Dallas Stars Aiming To Put Out “Undefeated” Flames
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars won 5-1 in an awkward game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. They will look to keep their homestand perfection going when they take on the Calgary Flames tonight. Get all the latest info about tonight’s game here.
The Dallas Stars may not have put together the most impressive 60-minute performance, but they walked away with a powerful 5-1 win Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. But they will aim to avenge a previous loss tonight when they take on the Calgary Flames. This is the second of three games between the two teams, with the Flames winning the first one 4-3 in the shootout.
The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus (FSSW+), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars continue to reign supreme throughout the NHL. With a record of 23-6-2 and 48 points, the Stars own the best record in the league and show no signs of letting that change. Their most recent game comes as a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Stars are 3-1-1 in their last five contests.
The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, are on their way back up. After being 5-11-1 at one point in the year, the Flames have picked the pace back up and now sit in the middle of their division. Now at a record of 14-14-2 with 30 points, they might have something going. Then again, it might be too little, too late. Their most recent comes as a 2-1 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. They are 5-0-0 in their last five games.
Storylines
Stars have to be thirsty for revenge or else they’ll lose
The Dallas Stars are good. Not just good, but really good. They are first place in the NHL and have a two point lead on the second place Washington Capitals, as well as an eight point lead on second place in their division. But they still have 51 games to go this season, and tonight is going to be a difficult one.
The Calgary Flames found a way to best the Stars in their first meeting of the season on December 1st. The Stars easily handled the Flames for the first 40 minutes, taking a 3-0 lead into the third period. But Calgary did not quit, while Dallas sadly did. The Flames tacked on three goals in less than 16 minutes to tie it up and take it to extra time, where they eventually won 4-3 in the shootout.
This might have been the most demoralizing loss of the season, which seems odd considering the Stars picked up a point. Dallas now has a chance to avenge this defeat, and it could not be in a bigger scenario. The Flames have yet to lose in December and the Stars are two days away from facing the Montreal juggernaut. A big spotlight is set for tonight, and the Stars are at center stage. Let’s see if they pull it off.
Will Calgary ever lose again?
Obviously they will… right? The Calgary Flames are currently streaking through the month of December and own the NHL’s best record since December 1st. That record is 6-0-0.
You’re probably thinking that they just beat a few bad teams here and there. But some of those teams include the New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and your very own Dallas Stars. Their turnaround has been nothing short of unbelievable and Calgary is back to looking like a playoff-caliber team.
It’s going to be an interesting night to say the least. If the Stars can keep their meltdown from happening again, they could pull off the win. Remember, the Stars are the ones that Calgary started their streak with. There’s a pretty good chance tonight’s game is going to have plenty of fireworks.
Injury report
The Dallas Stars will play with an entirely healthy lineup tonight. Isn’t that so nice to know?
The Calgary Flames will be minus the services of RW Michael Frolik (upper body), G Jon Gillies (hip), and LW Lance Bouma (lower body).
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Tyler Seguin
Valeri Nichushkin – Jason Spezza – Patrick Sharp
Antoine Roussel – Mattias Janmark – Ales Hemsky
Patrick Eaves – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
Calgary Flames
Johnny Gaudreau – Sean Monahan – David Jones
Sam Bennett – Markus Granlund – Jiri Hudler
Mason Raymond – Mikael Backlund – Josh Jooris
Micheal Ferland – Matt Stajan – Joe Colborne
Kris Russell – Dougie Hamilton
Deryk Engelland – Dennis Wideman
Prediction
Dont’t get me wrong, this game is going to be a tough one. It will be fast-paced, there will be plenty of offense, and more than likely there will be physicality and maybe even some punches traded.
Next: Stars Finally Seeing The Old Valeri Nichushkin
But there is just something about this scenario that says, “Stars will come in clutch.” As a result, I have the Stars winning 4-3 in a shootout.