Stars at Sharks
THE STORY: The Dallas Stars will attempt to beat a team other than the Anaheim Ducks as they face off against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Dallas enters having won its last two games, both against Anaheim. Prior to a 1-0 triumph on Jan. 24, the Stars lost five consecutive contests. The club has dropped three of its last five road games and four consecutive meetings with San Jose. The Sharks are 2-0-1 in their last three overall matches and have won four of five at home.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE STARS (26-21-2): Dallas began the second half of the campaign in strong fashion, posting a 6-2 victory in Anaheim on Wednesday. Last season, the Stars went 1-8-1 over their first 10 games after the All-Star break. A pair of key players were back in the lineup Wednesday as captain Brenden Morrow and All-Star Jamie Benn returned from injuries. Benn, who underwent an emergency appendectomy that forced him to miss five games, registered a goal and two assists while Morrow played over 15 minutes after sitting out one contest with a neck injury.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (28-14-6): Captain Joe Thornton became the fifth player in franchise history to score 146 goals when he netted the first of his two tallies in Tuesday's victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thornton also notched his 726th career assist, tying Luc Robitaille for 46th place on the all-time list. Ryane Clowe is hoping to play against Dallas on Thursday. Clowe is on injured reserve with a fractured nose suffered on Jan. 10. "I guess the biggest worry is just getting hit there again," Clowe said. "I don't want to wear a cage when I come back, and I want to make sure if I do get hit there - if something happens and I get punched in a fight - it's all right, that I'm not out another few weeks."
OVERTIME:
1. San Jose has earned at least one point in seven of its last eight meetings with Dallas (5-1-2).
2. The Stars have won six of their last seven games against Pacific Division rivals.