LOS ANGELES KINGS (38-25-5, 81 pts)

at DALLAS STARS (37-23-8, 82 pts)

Puck drops: Sunday, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Dallas -115, Los Angeles -105, Total: 5

Two teams separated by just one point in the crowded Western Conference standings, will meet in Dallas on Friday when the Stars host the Los Angeles Kings. Basketball scores.

Los Angeles enters play on Sunday one point behind the Stars for the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Kings have been on a roll since suffering through a three-game losing streak in January where they scored just two combined goals. Since January 22, they have earned points in 18 of 21 games, going 14-3-4 over that stretch. After opening their current four-game road stretch with a 2-1 win in Detroit, the Kings came into Columbus on Friday and left with a resounding 4-2 victory over the Blue Jackets. With his hat trick on Friday, Anze Kopitar has eight goals and 19 points in his past 14 games, while linemate Justin Williams has two goals and seven points during his current four-game points streak.

Since suffering through a 2-10-1 span last month, the Stars have really picked up the pace. They have earned points in eight straight games, going 6-0-2 over that span. Jamie Benn has goals in six consecutive games and Mike Ribeiro has 12 points in his past 11 contests. Dallas has helped itself by excelling in close games — the Stars are 21-5-8 in one-goal games this season. They have allowed just two power-play goals in their past seven contests. Basketball odds.

Other than Scott Parse (hip surgery) on IR, the Kings are icing a healthy lineup. Adam Burish, who is suffering with a lower-body injury, is Dallas’ only scratch.

This is the fifth meeting in a season series that has the Kings holding a slight 2-1-1 advantage heading into Dallas. The teams will meet again on April 2 in what will be the final leg of their respective playoff runs. They last met on Monday, March 7, a game that saw Stars captain Brenden Morrow net the OT winner in a 4-3 Dallas victory. The Kings are 9-1-3 in their past 13 road games, and I like them to pull out the win on Sunday. The FoxSheets give another reason to play on Los Angeles:

LOS ANGELES is 32-21 ATS (60.4%, +58.3 Units) in road games against mistake-free teams – opponents average <=4 power plays/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was LOS ANGELES 2.8, OPPONENT 2.3 – (Rating = 2*). Basketball spreads.