If the Dallas Stars are to make a mark in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series with the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks, Dallas will need to win each of the next two games to send the series back to Anaheim deadlocked. Anything less than that and we are looking at a potential quick elimination in four or five games.
Game Three of the series will take place tonight at the American Airlines Center. Game time is 8:30 p.m. CDT. The match will be televised locally on TXA 21, nationally in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network and across Canada on TSN.
The Stars put in valiant efforts in Games One and Two in Anaheim but made some fatal mistakes they could not afford to make against an elite opponent. In Game One, the Stars had a disastrous first period and trailed 4-0 by the midpoint of regulation. Although the Stars rallied back for three goals, the deficit was too much to overcome. In Game Two, Dallas lead early and also staged another late-game comeback bid but went down by a 3-2 score.
Dallas shutdown defenseman Brenden Dillon, the team's most physical blueliner, has been absent from the first two games due to a lower body injury. He has resumed skating but is not yet ready to play. For Anaheim, Matt Beleskey -- one of the Ducks' goal-scorers in Game One -- missed Game Two with a lower-body injury and is also unlikely to play tonight.
Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen was stellar in net in Game Two. He will get the call for the third straight game, opposing Dallas counterpart Kari Lehtonen.
Through the first two games of the series, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf has four points (two goals, two assists) and linemate Corey Perry has a goal and an assist. Dallas counterparts Tyler Seguin (one goal) and Jamie Benn (one goal, one assists) have combined for three points. A big game from the Stars' top line tonight would go a long way toward reducing the team's deficit in the series to two games to one.
In the meantime, Dallas has to find ways to cope with Anaheim's deep attack and deadly top line. Ten different Ducks players have already recorded at least one point through the first two games, and four have at least two points. On the Dallas side, 12 players have at least one point but only three have multiple points. Apart from team captain Benn, Colton Sceviour and Alex Chiasson each have one goal and one assist apiece.