Dallas Stars take on Boston Bruins in Final Game before All-Star Break
The Dallas Stars are on a two-game winning streak and will look to extend it as they take on the Boston Bruins tonight in their last game before the All Star Break. Puck drop is set for 7:30PM CT at the American Airlines Center and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest or heard via 1310 the Ticket.
Records and Scores
Dallas (21-17-7) got their season going in the right direction with wins on back-to-back nights at home versus the Washington Capitals Friday and then on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday. The Stars scored eleven goals in the two games, while Kari Lehtonen boasted a combined .904 save percentage with wins in both starts. Dallas will aim to move up in the Western Conference Standings and go into the All Star Break with a win against the Boston Bruins.
Boston (24-16-6) was on a five-game winning streak until their 3-1 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night. They currently hold the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference and will look to add two points to their total while simultaneously ending Dallas’ winning streak tonight.
Story Lines
The Trade
Even though the Boston Bruins traded 2010 second-overall draft pick Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, and two prospects a year and a half ago it is still one of the most talked about trades. That is due mainly to the play of Seguin this season being that he is tied with Columbus’ Rick Nash for the league lead in goals with twenty-eight. Despite the passing of time, however, it is always an event when Seguin takes on his former club and it should be a good match-up tonight as the two teams involved in the blockbuster trade of the 2013 off-season will battle for a valuable two points at the AAC.
Defense
The Dallas Stars are known for their explosive offense, speed and a lack of defense and they’ve lived up to their stereotype in games of late. Although they’ve recently had a stretch of elevated play the Stars remain to be a team with a question mark as far as the playoffs are concerned. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have had more offensive success lately, but despite their confidence in the offensive zone they’ve struggled in their own end. Furthermore, Dallas’ defensive responsibilities have been all over the place and they’ve left their goalies out to dry on more than one occasion. For instance, the first goal against in the Winnipeg game last week was scored while four Stars players merely stood staring at the puck. Dallas will have to tighten up their play in their own end if they want to make a legitimate run in the last stretch of the regular season and if they want to win tonight.
Fatigue
The Stars have played a lot of hockey lately and it will come to an end after tonight’s game as the team, other than Seguin, will be off for the All-Star Break. Dallas will play their fifth game in the last eight days and weariness will definitely be a factor in tonight’s match-up. Their youth should positively contribute to their effort tonight, but they will have to overcome the obstacle of both mental and physical fatigue. Regardless, Dallas had a day off after their 2-0-0 back-to-back win in Chicago on Saturday night and they’ll have to keep the momentum going.
Injury Report
Dallas will be missing Brett Ritchie (undisclosed), Trevor Daley (undisclosed), Valeri Nichushkin (hip), and Rich Peverley (heart) from the line-up. Patrick Eaves is healthy, but questionable for the game tonight. Eaves has missed the last twenty games with an ankle injury.
The Bruins won’t have Brad Marchand (suspension) available for tonight’s game.
Projected Lines
Dallas Stars (lines vs Chicago)
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Colton Sceviour/Patrick Eaves
Erik Cole – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt
Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Travis Moen
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Jordie Benn – Jason Demers
Jyrki Jokipakka – Jamie Oleksiak
Kari Lehtonen
Anders Lindback
Boston Bruins
Milan Lucic – David Krejci – David Pastrnak
Daniel Paille – Patrice Bergeron – Reilly Smith
Chris Kelly – Carl Soderberg – Loui Eriksson
Jordan Caron – Gregory Campbell – Craig Cunningham
Zdeno Chara – Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Seidenberg – Adam McQuaid
Torey Krug – Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Niklas Svedberg
Prediction
Dallas will play well enough to beat the Bruins in overtime or a shootout by a score of 4-3 in order to go into the All-Star Break on a good note.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check back after the match-up for the post-game analysis.