STARS @ COYOTES PREVIEW
In a game rendered meaningless by Friday night's 3-0 playoff wildcard clinching victory over St. Louis, the Dallas Stars (40-30-11) will conclude their 2013-14 regular season schedule with a road game against the Phoenix Coyotes (36-29-15). Game time is 8:00 p.m. CDT. The match will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
If the Stars had lost to the Blues on Friday, this game could have a been a winner-takes-all showdown for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Additionally, Phoenix lost to San Jose last night. This game now shapes up to be something more akin to the final game of the exhibition season than to a playoff match.
This is the third meeting of 2013-14 between the Stars and Coyotes. Dallas won each of the first two games, taking a 3-1 road victory on Feb. 4 and a 2-1 regulation home win four nights later.
Tim Thomas will get the start in goal for the Stars in the regular season finale. Dallas will rest Kari Lehtonen before preparations begin in earnest for the team's impending playoff series with the Western Conference champion Anaheim Ducks. Additionally, depth defensemen Kevin Connauton and Aaron Rome are expected to be the lineup tonight. Forward Chris Mueller was recalled from the AHL's Texas Stars and is also slated to start in Phoenix.
For the Coyotes, goaltender Mike Smith (lower body) and defenseman David Schlemko (foot) are out. Martin Hanzal (foot) may have suited up if tonight's game had playoff implications but could be held out since the game has no bearing on the final standings.
Later this week, I will profile the Stars-Ducks series. For now, Dallas can rightfully celebrate its first trip to the postseason in six years. Soon, the Stars will have their hands full in a series they will enter as major underdogs.