There aren’t many days where Dallas Stars fans don’t thank the Boston Bruins front office for deciding Tyler Seguin didn’t play hockey “the Bruins Way” enough. That feeling, of course, led to his eventual trade to Dallas, where Stars fans have shown him the appropriate appreciation for his game — and where Seguin has embraced his role on the ice and grown as a player while calling Dallas his new home.
But on days where the Stars play their rare matchup against the Bruins, fans say a little extra thanks for that particular move pulled off by general manager Jim Nill.
Today’s 12 PM CST matinee (note to the NHL: many offices aren’t closed today, guys, so thanks for putting hockey on when a lot of people can’t watch it…genius move, that) versus the Bruins kicks off a four game road trip for the Stars. And the road hasn’t been kind to them this season.
That will need to change if they hope to stave off the drives of teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild to maintain their hold on a playoff position. In a division separated by a mere 10 points from top to bottom, picking up points versus the Eastern Conference is vital. The Stars are 8-4-3 versus the East this season, but a measly 8-11-2 on the road.
Boston will be a tough game today. They’re the hottest team in the league, going 8-0-2 in their last 10 games played.
Stars Lineup:
Kari Lehtonen gets the start in net for the first time in nearly a full calendar month. The lines in front of him won’t change all that much from the latest iterations head coach Ken Hitchcock has been utilizing, with the exception of Spezza dropping down to center the fourth line, a change from the last game:
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Antoine Roussel – Radek Faksa – Tyler Pitlick
Mattias Janmark – Martin Hanzal – Devin Shore
Remi Elie – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell – John Klingberg
Dan Hamhuis – Greg Pateryn
Julius Honka – Stephen Johns
Dillon Heatherington and Gemel Smith should be the healthy scratches. Heatherington was recalled from the Texas Stars as injury insurance on the road trip with Marc Methot still on the shelf with his knee injury.
Bruins Lineup:
Watch for Benn to square off with Backes, as the two have a brutal history and fought right off the draw the last time Boston was in Dallas:
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk – David Krejci – Ryan Spooner
Danton Heinen – Riley Nash – David Backes
Tim Schaller – Sean Kuraly – Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara – Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug – Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelyck – Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask gets the call in the pipes.
Broadcast Info:
Puck Drop: 12 PM CST
TV: FSSW
Radio: 96.7 FM / 1310 AM
Online: Fox Sports Go app / theticket.com