Dallas Stars Aim To Tame Minnesota Wild
The Dallas Stars will look to continue proving their dominance tonight against Central Division opponent, the Minnesota Wild. Brush up with all the details you need for tonight’s game here.
After an embarrassing 7-4 loss in Ottawa to start off their Thanksgiving break, The Stars grabbed what is becoming their signature comeback win in a 3-2 SO against the Canucks, despite weathering seven power plays against. The Stars will take that determination with them on the road to face the Wild tonight for the second out of five times this season.
The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW) and will also be available on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop will be at 7:30 CT at Xcel Energy Center.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars continue, despite a couple of ugly losses, to be rubbing elbows with the league’s elite. With 23 games played, they sit behind the Canadiens, who have 38 points in their 24 games played. The Stars’ 18-5-0 record is still the best season start the franchise has ever witnessed, and the Stars simply refuse to let unfavorable matches mess with their heads.
The Minnesota Wild are flying a little lower than the Stars, with a 11-7-3 record. In the last six games, they could only manage to pull out one win, and fell in their last match-up to the Winnipeg Jets with only 15 shots on goal.
Storylines
Something’s Gotta Give
So here’s some stats for you: the Stars are 9-2-0 on the road and have only lost once in the three games they have played against Central Division opponents. The Stars are on top of the Central right now with a five point cushion.
However, the Wild have spent more time taking on Division teams this season. They have a 5-3-2 record against the Central and an 8-3-0 record at home. Add this to the fact that the Stars haven’t brought home a win in the last five games they faced the Wild on the road, and you just start to wonder.
There are 11 points between the Stars and the Wild in the standings, and while the Stars have started off the better team, that gap sometimes is not wide enough when it comes down to it. The Stars will have to keep their cool on enemy ice to carry their win streak to two and further assert their claim on the Central Division.
Lessons Learned
For having struggled in the past, the Stars came out of last night’s contest against the Canucks showing a very different side of their special teams. Six out of seven penalty kills were effective, and the Stars themselves capitalize on two out of three power play chances.
However, there are some lesser sins that can add up to losses that the Stars will need to get under control tonight in Minnesota. Avoidable turnovers are a major area of concern, one of the few areas of play in which John Klingberg has fallen a bit short this season.
The Crease Question
Called up to help shoulder the goaltending load after Lehtonen’s injury, Jack Campbell will be traveling with the team to Minnesota. The question is, will he or Niemi get the go ahead in goal?
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While it would be exciting to see Campbell start in his second NHL game, it is far more likely that Niemi will be the starting tender. With his solid play in 60 minutes against the Canucks and dependable shoot out performance, Niemi would be the reliable choice for competition against a Division component.
Injury Report
Kari Lehtonen is out for the Stars with an upper body injury, leaving the team in the capable hands of Antti Niemi and youngster Jack Campbell.
Defenseman Marco Scandella is out for the Wild with a lower body injury. Justin Fontaine is slated to return from the sidelines after sitting out the last eleven games with a sprained knee.
Lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn –Tyler Seguin –Patrick Sharp
Mattias Janmark –Jason Spezza –Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel –Cody Eakin – Valeri Nichushkin
Colton Sceviour –Vernon Fiddler –Ales Hemsky
Alex Goligoski –John Klingberg
Jack Campbell
Minnesota Wild
Thomas Vanek –Mikael Granlund –Jason Pominville
Zach Parise –Mikko Koivu –Nino Niederreiter
Jason Zucker –Charlie Coyle –Ryan Carter
Chris Porter –Erik Haula –Kurtis Gabriel
Jonas Brodin –Matt Dumba
Next: Dallas Stars Recall Nemeth, Campbell; Lehtonen to IR
Prediction
The last match-up between the Stars and Wild went into overtime, but coming off a disjointed shoot out win against the Canucks, the Stars will be much more in control. Dallas will tame the Wild 3-1 in 60 minutes of play to break a losing streak in the Xcel Energy Center and start off their road trip right.