The Dallas Stars find themselves in a rut lately and tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets will be no easy task. The Jets have a division-leading 64 points and are sixth in both goals per and goals against per game, so their offense is just as potent as their defense. That’s a concern as the Stars come into the game tonight with just seven goals in the last seven games. One goal a game isn’t going to win very many matchups. Thankfully, the defense and goaltending have been keeping the games within reach, as has been the story of the season. However, the Stars are currently in a four-game slide and are now only two points ahead of the 11th-place Vancouver Canucks. It’s past time that fans need to start seeing the Dallas Stars that were once 10-3-0 at home.
For what it’s worth, the season split has been quite the competition. The Stars are 1-1-0 against the Jets this season. The Stars first won 5-1 at home in their second game of the season. Then, just recently, the Jets won 5-1. The combined shot attempts are 113 for the Stars and 113 for the Jets. The Stars have registered 62 shots on goal, while the Jets have registered 63. The Stars have generated 54 scoring chances and the Jets have 48. With this balanced numbers sheet against the Jets, the Stars come to play. This is a pivotal game for Dallas to get back on the right track and for the offense to start clicking again.
The Winnipeg Jets come into tonight’s game with the third best power play in the league. This is where Patrik Laine really can scorch the opposing team. He’s got a lethal shot from the “Ovechkin” spot on the left circle and he is currently third in the league in power play goals. For a team looking to get back on track, tonight would not be the best time to take careless penalties; especially those in the offensive zone that the Stars have seemed to be so guilty of lately.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Mattias Janmark – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau
Andrew Cogliano – Jason Spezza – Jason Dickinson
Denis Gurianov – Roope Hintz – Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell – John Klingberg
Miro Heiskanen – Roman Polak
Connor Carrick – Taylor Fedun
Ben Bishop
Winnipeg Jets Lineup
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Patrik Laine – Bryan Little – Jack Roslovic
Mathieu Perreault – Adam Lowry – Brandon Tanev
Brendan Lemieux – Andrew Copp- Mason Appleton
Josh Morrissey – Jacob Trouba
Dmitri Kulikov – Tyler Myers
Joe Morrow – Sami Niku
Connor Hellebuyck
Keep An Eye On:
- The Stars’ first period. They are on pace for 37 first period goals this season. This would be the least amount of first-period goals since 1967.
- Denis Gurianov. He enters the lineup once again due to Pitlick and Nichuskin’s injuries. With the forwards in a bit of a muck, maybe the young winger can bring some life to the offense.
- Patrik Laine. He comes into the game tonight with only four points in his last 14 games. /