Dallas Stars Attempt To Stop Skid Against New York Rangers
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars will look to bounce back from their first losing streak of the season tonight when they take on the New York Rangers.
The Dallas Stars could not complete a rally against the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon and fell 6-5. That was their first time this season to lose back to back games, and they have yet to win in 2016. They have another chance to snag their first two points of the year tonight when they take on the New York Rangers.
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 6:00 p.m. from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars are still amongst the leaders in the NHL, though their spot is threatened. They are first place in the NHL with a record of 28-9-4 and 60 points. Their most recent game comes as a 6-5 heartbreaking loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday. They are 2-2-1 in their last five contests and have seen a bit of a drop off over the past week.
The New York Rangers meanwhile are in relatively good shape but near the edge and close to dropping off. The Rangers currently boast a record of 21-14-4 and 46 points. Though they sit third place in the Metropolitan Division, they are only one point from dropping to fourth and four points from fifth and being out of a playoff spot. Their most recent game comes as a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. They are 2-3-0 in their last five games.
Storylines
Dallas Stars may be in a funk, but that doesn’t mean they’ll quit
The Dallas Stars have not started out 2016 on the right foot. After a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, the Stars were throttled on Sunday by the New York Islanders, but still managed to make the loss bearable for a final score of 6-5.
Though the losses have left a bad taste in the mouthes of the Stars and their fans, they have proved in the losses why they are still first place in the NHL. That is simply because the Stars are not giving up in any game, no matter what the scenario is.
Take for example the two losses that have happened since January 1st. Going into the third period of the game against the Devils, the Stars were in an 0-2 hole. They battled back in the final ten minutes of the period to tie it up at two and snag a point in an overtime loss.
In the game against the Islanders just one day later, the Stars were in a 5-2 hole at the end of the second frame. They fought back with everything they had in the third and ended up only losing by one goal. Their mistakes earlier in the game ended up being what cost them the comeback.
The Stars are a strong team and know how to rally together when times are tough. Right now, they are arguably in their first “funk” of the season and need to figure their way out of that. If their constant fight in their play is any sort of sign, it is that the Stars will be on back on track here in no time.
The Rangers need more defense. Plain and simple.
Whether it’s the goaltending or defense, the New York Rangers just cannot lose their games by an even acceptable margin. In their last ten losses, the Rangers have sacrificed an average of 4.30 goals against. That number is simply unbelievable and unacceptable.
The Stars are a high-scoring team and know how to put the puck in the net. If they can exploit the weaknesses in New York’s back end, they should have no trouble in putting up half-a-dozen goals.
Injury report
RW Ales Hemsky (lower body) will be the only player unavailable for the Dallas Stars.
The Rangers will be minus the services of LW Chris Kreider (hand).
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp
Mattias Janmark – Jason Spezza – Valeri Nichushkin
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Colton Sceviour
Radek Faksa – Vernon Fiddler – Patrick Eaves
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
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New York Rangers
J.T. Miller – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Rick Nash – Derek Stepan – Jesper Fast
Oscar Lindberg – Kevin Hayes – Jayson Megna
Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – Viktor Stalberg
Next: Dallas Stars' New Years To Do List
Prediction
The Dallas Stars are in a bit of a funk, and we all know that. But that loss to the Islanders cannot be sitting well with them, and they’re probably looking for any chance at redemption. I have the Stars winning this one in a blowout, 5-2.