Stars at Oilers
It may be far too little and much too late, but three of the Edmonton Oilers' top offensive options are finally starting to show signs of life as the season winds down. The Oilers hope to see the trend continue Friday night as they host the Dallas Stars in their third and final meeting of the season. The Stars have taken the first two encounters, including a thrilling 6-5 shootout decision Dec. 21 in which Dallas rebounded from a 5-2 second-period deficit to win.
With the Oilers long out of the playoff picture and the Stars needing a miracle to have a shot at the postseason, Friday's game represents little more than a chance for both teams' offensive players to shine - and there are plenty of weapons on both sides. Dallas boasts two of the league's top 12 scorers in captain Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Edmonton, meanwhile, is getting solid late-season performances from Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TXA 21 (Dallas), SN1 (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE STARS (36-28-10): Dallas is making an impressive late push despite facing ridiculously long odds, and comes into Edmonton on a four-game winning streak. But with several teams to pass and one of the toughest remaining schedules in the Western Conference, Stars players realize the task they face: Win out the rest of the way, then hope for some assistance from other teams. "That's how we're looking at it," Benn told the Dallas Morning News. "We need to win out and then see what happens."
ABOUT THE OILERS (21-40-13): Edmonton has no such playoff concerns, having been eliminated for some time now. But try convincing the Oilers' three hottest players to slow down - Eberle has nine goals and 21 assists over his last 25 games, while Nugent-Hopkins has seven goals and eight assists in his previous nine contests and Yakupov, once exiled to the fourth line, has eight points in 11 March outings. Yet, despite their contributions, the Oilers are still headed for yet another high draft pick - and a playoff drought that has reached nine years and counting.
OVERTIME
1. Dallas has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
2. The Stars have won four straight road games.
3. Eberle has scored just once in 13 career games versus Dallas.