Note: Tonight’s game will once again be streamed online in Texas, with Josh Bogorad and Bruce LeVine providing commentary.
In NFL preseason games the second-to-last outing is usually deemed the “dress rehearsal.” It looks like Lindy Ruff may be following suit tonight.
Preseason play continues this evening at the AAC as the Dallas Stars host the Florida Panthers in a rematch of last week’s game in Sunrise, and the top-six forwards might be awfully close to what the Chicago Blackhawks get in 10 days.
From media reports this morning:
Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin
Cole-Spezza-Hemsky
Roussel-Fiddler-Garbutt
McKenzie-Faksa-Ritchie
Connauton-Daley
Benn-Gonchar
Oleksiak-Klingberg
It’s a green group on that fourth line that will likely include Shawn Horcoff and Patrick Eaves when it’s all said and done, sure, but the rest is NHL-regular caliber. Good seats remain to see Spezza and Seguin down the middle in person for the first time, so…go call 214-GO-STARS.
Line rushes this morning indicate that Valeri Nichushkin has perhaps won the right to an important audition this evening, while Erik Cole will look for the many distributions of misters Spezza and Hemsky to find his tape in a scoring area.
On the back end things are not so tantalizing, as Brenden Dillon’s absence continues to loom and Alex Goligoski sits this one out. Still, the stylings of one John Klingberg are usually tantalizing in transition, and Jamie Oleksiak will get another chance to shine while Jokipakka and Patrik Nemeth take a seat.
Kari Lehtonen is expected in net, possibly for the duration as he wants to improve upon his last outing.
The Stars will stream the game on their website for Texas residents only, and Josh Bogorad and Bruce Levine are expected to provide commentary. Ralph and Razor will tune their instruments on tomorrow night’s stream and radio broadcast for your pleasure.
If tonight’s alluring front-six isn’t enough for your insatiable hockey lust, Mike Heika offers you news of tomorrow’s contest as well.
Lindy Ruff said Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza have asked to play in both games Monday and Tuesday, and he’ll likely honor that.
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) September 29, 2014
As for the Panthers, the most specific information about their well-covered team on the internet is a picture of some dudes who are probably playing tonight from the team’s official account.
Morning skate is underway @AACenter! #FlaPanthers & #Stars meet for the second time this preseason tonight at 8:30 pm pic.twitter.com/RwscvffVDR
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) September 29, 2014
So consider yourselves edified as well as any Panther fan is. Florida is in search of their first win of the preseason after dropping the 4-3 shootout decision to Dallas last week and getting swept by Nashville in a two-game set over the weekend.