Preview: Stars close out road trip vs. Los Angeles

Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings

About the Stars

The Stars (34-22-4) lost 2-0 at Anaheim on Wednesday. The Stars outshot the Ducks 41-17, but Anaheim scored once on the power play and once shorthanded while the Stars went 0-4 on the power play and failed to cash in on two straight minutes of five-on-three power-play time.
"I thought, for the most part, we played all right," said Stars captain Jamie Benn. "Our 5-on-3 has to get it done. It's a deciding factor. We had it almost two minutes there. Their first (goal) was a power play, and then they get a big kill and get a good bounce, and that is the difference."
The loss was the second straight and third in the last four games for the Stars, who remain in third place in the Central Division.
Center Martin Hanzal left Wednesday's game after the first period due to a lower-body injury. He is headed back to Dallas to be evaluated.
Kari Lehtonen is the expected goaltender for Thursday's game.
Thursday concludes a three-game road trip for the Stars.
Injuries: C Martin Hanzal (lower body) is out.

About the Kings

The Kings (33-22-5) won 4-3 at Winnipeg Tuesday to stretch their winning streak to three games. The game was tied 2-2 going into the third period but Kings forwards Torrey Mitchell and Dustin Brown scored to give Los Angeles a 4-2 lead. The Kings went 4-3-0 on a seven-game road trip.
"We knew this was going to be a tough trip," said Kings coach John Stevens. "We had a back-to-back on the front-end and a back-to-back on the back-end, and we were playing a lot of really quality teams that are all fighting for a playoff spot. We knew there was not going to be any easy games and we knew we needed a really good contribution from everybody in our lineup, and we were able to get that."
Defenseman Dion Phaneuf scored his third goal in four games since being acquired from Ottawa, all three goals have come on the power play.
The Kings made a trade Wednesday, acquiring forward Tobias Rieder and goaltender Scott Wedgewood from Arizona in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
Forward Jeff Carter, who has been out since Oct. 18 with a lacerated tendon in his ankle, has been cleared to practice. Carter is expected to skate with the Kings on Thursday morning, but will not play against the Stars.
Thursday begins a three-game homestand for Los Angeles.
Injuries: F Trevor Lewis (upper body) is day to day. F Jeff Carter (ankle) is out.

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Season Series

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This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mark Stepneskiis an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow him on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.