Stars at Panthers
The Florida Panthers' drive for a postseason berth hit a major speed bump when their top two goaltenders were injured in a loss to Toronto on Tuesday. With starter Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya both ailing and listed as day-to-day, the Panthers summoned a pair of netminders from the minors Wednesday. Dan Ellis, who was recalled from San Antonio of the American Hockey League, will get the start against a former team when Florida hosts the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
The Stars kept their flickering hopes alive with a dramatic victory over the New York Islanders, prevailing in overtime after giving up the tying goal with 1.7 seconds left in regulation. The victory ended a six-game losing streak for Dallas, which is nine points out of the second wild card in the Western Conference and now faces a stretch of five consecutive games away from home. The Panthers, meanwhile, are two points out of eighth place in the East.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Florida (Miami)
ABOUT THE STARS (28-26-10): After blowing three third-period leads during its five-game skid, Dallas appeared ripe for another crushing defeat until Cody Eakin came to the rescue with an overtime goal to halt a four-game home losing streak. Still, it was a costly victory for the Stars, who are expected to be without defenseman Trevor Daley for at least two weeks after he absorbed a knee-on-knee hit from New York's Matt Martin, who received a five-minute major and game misconduct. Daley is having a breakout season with 16 goals and 33 points - both career highs.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (28-23-13): Ellis was acquired from Dallas exactly one year ago in exchange for fellow netminder Tim Thomas, but he had a forgettable stint with Florida, losing all five starts while permitting at least five goals in four of them. Ellis was decent with San Antonio, posting a 22-11-3 mark with a pair of shutouts and 2.70 goals-against average. "Things didn't go great for him a couple years ago, but he's an NHL goalie," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "He's played a lot of games in the league, and he's won games. We're confident in Dan."
OVERTIME
1. Stars G Kari Lehtonen is 14-8-4 with four shutouts and a 2.46 goals-against average versus the Panthers.
2. Florida also called up G Sam Brittain from Cincinnati of the ECHL.
3. The Stars blanked the Panthers 2-0 on Feb. 13 to end a three-game losing streak in the series.