Dallas Stars: Breaking Down Their Upcoming Five-Game Road Trip
By Josh Clark
The First Part: Taking On The West
Dallas will start the trip out with two games against Western Conference clubs. Every possible point in a regular season schedule is important, but ones against the Western Conference carry an even more drastic weight with them, especially down the home stretch.
The mothers of various Dallas Stars players and other members of the team will also be in attendance for the first two games of the trip as they get the chance to see what the life of an NHL player is like on the road. In years past, the Stars have brought their dads along for the trip, but this year brings a change with it.
The Stars have a daunting first two steps out of the gate as they see some familiar faces and go for various sweeps.
Game One: Nashville Predators, 2/7, 7 p.m.
Record against this season: 2-0-1
Future meetings: 2/19 in Dallas
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It seems like just yesterday that the Dallas Stars were at Bridgestone Arena taking on the Predators. And while “yesterday” is just a little too close of an estimation, it’s also not too far off.
The Stars were in Nashville just five days ago, squaring off with the Predators for the third time in their 2018-19 campaign. It was a Saturday evening showdown that wrapped up a Central division back-to-back for Dallas.
Less than 24 hours before puck drop, the Stars had pulled off a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild in Dallas to move back into third place in the division. The Predators, however, presented a much taller challenge to a tired Stars squad.
But Dallas hung tough, weathering an early assault by the Predators. They picked up goals from Tyler Seguin, Blake Comeau, and Mattias Janmark and saw another masterful performance in net by Anton Khudobin. In his first appearance of the season at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 27, Khudobin posted a 49-save shutout and set all sorts of new records for both clubs. This time around, he stopped 38/39 as Dallas picked up the 3-1 win to improve their win streak to four.
There was a lot within the game that made it noteworthy. From the Stars bouncing back from an early deficit, to Khudobin and Esa Lindell scrapping with Ryan Hartman, to the physicality and energy stepping up a notch overall, it set the stage for what could be a great divisional rivalry going forward.
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Thursday night’s contest could be another chapter in the saga. The Dallas Stars are starting this road trip in an arena that sells out more often than not and boasts one of the loudest and most aggressive fan bases in the NHL. It’s also an arena that they have yet to lose in, thanks primarily to goaltender Anton Khudobin, who will once again get the start.
Following their loss to the Stars on Saturday, the Predators followed it up with a 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, they also traded for Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod to add size and physicality to their lineup.
For Nashville, it’s a chance to get within one point of the Jets for top honors in the Central. For the Stars, it’s a chance to move within six points of Nashville with two games in hand.
So, there’s a lot on the line. It’s a raucous environment that the Stars could very well end up facing in the first round of the postseason if they qualify. With that being said, there’s no better time to continue preparing for it than the present.
It’s the Stars’ final time in Nashville during the regular season and gives them an opportunity to capitalize in a four-point contest and create more breathing room in the standings race.
But it won’t be easy.
“We expect it to be a hornet’s nest the first 10 minutes,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said after Wednesday’s practice.
Ain’t nothing like a divisional rivalry to kick things off.
Game Two: Arizona Coyotes, 2/9, 3 p.m.
Record against this season: 2-0-0
Future meetings: None
Although the start of the road trip will present the Dallas Stars with a grudge match, Saturday’s showdown offers another tense storyline.
Dallas will travel to Arizona to take on the Coyotes for the first and only time this season. This is a Coyotes squad that, similar to the Predators, Dallas met up with very recently.
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The Stars welcomed Arizona to the AAC on Monday night and secured a 5-4 win to push their streak to five. But the game could have gone either way with just a handful of minutes left.
As part of a third period that saw six combined goals scored by both clubs, the Stars turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in a mere 71 seconds. Minutes later, the Coyotes notched two goals in 61 seconds to make deadlock the game at 4-4. Tyler Seguin scored the eventual game winner with 7:32 remaining in the period, but there was no real certainty as to who would win until the final buzzer sounded. It was a back-and-forth effort between a Stars team looking to continue their surge and a Coyotes team in desperate need of points to stay competitive in the playoff race.
This Saturday should provide a similar opportunity for both clubs. Dallas will be aiming for the series sweep against the Coyotes and will look to keep striding forward in the playoff race. Meanwhile the Coyotes, who dropped a 5-2 loss to the Predators on Tuesday and have a matchup with Columbus on Thursday night, will look to keep themselves alive in the chase. They sit at a record of 23-25-5 and are three points back of the final wild card spot with a game in hand.
Monday night’s game involved a rollercoaster of emotions and intensity. Will Saturday’s showdown provide a similar storyline.