteran with the Kings who is widely considered to be among the best in the business. He’s been with the Kings since 2006 and has been in the system since 1998. He represented Team USA at the 2017 World Cup of Hockey and has extensive experience in working behind the scenes to keep the group afloat. Terrific accomplishment. Kingsley will be honored at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday when the Kings return home.

For tonight, it’s game on at 5 PM Pacific, 7 PM local, before a long flight home. Always a better flight with two points in the bank and that’s the goal for tonight.