Dallas Stars Bringing Star Wars To Boston
With their three game win streak ended by the Maple Leafs in Toronto, the Dallas Stars still sit atop the Central Division with a 9-3-0 record and lead the Western Conference with 18 points.
The Stars head to TD Garden to take on Boston tonight in game two of a four game road trip. The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW) and you can also catch it on 1310 AM/96.7 The Ticket.
Records and Scores
The Stars are still sitting pretty on top, thanks to their new-found role as comeback kids. Although they left us hanging in that aspect last night, the Stars are 4-2-0 on the road.
The Bruins, with 10 games played in the season, are 6-3-1 overall and only 1-3-1 at home. They won their fourth game in a row against Tampa Bay, on the road Saturday, 3-1.
Story lines
Rack ‘Em Up
The Stars didn’t lose to The Leafs for lack of shots. While Toronto ended the game with 26 shots on goal, the Stars finished with an assaulting 44. Are these last-season habits rearing their ugly heads, or just an off night for the Stars and on night for James Reimer?
And the Bruins’ scoring record isn’t too shabby. They currently lead the NHL in goals per game average, 3.9. The only time the Bruins have approached such a high number of shots on goal was in their 5-3 win against the Coyotes on October 17.
So it’s clear that tonight, the Stars have to make very shot count.
First Is Worst, Second is Best, Third…
As mentioned before, Boston has the best goals per game average in the NHL, with Dallas nipping at their heels with the third best, 3.42.
The Stars also have the third best power play in the league at the moment, with a conversion rate of 25%. The Bruins’ power play? You guessed it, first in the league at 35.3%.
If you’re sensing a pattern, that’s alright. It’s only a matter of time before the tables turn, right?
Star Wars
Both teams have recently had some of their standout players deservingly acknowledged by the league. Stars’ Captain Jamie Benn was named the NHL’s first star of the month of October as a nice follow up as a nice welcome back from his offseason double hip surgery.
Boston’s David Krejci was named the third star of the month. He was the first Bruin since 92-93 to open up a season with a nine or more game point streak.
Brad Marchand was also recognized as the NHL’s first star of the week after putting up four goals and two assists in three games.
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- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
Injury Report
The Stars are still doing without Patrick Eaves (upper body), Curtis McKenzie (lower body), and Travis Moen (upper body).
The Bruins will be skating without Dennis Seidenberg (back) and tentatively without Joonas Kempainen (undisclosed), who is day to day.
Projected Lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp
Radek Faksa – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky
Mattias Janmark – Cody Eakin – Valeri Nichushkin
Antoine Roussel – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Boston Bruins
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Brett Connolly
Alexander Khoklachev — David Krejci — Loui Eriksson
Matt Beleskey — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Chris Kelly — Joonas Kemppainen — Zac Rinaldo
Zdeno Chara — Collin Miller
Joe Morrow — Kevan Miller
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid
Next: Dallas Stars: A Look Ahead At The 2015 Schedule
Predictions
It’ll be one big fireworks display, with both teams fervent on offense. Despite high shot numbers and attempts, the Stars will narrowly miss the mark and fall to the Bruins 5-4 (although I am happily willing to be wrong!).