STARS VS. SENATORS PREVIEW
Looking to end a four-game winless streak and start climbing back into the Western Conference wildcard race, the Dallas Stars (32-26-11) return home to play a Saturday matinee with the Ottawa Senators (28-28-13). Game time at the American Airlines Center is 2:00 p.m. CST. The match will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the second of two meetings this season between the inter-Conference clubs, and the lone game in Dallas. On Nov. 3, the Stars earned a 4-3 shootout win in Ottawa.
Goals by veteran Ray Whitney and rookie Valeri Nichushkin's first NHL goal staked the Stars to a 2-0 lead by the first minute of the second period. After Ottawa rallied to tie the game in the second period on goals by Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza, Antoine Roussel restored the lead early in the third period.
The Stars came within 10 seconds of winning the game in regulation, until Bobby Ryan tied the game to force overtime. Jamie Benn recovered the second point with the game-winning shootout goal. Kari Lehtonen stopped 33 shots in regulation and overtime to earn third-star honors.
Entering tonight's game, the Stars are four points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for the final wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dallas holds one game in hand. A week ago, the Stars were two points ahead of Phoenix.
The Stars are coming off a disastrous three-goal road trip through Winnipeg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Dallas went 0-3-0 and got outscored by a combined 16-5. However, the Stars generally played well in the final game against the Flyers.
Despite sustaining a 4-2 loss to Philadelphia, Dallas was the equal or better team through large segments of the game. Jamie Benn scored a pair of goals to trim a pair of two-goal deficits in half. Losing goaltender Tim Thomas had an uneven game in net, getting outplayed by Philadelphia counterpart Steve Mason.
Afterward, coach Lindy Ruff and his players emphasized that there were many positives from the Philadelphia game from which the team could build in upcoming games. The club skated and forechecked better than in recent games, and the defensive play was also back on the right track.
The Stars are looking to get a little more secondary scoring. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have combined to score 12 of Dallas' last 21 goals. On Thursday, Alex Chiasson was promoted to the top line with Nichushkin (who has hit a wall after the Olympic break) being moved down to the fourth line. The new combination remained intact at practice yesterday, although Chiasson reportedly left the ice early due to an undisclosed ailment.
Erik Cole, one of Dallas' key secondary scoring threats, took a maintenance day yesterday. He is probable for tonight's game, according to the Stars' official site. Additionally, Shawn Horcoff (broken finger) practiced in full yesterday and could return to the lineup.
On Thursday, blueliner Kevin Connauton was a healthy scratch in favor of the more defensive minded Aaron Rome. It is possible that Connauton could be back in the lineup tonight, paired with Sergei Gonchar.
Although no goaltending starter has officially been named for tonight, Kari Lehtonen is likely to get the nod. Even if Thomas had played better in the Philadelphia game, Lehtonen is the Stars' workhorse starter when healthy. Lehtonen returned to the lineup in Pittsburgh after missing three games with a concussion suffered on March 8 in a game against Minnesota.
The Senators have been a tailspin down the stretch, losing eight of their last 10 games (2-6-2) including each of their last three games. Goal scoring has not been the issue but the team defense and goaltending have sprung a leak.
Ottawa has fallen out of the Eastern Conference wildcard race. Trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets by nine points, the Senators would also have to leapfrog Detroit, Washington and New Jersey in the standings. The Sens have 13 games remaining on their schedule.