Stars at Blackhawks
The Dallas Stars dropped all five matchups to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2016-17, but they have turned the tables on their Central Division rivals this season. The Stars have won three in a row overall and all three meetings against the Blackhawks as they go for a season series sweep on Thursday night in Chicago.
Dallas improved to 7-2-1 in its last 10 games and pulled within a point of third-place St. Louis in the Central with a 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Rangers on Monday night. "We just have to keep building," goaltender Ben Bishop said. "It is a big win, and now we have a division opponent and a tough building to play in. Should be a fun time and we have to get ready for it." The Blackhawks won the Central last season with a Western Conference-best 109 points, but they are buried in the division basement and seven points out of the final playoff slot. "I don't know what to say right now. It's pretty frustrating," captain Jonathan Toews said after Tuesday's 3-2 home loss to Calgary. "We should be able to find ways to win games even if we give up two or three."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Southwest Plus (Dallas), NBCS Chicago
ABOUT THE STARS (31-19-4): Veteran forward Martin Hanzal made an immediate impact in his return from injury, scoring the decisive goal on the power play late in the third period Monday. "We've missed his presence," Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He's a real good pro, and I guess we're hoping that he stays healthy. He came through the game fine and that's a good sign. A healthy Martin Hanzal makes us very difficult to play against." The Stars have killed off all 11 power plays during the three-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (24-21-8): Rookie Alex DeBrincat has scored five goals in his last five games to give him 19 on the season, two behind Patrick Kane for the team lead. Aside from Kane, who has amassed 53 points in as many games, Chicago's top players have stumbled -- Toews has three assists in his last 12 games and Brandon Saad has one in the last 12. "When we assess everybody's performance this year, I don't think anybody's exceeded expectations or come close to it, especially the top guys," coach Joel Quenneville said.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas hasn't swept a season series from Chicago since 2005-06.
2. The Blackhawks have lost five in a row at home (0-4-1).
3. Stars F Tyler Seguin has goals in three straight games while scoring twice to go with two assists versus Chicago this season.