Stars 2, Kings 0
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings dominated for most of the game, peppering the Dallas Stars with all sorts of shots, but they failed convert while the Stars' 40-something-year-olds delivered.
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen stopped all 40 shots by the Kings, and Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney came up with the big goals as the Stars won, 2-0, Thursday at Staples Center.
Jagr, 41, scored from the left faceoff circle via a backhander at 6:34 in the third period to break the scoreless game. His shot went off Kings defenseman Drew Doughty's skate and past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick for the game winner.
Moments after Jagr's goal, Quick made a big glove save on a shot by Dallas defender Trevor Daley. Every save and every shot mattered.
Whitney, 40, then scored at 10:56, also from the left faceoff circle on a 3-on-2 break for the two-goal lead.
This was just the second time the Kings were shut out this season, the other game coming at Nashville.
The Kings outshot the Stars 40-21, making the loss all the more perplexing. The Stars, who had lost five of their previous six games, ended the Kings' five-game home win streak.
With a couple minutes left in the second period, Quick, who hadn't seen much action in the early going of the game, made a stop against Cody Eakin, whose point-blank shot went off Quick's left shoulder. That was Dallas' best chance in the first 40 minutes.
The Kings outshot the Stars, 12-5 in the second period, but they couldn't capitalize. They were in Dallas' zone most of the first and second periods but Lehtonen stifled the Kings in the early going.
In the scoreless first period, the Kings survived a power play at 18:07 after Dustin Brown was called for goaltender interference, knocking Kari Lehtonen off his feet. The Stars killed the penalty.
Dallas is 11th in the Western Conference standings, while the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings are seeded fourth and playing for a high postseason seed.
NOTES: The Kings will visit the White House on Tuesday, following Monday's road game at Chicago. They will be honored for winning the organization's first Stanley Cup last June. ... Dallas D Stephane Robidas' was in the lineup even though he had four stitches behind his left ear after he took a puck to the helmet on Wednesday night. The shot cracked his helmet. ... Kings' rookie C Tyler Toffoli, who made his NHL debut on Monday, was a healthy scratch. ... Dallas lost to Colorado on Wednesday night and didn't arrive in Los Angeles until 2:30 a.m. ... Dallas RW Jaromir Jagr needs two more assists to reach 1,000 in his career.
