Maple Leafs at Stars
After extending their winning streak to four contests following a perfect three-game trip through Western Canada, the Dallas Stars return to the comforts of home to face the sputtering Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Shawn Horcoff burned his former team by scoring in both regulation and the eighth round of the shootout as Dallas rallied from a three-goal deficit for a 6-5 victory over Edmonton on Sunday. "We've got one more game before Christmas. It would be real nice to get a win and go into the break with a little streak," Horcoff said of Tuesday's tilt.
Toronto answered a season-best six-game winning streak by falling for the third straight time with a 4-0 loss at Chicago on Sunday. The Maple Leafs have lost four of their last five on the road, while the Stars are a sterling 5-1-1 in their last seven at home after a dismal 1-5-4 showing at American Airlines Center. Jonathan Bernier has yielded 10 goals in his last two starts but turned aside 35 shots in Toronto's 5-3 victory over Dallas on Dec. 2.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN Ontario (Toronto), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (19-12-3): Joffrey Lupul lamented Toronto's lost opportunities against the Blackhawks, noting that "we weren't able to turn possession into good quality chances. And when we did, the puck didn't really seem to bounce our way." It traditionally has for Lupul when he faces Dallas, as he scored twice on Dec. 2 and has six goals and three assists in his last nine meetings with the Stars. Phil Kessel collected six goals and seven assists in 11 contests prior to Toronto's shutout defeat on Sunday.
ABOUT THE STARS (14-13-5): Tyler Seguin scored twice on Sunday to increase his NHL-leading total to 25 goals and also tallied in the shootout as Dallas stormed back against the Oilers. "It was gut-check time when it was 5-2 in the second period," Seguin said. "We've had a few games in the past where we've been down a goal or two in the third, and we haven't had much of a push. But I thought we dominated the game in the third period." Seguin has collected 11 goals and seven assists in his last 12 games.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas, which is 4-0-1 in its last five home contests versus Toronto, is vying for its first five-game winning streak since April 5-13, 2013.
2. The Maple Leafs have been outscored 15-5 during their three-game skid after permitting just 10 goals during their six-game winning streak.
3. Dallas RW Ales Hemsky notched a pair of assists on Sunday and tallied in the team's previous meeting with Toronto.