Los Angeles @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 23, 2018 ) Los Angeles 2, Dallas 4

A sputtering offense isn't giving the Dallas Stars much margin for error, as the team has scored two goals or fewer in 11 of its last 14 games. Although the Stars have managed a 7-6-1 mark in that stretch, they have dropped three in a row heading into Thursday's third contest of a season-high six-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings.

After blasting his team's compete level in its previous outing, coach Jim Montgomery praised its performance -- just not the result -- following Tuesday's 2-0 setback to Tampa Bay in which Dallas registered 35 shots on goal and worked hard to receive a season high-tying six power-play opportunities. "We are just struggling to score goals right now. We've just got to keep with it," Montgomery said following his team's third shutout loss of the season. "If we keep playing games like that, the way we were skating, the way we were creating really good looks, we are going to end up on top of a lot of games." Offense has been a persistent problem throughout the season for Western Conference cellar-dwelling Los Angeles, which has lost five of its past seven games and scored two goals or fewer in each of the setbacks. "We sure as (heck) got to be a lot more consistent than we've been, and we've got to figure that out," Kings defenseman Alec Martinez said following Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), FS Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE KINGS (18-25-4): Captain Anze Kopitar was held off the scoresheet against the Wild after scoring four of his team-leading 13 goals in his previous four games. Tyler Toffoli joined Kopitar in scoring in Los Angeles' 4-2 setback in Dallas on Oct. 23, but the 26-year-old has mustered just seven points (three goals, four assists) in a 25-game stretch before setting up Jeff Carter's third-period goal on Tuesday. The 34-year-old Carter has scored in back-to-back contests to boost his point total to five (three goals, two assists) in his last five outings.

ABOUT THE STARS (23-20-4): Montgomery told reporters that fourth-line forward Jason Dickinson will end an 11-game absence due to a back injury and be in the lineup on Thursday, and the impending return is none-too-soon in the eyes of the 23-year-old. "It (stinks), obviously. You never want to miss games. It's been like 3 1/2 weeks now of just watching. It just (stinks)," said Dickinson, who likely will be paired with Jason Spezza and newly acquired forward Andrew Cogliano. Defenseman John Klingberg, who has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in his last eight games, joined Spezza in collecting a goal and an assist in the first encounter with the Kings.

OVERTIME

1. Dallas owns a 6-1-1 mark in the last eight meetings with Los Angeles, including a 2-1-1 record in the last four at American Airlines Center.

2. Kings G Jonathan Quick boasts a 17-11-2 mark with two shutouts in 30 career appearances versus the Stars.

3. Dallas failed to score a power-play goal in its last three games after finding the net with the man advantage in each of the previous six.

PREDICTION: Stars 2, Kings 1