Stars at Bruins
The Stars will be out for all to see when Boston hosts Dallas on Tuesday, but the Bruins have a few bright spots of their own. Dallas captain Jamie Benn, who leads the league with 10 goals and 18 points, and Boston's David Krejci were named the NHL's First and Third Stars, respectively, of the Month of October, while the Bruins' Brad Marchand claimed First Star of the Week honors after recording four goals and two assists while Boston went 3-0-0.
Krejci has collected seven goals and 15 assists and is a big reason why the Bruins, who have outscored opponents 17-3 during their four-game winning streak, rebounded from an 0-3-0 start by going 6-0-1 in their last seven contests. The 29-year-old center also has notched two goals and five assists on Boston's power play, which leads the league by a wide margin at 35.3 percent (12-for-34). The Stars had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-1 loss in Toronto on Monday, but their 18 points still are second in the NHL to Montreal (22). Dallas' Tyler Seguin, who played his first three seasons with the Bruins, is second in the league in points with 17 and centers a powerful line with Benn and left wing Patrick Sharp (four goals, nine points).
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Plus Southwest (Dallas), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE STARS (9-3-0): Dallas recalled Devin Shore from Texas of the American Hockey League after the 21-year-old defenseman scored eight goals in nine games, and while it's unclear when he'll make his NHL debut, he could not be any happier. "I’ve never been more excited to be a healthy scratch in my entire life,” Shore told reporters Monday. “I am thrilled to be here and the stars aligned for my first road trip in the NHL to be 30 minutes from my house. I’ll be out of the lineup (Monday), but I will be in that building tonight as part of the Dallas Stars as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s a pretty incredible feeling for me.” Antti Niemi has made seven straight starts and could give way to Kari Lehtonen, who is 8-7-0 with a 2.53 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 15 games (14 starts) versus Boston.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (6-3-1): While Krejci and Marchand received the accolades, Patrice Bergeron has recorded four goals - all on the power play - and 10 points, while former Star Loui Eriksson (seven assists) and Jimmy Hayes (three goals) join Marchand (five goals) with nine points apiece. “... I think that’s a lot harder to play against, when (opponents) don’t know who to check,'' coach Claude Julien told reporters. "So I like the fact that we have our scoring spread around.” Tuukka Rask (.889 save percentage) has yielded one goal in winning his last two games after allowing 14 in his first three starts (1-1-1).
OVERTIME
1. Dallas is 10-for-40 on the power play - third in the NHL - with Benn scoring four times with the man advantage, and Seguin and Sharp once apiece.
2. Benn has registered four goals and two assists in six games versus the Bruins.
3. The teams split four meetings over the last two seasons, with the road team winning each contest.