Dallas Stars Hit National Stage, Take On Wild
The Dallas Stars will look to shake off their recent loss and pick up a divisional win tonight when they take on the Minnesota Wild on the road.
This past Saturday night was not a pleasant one if you are a Dallas Stars fan. But that is in the past now, and the Stars will look to get back on the horse against the Minnesota Wild. This is the fifth and final meeting between the two teams, with the Stars taking the first three games and the Wild winning the most recent one.
The game will be broadcasted on the national level with NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Records and Scores
The first month of the season was not very gracious to the Dallas Stars, and they stumbled a little as a result. They currently boast a result of 33-15-5 with 71 points, which is good enough for second place in the Central Division, though they have three games in hand. Their most recent affair came as a 5-1 pummeling from the Chicago Blackhawks at home. They are 4-1-0 in their last five games.
The Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, are struggling as well. Once third place in the Central Division, the Wild now hold a record of 23-20-9 with 55 points and have fallen to sixth place in the division standings. Their most recent game comes as a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. They are 0-4-1 in their last five meetings.
Storylines
The Stars cannot escape the Central Division pressure
The Dallas Stars entered the All-Star Break on fumes after salvaging a measly three wins in an otherwise repulsing month of January. They were still in decent standing in the Central and had a shot at reclaiming first place. But looking at their February schedule, it was clear that nothing would be granted to them.
The Stars have started February with a 2-1-0 record, and all three games have been against Central Division teams. They will once again play another Central team tonight in the Wild, followed by another divisional matchup on Thursday night against the Blackhawks. This is followed by a one-game break against the NHL’s best Washington Capitals, and then it is back to two more division games.
The Stars will play six more games this month against opponents in the toughest division in hockey. No one ever said winning the Stanley Cup was easy.
Did the Wild forget how to win?
The Minnesota Wild have endured full-on tank mode. And we thought that the Stars had it rough in the first month of 2016. They only had three wins in the month just like Dallas, though one of them was against the Stars.
Other than that, it wasn’t pretty. The Wild’s last win was on January 21st against the Los Angeles Kings. Since January 2nd, the Wild are 3-10-3. They have dropped from contending in the top three in the Central Division to being outside the playoff bubble. Nothing seems to be working and they could very well miss out on the postseason for the first time in years. They will be desperate for a win tonight.
Injury report
The Dallas Stars will be missing C Jason Spezza (upper body) for the next week or two.
The Minnesota Wild will be minus the services of D Jared Spurgeon (undisclosed), D Jonas Brodin (foot), and C Zac Dalpe (hip).
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Eaves
Mattias Janmark – Cody Eakin – Patrick Sharp
Valeri Nichushkin – Radek Faksa – Ales Hemsky
Antoine Roussel – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
More stars: Stars Recent Loss Proves Need For Reality Check
Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise – Mikko Koivu – Charlie Coyle
Nino Niederreiter – Mikael Granlund – Jason Pominville
Ryan Carter – Tyler Graovac – Justin Fontaine
Chris Porter – Jarret Stoll – Erik Haula
Marco Scandella – Mathew Dumba
Christian Folin – Nate Prosser
Next: A Look At The Stars Updated Playoff Picture
Prediction
The Wild are in a tough drought, and the Stars are fighting to keep alive the little spark of consistency that they have found. It’s going to be an intense battle, but I have the Stars coming out victorious with a 3-2 win.