First-place Dallas plays at cellar-dweller Chicago on Saturday before showdown against Avalanche in Denver on Sunday.
Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer stopped well short of calling Saturday's game against the Blackhawks in Chicago a potential speed bump on his team late-season surge to the top of the NHL standings.
But actions may speak louder than words as the Stars prep for a showdown with the Colorado Avalanche at Denver on Sunday.
Dallas entered Saturday on a franchise-record eight-game win streak. The Stars were 13-2-0 in their last 15 to overtake Colorado atop the Central Division.
The Stars had 105 points in 76 games. Colorado has 102 in 77.
So before Saturday's game at the United Center, DeBoer said his team's mile-high matchup on Sunday was “our biggest game of the year.”
The Stars held forward Tyler Seguin out of the lineup in Chicago for maintenance. The 32-year-old Seguin, one of seven Dallas players with 20 more more goals (23), is expected to skate on Sunday on Colorado.
Mavrik Bourque took Seguin's lineup spot and made his NHL debut
Scott Wedgewood started in goal for Dallas against Chicago's Petr Mrazek. Stars No. 1 netminder Jake Oettinger, who had played three straight games with two consecutive shutouts, is expected to be back between the pipes on Sunday..
Chicago held slumping Taylor Raddysh out of its lineup as Colin Blackwell returned. The Blackhawks entered at 22-48-5 and 31st place in the NHL.
NHL leading rookie scorer Connor Bedard was back on a line with "primary center" Jason Dickinson and Philipp Kurashev. See story in link.