Blues at Stars
The Dallas Stars look to continue their success at home on Sunday, when they host the St. Louis Blues. Dallas, which opened its five-game homestand with a 4-1 triumph over Nashville on Friday, plays 12 of its next 17 contests in the Lone Star State. American Airlines Center has been a friendly place for the Stars, who have won three straight there and are 4-0-1 in their last five overall games.
"These (games) are very important," captain Jamie Benn said. "We've done a pretty good job on the road, and now we've got to take care of this schedule with a lot of home games coming up." St. Louis overcame three two-goal deficits on Saturday before defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored the decisive tally in the fifth round of the shootout for a 6-5 victory over Chicago. The victory came just hours after leading scorer Alex Steen was placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE BLUES (25-7-5): Jaden Schwartz scored in his fourth straight contest and secured his 17th point in 16 games (nine goals, eight assists). Vladimir Tarasenko collected a goal and two assists as he was one of six different St. Louis players to score in a 6-1 victory over Dallas on Nov. 23. Brian Elliott made 34 saves in that contest and could draw another start versus the Stars.
ABOUT THE STARS (19-12-6): Kari Lehtonen was blitzed for five goals on 18 shots before making an early exit in his last encounter with St. Louis. The 30-year-old Finn, however, traditionally has fared well versus the Blues - posting an 8-4-0 mark with a slim 1.92 goals-against average. Erik Cole tallied twice versus Nashville but has just one goal in 14 career contests against St. Louis.
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis owns an impressive 11-0-1 mark against its Central Division rivals.
2. Dallas D Brenden Dillon scored his team's lone goal versus the Blues but has yet to tally again this season.
3. The Blues have scored a power-play goal in three straight games, while the Stars have killed off 11 straight short-handed situations in their last four contests.