Panagiotis Mavridis 
Cal Petersen will get the reins for the Kings as they look to get back on the right track against the Stars.
The LA Kings and Dallas Stars will meet for the first time of the 2021-22 season on Friday night. These two teams are competing for playoff spots in their respective divisions, which should make for a very competitive game on both sides.
There hasn’t been much recent history between the two teams, as due to the COVID pandemic, they haven’t met since January of 2020, so it may not be as physical of a game as we’re used to seeing.
One-Timers
- This game marks the second of four games to be played on this Kings’ southern road trip. They’re currently 0-1-0 on the trip after falling to the Nashville Predators by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday.
- Cal Petersen is the projected starting goaltender. He is 1-1-0 on the season with a .929 SV% and 0.41 GSAx. He is likely hoping to separate himself from Jonathan Quick in the team’s goaltending dual. Quick would make sense to go tomorrow on the second leg of the back-to-back.
- Anze Kopitar has been dominant to start the season and is looking like an early-season Hart Trophy favourite. He’ll be crucial for the Kings if they want to win this game. He has five goals and eight points through just three games, on pace to finish the season with a respectable 218 points. I say he does it.
- Speaking of Kopitar, the Kings will need that first line to stay consistent as well, as at times it has looked like they could be a top-line in the NHL, and at other times they have looked sluggish. Viktor Arvidsson and Dustin Brown need to be good supporting cast members for Kopitar on his wings.
- Speaking of Brown, the former Kings captain has 22 goals and 20 assists in 71 career games against the Stars.
- On the flip side, Joe Pavelski has played very well against Los Angeles. In 66 career games, the former San Jose Shark has 23 goals and 48 points, including 12 powerplay goals – second-most of any team he’s faced.
Puck Drops and Broadcast Info
- Friday, October 22 at 5:30 p.m. P.T.
- TV: ESPN+/HULU
Tale of the Tape
Powerplay
LA Kings: 37.5% (6th)
Stars: 10.0% (27th)
Penalty-Kill
LAK: 75.0% (19th)
Stars: 80.0% (16th)
Faceoffs
LAK: 46.8% (24th)
Stars: 54.2% (7th)
Goals Per Game
LAK: 3.00 (18th)
Stars: 1.75 (31st)
Goals Against Per Game
LAK: 2.33 (9th)
Stars: 2.25 (6th)
Top Scorer
LAK: Anze Kopitar – 5 goals, 3 assists, 8 points
DAL: Radek Faksa – 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points
LA Kings: Phillip Danault evaluates team’s performance in loss to Preds