Dallas Stars Can Gain Ground In Playoff Race Against Blackhawks
By Josh Clark
A three-game homestand comes to an end on Saturday night as the Dallas Stars take on the Chicago Blackhawks. It’s an opportunity for the Stars to not only gain ground in the standings, but also drive another sizable nail into the Blackhawks’ playoff hopes.
The Dallas Stars are back at the American Airlines Center tonight as they wrap up a three-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks. And, as it always seems to be at this time of the season, it’s another big game.
After winning the first two games of the homestand, Dallas will look to end the stretch on a significantly positive note before heading out for a two-game road trip.
It’s already been a positive stretch as of late for the Stars, who are riding a four-game winning streak and are 6-2-0 in their last eight games. That includes a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Alexander Radulov netted his first NHL hat trick, Ben Bishop recorded his second straight shutout, and the Stars put together one of their most complete performances of the 2018-19 season. The win helped Dallas keep their footing in the top wild card spot while pushing Colorado further to the brink in the hunt.
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It’s an important time of the year across the NHL, as the majority of the 31 teams are still involved in the playoff race with just one month remaining in the season. But while the Stars are in the playoff picture and looking to ascend, the Blackhawks’ hopes are on life support.
After riding a hot streak to start the month of February and clawing their way back into the race, Chicago is currently stuck in a 2-4-0 skid. Considering their lack of cushion to begin with, it could very much be a critical lapse in their chase.
Even so, they sit nine points out of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference with two games in hand. But with Edmonton, Colorado, and Arizona all standing in front of them, that’s a tough battle to fight with only 15 games to go.
As a result, the Blackhawks are in desperation mode. The need for points is at a max and the team has to dig deep if they want to stay above water. Their offense is scoring at a decent rate (3.33 GF/GP), while their defense is leaking (3.78 GA/GP) with the worst average in the NHL.
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The Dallas Stars know that and have spent the past two days trying to prepare for all that Chicago might throw at them.
“Yeah, they’re down to their last chance this year and they have to put together a win streak to stay in the playoff race,” said Mattias Janmark at morning skate. “I think they’re probably going to be enthusiastic in the beginning and hopeful. But if we can shut them down early and maybe go up a goal, maybe they’re going to lose faith a little bit and loosen their game. I think the start is going to be really important. We can’t let them get anything done.”
“They’re coming hard,” added Roope Hintz. “I think we have to play the same way we played last game. If we can play that way, we’re going to be in a really good spot.”
This will be the third of four meetings between the two teams in the 2018-19 season, with the final matchup scheduled for April 5 in Chicago. The road team has won the first two contests, with Chicago claiming the first game at the AAC in a 5-2 finish and Dallas picking up a 4-3 victory two weeks ago at the United Center. These meetings have offered the two teams a chance to battle for valuable points in the Central division race, as well as given first-year Stars head coach Jim Montgomery a chance to assess the Blackhawks and their style.
“Very unique and very different,” said Montgomery about Chicago’s play. “Very organized with the puck. I think if you’re just watching it, it looks like they’re just playing hockey, but they’re doing it with a purpose. There’s a lot of speed and there’s a lot of support to the puck when the puck goes north or east, west. And defensively, it’s a different style of play than what you typically see in the NHL.”
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The Blackhawks have struggled all season with being well-rounded. Their goaltending has been put through the ringer with a long-term injury to starter Corey Crawford (though he has since returned to the line and will start tonight). And while their offense and power play have boasted a certain amount of depth and success, they’ve been entirely outweighed by a struggling defense and penalty kill.
But even with all of their shortcomings and inefficiencies, they are still alive in the hunt. Saturday night offers the Dallas Stars a chance to close the door even further.
The Stars will go with a similar lineup to the one they used against Colorado, with the majority of the lines staying the same. Radek Faksa, who was injured on Tuesday against the New York Rangers and missed Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury, participated in the morning skate. He is expected to skate in warmups tonight and will be a game-time decision.
“Radek Faksa is going to take warmups and then we’ll determine that,” Montgomery said after morning skate. “Everything’s been so good so far. He was going to push himself a little bit this morning, so we’re going to check on that. Everything looks like he will be a player, but we’re being cautious.”
In the crease, the Dallas Stars will go with Anton Khudobin. This is an interesting decision, especially considering Ben Bishop’s current shutout streak of 144:20.
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But with Khudobin’s most recent heroic performance against Chicago (where he stopped 44/47) and the Stars wanting to keep their dynamic goaltending duo active for the postseason race, it could be a beneficial move.
Here’s how the Dallas Stars lined up at Saturday’s morning skate:
Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn – Jason Dickinson – Blake Comeau
Mattias Janmark – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie
Valeri Nichushkin – Joel L’Esperance – Andrew Cogliano
Miro Heiskanen – John Klingberg
Anton Khudobin
"“They’re always carrying their speed. You don’t see a lot of hits. They’re okay if you beat them, like if you hold onto the puck, they’re okay because they have somebody else coming right behind that person. It’s just a different way that isn’t typical. It’s more of a European style, like even the way they play with the puck. I term it very much like the Russians.” – Jim Montgomery on the Blackhawks’ style"
Saturday’s game also presents Dallas with an opportunity to finally gain ground in the Western Conference standings after two weeks of persevering.
After losing to the Florida Panthers by a score of 6-2 on Friday night, the Minnesota Wild still sit one point behind the Stars in the wild card race. However, the Stars now have two games in hand. A win tonight would give them a multi-game lead on the Wild, who have been keeping pace over the past few games, while still giving them a game to work with.
In addition, the St. Louis Blues will take on the San Jose Sharks this afternoon. If St. Louis loses in regulation, Dallas will have a chance to get within one point of third place in the Central division with a win.
But to do all of that, the Dallas Stars once again have to combat desperation and be prepared for a Blackhawks team that has nothing to hold back.
“They’re going to be desperate and they’re going to play hard,” Jason Dickinson said. “We expect a high-skilled game from them so we have to be able to match their intensity and bring it hard at them.”
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Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the American Airlines Center. It’s one final home game before another important road trip. Only 15 games to go in a crowded race.