StarPoints For 3/12 vs Los Angeles

1.)  The Stars and Kings are meeting for third time at American Airlines Center and fifth time this season. Dallas is 0-2-2 against Los Angeles this year with one overtime loss and one shootout loss. The two sides will play their final game of the season series on the 27th in Los Angeles. The Stars are 61-26-14 all time at home against the Kings, outscoring LA 370-267.
 
2.)  Stars head coach Marc Crawford is looking to pick up his 500th NHL victory tonight against his former team. Crawford coached the LA Kings from 2006-2008 before taking a year off to be an analyst for Hockey Night in Canada. On Oct. 20, he became just the 15th head coach in NHL history to coach in 1,000 games. In addition to the Stars and Kings, Crawford has coached the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks.

3.)  Tonight’s game is the first of six straight home games for Dallas over the next 10 days. The Stars are 10-4-0 in the last 14 games at American Airlines Center and have registered at least one point in 17 of their last 22 games in Dallas (15-5-2). The Stars will look to use home ice to their advantage in making a strong push for one of the final playoff spots in the West. Dallas is currently in eleventh place in the conference, just seven points behind the final playoff team.
 
4.)  Mike Modano has 87 points (38g, 49a) in 89 career games against the Kings. He missed the first two meetings between the teams, but scored a goal on Dec. 12. Mike Ribeiro has 11 goals and 21 assists in just 31 career games against L.A. and recorded the only Dallas goal in a 5-1 loss on March 2. Brad Richards has four assists in three games against the Kings this season and has 18 career points in 16 games against the club.
 
5.)  One to watch for:  Anze Kopitar has been a thorn in the side of the Dallas defense this season. He has collected six goals in the four games between the teams so far, including a hat trick on Oct. 22. Kopitar has registered a total of 20 points (11g, 9a) in 25 career games against the Stars. The center has been among the top in league scoring and is on pace to record his highest point total yet, having tallied 70 points (31g, 39a) through 66 games this season.