Florida Panthers @ Dallas Stars – Game Preview

The Dallas Stars are fresh off a road trip that saw them gain four out of a possible six points, including key wins against the Rangers and the Bruins.  They now welcome the Florida Panthers to the American Airlines center for the first and only time this season.  Dallas will visit Florida in early March.  The Panthers won both contests against the Stars last season.  Puck drop for this one is at 7:30pm CT.  The game can be found on Fox Sports Southwest or 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket.

Records and Scores

The Dallas Stars (25-21-8) have won two straight games against Eastern Conference foes and will be looking for a third tonight.  This will be the front end of a back-to-back situation, with the Stars flying out to take on the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow.  These are desperate times for Dallas, as they still fighting for a playoff spot.  Before Thursday night’s games, they were just 5 points back of eighth and 8 points back of seventh.  Special teams have been a huge difference-maker for the Stars lately.  In their last eight victories, they have recorded at least one powerplay goal or shorthanded goal.  They need special teams to make a difference for them as they try to sneak into the playoffs.

The Florida Panthers (24-17-11) are in a similar position as the Stars.  Before the games on Thursday, the Panthers were just 4 points back of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the East.  Also like the Stars, they have really struggled with consistency this season.  They are a solid mix of both veteran leadership and exciting youth, so inconsistency is to be expected to a certain extent.  They have struggled scoring goals this season and are middle-of-the-pack in terms of keeping the puck out of the net.  Every point is valuable for them down the stretch as they too try to fight their way into the playoffs.

Storylines

Stars solidify the back-up position

On Wednesday, Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill traded Anders Lindback and a conditional third-round pick in the 2016 draft for goalie Jhonas Enroth.  It is no secret that the Stars have struggled with the back-up position the past few years.  This season, their back-ups recorded only two wins and both were coming in relief of Kari Lehtonen.  The Stars hope the answer is Jhonas Enroth, who was acquired from Buffalo on Wednesday.  Although he is not scheduled to appear tonight, Lindy Ruff said he will most likely play Enroth on Saturday against the Avalanche.  The hope is that he can not only give Dallas quality starts from the back-up role but also potentially push Kari Lehtonen for playing time.  That in turn could have a great effect on Lehtonen’s game, who should be pushed for the first time in a long time here in Dallas.

Panthers rookie making waves in the NHL

When the Panthers were awarded the first-overall draft pick last season, they knew they needed help at the blue-line.  They decided to draft Aaron Ekblad and he has been everything and more for the Panthers this season.  His 31 points leads all rookie defensemen, with Stars rookie John Klingberg right behind him at 29 points.  Ekblad’s point total also puts him at third overall among all rookie skaters this season with only Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau ahead of him.  He is exactly what the Panthers needed and it shows, as he averages more time-on-ice than any rookie in the NHL.  Ekblad is without-a-doubt in the Calder Trophy discussion as he will look to continue an excellent rookie campaign tonight against the Stars.

Injury Report

The Stars got some good news on the injury front on Thursday.  First, Travis Moen is healthy and available once again.  Also, Patrik Nemeth was cleared for full-contact practice.  Although he is not expected in the lineup for a bit, he is ahead of schedule as he continues to recover from an arm laceration suffered very early in the season.  He is expected to go to the AHL for conditioning possibly as soon as next week.  Unfortunately there was some bad news for the Stars on Thursday as well.  The NHL suspended Antoine Roussel for two games following his cross-check to Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.  Val Nichushkin (hip) and Rich Peverley (heart) will also be out for this game.

For the Panthers, Brandon Pirri (upper body) and Willie Mitchell (upper body) are both out.

Projected Lines

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Eaves

Erik Cole – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky

Curtis McKenzie – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg

Jyrki Jokipakka – Trevor Daley

Jordie Benn – Jason Demers

Kari Lehtonen

Jhonas Enroth

Florida Panthers

Jonathan Huberdeau – Aleksander Barkov – Brad Boyes

Jussi Jokinen – Nick Bjugstand – Jimmy Hayes

Sean Bergenheim – Dave Bolland – Tomas Fleischmann

Shawn Thornton – Derek MacKenzie – Scottie Upshall

Brian Campbell – Aaron Ekblad

Dmitry Kulikov – Erik Gudbranson

Steven Kampfer – Alex Petrovic

Roberto Luongo

Al Montoya

Prediction

The Stars desperately need a win at home and Kari Lehtonen has been playing much better of late.  John Klingberg catches Aaron Ekblad in terms of rookie scoring with a goal and an assist, leading to a 3-2 Stars victory.  Check back here for postgame coverage!