In a game that featured more storylines than most this season, Monday night ended with the Dallas Stars skating off with a 4-1 victory over the visiting LA Kings.
That’s not the end, though.
Coach Jim Hiller found his club shorthanded before puck drop even took place at the American Airlines Center. Having played the previous contest without Phil Danault — who is said to be sidelined with the flu — Hiller would now have to fill another spot at center, due to Quinton Byfield becoming ill, as well.
Andrei Kuzmenko was back on the top line and Alex Turcotte took over at 2C. Both had productive nights on the score sheet, with the former being credited with a power play goal in his return and the latter getting it done in the faceoff circle.
None of that really mattered in the end. Yes, it was another game where LA was tied after 40 minutes. Yes, it was another contest featuring a single goal by the Kings. Both of those deserve plenty of discussion. However, all concern at the moment is directed at the health of Darcy Kuemper, the team’s runaway MVP.
He was knocked out of the game by an apparent elbow to the head from Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. It was a play that went unpenalized for reasons that still aren’t quite clear.
With a pair of back-to-back games already coming up this week, Anton Forsberg was expected to get some action anyway. He was unexpectedly thrust into the crease on Monday to take over for Kuemper, stopping 17 shots after he entered play with four minutes remaining in the first period.
Kuemper’s status is TBD, with a further updated expected Tuesday.
Full game highlights can be viewed here:
Other Notes and Takeaways:
— Overall, LA won 34-of-68 faceoffs (50%). They had won 62% of the draws through 20 minutes.
— Kuzmenko’s goal was his team-leading fourth power play goal of the season. He also now has six points (2G, 4A) in his five career appearances at American Airlines Center.
— Anze Kopitar played in his 75th career game against the Stars, breaking a tie with former
teammate and Kings captain Dustin Brown (74 GP) for the most games played against the Stars in LA Kings history.
— Pregame notes and lineups can be found in the article linked below.
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