The Los Angeles Kings next opponent may not arrive in time.
Texas's lone NHL franchise, the Dallas Stars, were forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday evening after their plane filled up with smoke shortly after takeoff.
The team was heading from St. Louis—where they suffered a 4-3 loss to the Blues—to Los Angeles where they will play the Kings on Monday night at Staples Center.
According to multiple reports, minutes after the plane took off, smoke started to fill the cockpit, and the pilots were forced to land the plan back in St. Louis.
Some of the players did not notice the smoke, and continued to ear their in-flight meals. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the issue was electrical:
"St. Louis Downtown Airport Fire Department Chief Mike Mavrogeorge said the smoke might have been caused by an electrical issue, but there was no fire. The fire department shut off the electricity to the plan. Maintenance crews were inspecting the plane while another was on the way to take the Stars to Los Angeles in time for Monday's game.
The team tucked into a lunch they were supposed to eat on the plane while they waited in the Jet Aviation terminal. Stars spokesman Ben Fromstein said the team didn't notice any smoke in the cabin. 'Everybody is safe and that's all that matters,' he said."
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
The Stars Twitter account did eventually tweet out that the team did board another flight and was en route to Los Angeles.
After an emergency landing after takeoff due to an electrical issue, the team has boarded a new plane and is currently traveling to LA. — Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 8, 2017
Sounds like the Stars will be on the ice for their Western Conference showdown with the Kings that has plenty of playoff implications.
If the NHL Playoffs started today, the Kings would secure the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Stars suddenly find themselves on the outside looking in, as they sit just four points back of L.A. The two teams are set to faceoff at 7:30PM
