Stars at Bruins
The Boston Bruins attempt to rebound from a loss to nemesis Montreal when they complete a three-game homestand against ex-teammate Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. The Bruins, holding down the final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference, have dropped two of three after an 8-1-1 stretch and face a rugged five-game road trip following Tuesday's matchup. Boston won the only meeting between the teams this season with a 3-1 victory at Dallas on Jan. 20.
After dropping a 3-2 decision at league-worst Buffalo on Saturday to run their losing streak to three, the Stars rebounded with their first overtime victory of the season 24 hours later, outlasting the New York Rangers 3-2. It was a much-needed morale-boosting win for Dallas, which is among four teams trying to stay in striking distance of eighth place in the West. “It helps you believe again because we’ve had some tough stuff happen to us,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE STARS (24-21-8): Seguin, the former No. 2 overall pick who was traded by Boston to Dallas prior to the 2013-14 campaign, needs one goal to reach 30 for the second straight season. Seguin has scored only once in the past eight games, a power-play tally Saturday for a unit that has converted on 10-of-28 chances with the man advantage since the All-Star break. “We’re starting to get more familiarity with each other. We’re more cohesive,” forward Jason Spezza said. “We’ve been practicing it a lot and taking more pride in it lately."
ABOUT THE BRUINS (28-18-7): Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask could be getting a break after making his 11th consecutive start, including a back-to-back set against the New York Islanders and Montreal over the weekend. Rask has allowed more than two goals only once in his last eight outings, but the Bruins on Monday recalled rookie Niklas Svedberg from a conditioning assignment, where he won three of his four starts. Svedberg blanked New Jersey 3-0 in his last start on Jan. 8 to improve to 5-5-0 with a 2.22 goals-against average.
OVERTIME
1. Stars rookie D John Klingberg has four goals and 10 points in his last six contests.
2. Boston has killed off 32-of-34 short-handed situations over the past 10 games.
3. Stars G Kari Lehtonen is 7-7-0 lifetime against the Bruins.