MINI-PREVIEW: STARS VS. RED WINGS
Still in search of their first win of the 2017-18 season, Ken Hitchcock's Dallas Stars (0-2-0) return home on Tuesday to take on Jeff Blashill's Detroit Red Wings (2-0-0). Game time at the American Airlines Center is 7:30 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
Fierce rivals during their years in the same conference, tensions have lessened between the Stars and Red Wings in the years since Detroit was situated in the Eastern Conference following the realignment of the NHL divisions starting in the 2013-14 season. Last season, the teams split their two games, with each club prevailing on its home ice: the Red Wings won by a 3-1 count on Nov. 29 while Stars won 5-2 in Dallas on Jan. 12.
On opening night, the Stars took a 1-0 lead into the third period against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights (who were playing the first regular season game in franchise history) and gave up a pair of goals to ex-Dallas forward James Neal to suffer a 2-1 loss in regulation. On Saturday in St. Louis, the Stars went down to a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Blues.
The Stars scored twice in the third period but it was too little, too late. John Klingberg notched an early period power play goal (assists to Alexander Radulov and Devin Shore) that was answered a few minutes later by Tarasenko restoring a three-goal lead for the Blues on the power play. Scoring his first goal after missing the entire 2016-17 season, Mattias Janmark made it 4-2 with 6:49 left in regulation. Jason Spezza and Brett Richie earned the helpers.
Dallas drew no closer, however. Kari Lehtonen absorbed the loss in goal, stopping 17 of 21 shots. Ben Bishop, who had to leave the opener after taking a shot off the mask, is expected to be in goal on Tuesday.
The team lost injury-prone veteran forward Martin Hanzal to a lower-body injury midway through the game in St. Louis. However, he is expected to play against the Red Wings.
On Sunday, the Stars placed veteran forward Adam Cracknell on waivers for purposes of assigning him to the AHL's Texas Stars. However, Cracknell was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers.
The Stars have scored power play goals by Tyler Seguin and Klingberg over the first two games of the season but Janmark's otherwise meaningless late goal in St. Louis is the team's lone even-strength goal thus far.
The top Dallas line of Jamie Benn, Seguin and Radulov has not lacked for scoring opportunities, however, and appears close to breaking through. Regardless of the third member of their line, the duo of Benn and Seguin has a history of going on scoring binges after a few games of frustration.
The Red Wings got their season off to a strong start with a 4-2 home win against the Minnesota Wild on opening night. On Saturday, Detroit captured a 2-1 road victory via shootout against the Ottawa Senators.
Martin Frk (two goals, one assist), Anthony Mantha (one goal, two assists), Dylan Larkin (one goal, one assist),veteran Henrik Zetterberg (one goal, six shots on goal) and veteran defenseman Mike Green (four assists) are off to strong starts offensively. Goalie Jimmy Howard has stopped 74 of the first 77 shots he's faced through his first two starts.