The Los Angeles Kings will travel to take on the Dallas Stars on Thursday night in NHL action. Both of these teams are hovering around the .500 mark early in the season and winning games like this one will be critical to their playoff hopes later in the season. Here, I break down this Western Conference matchup on the ice and give you my Kings vs Stars prediction for this key matchup.
Our Kings vs Stars Pick
- Pick: Dallas Stars to win
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Los Angeles Kings @ Dallas Stars
- Date & Time: Thursday, October 23, 2025, 9:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
- The Stars enter with a 3-3-0 record and they have lost three games in a row. They will try to bounce back and end their losing streak on home ice.
- The Kings are 2-3-2 so far this season. The Kings snapped a four-game losing streak with a win in their last game agianst the St. Louis Blues.
- In their recent head-to-head history, the Stars have owned the Kings. Dallas holds a 7-2-1 record in the last 10 match-ups.
Goaltending
On the Stars side, Jake Oettinger is the primary goalie. He’s started 5 games and has a 3.18 GAA and .896 save percentage so far this season. The Kings’ goaltending situation has been thrown into chaos with Darcy Kuemper getting hurt. He and Anton Forsberg have left plenty of room for improvement for LA going forward.
Key skaters
- Stars: Mikko Rantanen (RW) leads the team with seven points early this season. Roope Hintz (C) has recorded five assists early and remains a key playmaker. Wyatt Johnston (C) leads the club in goals early this season with four.
- Kings: Adrian Kempe (RW) leads LA with nine points. Kevin Fiala (LW) has four goals so far and should be involved in the scoring in this game. Anže Kopitar (C) is currently injured and missing time in his farewell season.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Mikko Rantanen (DAL) | Over 0.5 Goals |
| Roope Hintz (DAL) | Over 0.5 Assists |
| Adrian Kempe (LAK) | Over 1.5 Points |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Stars are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against the Kings.
- Dallas is 2-4 on the puckline for the season.
- Los Angeles is 4-3 on the puckline for the year.
Kings vs Stars Model Projection
Score Projection: Dallas Stars 4 – Los Angeles Kings 2
Win Probability: Dallas Stars 60%, Los Angeles Kings 40%
Final Thoughts
Both of these teams have struggled on defense early in the year and that should mean an exciting hockey game in Dallas tonight. I like the idea of taking the over in this contest. I also like the idea of backing the Stars to win this game and end their three-game losing streak against a banged-up Kings squad.
