SoCal NHL Preview

Los Angeles (29-40-6) at Dallas (42-28-5) 3:00 pm

DALLAS (Ticker) - The Dallas Stars know that now is not the time to start losing games in bunches. The Stars will try to break out of their recent slump when they host the lowly Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Dallas (42-38-5), which currently owns the fifth spot in the Western Conference, is just three points ahead of Vancouver (38-27-10) and Calgary (38-26-10) - with Colorado (39-30-6) owning eighth place with 84 points.

The Stars had an opportunity to move into fourth place in the West on Wednesday, but instead fell to 1-6-0 in the month of March after a power-play goal by Todd Bertuzzi with 28 seconds remaining in the third period allowed the Anaheim Ducks to skate to a 2-1 victory. "We're finding ways to lose rather than ways to win," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "It's a break here or there, but it's a break you have to make." The Stars should rebound against the Kings (29-40-6), who own the worst record in the NHL with just 64 points.

Despite the dismal record, the Kings ended a two-game losing streak with a narrow 6-5 shootout victory against the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday. Tom Preissing scored two goals to lead Los Angeles, which is 3-3-0 against Dallas this season - with two of those victories coming after regulation.