Oilers at Stars
Dallas' 1-5-2 stretch - magnified by Chicago's 12-game winning streak - dropped the Stars five points behind the first-place Blackhawks in the Central Division, but a three-game homestand beginning Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers could be a slump buster. The Stars completed an 0-2-1 road trip with a 3-2 loss to Los Angeles on Tuesday and come home to also play Colorado and Calgary before everyone except Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin enjoys a seven-day All-Star break.
“They are huge games,” Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski told reporters after playing a team-high 24:44 on Tuesday. “Get some ground back and throw some points back up on the board. We’ve been good at home lately. We got to go home and get the job done.” Benn and Seguin are second and third in the NHL in points with 56 and 53, respectively, but have combined for only four goals and three assists in eight January contests. Edmonton began its three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over Florida on Monday before Tuesday's 6-4 setback against Tampa Bay dropped it to an NHL-worst 6-15-4 away from home. The Oilers will be without Ryan-Nugent Hopkins (eight goals, 30 points), who suffered a hand injury Monday and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE OILERS (19-24-5): Zack Kassian scored Tuesday - his first goal in an Edmonton sweater - in his fourth game since returning to the NHL after spending time in the league's substance abuse program. “It’s always nice to get the first one out of the way, but it feels a lot better when you come back in with a win,” Kassian told reporters. “Personally, it feels good. Obviously, I’ve been through a lot, but my main goal now is to just try to get wins.” Taylor Hall boasts team highs of 18 goals and 28 assists and has two goals and three assists in his last three games while on pace to score what would be a career-high 31 this season.
ABOUT THE STARS (29-13-5): Benn (26 goals) and Seguin (25) are dealing with their "slumps,'' but Dallas' next-best goal scorers continue to produce. Patrick Sharp (16 goals, 38 points) has two goals and four assists in January after recording four and six in his last seven December contests while Jason Spezza (15 goals, 36 points) has contributed two goals and six assists this month. Defenseman Esa Lindell, called up from Texas of the American Hockey League to replace the injured Jordie Benn, made his NHL debut Tuesday and was minus-1 in 14:01 while forming the No. 3 unit with Patrik Nemeth.
OVERTIME
1. The Oilers are 0-for-7 with the man advantage over their last four games while not allowing a power-play goal in 15 opportunities during that span.
2. The Stars allowed four power-play goals in seven chances during the road trip, but have killed 17-of-18 penalties in their last seven home games.
3. Jordan Eberle's overtime goal gave Edmonton a 2-1 victory over visiting Dallas on Dec. 4 to even the three-game season series 1-1.