Dallas Stars: Alexander Radulov Out, Seven Defenders In vs. Rangers
A three-game homestand kicks off tonight for the Dallas Stars as they square off against a struggling New York Rangers team. They will do so without one of their top scoring forwards, though, as Alexander Radulov will serve as the healthy scratch.
When the Dallas Stars traded two draft picks to the New York Rangers in exchange for Mats Zuccarello on Feb. 23, the Stars were heading out on a four-game road trip.
The initial plan was for Zuccarello to gel with the team on the road and to make his home debut at the American Airlines Center on March 5 against the New York Rangers. But plans change.
Less than 40 minutes into his debut in a Stars uniform, Zuccarello broke his arm while blocking a shot against the Chicago Blackhawks. His offensive spark had clearly boosted the Stars in a major way through his limited playing time, and losing no. 36 was a painful blow to the Stars’ aspirations.
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And yet, they found a way to manage. Dallas turned in an impressive 3-1-0 record on the trip, reestablished a narrow lead in the Western Conference wild card race, and set themselves up for a critical return to home ice.
Now they are back home and have a three-game spread on tap. The slate includes three teams that are desperate both for points and hope, making this homestand a challenging one for the Stars.
The Rangers come into town on a rather low note. After selling some of their top pieces (including Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes) at the 2019 Trade Deadline, New York is currently in the midst of a rebuilding phase. With that comes its fair share of struggles.
New York is 3-4-3 in their last ten games, including an 0-1-3 mark in their past four games. Tuesday night’s contest will mark the first contest of a two-game road trip for a team that is 11-16-3 overall when playing away from home this season.
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That seems to bode well for a Dallas Stars team that dropped a 2-1 contest to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden back in November. In that contest, the Stars seemed to be lacking in effort as the game progressed later and later, giving New York a chance to claim the upper hand in the final 30 minutes of the contest.
On top of that, Dallas will be playing without one of their top forwards in Alexander Radulov. After being late to morning skate at the AAC on Tuesday morning, head coach Jim Montgomery announced that Radulov would serve as the healthy scratch against the Rangers. That’s a tough break on the Dallas offense considering Radulov two goals and five points in his past five starts. After a brief scoring drought, he seemed to be getting back to his usual level of production during the past week.
After exiting the ice, Radulov declined to speak with the media.
With no. 47 out of the lineup, Montgomery will turn back to the 11-forward, 7-defenseman setup. He’s used it a handful of different times this year, including a few weeks ago in Carolina versus the Hurricanes.
Jamie Oleksiak will slot back into the lineup after serving as the healthy scratch on defense for the past two games. With the 11 forward look, Montgomery will shuffle the lines throughout the game, moving various players between multiple positions.
In addition, there was a bit of a shakeup to the usual status quo on the Dallas blue line.
Here is how the Dallas Stars lined up at Tuesday’s morning skate:
Jamie Benn – Joel L’Esperance – Jason Spezza
Mattias Janmark – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau
Valeri Nichushkin – Jason Dickinson – Brett Ritchie
Miro Heiskanen – John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak
It’s a critical homestand at an important time of the year and offers a chance to gain some valuable points. The Dallas Stars will have a bit of a different look to start things off, which should make for all the more entertaining of a game.
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Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from the American Airlines Center.