Islanders at Stars
THE STORY: Although his team has been besieged by injury, Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan doesn't see a reason why his Pacific Division-leading club shouldn't continue to flex its muscle. "When you get pushed outside that comfort zone, that's when you tend to get better, stronger and more resilient," Gulutzan said. "You dig down and you find yourself. It's like the last three bench presses on a bench press; those are the ones that make you better because you have to fight through them. We learned a lot in that time and I think so did our players." Despite being without goaltender Kari Lehtonen (groin), captain Brenden Morrow (upper body) and defenseman Alex Goligoski (thumb), Dallas has continued to flourish by posting a 4-1-1 mark in its last six games. The Stars will look to continue their ascent when they host the New York Islanders on Saturday at American Airlines Center. For its part, New York has shown some mettle in the first three contests of its four-game road trip. The Islanders collected their first two road wins of the season before dropping a 5-4 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, MSG+2, KTXA
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (7-11-5): Matt Moulson extended his goal-scoring streak to three games on Friday, marking the second such stretch of the season. Moulson, who leads the club with nine goals, also tallied in three straight contests from Nov. 13-17. Al Montoya, who is from Glenview, Ill., made his fourth straight start and turned aside 32 shots against the Blackhawks. "This is something I've been waiting for since I was a kid," Montoya said of facing the hometown team. "It's definitely something special to be a part of."
ABOUT THE STARS (15-9-1): Andrew Raycroft has won both of his contests since assuming the starting role in place of the injured Lehtonen. The 31-year-old Raycroft has stopped 68 of 71 shots. Steve Ott ended Dallas' pronounced power-play drought with a first-period tally on Thursday. The Stars had failed to score on their previous 22 opportunities with the man advantage.
OVERTIME:
1. With back-to-back contests, franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro will likely get the call for the Islanders on Saturday. Should that be the case, it will mark DiPietro's first start since an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 23.
2. Dallas LW Eric Nystrom has collected four goals in as many games for the second time this season. He also accomplished the feat during a stretch to start November.