Dallas Stars v Los Angeles Kings Live

Click here to Watch Dallas Stars v Los Angeles Kings Live

                         

After missing the post-season last year, the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings are hoping to make it back to the playoff race in 2009-10. Being tied for the eight spot in the Western Conference after three weeks of play, both teams are dedicated to clinch a win in their encounter at Staples Center on Friday at 2:30 a.m. GMT.

Even though the Los Angeles Kings got off to a great start with four wins in five games, the team around Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar subsequently hit a slump and dropped three straight. While the Kings’ offense has been spectacular so far, the squad of Terry Murray also showed undeniable weaknesses at the other end of the ice. In fact, L.A. already allowed 29 goals in total, more than three per game. Offensively, Anze Kopitar had a great run as he scored five goals and assisted on eight others. Likewise, Ryan Smyth found the net six times and dished out seven assists for a total of 13 points in just 9 games.

Similarly, the Dallas Stars also had their fair share of ups and downs in the first three weeks of action. Posting a 3-2-3 record, the team around Brad Richards played well at times, but failed to deliver on other nights. Especially the injury of captain Mike Modano hit the team particularly hard as they were unable to close out contested games without his veteran leadership. In fact, the franchise from Texas already lost three overtime games and might sorely miss these points down the stretch. Taking everything into account, both teams appear to be fairly even and should be on a level playing field. That said, the lack of defense on both sides should provide for an entertaining game at Staples Center on Friday night.

You can watch all games of the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.