March 16--A few more takeaways after the Kings completed a short tour through the Central Division, beating Chicago and Dallas on consecutive nights and outscoring the Blackhawks and Stars by a combined 10-2.
Pluses and minuses
The attack against Dallas was well-balanced with goals from five players: Kris Versteeg, Tyler Toffoli, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis.
Kopitar was a dominant force all night. He lost just three faceoffs in the first two periods and had a 77% success rate overall in the faceoff circle. Heading into the game, he ranked third in the league in the plus-minus department.
By the end of the night, Kopitar moved into a two-way tie for the NHL plus-minus lead (at plus-30) with Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals. Toffoli is third with a plus-29.
Turning point(s)
The two losses in less than a week to the Ducks may have served as something of a decisive moment for the Kings.
Since then, the Kings have won four of five games and their only loss came in overtime to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
A larger snapshot: After the Kings lost, 3-1, at Washington on Feb. 16, they've recorded nine wins in their past 13 games, losing only twice in regulation, both times to the Ducks.
Appreciating Lecavalier and Lucic
On Tuesday, Kings center Vinny Lecavalier played in his 1,200th NHL game. He is one of just 11 active players who have reached that milestone, according to the NHL.
Lecavalier has scored eight goals since being traded to the Kings on Jan. 6, and recorded a goal (at Chicago) and an assist (at Dallas) in the Kings' last two games.
In 17 career games against the Stars, he has recorded 12 points.
Kings left wing Milan Lucic assisted on Kopitar's first-period goal against the Stars, setting up Kopitar with a nice touch pass. Lucic has recorded points in seven straight games; his longest career streak is eight games.
