PREVIEW 9:00 AM CDT
With six games left on their schedule, the Dallas Stars (21-18-3) sit four points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. However, Dallas has two games in hand and has already won the same number of games (21) as the Columbus, with only two of the Stars' wins coming via shootout to five of the Blue Jackets' two-point games.
The Stars will play one of those games-in-hand tonight. Dallas will face the Northwest Division leading Vancouver Canucks (24-12-2) at the American Airlines Center. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the third and final meeting between the teams this season, and the second in Dallas. Each team has won on the other one's home rink in the first two games, trading off 4-3 finals.
On Feb. 15 in Vancouver, the Stars rallied from a 3-1 deficit. Brenden Dillon's tally with 3:01 left in regulation capped off a comeback marked by goals Cody Eakin and Antoine Roussel. Reilly Smith also scored for the Stars. In that game, Kari Lehtonen was forced to leave early in the first period after suffering a groin pull. Dallas is mostly certainly hoping to avoid a repeat of that tonight with Lehtonen making his return to the lineup after missing three and two-thirds games after sustaining his second groin pull of the season.
On Feb. 21 at the AAC, the Stars got off to a great start with a Jamie Benn goal in the opening minute of play. Vancouver tied the game around the midway point of the first period on an Alex Burrows power play goal. Now-former Star Michael Ryder restored the lead for Dallas early in the second period but Kevin Bieksa responded for the Canucks about five minutes later. The Canucks forged a 4-2 lead in the early minutes of the third period on Jason Garrison and Henrik Sedin goals. Since-traded captain Brenden Morrow soon got the Stars back within a goal, but they were unable to get another one.
The Stars enter this game coming off a valiant but ultimately futile effort in a 5-2 road loss to powerhouse Chicago. Jamie Benn scored a pair of goals to lead a comeback from a 2-0 deficit but the Blackhawks soon resumed control of the game in the third period.
Dallas suffered a significant loss to the lineup in the Chicago game. Rookie forward Alex Chiasson, who had scored six goals in his first six NHL games, had to leave the match early with a shoulder injury. He will not play tonight. Likewise, Lane MacDermid remains out with a chest injury suffered in his second game as a Star after tallying an earlier goal for his second goal in as many matches since coming over from Boston in the Jaromir Jagr trade.
Stars defenseman Trevor Daley is questionable for tonight with an upper body injury. If he can't go, seventh defenseman Jordie Benn will step will back into the lineup.
The Canucks will complete a five-game road trip tonight. They enter tonight's game coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to St. Louis; their league co-leading (along with Nashville) sixth loss in the skills competition. Nevertheless, Vancouver has been playing good hockey for several weeks, compiling an 11-3-1 record of their last 15 games and grabbing at least one point in seven of the last 10.
The Canucks hold a four-point lead over Minnesota in the battle for the third seed in the Western Conference. A win for Vancouver would officially clinch a playoff spot.
Tonight's game marks the Tonight marks the first meeting Derek Roy will have with his former team since being traded to the Canucks on the eve of the trade deadline. During his 30-game stint as a Star, Roy produced four goals and 22 points. He has one goal and three points in seven matches since joining the Canucks.
Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa (groin pull) is questionable to play tonight. Meanwhile, forwards Chris Higgins (knee) and David Booth (ankle) and defenseman Christopher Tanev (leg) are out.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
STARS
13 Ray Whitney - 14 Jamie Benn - 21 Loui Eriksson
18 Reilly Smith - 20 Cody Eakin - 40 Ryan Garbutt
24 Eric Nystrom - 38 Vernon Fiddler - 72 Erik Cole
25 Matt Fraser - 23 Tom Wandell - 60 Antoine Roussel
6 Trevor Daley- 3 Stephane Robidas
4 Brenden Dillon - 33 Alex Goligoski
27 Aaron Rome - 36 Philip Larsen
32 Kari Lehtonen
[31 Richard Bachman]
CANUCKS (per Dailyfaceoff.com)
22 Daniel Sedin - 33 Henrik Sedin - 14 Alex Burrows
15 Derek Roy - 17 Ryan Kesler - 36 Jannik Hansen
21 Mason Raymond - 25 Andrew Ebbett - 9 Zack Kassian
32 Dale Weise - 40 Maxim Laperriere - 29 Tom Sestito
2 Dan Hamhuis - 5 Jason Garrison
23 Alex Edler - 18 Cam Barker
4 Keith Ballard - 41 Andrew Alberts
35 Cory Schneider / 1 Roberto Luongo
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