Stars at Flyers
Two teams streaking in opposite directions face off when the Dallas Stars visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Dallas is winless in its last three contests, dropping a shootout decision to Calgary on Friday before being outscored 12-3 in losses at Winnipeg and Pittsburgh. The Stars, who conclude their three-game road trip in Philadelphia, trail Phoenix by two points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
The Flyers enter with a three-game winning streak that consists of a home-and-home sweep of Metropolitan Division-leading Pittsburgh and an overtime triumph over reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago. In the latter contest, coach Craig Berube's team rallied from an early 2-0 deficit. Captain Claude Giroux provided the heroics with five seconds remaining in the extra session for Philadelphia, which sits one point ahead of the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), CSN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE STARS (32-25-11): Eight days after collapsing on the bench during a game against Columbus, Rich Peverley underwent successful surgery to correct an abnormal heart rhythm on Tuesday. The procedure is expected to regulate his heart rate and recovery is expected to take several months. The 31-year-old Peverley registered seven goals and 23 assists in 62 games during his first season with Dallas.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (36-25-7): Philadelphia is 6-1-1 this month thanks in part to Giroux. The 26-year-old has posted three straight two-point performances during his four-game point streak and has collected five goals and nine assists over his last eight contests. Steve Mason has won eight of his last 11 decisions (8-2-1), registering two of his four shutouts on the season during that stretch but also yielding four goals on four occasions.
OVERTIME
1. Stars G Kari Lehtonen returned from a concussion in Tuesday's loss at Pittsburgh but could find himself on the bench Thursday. Lehtonen is 0-10-2 lifetime against the Flyers while Tim Thomas is 14-4-2.
2. Dallas posted a 5-1 home victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 7 as C Tyler Seguin recorded a natural hat trick and added an assist - all in the second period.
3. Seguin is riding a six-game point streak during which he has notched six goals and six assists.