Devils at Stars
The New Jersey Devils have a chance to match their longest winning streak of the season and they can do it against the same opponent that they victimized during their previous four-game run. Buoyed by the stellar player of rookie netminder MacKenzie Blackwood, New Jersey kicks off a four-game road trip with a visit to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.
"We're not getting complacent," Devils forward Brian Boyle said after Monday's 4-0 win over Vancouver. "We can't just because of where we're at because we've dug ourselves a pretty big hole, but we're starting to turn ourselves in a good direction." New Jersey started the season by winning its first four games, capped off by a 3-0 victory over the visiting Stars on Oct. 16, but won only eight of its next 31 games prior to its current tear. Dallas has points in three straight after its modest two-game winning streak was halted in a 3-2 overtime loss to visiting Montreal on Monday. The Stars, who own a six-game point streak at home (4-0-2) versus New Jersey, announced Tuesday that the team will host the 2020 Winter Classic as the Cotton Bowl.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN Plus, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS-Southwest Plus (Dallas)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (15-16-7): Leading scorer and reigning league MVP Taylor Hall was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will miss his fourth straight game, but New Jersey has outscored the opposition 11-2 in the three consecutive wins. Blackwood, named the NHL Third Star of the Week on Monday, showed it was no fluke by turning aside 25 shots against the Canucks hours later for his second straight shutout. "It's pretty cool what's going on. I don't really know how to explain it," Blackwood said after his fourth career start. "The credit goes to the team. They've been playing so good in front of me, making my job a lot easier."
ABOUT THE STARS (20-16-4): Even though Dallas earned a split against Detroit and Montreal to start the four-game homestand, coach Jim Montgomery was happy with his team's effort after producing a combined 89 shots on goal. "We had our two best practices consecutively. And we've played well these last two games here," Montgomery said. "We just have to keep doing it every day. That's been the biggest challenge with our group, is being good every day." Captain Jamie Benn and linemate Tyler Seguin, the subject of blistering criticism by Stars CEO Jim Lites, combined for 11 shots -- with Seguin setting up a goal by Benn.
OVERTIME
1. Stars G Ben Bishop is 9-2-0 with a 1.43 goals-against average and two shutouts versus New Jersey.
2. Devils F Miles Wood has scored in back-to-back games and is one shy of tying his career high of eight goals.
3. Benn has only two goals and six points in 17 games versus New Jersey.