Stars Make Themselves Feel Right at Home

If the Dallas Stars appeared to be more comfortable than usual s at Staples Center Thursday night, there’s a good reason.

That’s because since playing the Mighty Ducks Sunday at the Arrowhead Pond, the Stars lounged around a Marina del Rey hotel and worked out at the Kings’ HealthSouth practice facility in El Segundo.

“It was a great attitude and atmosphere,” Dallas forward Kirk Muller told the Dallas Morning News. “It was a good time to go on the road and play and keep it simple again. In the meantime, we’re having fun doing it.”

Although the Kings didn’t play over the span, Coach Andy Murray didn’t have a problem with the Stars taking advantage of the Kings’ hospitality.

“They have to be feeling pretty good,” Murray said about the Stars before Thursday’s game.

“They had two great practices and we watched them both. ... It’s not like basketball, we watched them [work out].”

Because the Kings also have open practices, Murray moved workouts to an earlier time.

“We knew they were coming later, so we made sure we were off the ice by the time they arrived,” Murray said.

Unfortunately for the Kings, the time off worked better for the Stars, who ended a four-game winless streak with a 4-3 victory.

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Before Thursday’s game, the Kings placed defenseman Mathieu Schneider on the injured reserve list (retroactive to Nov. 9) after he had successful hernia surgery.

Craig Smith, a surgeon at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, performed the surgery. Schneider, 32, will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

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Dallas forward Pierre Turgeon did not play Thursday because of an ankle sprain suffered Oct. 29.