STARS @ PENGUINS PREVIEW
Starting a road trip through the state of Pennsylvania, the Dallas Stars (32-24-11) are in the western part of the Keystone State to take on the Metropolitan Division leading Pittsburgh Penguins (44-19-4). Game time at the Consol Energy Center is 6:00 p.m. CST. The match will be televised locally on TXA-21.
This is the second of two meetings this season between the teams, and the lone game in Pittsburgh.
Back on Jan. 25, the Stars put forth one of their best 60-minute efforts of the season to blank the high-powered Penguins, 3-0, at the American Airlines Center. Power play goals by former Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar and team captain Jamie Benn staked the Stars to a 2-0 lead by the early stages of the second period. Rich Peverley added some extra cushion midway through regulation. Kari Lehtonen (24-save shutout) outdueled Marc-Andre Fleury (25 saves on 28 shots) in goal.
The Stars will look tonight to stop a two-game winless skid that started with a blown third period lead against Calgary and an eventual shootout loss. On Sunday, the Stars traveled to Winnipeg and got smoked, 7-2. Dallas actually led 2-1 in the first period but then paid the price repeatedly for numerous turnovers and coverage breakdowns.
Lehtonen (concussion) participated fully in practice on Monday and has been cleared to return to the lineup. The big Finn is likely to get the call in goal tonight after Tim Thomas got a run of starts following Lehtonen's injury on March 8. The Stars have returned goalie Cristopher Nilstorp to the AHL's Texas Stars.
Checking line center Vernon Fiddler did not participate in practice on Monday but it was said to be just a maintenance day. He is likely to play tonight. However, Shawn Horcoff (upper body) remains out of the lineup and Peverely (heart condition) is done for the season.
Then Penguins still hold a nearly insurmountable lead in the Metro Division, but are coming off a pair of subpar performances in a weekend home-and-home sweep by the archrival Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh came into the weekend ranked first in the NHL in both penalty killing (they have since dropped to second) and power play (still tops in the league). Philadelphia ended up outplaying the Pens on both ends of special teams as well as at even strength. In the two games, Pittsburgh went 0-for-9 on the power play and yielded a pair of shorthanded goals to the Flyers' Matt Read. Meanwhile, the Flyers went 3-for-7 on the power play.
Despite the Penguins' special teams stumble over the weekend, the Pittsburgh power play in particular remains a fearsome challenge for any team. The Stars have allowed a power play goal in five of their last six games and, over that span, are just 16-21 (76.2 percent) on the penalty kill.
On Saturday, the Penguins got dominated for all 60 minutes in a 4-0 loss. Sunday's game started much the same, as the Flyers quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead and chased Fleury (who deserved a better fate) from the net. Thereafter, the Penguins -- despite a scarcity of shots -- rallied to cut the deficit to 3-2 and then 4-3. In the third period, Flyers goaltender Steve Mason made 12 saves to slam the door.
Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held pointless in the home-and-home against Philadelphia. Some opposing team is bound to pay for their offensive frustrations once the floodgates are re-opened. The Stars will try to make sure it's some other club.
Neither former Stars winger James Neal (concussion) nor power forward Chris Kunitz (lower body) played over the weekend. Both participated in practice yesterday and are questionable for tonight. Top-pairing defenseman Kris Letang (stroke) practiced yesterday but there is still no timetable for his return. Also on the sidelines are defenseman Paul Martin (hand), two-way winger Pascal Dupuis (knee surgery) and backup goaltender Tomas Vokoun (blood clot in hip).
After tonight's game, the Stars will continue onward to southeastern Pennsylvania. Dallas will clash on Thursday night with the Philadelphia Flyers. Dallas won the first meeting of the season, 5-1, spearheaded by a Tyler Seguin hat trick.