Dallas Stars @ Chicago Blackhawks – Game Preview

The Dallas Stars will look to retain their winning ways tonight when they face off against the Chicago Blackhawks. This will be the second meeting between the two teams, with the Blackhawks prevailing in a shootout during the first meeting on opening night for both teams. The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports – Southwest (FSSW), and you can also hear it on 1310 AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 PM CST at the United Center in Chicago.

Records and Scores

The Dallas Stars currently sit with a record of 6-7-4, which is good enough for seventh and last place in the Central Division. They have won 2 of their last 10, going 2-6-2 over the span. After a riveting start to the season, this abhorring skid has hit the Dallas Stars and their fans. Their most recent performance came as the first game of a back-to-back yesterday, when they lost to the Minnesota Wild 2-1 at the American Airlines Center. They will look to complete the back-to-back with a win on the road tonight against the Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks hold a record of 9-7-1 throughout the 2014-2015 campaign so far. They currently sit at fourth in the Central Division. They are 3-2-0 in their last five matchups. Their most recent game came out as a loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night, where they were outplayed for a final score of 4-1. Both teams are coming off of losses and will look to rebound tonight.

Storylines

Hit the road, Stars, and don’t come back

The Dallas Stars will play the Chicago Blackhawks today in Illinois, and that is just the way Stars fans like it. The Dallas Stars fans are 1-4-4 at home in Dallas so far this season, and cannot seem to buy a win. On the road, they are 5-3-0, including wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings. They have been outscored 31-24 at home this year, and are averaging 3.44 goals given up per game. They are coming off of a most recent 2-0 road trip that included a shutout for Kari Lehtonen in LA on Thursday night. After this one game in Chicago, they will face a five-game homestand, and will look to put the past behind them and go back to defending their house over the Thanksgiving break.

What happened to Chicago?

The Blackhawks were the favorites to win the Central Division, President’s Trophy, and Stanley Cup this season, but have not performed to the set standard yet. After re-signing Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane over the offseason and adding Brad Richards to an already stacked offensive arsenal, they seem to still be adjusting. They are 3-4-0 through November so far and have not been able to capitalize on their chances. There is still a lot of season to be played for both teams, but they could both use a helpful step in the right direction, seeing that neither team is in a postseason spot.

Injury report

The Dallas Stars will be missing D Patrik Nemeth due to a season-ending arm laceration. RW Patrick Eaves is still out after taking a puck to the foot against LA on Thursday, and LW Valeri Nichushkin will miss the next four months due to hip surgery.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be without LW Patrick Sharp due to a lower-body injury. Daniel Carcillo was injured recently but is expected back for tonight’s game.

Projected lines

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn – Jason Spezza – Tyler Seguin

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Curtis McKenzie – Vernon Fiddler – Ales Hemsky

Erik Cole – Shawn Horcoff – Colton Sceviour

Brenden Dillon – Trevor Daley

Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg

Jordie Benn – Jamie Oleksiak

Kari Lehtonen

Anders Lindback

Chicago Blackhawks

Kris Versteeg – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell – Brad Richards – Brandon Saad

Ben Smith – Marcus Kruger – Marian Hossa

Peter Regin – Andrew Shaw – Jeremy Morin

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook

Niklas Hjalmarsson – Johnny Oduya

Trevor van Riemsdyk – Michal Rozsival

Corey Crawford

Scott Darling

Prediction:

I’m not going to sugarcoat this one, the Dallas Stars are still struggling. They dominated Minnesota yesterday afternoon and still found a way to lose, so things might not be looking up just yet. Chicago is coming off of a loss but they do not have to face the road trip and a back-to-back. Sadly, the Stars will not be able to walk away with this game, dropping a 4-2 decision against the Hawks. Lehtonen is gassed beyond belief and will not be able to save the game for the Stars. The Dallas Stars do have one ace-in-the-hole, though, being that the Blackhawks have never faced off against the “Super Line” before. If they win, it will be a big surprise to most, and anything can happen. So make sure you watch the game! Go Stars.