STARS-OILERS GAME PREVIEW (10:00 AM CST)
Looking to close out a three-game homestand on a winning note, the Dallas Stars (12-9-3) take on the Edmonton Oilers (8-17-2) at the American Airlines Center. Game time is 5 p.m. CST. The match will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. On Nov. 13, Kari Lehtonen recorded a 22-save shutout in Edmonton, kicking off the first part of a three-game western road trip sweep for the Stars. Rich Peverley, Tyler Seguin (empty net) and Antoine Roussel (empty net) tallied goals for the Stars in the 3-0 victory. Rookie forward Valeri Nichushkin had an unsuccessful penalty shot attempt against Devan Dubnyk (23 saves on 24 shots) with 3:04 remaining in the third period.
After this game, the Stars head out on the road for their next two games. They will be in Chicago on Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday before returning home for a Saturday matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers.
STARS OUTLOOK
The Stars have had a rollercoaster of a homestand thus far, and have captured three of four possible points.
On Tuesday, the team trailed Anaheim in the third period by a 2-1 score before exploding for three goals within a minute and five in all to skate off with a 6-3 victory. On Friday, the Stars engaged in a high-tempo battle with the Chicago Blackhawks. Tied 1-1 at the end of overtime, the game moved to a shootout. The Hawks prevailed in a marathon 11-round shootout that saw Lehtonen stop nine of 11 shots and Chicago's Corey Crawford turn back 10 of 11. Peverley scored the lone regulation and shootout goals for Dallas.
The point against Chicago came at a very steep cost. The Stars lost veteran defenseman, Stephane Robidas, to a broken leg suffered in the second period. The club will be hard-pressed to replace his tough minutes against other teams' top lines, much less the calming influence he brings both on the ice and in the locker room. He will miss a minimum of four to six months.
The Stars have recalled promising young defenseman Jamie Oleksiak from the AHL's Texas Stars. While Oleksiak is a player with tremendous potential, he is not yet ready to step into a major role at the NHL level. Head coach Lindy Ruff will be forced to mix-and-match his personnel.
OILERS OUTLOOK
This will be the third start of Ilya Bryzgalov's tenure in Edmonton.
The former Vezina Trophy finalist recorded a 33-save shutout in Nashville on Thanksgiving. On Friday, he came out on the losing end of a matchup against his former Philadelphia backup, Sergei Bobrovsky.
With the Oilers trailing 4-0 after the second period, Bryzgalov (19 saves on 23 shots) was pulled in favor of Dubnyk. The Blue Jackets held on for a 4-2 win. Sam Gagner and David Perron tallied for the Oilers in the third period.
Prior to Friday's loss against Columbus, the Oilers had won four of their previous five games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has points in five straight games and eight points (one goal, seven assists) in that span, has been a big part of the recent upswing.
The Stars would be well-served to jump on the Oilers early if possible. Edmonton enters this game having been outscored by 30-17 margin the first period of games. Additionally, the team has struggled mightily at even strength, getting outscored by a 63-40 margin.
When playing against Bryzgalov, the biggest objective is to get traffic at the net and some deflections. He struggled to adjust on such plays and is prone to losing focus. Additionally, Bryzgalov's lateral movement and puckhandling are sometimes a bit suspect. He's at his best when he's using his size effectively and keeping rebounds in front of him.
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