Dallas Stars Visit Tampa Bay Lightning, Face Another Pivotal Matchup
By Josh Clark
The stakes are high again for the Dallas Stars on Thursday night as they continue their Eastern Conference road trip with a stop in Tampa Bay. And, while going up against the best team in the NHL, the Stars will have to find a way to bring consistency and pick up a critical two points.
Things aren’t getting any easier for the Dallas Stars right now. They are three games deep into a five-game road trip, have matched up against some of the better teams in the NHL over the past month, and have seen a recent 6-1-1 surge gain them little to no ground in the playoff race.
But that’s okay. The months of February and March in an NHL schedule always find a way to be the most challenging, and they are so for a reason. The challenge is used to figure out which teams are playoff-worthy challengers and which ones crumble under the pressure. The race gets tighter, games tend to mean a little bit more, and every point is critical.
On Thursday night, the Stars have another critical opportunity at two points. But, as it has been over the past few contests, it won’t be an easy get.
Dallas will visit Amalie Arena tonight to take on the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. This is a Lightning team that hasn’t really slowed down since the beginning of the season and is surging towards the postseason.
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For instance, the Dallas Stars (29-22-5, 63 points) will aim for their 30th win of the season; the Lightning (42-11-4), on the other hand, will be looking to break the 90-point barrier. Tampa Bay owns the highest-scoring offense, fifth-best scoring defense, best power play percentage, and third-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL. You name the stat, they are likely in the top five.
That success can come as a tall order for any challenger. But for a Stars team that is 1-1-1 on their current road trip and found a way to outlast a struggling Florida Panthers club on Tuesday in Sunrise, that order can seem even more difficult.
It’s the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season, with Tampa claiming the first meeting by a final score of 2-0 last month in Dallas. But, the game wasn’t as one-sided as the score said. The Stars actually controlled various aspects of the game, drew six penalties while leaving Tampa 0/3 on their own power play, and set the tempo for much of the contest. They looked like the faster team, generated more offensive looks, and outshot the Lightning 22-8 in the final 40 minutes.
But even so, the Lightning found a way to capitalize on two separate opportunities and Andrei Vasilevskiy shut the in the defensive end as Dallas was shut out for the first time on home ice and just the second time in the 2018-19 season.
It’s a testament to how good the Tampa Bay Lightning can be, even when they aren’t necessarily controlling the game. On top of that, it’s also a testament to the level that the Stars had to reach if they wanted to run with the best of the best.
Since then, however, the Dallas Stars are showing a different side to their game. Following the loss to Tampa on Jan. 15, the Stars are riding a 6-2-1 surge. They have defeated some of the top teams in the West, are doing many little things right, and have shown an ability to adapt to different scenarios and situations in order to get points and stay competitive.
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Tyler Seguin has three goals and nine points in the past six games, the Dallas offense is averaging 3.00 goals per game since Feb. 1, and Anton Khudobin has kept the Stars afloat over the past few games with strong performances in the crease.
The win streak boosted Dallas to third place in the Central division and has them on the verge of being a legitimate playoff threat.
And yet, things seem tighter than ever before. At the moment, the St. Louis Blues sit two points behind Dallas in the division standings. The Minnesota Wild are four back. And finally, the Vancouver Canucks (who sit outside of the playoff picture at the moment) sit at the 57-point mark. Things are close and only seem to be getting closer as the teams around Dallas surge in the playoff race as well.
That’s why Thursday night once again presents the Dallas Stars with a critical junction in the playoff push. A loss could put them on the brink of losing their spot in the Central standings, but a win could push them within striking distance of the Nashville Predators for second place.
Denis Gurianov will slot back into the lineup in place of Valeri Nichushkin, who played on Tuesday. He will skate on the fourth line with Mattias Janmark and Radek Faksa, while the rest of the lineup will remain the same.
Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn – Jason Dickinson – Blake Comeau
Andrew Cogliano – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie
Mattias Janmark – Radek Faksa – Denis Gurianov
Anton Khudobin
But for it all to work the way the Stars want, they will have to be on top of their game. They are going up against an electric crowd that has boosted their team to a 22-5-2 record on home ice and are up against the best scorers in the league.
Establishing the speed, getting the offense going, and staying out of the penalty box are all important keys. But, then again, so is capitalizing on the power play and playing solid and structured defense against the Tampa attack.
The Dallas Stars will need their good players to be their best players and their best players to be even better. That’s what happens when you go up against the top dog.
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The Stars’ hot streak is being put on the line against the best team in the NHL tonight with plenty of implications involved. It’s a challenging time in the regular season schedule for every team, and Dallas has a tall test at hand tonight.
Puck drop for this Valentine’s Day showdown is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Amalie Arena.