Dallas Stars Need Big Showing From Goalies This Weekend
By Josh Clark
The final Western road swing of the season is upon us, with the Dallas Stars playing a back-to-back in California today and tomorrow. Let’s see how they use their goaltenders.
Saturday. What an excellent day. The work/school week is officially over, giving way to a 48-hour rest session before it all starts back up again. But this particular Saturday is even better than most.
The Dallas Stars will be in action this afternoon, taking on the Los Angeles Kings from the Staples Center in LA. It is an unusually early puck drop of 3:00 p.m. CST, meaning it will be 1:00 in California once the game gets going.
But the Stars have more to worry about than just the time of puck drop. This is the final road trip to California before the Stanley Cup postseason kicks off, and it also proves to be a crucial time for the Stars to gain some more valuable experience before the postseason starts.
Dallas has not been very successful in the recent past against either of the two clubs they will face this weekend. They have yet to win a game against the Los Angeles Kings this season, posting an ugly 0-2-0 record. In both contests, the Stars have floundered on all sides of the puck and have given the Kings free reign on the ice.
After taking on LA, the Dallas Stars will travel to Anaheim for a date with the Ducks on Sunday night. Dallas is 1-1-0 against the Ducks this season, and could really use a strong push to finish the year out against the Pacific Division.
These two teams currently hold the top two spots in the Pacific Division, and they are still jockeying for who will take first. Not to mention that, though unlikely at this point, the first seed in the Pacific could still outrun the Stars and take on the second wild card team in the first round of the playoffs. But anything can happen in a measly two games during this weekend.
That’s why Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi need to be at their best. Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff will more than likely call on both goaltenders this weekend to take the crease.
Over the past week, the Stars have been riding a three game winning streak, and both goalies are to thank for that. Niemi found a way to beat the San Jose Sharks last Saturday as well as besting the Arizona Coyotes at home on Thursday. Lehtonen put on an impressive show against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night where the Stars eventually emerged victorious.
For the good majority of March, Antti Niemi endured one of the worst slumps of his career, leaving Lehtonen as the Stars only other direction to turn to. But he filled the role well, winning six out of nine contests where he started.
More stars: Recapping An Exciting, Impressive March For Stars
Niemi was tested against his former team this past Saturday and played extremely well. He may have found his mojo once again, which would be a great sign for the Stars.
Either way, the back-to-back scenario will pin the Dallas Stars in a bit of a bind. They will need to decide which goaltender will take which start. Niemi posted a win against Anaheim earlier this season, and also played on Thursday night. That being said, they may go with Kari vs. LA and Niemi against Anaheim. Or they may try and ride Niemi’s hot streak into the Staples Center.
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Who do you think the Dallas Stars should start between the pipes today? They probably won’t hold a morning skate, which means we won’t find out who the starter in net is until a few minutes before game time. Make sure to tune in and catch all of Stars-Kings!