LOS ANGELES (AP) — Radek Faksa and Jason Robertson scored 18 seconds apart in the second period, Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist, and the Dallas Stars beat the Los Angeles Kings to snap a winning streak. It was a season-high five games. 4-1 on Saturday night.
“We wanted to end the trip right. We wanted this to be the best match of the trip. We knew we had to take our opponent into account, so we put in quite a bit of effort. I thought we did,'' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.
Wyatt Johnston added a power play goal nearly seven minutes into the third period. The Stars rank ninth in the NHL in man advantage with a 24% conversion rate, but they took it to another level by going 7-for-19 during the winning streak. Pavelski added an empty-net goal.
Scott Wedgwood stopped 26 shots in his first game since February 26th. With this win, Dallas remains at the top of the Central Division with 89 points, four ahead of Winnipeg and Colorado.
“The power play has been good lately. The line is producing. Joe has been making a lot of plays. I think Lupe (Hintz) is using his speed more now. That's feeding off. I think the team as a whole is playing well,” said Robertson, who also recorded an assist and has won points in six consecutive games with three goals and five assists.
The Kings got off to a great start with Kevin Fiala scoring 26 seconds into the game, but were unable to maintain momentum.
Fiala has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in his last six games. The Kings continue to struggle at home with 13 wins, 11 losses, and 7 losses, and with the Golden Knights' victory over Detroit, they are tied for third place in the Pacific Division with Vegas with 75 points.
Cam Talbot made 31 saves.
In a potential first-round playoff matchup, the Stars have won seven of the past nine games against the Kings and have outscored the Kings 9-2 in two games this season. The two will face off again on March 16th in Dallas.
“They beat us well both times. I thought we were ready for them. They had already beaten us so we shouldn't have been caught off guard (1 May 16, 5-1 at Dallas). Give them credit, they came in and outplayed us in every area of the game,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “To beat a team like that, you have to play a playoff-style game. We just didn't have that.”
Fiala scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Ottawa on Thursday night, immediately putting the Kings in the lead. On the opening shift, he drove to the net and redirected Drew Doty's pass that passed Wedgewood from near the boards along the left faceoff circle for his 21st goal of the season. It was also the fastest goal Fiala scored in his 10-year career.
Faksa hit a snap shot from high in the slot at 10:34 to tie the game at 1-ALL. Three of Faksa's six goals have come in the past four games. In the ensuing rush up the ice, Robertson chipped in the rebound after Pavelski's shot hit Talbot's leg pad. It was Robertson's 22nd time and third in his last five games.
Los Angeles forward Adrian Kempe returned to action after missing five games with an arm injury.
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Stars: Host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
Kings: Host the New York Islanders on Monday night.
