Red Hot Dallas Stars Begin Crucial Roadtrip in Calgary
By Marcus Gatto
Dec 19, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Lance Bouma (17) falls into the Dallas Stars bench after colliding with Stars defenseman Jyrki Jokipakka (2) during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Stars head out on a Canadian road trip and stop first in Calgary to face the Flames on Wednesday. This will be the beginning of a three game road trip that will also include playing in Edmonton on Friday and Vancouver on Saturday. Western Canada has been kind to the Stars recently; they swept all three opponents on this same roadtrip back in mid-December. They will face off first against one of the biggest surprise teams in the NHL this season, the Calgary Flames. Puck drop is scheduled for 9pm CST and can be seen on FS-SW.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars are currently on fire! The Stars have won seven of their last eight contests and eight of eleven games in the month of March. They currently sit 10th in the Western conference and eight points behind 8th place Winnipeg. The Stars have 9 games remaining this season and 18 available points. The playoffs are far from a sure thing for this club, but there is still a chance if they continue to play like they have been. Their most recent outing was a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
The Calgary Flames are coming off a massive win in Colorado against the Avalanche on Monday night. The Avalanche were only six points behind the Flames in their pursuit to get back to the playoffs. The Flames put a damper on their playoff plans by defeating them 3-2. The Flames now move to 86 points, two points clear of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Pacific division playoff position. The game against the Stars on Wednesday night will be a brief stay at home as the Flames prepare to head out on a four-game road trip on Thursday morning.
Storylines
Running the Table Must Start Now
Just about the only chance the Dallas Stars have of returning to the NHL playoffs lies in their ability to string together a lengthy winning streak to end the season. The Stars currently sit eight points back of 8th place Winnipeg with nine games remaining. If the Stars were to run the table and gain all 18 points, they would finish the season with 98 points. The highest points gained by a team that did not make the playoffs was the Dallas Stars back in the Marc Crawford era when they gained 95 points but could not beat the Minnesota Wild on the last day of the regular season to squeak in. Therefore, if the Stars powerplay can continue to be a force, Kari Lehtonen can continue to be a calming influence on the back end, and the depth scoring remains consistent, anything is possible for this team. However, the Stars cannot look at the big picture at the moment. Instead, they will need to remain focused on the next game against a very good Calgary Flames hockey club.
Will The Flames Fade?
From the outset of the season, just about every expert or analyst predicted the Calgary Flames to be competing for a lottery pick this summer. After they got out to a hot start, these same experts and analysts believed it would never last. The Flames were not built to win right now with the amount of youth in their lineup, they said. It then became clear that the Flames were for real as they continued to rack up the points leading into the all-star break. However, the Flames still weren’t receiving much respect from many people around the NHL. Then their captain and Vezina Trophy candidate Marc Giordano went down for the season with a torn bicep. Many experts and analysts proclaimed that this was going to be the time for the Flames to unravel. Again, the Flames regrouped, became motivated by the naysayers, and have continued to play great hockey. They currently sit in the final playoff spot in the Pacific division with nine games remaining. I think it is finally time to announce the Calgary Flames are a legitimate playoff contender this season!
Injury Notes
The Dallas Stars will be without Trevor Daley (Lower Body), Travis Moen (Upper-Body) and Valeri Nichushkin (Hip) tonight. All three have been skating with the team and may return within a week. Nichushkin could be assigned to the Texas Stars of the AHL as early as Friday to begin a three game conditioning stint.
The Flames will be without captain Marc Giordano (Bicep), Ladislav Smid (Neck), and Paul Byron (Lower Body) tonight.
Projected Lineups
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn- Cody Eakin- Tyler Seguin
Ales Hemsky- Jason Spezza- Patrick Eaves
Curtis McKenzie- Shawn Horcoff- Brett Ritchie
Antoine Roussel- Vernon Fiddler- Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski- John Klingberg
Jordie Benn- Jason Demers
Patrik Nemeth- Jyrki Jokipakka
Kari Lehtonen
Jhonas Enroth
Calgary Flames
Johnny Gaudreau- Sean Monahan- Jiri Hudler
Joe Colborne- Mikael Backlund- Josh Jooris
Lance Bouma- Markus Granland- David Jones
Mason Raymond- Matt Stajan- Brandon Bollig
Kris Russell- Dennis Wideman
T.J. Brodie- Deryk Engelland
David Schlemko- Raphael Diaz
Karri Ramo
Jonas Hiller
Prediction
The Stars are playing extremely well and Western Canada has been especially kind to them in recent history. I think the Stars get the roadtrip off to a great start with a 3-1 win over the Flames!