In the final game of a five-game homestand, Lindy Ruff's Dallas Stars (42-21-9) host Jack Capuano's New York Islanders (38-22-9) on Saturday evening. Game time at the American Airlines Center is 7:00 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the teams, and the lone game in Dallas. On Jan. 3 in Brooklyn, the Islanders won a 6-5 decision.
The Stars enter this game coming off a 4-3 win on Thursday over the recently reeling Tampa Bay Lightning. Dallas trailed, 3-2, in the third period before rallying for mid-period goals by Stephen Johns and Jamie Benn to pull out the victory. Benn's game-winning goal was his second tally of the game and 36th goal of the season. Jason Spezza (29th goal) also scored for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen stopped 17 of 20 shots to earn the win.
On the final shift of the Thursday's game, Dallas lost standout center Tyler Seguin for the rest of the regular season as a result of a skate cut to his Achilles tendon. He will miss three to four weeks. The Stars are also without defensemen Jason Demers (shoulder) and Jordie Benn (lower body) as well as two-way forward Mattias Janmark (upper body). Top-pairing defenseman John Klingberg (lower body) is questionable.
The Islanders enter this game coming off a 4-2 road loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson scored in a losing cause, while Thomas Greiss stopped 28 of 31 shots before a late Nashville empty net goal sealed the two-goal margin.
New York has won just one of its last five games (1-2-2) and is being pressured by the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders have fared well against the Stars in recent years, however, having won four of the last five meetings going back to the 2013-14 season.
On the injury front, goalie Jaroslav Halak (groin), forward Mikhail Grabovski (undisclosed), and defensemen Marek Zidlicky (upper body) and Adam Pelech (upper body) are out. Checking forward Casey Cizikas (undisclosed) is day-to-day after missing the Nashville game.