Dallas Stars vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Preview
By Marcus Gatto
Oct 14, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff talks to the team during a timeout during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Dallas defeated Columbus 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Stars fans! Tonight your Dallas Stars will try and build some early season momentum as they look to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is at 6pm CST and can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest or heard on the radio via 1310 The Ticket.
Records and Scores:
The Stars are coming off an impressive win on Tuesday when they beat the previously undefeated Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2. Stars centre Tyler Seguin notched a hat-trick in the game, while captain Jamie Benn finished with a goal, three assists, and a fighting major. Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen got the win by stopping 33 of 35 shots. This is the final game of the Stars 3-game road trip and they will fly back to Dallas following the game to get ready for the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. They will try to catch fire and improve upon their current 1-1-1 record tonight in Pittsburgh.
Steady as she goes in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have begun the season 2-0 for the fifth straight season and they are being led by their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby was named the third star of the week in the NHL after tallying three goals and three assists in two games last week. The Penguins will look to try and remain undefeated thus far this season, after dismantling the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs late last week. The Penguins have not played a game since last Saturday.
Storylines:
Homesick Stars
Not only will the Stars aim to accumulate two more points in the standings tonight; they will also be trying to snap their 6-game losing streak against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Stars played one of their most complete games against the Penguins last season when they met at the AAC. It was a different story two months later when the Penguins dismantled the Stars 4-1 at the CONSOL Energy Centre. Hopefully, the same chemistry found by all four lines in Columbus will give the Stars the boost they need to take down the Penguins tonight.
Penguins Can’t Fly
The Pittsburgh Penguins have only played two games this season and none since last Saturday. The last thing that a team wants to do at the beginning of the season is to sit around. The Stars will hope that the Penguins will show some rust tonight and come out as a lackadaisical team who looks like they’ve only practiced for the past five days. If the Penguins come out flat tonight, look for the Stars to jump all over them and push the pace.
Injury Notes:
Stars forward Val Nichushkin is not on the road trip and will not play tonight. Forward Rich Peverley was placed on Long-Term IR yesterday to create some cap flexibility for the team moving forward. Jamie Benn did not practice Wednesday, but is expected to be in the lineup tonight.
Penguins defenceman Robert Bortuzzo skated after practice on Monday and will be a game-time decision for tonight. Beau Bennett remains on injured reserve with a lower body injury.
Projected Lines:
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Colton Sceviour
Erik Cole – Jason Spezza- Ales Hemsky
Antoine Roussel- Cody Eakin- Ryan Garbutt
Shawn Horcoff- Vernon Fiddler- Patrick Eaves
Alex Goligoski- Trevor Daley
Brenden Dillon- Jordie Benn
Kevin Connauton- Patrik Nemeth
Kari Lehtonen
Anders Lindback
Scratches: Curtis McKenzie, Jamie Oleksiak
Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Kunitz- Sidney Crosby- Patrick Hornqvist
Pascal Dupuis- Brandon Sutter- Evgeni Malkin
Blake Comeau – Marcel Goc- Steve Downie
Zach Sill- Nick Spaling- Craig Adams
Olli Maata- Kris Letang
Christian Erhoff- Paul Martin
Rob Scuderi- Simon Despres
Marc-Andrea Fleury
Thomas Greiss
Final Score Prediction:
I think the Stars come out flying and score first on a stunned Penguins team. However, they end up squandering another lead and extend their winless streak in Pittsburgh to seven games. Penguins win 3-1.
… Just for the record…. I hope I’m wrong on this one!
GO STARS!