Dallas Stars Desperate For Win Against Avalanche

The Dallas Stars are running on fumes at the tail end of the road trip. They close it out tonight in Denver, and they could really use the two points.

It’s getting to the point in the 2016-17 season where every game counts and every possible point matters. That being said, the Dallas Stars are really struggling and need all the help they can get in the standings. Their next opportunity is tonight when they take on the Colorado Avalanche.

The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus (FSSW+), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. from the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.

Records and Scores

The Dallas Stars have sunken into a losing pit over the past week or two. They are 9-10-6 on the year with 24 points. They sit two points out of the final wild card spot and third place in the division. A win tonight would be incredibly beneficial to their positioning. Their most recent game comes as a 6-2 blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are 1-3-1 in their last five contests.

The Colorado Avalanche aren’t doing any better than Dallas. They are 9-12-1 with 19 points and are seven points from the final wild card spot. Their most recent contest comes as a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and are 1-3-1 in their last five games.

Storylines

A state of emergency

The Dallas Stars are on red alert right now. They have lost three of their last four games, dropped a couple spots in the standings, and are dead last in the league in goals given up per game at 3.40. Their offense is struggling to put up goals and their special teams units are practically non-existent. Things are looking bleak and the Stars are in desperate need of a win.

Tonight they have an opportunity to exploit another struggling team in the Central Division and pick up some valuable division points as well. It’ll be interesting to see if they can capitalize.

A tale of two struggling teams

The Stars and Avalanche have definitely seen their fair share of troubles so far in the 2016-17 season. Both teams sit outside the playoff picture and both have sacrificed 19 goals in the past five games.

The Stars have lost to the Predators, Blues, Red Wings, and Penguins since last Wednesday. The Avalanche have lost to the Oilers, Canucks, Predators, and Blue Jackets through the same span.

There are plenty of similarities between these two team’s struggles. These struggles simply mean that both teams are absolutely desperate for a win tonight and some points. A win for either team could potentially put them in the top three in the Central Division standings. That’s how tight things are right now. But it’s still no fun being on the bottom side of the ranks.

Stars need another dazzling performance in the crease

The Stars and Avalanche have met two times so far this season, with each team picking up a win and a loss. The first matchup was a 6-5 win for the Avs in Colorado, and the second was a 3-2 win for the Stars in Dallas two weeks back.

One of the primary reasons why Dallas came out victorious was because of the stunning performance from Kari Lehtonen. The Big Finn stopped 34 of 36 shots taken by the Avs, including a couple of dazzling saves on Nathan MacKinnon, who ran the Avalanche offense for the night.

Lehtonen’s .944 save percentage was his third best performance of the year and gave the Stars the motivational boost they needed to grab the win.

Considering Antti Niemi fell short against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, it may leave the door open for Lehtonen to start, especially considering they are on the road. Whichever goalie starts is going to need to be on their A-game if the Stars are going to be able to construct a winning effort.

Come home soon

The Dallas Stars played their last home game a week ago on Black Friday against the Vancouver Canucks. Conveniently enough, that game is currently holding true as their last victory. The Stars have dropped three straight on this road trip and have reached the final leg. A win tonight would at least give Dallas something good to take away from the long trip.

Following tonight’s contest, the Stars will play 10 of their next 13 games at home. Maybe the warm confines of the AAC will be enough to get Dallas back on track. Still, a win tonight would be a big boost.

Injury report

The Dallas Stars will be minus the services of D Johnny Oduya (lower body) and LW Jiri Hudler (illness). C Mattias Janmark (knee) and RW Ales Hemsky (hip) remain on the injured reserve.

The Colorado Avalanche will be missing LW Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) from their lineup tonight.