Stars Fall to the Kings. Dallas Stars Game 45: 4-3 Overtime Loss at the Los Angeles Kings

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The Dallas Stars failed to gain any ground in the playoff race with a tough 4-3 loss in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings Sunday night.

The Kings jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period. The Stars roared back to take a 3-2 lead in the third period before falling to the Kings on a goal by Jeff Carter in overtime.

Mike Richards opened the scoring for the Kings 5:06 into the first period. Dustin Penner won the puck out of a scrum along the boards and took the puck behind the net. He passed it to Richards, who was off to the side of the goal. Richards controlled the puck and lifted a backhand shot over Lehtonen’s left shoulder.

Dustin Brown gave the Kings a 2-0 lead 4:12 into the second period when his wrist shot from the right circle found its way through a crowd and past Kari Lehtonen. Twenty seconds later, Loui Eriksson put the Stars on the board. Ray Whitney’s slap shot from the blue line was deflected and the puck bounced through the slot. Eriksson swung at the puck and it went in past a sprawling Jonathan Quick.

Dallas tied the game 14:54 into the second period on a goal by Antoine Roussel. Alex Goligoski’s shot from the blue line was deflected by Ryan Garbutt in the slot. Quick made the intial save, but Roussel was crashing the net and scored on the rebound.

Goligoski gave the Stars a 3-2 lead 43 seconds into the third period. A series of shots and passes moved the puck around the Kings’ net. Quick sprawled out of the net, and Eakin made a centering pass to Goligoski. He quickly shot the puck in as Quick was diving back into position.

Brown scored his second goal of the game on a power play 2:59 into the third period. Jeff Carter’s shot from the slot was kicked out by Lehtonen, but Brown was left alone to the side of the net and buried the rebound.

The Kings dominated overtime and eventually scored when Richards threw a puck in off Carter’s right shoulder 4:08 into the extra frame. Lehtonen ended the night with 27 saves on 31 shots. The Stars ended the night 0-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.

The Stars will continue their playoff push at the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night.