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Jones, Kings welcome Stars to LA

Dec 23, 2013 - 4:20 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Los Angeles Kings rookie goaltender Martin Jones has yet to allow a goal in the shootout this season.

What else would you expect from the perfect 23-year-old?

Jones could get a chance to win a ninth straight decision to begin his career on Monday night as the Kings play host to the Dallas Stars.

The undrafted Jones continued the amazing start to his NHL career on Saturday by stopping all three skaters he faced in the shootout, leading the Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Jones made 23 saves through overtime and improved to 8-0-0 to begin his career after Anze Kopitar scored the lone goal of the shootout. Jones has a 0.98 goals against average and .966 save percentage, with his eight victories to begin a career matching Bob Froese's single-season record set in 1982-83.

Ray Emery, then of the Ottawa Senators, holds the NHL mark for consecutive winning decisions to start a career at nine, which was spread out from the 2002-03 to 2005-06 seasons.

"It's been good," said Jones, who has stopped all 12 shootout attempts he has faced in his NHL career. "I've said it before it's a good start, but it's something to build off of and make sure we keep getting better here. I thought we deserved to win in regulation today. I think we needed one more big save that we didn't get in regulation there, but the guys did a really good job."

Jeff Carter and Justin Williams tallied in regulation for the Kings, who have won three in a row and nine of their last 10.

Jones, who has shared time with Ben Scrivens since No. 1 netminder Jonathan Quick went down with a groin injury in mid-November, could start tonight as the Kings go for a fourth victory in their past five meetings with the Stars.

That span includes a 5-2 victory in Los Angeles for the Kings on Oct. 19. Quick made 27 saves and Williams had two goals and an assist.

The Stars had won two straight overall before a 3-2 shootout setback to the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Ray Whitney and Antoine Roussel both scored to give Dallas a 2-0 lead in the second period, but the Sharks responded and picked up the extra point when Joe Thornton scored the lone shootout tally in the fifth round.

Thornton ripped a wrister past the blocker side of Kari Lehtonen, who made 37 saves.

"It's always frustrating to lose, but tonight it is really deep," Roussel told Dallas' website. "For us it's a learning curve still. We played a great game, we had 40 shots, we were in their face, we got great bounces in front of the net. (But we) didn't capitalize. It's tough."

Dallas' blue line also took another hit when Sergei Gonchar was hit in the jaw by a shot in the second period and had to leave the game. He is not expected to play tonight due to concussion-like symptoms.

The Stars are already playing without injured defensemen Stephane Robidas (broken leg), Trevor Daley (sprained left ankle) and Aaron Rome (lower body).