Bruins at Stars
A miserable road trip has put a major dent into the postseason hopes of the Dallas Stars, who are hoping to get back on track when they open a three-game homestand against the Boston Bruins on Friday night. The Stars failed to win on their six-game trek and earned only two points (0-4-2) to slide into 10th place in the Western Conference.
Leading scorer Tyler Seguin called it the "road trip from hell" after Dallas blew a two-goal lead in the third period of Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Washington to fall into fifth place in the Central Division -- one point behind ninth-place St. Louis. "We've got to go home, we've got to get points," Seguin said. "We're playing some good teams, but we've got to find a way here." The Bruins are trying to chase down first-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division but have lost two in a row since they clinched a playoff berth after Wednesday's 2-1 overtime setback in St. Louis. "Going into the season, we wanted to make the playoffs, be a Stanley Cup contender," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "Going forward, we want to be in the best position possible, playing the best hockey going in."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET; Sportsnet East, Sportsnet West, NESN (Boston), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (45-17-10): Boston has earned points in 10 of 12 games despite a depleted lineup that is missing seven regulars, including three of its top defensemen, No. 1 center Patrice Bergeron and trade-deadline acquisition Rick Nash. "Health going into the playoffs now that we're officially in is probably the most important factor," Cassidy said. Team USA Olympian Ryan Donato has made a striking first impression with a goal and two assists in his NHL debut on Monday and a goal against St. Louis on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE STARS (38-28-8): Veteran forward Jason Spezza, who has been limited to one assist over his last 19 games, sat out Tuesday's game with a back injury and could be lost for the remainder of the regular season. The team announced that Spezza will be re-evaluated in two weeks, but forward Brett Ritchie is expected to play against Boston and defenseman Marc Methot could be back in the lineup after returning to practice Thursday. Methot, who is dealing with a hand injury, has been sidelined for the past four games.
OVERTIME
1. Bruins F Brad Marchand has seven goals in nine games in March.
2. Seguin, drafted No. 2 overall by Boston in 2010, needs one goal to reach 40 for the first time.
3. Bruins G Tuukka Rask is 5-2-1 with a 2.34 goals-against average versus Dallas.