Senators at Stars
The suddenly stingy Ottawa Senators get a major test when they begin a three-game road trip against the red-hot Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Goaltender Craig Anderson has posted two consecutive shutouts for the Senators, who look to extend their point streak to six games and beat the Stars for the first time since 2008.
Bobby Ryan attempts to push his career-high point streak to nine games while Ottawa’s defense tries to continue its solid run. “The guys have been paying the price to block the shots, whether it’s our defensemen or forwards,” Anderson told the Ottawa Sun. “The second thing is that when we have the puck through the neutral zone we’re making sure we’re getting it deep and forcing the team to come 200 feet against us.” Dallas has won five straight games and stands second in the league in scoring (3.52 per game), led by forwards Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Seguin (two goals, five assists) and Benn (four goals, four assists) take five-game point streaks into the contest.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network, RDS, TSN5 (Ottawa), FSN Southwest Plus (Dallas)
ABOUT THE SENATORS (10-5-5): Special teams have been a big part of the team’s recent 3-0-2 surge, killing all nine power-play opportunities over the last three games and going 8-for-22 with the man advantage in the past seven. Defenseman Erik Karlsson quarterbacks the power play and has posted at least a point in six straight games (five goals, 10 points) while totaling a team-high 22. The Senators reassigned left wing Matt Puempel (one goal) to Binghamton of the American Hockey league and recalled left wing Colin Greening.
ABOUT THE STARS (17-4-0): Seguin (30 points) and Benn (29) are second and third in the league in scoring while John Klingberg (23) leads all defensemen - posting eight in the last five contests. The Stars are second on the power play (27.7 percent) and may have made their biggest improvement in the defensive zone (2.38 goals against) after finishing 2014-15 at 3.13. Kari Lehtonen (9-1-0) has won six straight games while allowing 12 goals total, sharing the goaltending duties with Antti Niemi (8-3-0).
OVERTIME
1. The Stars have won seven straight games against Ottawa after scoring 11 goals total in two victories last season.
2. Ottawa C Mika Zibanejad snapped a 12-game goal drought with a tally in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Philadelphia.
3. Dallas D Jason Demers (lower body) did not practice Monday, but has not been ruled out for the Ottawa contest.