Beating a team like the Dallas Stars creates optimism, and rightfully so. Even without Tyler Seguin, the Stars are stacked top to bottom, boasting elite talent at the top positions while simultaneously integrating home grown talent into their lineup. Even with Drew Doughty healthy, the Kings do not have top positional players like Miro Heiskanen or Jake Oettinger on their roster. The Stars wiped the floor with the King's last season, and that's putting it lightly. They won the season series 3-0-0 while outscoring LA 13-3. Only two goals scored from the Kings were at even strength. Even with the Kings’ recent history as a top even strength team, they were outscored 11-2 at 5-on-5. It’s safe to say, there was a separation factor. So going down two goals to a team that has, in recent memory, put you in their rearview mirror is objectively a terrible position to be in. Outshot 11-4 and down two to nothing, the Kings seemed fated for another loss against Dallas. But it was not to be. LA rallied in the second period, on the backs of the depth players who were brought in during the offseason. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/evaluating-offseason-acquisitions-thus-far] Tanner Jeannot, Joel Edmundson, and Warren Foegele all scored key goals, with Foegele getting the game-winner. Call it Rob Blake’s first hat-trick of the season. Edmundson, if he stays healthy, should blow past his career season high in goals (seven, twice) after scoring his 4th of the year. Jeannot, while unlikely to replicate his Cinderella season in Nashville, has been a bruising depth piece that has shown the ability to chip in offensively. Foegele has been everything advertised and more. He's an excellent complementary piece on the wing to any of the top nine combinations, killing penalties with aplomb next to Quinton Byfield. He's on pace to either match or beat his point total from last season, which was a career high. Meanwhile, the underlying story for this game was the play of goaltender David Rittich. For really only the second time this season, a Kings goaltender arguably "stole" a game. The other is in the first game of the year against the Buffalo Sabres, compliments of Darcy Kuemper. The Kings' tandem will not win you many games in this fashion. That's just not the talent LA has in the crease, nor does the team want to put them in that position. December will be another grueling month for the Kings as they embark on another seven-game road trip. They have not fared well the last few years in the chilly months [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings/latest-news/kings-have-the-7th-most-difficult-schedule-moving-forward-]and should tread cautiously, banking as many points as possible with another formidable opponent coming up to the plate. The game against Dallas was a good win, but not one to plant a flag as a measuring stick against quality opponents. The Stars still thoroughly outplayed the Kings across 60 minutes. If the Kings are going to rely on the goaltending to stack up points in the win column, they could fall short of the playoffs this season. copleyports
