Long breaks between games have not been kind to the Dallas Stars this season, and that trend continued on Tuesday evening as they fell to the Los Angeles Kings 3-0. Darcy Kuemper was in net for the ailing Jonathan Quick, and the Stars once again struggled with a backup goaltender with Kuemper turning in a 28 save shutout. The Stars were thoroughly outplayed in all phases of the game.
The Stars were blanked on the power play with four chances and went 1-for-3 on the penalty kill. Ben Bishop did all he could with the onslaught from the Kings, finishing with 38 saves on 41 shots.
Rookie defenseman Paul LaDue picked up his first career NHL goal in the first score of the game. A few minutes in, Anze Kopitar forced a turnover on Greg Pateryn which resulted in an extended period of zone time for the Kings. LaDue found a spot in the high slot where he was fed by Kopitar, and finished with a wrister. The Stars were fortunate not to be down by more going into the first intermission as Tyler Toffoli had a couple of good looks that Bishop had to snuff out. There were major issues for the Stars in all three zones.
The teams traded power plays early in the second period, and it was more of the same for the struggling Stars. After Mattias Janmark whiffed on a yawning net, Alexander Radulov’s extra activity on the forecheck gave the Kings their chance with the man advantage. Drew Doughty put a puck on net from the point, and Stephen Johns was rushing back but kicked the puck into his own net.
A Stars power play carried over into the third period, and when Jamie Benn attempted to reset the offense and get the puck back to the point it created a rush the other way. After scrambling in the defensive zone, the Stars were unable to clear again, and defenseman Alec Martinez threw a puck to the net that sneaked past Bishop. The three goal lead was plenty for the Kings to put a bow on the game.
Play of the Game
Paul LaDue’s first career NHL goal set the tone for the game early, and the Kings never looked back. LaDue finished the play, but Anze Kopitar did the dirty work in forcing the turnover and setting him up in the slot.
The Upset Three Stars of the Game
1. Anze Kopitar (2 A, 66% FO) – Kopitar was his usual self–a monster in all three zones. He was key on getting Paul LaDue his first NHL goal with creating the turnover and setting him up with the pass.
2. Drew Doughty (1 G, 24:56 TOI) – Not only did he score a goal, he also was instrumental in ensuring the Stars would enjoy little zone time. The Stars were never able to get any clean entries when Doughty was on the ice.
3. Darcy Kuemper (28 saves on 28 shots) – Kuemper was spotted a nice lead with lots of time left in the game, but he did his part to continue the Stars’ puzzling trend of being outworked by backup goaltenders.
The Goals
First Period
3:05 Paul LaDue scored his first career NHL goal from the high slot. Anze Kopitar forced a turnover in the Stars’ zone and cycled the puck, finding LaDue who finished with a wrist shot. Stars 0, Kings 1
After an extended amount of time in the Stars end, the Kings finally cash in, thanks to the North Dakota product, Paul LaDue. Stars down 1-0 early. pic.twitter.com/FqkYRf19ZJ
— Dylan Nadwodny (@dnadders) January 31, 2018
Second Period
5:09 Drew Doughty scored on the power play as Ben Bishop was being screened heavily by Dustin Brown. The puck went on net, and Stephen Johns inadvertently kicked the puck in on his clearing attempt. Stars 0, Kings 2
Drew Doughty gets the puck to the net and it goes in off Bishop and Johns to get the Kings up 2-0. pic.twitter.com/OKNvtkTckR
— Dylan Nadwodny (@dnadders) January 31, 2018
Third Period
1:05 The expired power play for the Stars set up a rush for the Kings. Alec Martinez threw a seemingly harmless shot from one of the side boards that Ben Bishop couldn’t track to put the Kings up by three. Stars 0, Kings 3
Stars can't contain a rebound off of Bishop and Martinez slips it past Bishop's short side. 3-0 Kings. #30 not pleased, clearly, afterwards. pic.twitter.com/BCBpFOssk9
— Dylan Nadwodny (@dnadders) January 31, 2018
Kings lineup
Alex Iafallo — Anze Kopitar — Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson — Adrian Kempe — Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford — Torrey Mitchell — Trevor Lewis
Andy Andreoff — Mike Amadio — Jonny Brodzinski
Kevin Gravel — Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez — Christian Folin
Jake Muzzin — Paul LaDue
Darcy Kuemper
Jack Campbell
Scratched: Nick Shore, Derek Forbort, Marian Gaborik
Injured: Jeff Carter (ankle), Jonathan Quick (undisclosed)
Stars lineup
Jamie Benn — Tyler Seguin — Alexander Radulov
Gemel Smith — Jason Spezza — Brett Ritchie
Devin Shore — Radek Faksa — Tyler Pitlick
Remi Elie — Jason Dickinson — Mattias Janmark
Esa Lindell — John Klingberg
Dan Hamhuis — Greg Pateryn
Stephen Johns — Julius Honka
Ben Bishop
Kari Lehtonen
Scratched: Dillon Heatherington
Injured: Marc Methot (knee), Martin Hanzal (lower body), Antoine Roussel (illness)
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