Dallas Stars On Hunt For Coyotes In Arizona
With their 4 game win streak snapped in St. Louis, the Dallas Stars will look to make the most of their last in a 3 game road trip as they take on the Coyotes in Arizona tonight.
After taking it to overtime with the help of Mattias Janmark, the Stars were lucky to get the one point in St. Louis and will have a lot to improve on if they’re going to end this road trip on a positive note.
Puck drop will be at 8 PM from Gila River Arena. Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW) and 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket can keep you up to speed with all the action as it unfolds.
Scores and Records
With their recent victories, the Dallas Stars have advanced to a 37-15-6 record. While they’ve been picking up speed in their crusade to retake the Central Division, every point matters and Tuesday’s overtime loss put them one back from the Blackhawks, albeit with three games in hand.
The Arizona Coyotes are 26-24-6, just barely hanging onto the idea of a winning season. Still, they’re sitting in wildcard territory in the Pacific, and coming off a one game win streak after mercilessly putting the Canadiens down 6-2 on Monday.
Storylines
Rookie got game
While the Dallas Stars have been stepping up in all kinds of ways to fill Jason Spezza’s void and get the team back on the winning track, Mattias Janmark has been really stealing the spotlight lately, riding a three game goal streak.
When Monday’s game against the Predators headed to overtime, Janmark’s tally in the three-on-three earned the Stars the full two points. The next night in St. Louis, Janmark decided to strike a little earlier, scoring the late third period goal that gave the Stars a shot at overtime.
The forward’s recent burst of activity is reminiscent of his early-season exploits. His time with the Stars this season is no doubt honing his skills, making him into a much-needed asset for the Stars to take advantage of as they shoot for playoffs.
Power play fizzle
It’s no secret that the Dallas Stars have struggled with special teams. After some signs that maybe they’d gotten their heads screwed on a bit straighter, they went on to lose in St. Louis, where they went 0-7 on the power play.
First of all, I think we can agree that if the referees are calling that many in favor of our Stars, it’s a miracle and a good night. And secondly, in no universe do the Stars not need to take advantage of each and every one of those calls in their favor.
If the power play continues to flop, Lindy Ruff should consider doing his signature thing and rethinking his special teams. After all, it was the inclusion of Janmark with Seguin and Klingberg in OT which caused that game-winning spark on Monday night.
And of course, the weight of a back to back game, Monday’s in Nashville and Tuesday’s in St. Louis, could have a hand in the lackluster nature of the Stars’ power play. After taking Wednesday off, the Stars have a chance to present a revitalized special teams effort tonight.
Show and tell
The Stars and Coyotes are having very different seasons, but should Arizona’s 6-2 marauding of Montreal be a cause for concern? The Coyotes were obviously pleased with the result of their game on Monday, but know they need to step up their game when the Stars come to town.
But while the Dallas Stars won each of their three contests against the Coyotes last season, they need to be careful in their first season meeting with them now.
The Coyotes’ power play percentage over the last six games is over twice as good as the Stars’, and both teams have the same 6-4 record in overtime. Seeing as four of the Stars’ last seven games has gone into overtime, this could be something to watch.
More stars: Dallas Stars Have Promising Future With Mattias Janmark
Injury Report
Dallas Stars
Jason Spezza (upper body) is day to day for the Stars and could see his return in the near future. Travis Moen, however, is still definitively out with a lower body injury.
Arizona Coyotes
The Coyotes will be missing Boyd Gordon (upper body), Mike Smith (abdominal surgery), Joe Vitale (fractured orbital bone) and Anders Lindback (Achilles tendon) as they welcome the Stars to Glendale tonight.
Projected Lineups
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn –Tyler Seguin –Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel –Cody Eakin –Patrick Sharp
Valeri Nichushkin –Mattias Janmark –Ales Hemsky
Vernon Fiddler –Radek Faksa –Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski –John Klingberg
Arizona Coyotes
Jordan Martinook –Antoine Vermette –Mikkel Boedker
Tobias Rieder –Brad Richardson –Shane Doan
Max Domi –Martin Hanzal –Anthony Duclair
Kevin Connauton –Tyler Gaudet –Kyle Chipchura
Oliver Ekman-Larsson –Connor Murphy
Klas Dahlbeck –Zbynek Michalek
Nicklas Grossmann –Michael Stone
Niklas Treutl
Next: Dallas Stars Held Their Ground Without Jason Spezza
Predictions
With the Dallas Stars having gotten some much-needed rest, they will lift it past the Coyotes 4-2, if their depth scoring shows up and they can keep their power play wits about them.