The Dallas Stars have won nine-straight vs. the Los Angeles Kings, including a 5-1 win at American Airlines Center on Oct. 10.  The Stars are 3-0-2 in their last five games, and haven’t played since Saturday when they downed Anaheim, 3-1.  LA is coming off an impressive 6-0 win over Nashville at Staples Center on Tuesday night.

Mike Cammalleri leads the NHL in goals with 10 (in 10 games).  Mike Ribeiro is a key man for Dallas, having scored 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) over his last nine games vs. the Kings.  Former Kings captain Mattias Norstrom makes his second appearance as a visitor at Staples Center after being acquired by the Stars at the trade deadline last spring.

This current trip out west to LA and Phoenix is the annual “Wives Trip” for the Stars, as each player’s wife or girlfriend has joined them on the trip.  Family has always been an important aspect for the Dallas Stars, a tradition that started long ago and continues today.

"It’s always been out focus to build a family-friendly organization here in Dallas,” said Head Coach Dave Tippett.  “We ask a lot from our players and their families and the wives are an integral part of what we do.  There are a lot of sacrifices that the families have to make and we want to show them that we appreciate everything they do.  The things this organization does with taking care of the families shows how first-class we are and that starts with the people like Pam Wenzel and Lesa Moake in the Hockey Operations department.  Those things go a long way and does not get unnoticed by the guys in this room as well as players around the league."

more...

http://stars.nhl.com/team/app/?service=pag
e&page=Preview&seas=20072008&gtype=2&gnum=139

http://la-kings.wz.cz/games/09-vancouver/2
682390VD008_Canucks_Kings103103_lower.jpg