Stars at Blues
THE STORY: No one has to remind the Dallas Stars how dominant the St. Blues have been on their home ice this season. The Blues' dazzling 18-3-3 record at Scottrade Center represents the second-best home mark in the league behind the Detroit Red Wings. Among those victories was a 5-3 win over visiting Dallas on Dec. 26, a result that snapped St. Louis' five-game losing streak to the Stars. Dallas will look to avenge that loss Monday night in its second visit to the Scottrade Center. It won't be easy against the Blues, who haven't lost in regulation at home since Dec. 3 (10-0-2) and are 20-5-6 since Ken Hitchcock replaced Davis Payne in early November. The Stars are well aware of the magic touch of Hitchcock, who led their franchise to their only Stanley Cup championship in 1999 and had the team back in the finals the following season.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS, TSN2
ABOUT THE STARS (24-18-1): Dallas is coming off a 2-1 loss at Colorado and absorbed a bigger setback Sunday when leading scorer Jamie Benn underwent an appendectomy. Benn, who was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game, is expected to be sidelined for 10 to 14 days. He has 13 goals and 29 assists in 43 games this season. The Stars will also be without C Mike Ribeiro, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with a knee injury.
ABOUT THE BLUES (26-12-6): St Louis overcame one of its few weaknesses with Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. It was the Blues’ first win in in the format in six games. Jaroslav Halak turned aside all three attempts to post his first career shootout victory after nine losses. Halak has won four straight starts and is unbeaten in regulation in his last 11 (8-0-3). D Alex Pietrangelo has two goals and seven assists in a six-game point streak.
OVERTIME:
1. Saturday’s game ended a streak of 10 straight games in which the Blues have scored in the first period.
2. The Stars are only 3 of 36 on the power play in the last 11 games.