Avalanche at Stars
Poor defense gave the Dallas Stars fits in the early part of the season - and more problems in their own end may have torpedoed their playoff chances. The Stars look to halt a four-game losing streak - and resuscitate their fading postseason hopes - as they entertain the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. Dallas has surrendered a whopping 22 goals over the course of its skid, and is tied with the Avalanche for 11th place in the Western Conference.
Colorado is in the same boat, although it has proven to be a tougher out with wins in four of its last six games. The Avalanche are, however, coming off a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the conference-leading Nashville Predators and have lost six of their last eight contests away from Pepsi Center. Colorado has had the upper hand in the series, reeling off five straight wins - including back-to-back triumphs over an 11-day span earlier this month.
TV: 8:30 p.m., Altitude2 (Colorado), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (26-24-11): Colorado likely won't do much at the trade deadline, but defenseman Jan Hejda is expected to be on the move. The 36-year-old, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, admits he has had trouble focusing on the game at times as the trade rumors swirl. "I'd be lying if I said I'm not thinking about it," he told the Denver Post. "This is the hockey world. I've heard there are some teams interested in me, but it's simple right now -I'm a Colorado Avalanche and I want to win the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche."
ABOUT THE STARS (27-25-9): Tyler Seguin isn't enjoying time off the ice as he recovers from a torn medial collateral ligament. In an interview with a Dallas radio station, the star forward admitted to breaking his iPad while watching one of the team's recent losses. "I was watching the team, and the game was over and I just flipped it against the wall," he said. "It was right when I saw (Jason) Spezza go to break his stick over the post after the empty-netter, I took my stick, which was the iPad at the time, and gave it a little message."
OVERTIME
1. Dallas has recorded just one win in its last six games against teams with losing records.
2. Stars captain Jamie Benn has collected seven goals and six assists during his eight-game point streak.
3. Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon has scored four goals in his last two games.