The Dallas Stars have won four straight games and will look to add a fifth victory on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Stars clocked dominant performances on Thursday with a win over the Anaheim Ducks, including a goal from newly acquired defender Chris Tanev, his first in Victory Green and just his second of the season. The Stars got Tanev in a draft capital swap with the New Jersey Devils, and the move already is showing promise.
“The goal is a bonus,” head coach Pete DeBoer said, according to NHL.com. “I like what I see. I think he adds some great things to our group. He’s got great feet, he can skate the puck out of trouble, and he can also move it. He’s hard to play against. He’s a great add to our group.”
The win over the Ducks was the Stars’ first since the trade deadline. Dallas was quiet in the trade period after getting Tanev.
“We got the guy we wanted, and then because of our organization and the players coming up, we’ve really got some internal options here,” general manager Jim Nill said.
The Stars held onto the top spot in the Central Division with the win and continue to hold a two-point advantage over the Winnipeg Jets. The Stars are just two points behind the Western Conference leaders, the Vancouver Canucks.
The Kings bounced back with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night and are battling for position in the Pacific Division. The Kings are third in the Pacific and are well behind the Canucks, but are just two points behind the Oilers. The Kings lost to the Canucks 2-1 on Tuesday.
Much like the Stars, the Kings did not make any roster moves in the trade period and are just one of two NHL teams that made no changes. They will face the Stars with several notable players out with injuries. Mikey Anderson has been ruled out, but the Kings will have Adrian Kempe available after he was injured on Monday.
The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. CT at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
