Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Friday, October 22, 2021
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Moneyline: Kings +130, Stars -150; Over/Under: NL goals
Bet365: Moneyline: Kings +130, Stars -150; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
BetMGM: Moneyline: Kings +125, Stars -150; Over/Under: 5.5 goals
Season Record
Los Angeles Kings: 1-2-0 (7th place, Pacific Division)
Dallas Stars: 2-2-0 (3rd place, Central Division)
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Los Angeles Kings vs Dallas Stars Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Los Angeles Kings: lost on the road on Oct. 19 against the Nashville Predators 2-1.
Dallas Stars: won on the road on Oct. 19 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout 2-1.
Los Angeles Kings Analysis
The L.A. Kings are coming into this game with 2 points and a 1-2-0 record to start their season and they are 0-1-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. The Kings started their season off on the right foot with a massive 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights but they followed up that win with 2 straight losses coming into this game, losing to the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators. Both of those games were close as the Kings only lost each of those by 1 goal. This will be their 2nd game of a four-game road trip that started in Nashville on Tuesday night. They lost that game 2-1 to the Predators. Anze Kopitar scored the only goal for his team in that one while Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown each had 1 assist. Brown, Kopitar, Carl Grundstrom, Alex Iafallo, and Sean Walker all led the team in shots on goal in that game with 3 each but no single player really had more than that. Cal Petersen was the starting goaltender in that one and he allowed 2 goals on 31 shots with 29 saves and a .935 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 9 goals in their first 3 games averaging 3 goals scored per game in that span and they have allowed their opponents to score 7 goals against them in that same span allowing a little over 2 goals per game.
Dallas Stars Analysis
The Stars are coming into this game with 4 points and a 2-2-0 record to start their regular season off and they have not played any home games yet as this will be their home opener on Friday night. Their 2 losses came against the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators while their 2 wins came against the New York Rangers and the Penguins in their last game. They beat the Penguins 2-1 in a shootout and that win snapped a 2 game losing streak that they were on. Michael Raffl scored the only goal for his team in that game while Radek Faksa and Miro Heiskanen both had 1 assist. Tyler Seguin led the team in shots on goal with 5 in that game but had nothing to show for it. Braden Holtby was the starting goalie in that one and he allowed 1 goal on 28 shots with 27 saves and a .964 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 8 goals in their first 4 games averaging 2 goals scored per game in that span and they have allowed their opponents to score 9 goals against them in that same span allowing a little over 2 goals per game.
Kings vs Stars Prediction
The LA Kings are coming into this game as an underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Both of these teams are well rested with both having played their last game on Tuesday night. The Stars just came back from a 4 game road trip and will have their home opener here but it could be a let down spot for them after all of that travelling. The Kings have just started their road trip and will be looking to come away with some points after losing their first game of this road trip. The best bet to place in this game is on the Kings to win here as they are keeping very close in their losses and have the ability to break out and score a lot of goals in this game to bury the Stars.
Kings Stars Prediction: Our NHL Pick for Friday, October 22, 2021 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Kings 4 Stars 1.
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NHL Betting Trends
Los Angeles Kings: 56-68 O/U in all games. 18-25 O/U first half of the season. 28-38 O/U after 1 or more consecutive unders. 19-36 O/U after having lost 2 of their last 3 games.
Dallas Stars: 63-80 O/U in all games. 20-29 O/U in a home game where where the total is 5.5. 14-29 O/U first half of the season. 5-13 O/U when playing with 2 days rest. 31-47 O/U after 1 or more consecutive unders.
Key Injuries
Los Angeles Kings: B. Lemieux (LW) Out indefinitely - Illness. L. Andersson (C) Out indefinitely - Groin injury. A. Athanasiou (LW) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed injury. Q. Byfield (C) Out indefinitely - Ankle injury.
Dallas Stars: J. Robertson (LW) Doub Fri - Upper Body injury. J. Klingberg (D) Doub Fri - Leg injury. B. Comeau (LW) Out indefinitely - Upper Body injury. B. Bishop (G) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.
Players to Watch
Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar is one player to watch in this matchup. He leads his team in points and in goals scored this season and he was their only source of offense in their last game. He has scored a goal in all 3 games to start their season including a hat trick in their opening game. He is their best goalscorer right now so look for him to find the net again in this game and keep his streak alive.
Dallas Stars: Radek Faksa is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in points and in assists this season. He got an assist in their last game and he has been creating chances for his teammates in all of their games this season. Look for him to keep setting up his teammates in this one and help them score some goals.
Notable Quotes
“(Peterson) was awesome for us, he made some huge saves. When that happens, we’ve got to find a way to win those games for him.” - Phillip Danault on their loss to the Predators on Tuesday.
“This is how tough the league is. We could’ve got points in all four games. We could’ve gone 0-4. That’s how tough the league is, that’s how tight the league is. So we played well enough to get points in four games, yeah. We’ll take the .500.” - Rick Bowness on his team’s start to the season after 4 games.
Starting Lineups
Los Angeles Kings
LW Arvidsson, Viktor
C Kopitar, Anze
RW Brown, Dustin
LD Anderson, Michael
RD Doughty, Drew
G Calvin Petersen
Dallas Stars
LW Peterson, Jacob
C Hintz, Roope
RW Radulov, Alexander
LD Lindell, Esa
RD Heiskanen, Miro
G Holtby, Braden
Statistical Leaders
Los Angeles Kings
Points: A.Kopitar (8)
Goals: A.Kopitar (5)
Assists: D.Doughty (6)
GAA: C.Petersen (2.04)
Dallas Stars
Points: R.Faksa (4)
Goals: M.Raffl (2)
Assists: R.Faksa (3)
GAA: B.Holtby (1.75)
Coaches:
Los Angeles Kings: Todd McLellan (3rd season)
Dallas Stars: Rick Bowness (3rd season)