What we learned from the Kings’ 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars
Kings forward Andy Andreoff, left, and Stars forward Radek Faksa, second left, scuffle as do some of their teammates during the third period of their Saturday game.
A few more takeaways from a strange afternoon game on Saturday, of missed and mysterious calls, before the Kings leave for their final trip of the regular season, games at Vancouver on Monday and Calgary on Tuesday.
Missed opportunities
The scoring chances were there, no question about it, and the shortcomings loomed large in the third period.
But …
“We’re just not capitalizing on our chances when we have them,” said Kings winger Tyler Toffoli, who assisted on Jeff Carter’s goal, which made it 2-1 in the second period.
“Not even in the third period but just throughout the game when we have the chance to put the teams in a deep hole. We’re not putting them away. They’re sticking around and scoring on their chances.”
Western Conference Final preview?
If the Kings and the Stars manage to meet in the conference final -- far down the long-and-winding road -- it’s pretty easy to nominate one possible villain.
Almost every series seems to end up getting one.
How about Dallas winger Antoine Roussel, the man with 12 goals and 119 penalty minutes? He seemed to be in the middle of everything on Saturday.
Stars Coach Lindy Ruff stood in the hallway after the game and mused about the work Roussel did in the sequence before the game-tying goal by Patrick Eaves, having lost his helmet earlier on that shift.
“He was absolutely fabulous.… It was just good hard compete. Not too often do you see a guy going up the ice with no helmet,” Ruff said. “It reminded me of the ‘70s.”
Props to Ruff
For Ruff, the victory marked a significant milestone: his 700th regular-season career win in the NHL. He became the fifth coach in league history to hit that mark, and the third active.
The two active coaches ahead of him are both in the Central Division: Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks (No. 2) and Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues (No. 4).
“I’m looking forward to the next 700,” said Ruff, who started his head coaching career in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997-98 season.
Follow Lisa Dillman on Twitter @reallisa
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