ABBREVIATED GAME PREVIEW (8:30 AM CST)
Looking to complete a three-game interconference road trip with six points, the Dallas Stars (7-6-2) are in Motown tonight to take on the Detroit Red Wings (9-5-2) at Joe Louis Arena. Game time is 6:30 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the teams. They will rematch in Dallas on Saturday, January 4.
The Stars enter this game coming off back-to-back shootout wins in Ottawa and Boston. Dallas was outplayed early in the game in Boston and trailed, 2-1, late in the third period until a penalty shot goal by checking forward Vernon Fiddler sent the game to overtime. Jamie Benn notched the other Dallas goal in regulation. Former Bruins Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley scored in the shootout to secure the victory, while goaltender Kari Lehtonen made 34 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping three of four in the shootout.
Detroit enters tonight's game coming off three wins in a four-game road trip. However, the trip ended on a sour note, as the club lost 4-2 in Winnipeg. The final score could have been much worse if Jimmy Howard had not authored 43 saves to keep his team somewhat competitive in the game. Superstar forward Pavel Datsyuk bring a streak of four points (one goal, three assists) in the last three games into tonight's match.
After this game, the Stars will briefly return home for a match against Chicago before embarking on a three-game western Canada road trip.
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