Stars at Predators
THE STORY: Consistency has become a stumbling block for the Phoenix Coyotes as they prepare to host the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. The Coyotes have alternated wins and losses over their previous six games and looked overmatched on Friday night, dropping a 5-0 decision to the Vancouver Canucks. Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett had harsh words for his club after its most one-sided loss of the season. "Our execution was so far below normal it wasn’t even a game," he said. "We killed a 5-on-3, but after that scrap it." The Stars are coming off their own disappointing loss, falling 4-3 in a shootout to the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday. It was the sixth loss in the last eight games for Dallas, and it came on the first home sellout of the season. Saturday marks the third meeting of the season between the Stars and Coyotes, with Dallas prevailing via shootout in the previous two encounters.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, KTXA (Dallas), Fox Sports Arizona Plus (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE STARS (13-8-1): Dallas players aren't used to playing in front of a full building, but a rare visit from the Maple Leafs brought enough visiting fans to create a sellout. They saw the Stars finish up a four-game homestand with a 2-1-1 record, a good enough showing to retain a share of the Pacific Division lead with the San Jose Sharks. Saturday marks the opener of a long stretch of road games for the Stars, who play seven of their next nine contests away from Dallas.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (11-7-3): It's looking an awful lot like last season. Phoenix has just seven regulation losses in 21 games so far, but that's only good enough for fourth place in the ultra-competitive Pacific. With the Anaheim Ducks (6-12-4) out of the picture, the Coyotes are left battling San Jose, Dallas and Los Angeles for divisional supremacy. Phoenix is a tidy 4-2-2 against divisional opponents, the second-best mark in the Pacific.
OVERTIME:
1. Dallas has won four straight meetings in the head-to-head series. The last six encounters have been one-goal affairs, with four decided in extra time.
2. The game will likely see a battle of backup goaltenders in Dallas' Andrew Raycroft and Phoenix's Jason LaBarbera. The two are a combined 1-7-0 so far this season.