Game Day Guide: Stars at Kings

When: Monday, January 12 at 9:00 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: Victory+

Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM

Live Stats: NHL Game Center

Five Points 5️⃣

• The Dallas Stars face the Los Angeles Kings Monday night for the third and final time this season. Dallas recorded points in both of their previous matchups against Los Angeles this season on Dec. 15, 2025 (4-1 W) and Oct. 23, 2025 (3-2 OTL).
• Dallas is 126-81-45 all-time vs. Los Angeles, including a 51-46-28 mark on the road.
• The Stars have earned points in eight of their last nine contests against the Kings (6-1-2) dating back to Jan. 19, 2023, outscoring Los Angeles 35-16 during that span.
• Forward Matt Duchene enters Monday’s contest riding a three-game point streak against the Kings, earning six points (4-2—6) during that span, including putting up two points (1-1—2) in his last outing against them on Dec. 15, 2025. Duchene ranks third among active Stars skaters in points vs. Los Angeles (14-18—32, 38 GP).
• Forward Jason Robertson has registered 17 points (7-10—17) in 13 career games against the Kings, carrying a plus-minus rating of +7. He has recorded a point in all but three games against Los Angeles. Robertson’s 1.31 points per game against the Kings is the fourth best mark in the League among active skaters who have played Los Angeles at least 10 times in their career.

Players To Watch 👀

Stars forward Rantanen recorded two points (1-1—2) in Dallas' last game on Jan. 10 against the San Jose Sharks and now carries seven points (3-4—7) through his last five games played. With his performance against the Sharks, Rantanen tied the Stars team mark for fewest games to 60 points in a season, set by Robertson (44 GP in 2022-23) according to NHL Stats. In all, Rantanen has totaled 61 points (18-43—61) in 44 games played this season and enters Monday’s game leading the Stars in scoring. He ranked sixth in points and tied for third in assists in the NHL this season entering play Sunday. Rantanen also has recorded multi-point efforts in eight of the last 12 games that he has played. In his career against Los Angeles, Rantanen has totaled 44 points (16-28—44) in 32 games played, upholding a plus-minus rating of +12. His 44 career points against the Kings top Stars skaters and ranks fifth in the League among active skaters. Rantanen’s 1.38 points per game against them is the best mark in the NHL among active skaters who have played Los Angeles at least 10 times in their career. He enters Monday’s matchup riding a two-game point streak against the Kings, collecting three points (1-2—3) during that span. He also has collected 13 points (6-7—13) in his last seven games played against them dating back to Oct. 11, 2023.

Kings forward Quinton Byfield has registered five points (2-3—5) in his last five games played. In all, Byfield has totaled 26 points (7-19—26) through 43 games this season, ranking third on the team in scoring. Among Kings skaters this season, he also ranks second in takeaways (20) and fourth in both shots taken (95) and even-strength scoring (5-13—18). Of Byfield's 43 games played this season, eight have been multi-point outings. In his career against Dallas, Byfield has notched four points (0-4—4) in 10 games played. He enters Monday's contest having three points (0-3—3) in his last three games against the Stars, including putting up two points (0-2—2) in his last matchup against Dallas on Oct. 23, 2025.

First Shift 🏒

Stats can tell you a lot about a team. But the problem is they change every game.

The Stars are one of the best penalty killing teams in the league…but they weren’t on Saturday.

Dallas is one of the best teams at protecting a third period lead…but it didn’t do that against the San Jose Sharks.

And the Lads in Victory Green have one of the best road records in the NHL…but they have lost two of their first three on a season-long six game road trip.

So, yeah, perspective is everything.

Dallas lost a 5-4 overtime game in San Jose on Saturday, allowing the Shars to overcome a two-goal deficit in the third period while San Jose went 4-for-6 on the power play. It was a truly Un-Stars-Like performance, and now the team has to find a way to recover its mojo with games at Los Angeles Monday and Anaheim on Tuesday.

“You have to flush it away,” said forward Robertson. “We know what the problem is.”

In part, because it has been a problem for a few games now. Yes, Dallas played an excellent game in Washington and took a 4-1 win on Wednesday, but they have allowed four or more goals in seven of the last eight games and have faced 21 power plays in that span.

“We can’t do that,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “It’s not a recipe for success.”

The fact the Stars have cooked up a 26-10-9 record, second-best in the NHL, helps at times like this. Before this recent stretch, Dallas ranked fourth in GAA at 2.57, fifth in penalty kill at 83.9 percent and hadn’t lost when leading after two periods (16-0-0).

During this current 1-3-4 run, the Stars are 27th in GAA (3.88), 32nd on the PK (62.1 percent) and have lost two of the three games they have led after two periods.

“We know what we have to fix,” said Robertson. “It’s pretty obvious.”

It’s also manageable. Dallas had one of its worst games of the season at Carolina last week and responded with one of its best against Washington a day later. They don’t have to complicate things. If they play smart, simple hockey, don’t take too many risks and don’t take too many penalties, a return to the win column is a clear possibility.

“We’ve got to stay a little more disciplined and play 5 on 5,” said center Roope Hintz.

Key Numbers 🔢

5.4

LA plays the lowest scoring games in the NHL this season at 5.36 total goals per game. Dallas’s games feature an average of 6.22 goals per game.

17.2

Los Angeles ranks 29th in hits per game at 17.2. Dallas ranks 25th at 18.2.

16.4

The Kings have the second most giveaways in the league at 16.4 per game. Dallas ranks 25th at 14.5.

He Said It 📢

“I’ve heard players say this year that they like the schedule, because you’re playing almost every second night and players don’t want to practice and sit around and wait. They’d rather just play the game. It helps you move on quick when you have to play right away, so I don’t mind it.”

-Stars coach Glen Gulutzan on how the compact schedule can help after a loss.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.