Panthers at Stars
THE STORY: The Dallas Stars were only familiar with one type
of streak this season - winning. Now, mired in a modest two-game skid
for the first time this campaign, the Stars will look to right the ship
Tuesday when they return home to face the Florida Panthers. "We had a
great start, but that doesn't mean we are going to go the entire season
without losing games," Dallas forward Adam Burish said. "... This was
about as hard a road trip as you are going to go on and we were 2-2.
That's OK. I don't think anyone is throwing a party over it, but 2-2 is
respectable." One can understand why the Stars may not be in a partying
mood, considering defenseman Alex Goligoski suffered a broken thumb
against his former club (Pittsburgh) and is expected to be sidelined for
a month. Dallas could get well at home, where it has won six of its
seven contests. The Panthers, though, have made themselves at home on
the road by winning three straight games away from Sunrise and share the
NHL lead with six road victories.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS Florida, FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (8-5-3):
Florida saw its season-best six-game point streak come to an end on
Sunday in a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Panthers lost their
composure when Stephen Weiss uttered a few choice words to an official
and received a game misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct. Evgeny
Dadonov paid immediate dividends after being recalled from the American
Hockey League when he scored the Panthers' first goal Sunday.
ABOUT THE STARS (11-5-0):
It's a safe bet that Kari Lehtonen will be between the pipes Tuesday.
Why? Well, it's not just an early birthday gift for Lehtonen, although
he does turn 28 on Wednesday. More to the point, the Finn is 6-0-1 at
home and owns an NHL-best 11 wins this season. Jamie Benn, who has
collected 17 points in his last 12 games, has also fared well versus
Florida. He has recorded four assists in two career contests.
OVERTIME:
1.
Dallas right wing Loui Eriksson has recorded points in 11 of 16 games
this season. His nine goals lead the Stars and his 17 points are two
behind Benn.
2. After a sluggish start, Florida's Tomas
Fleischmann has collected five of his six goals and seven of his nine
assists in his last 10 games.