Stars chase a franchise record versus a scorching Wild squad. Both teams battle injuries while showcasing potent offenses and stingy defenses.
The Dallas Stars aim to extend their franchise-record point streak to 14 games on Thursday when they take on a red-hot Minnesota Wild team. This will be the second meeting of the season between the two Western Conference rivals. Their first matchup came in Dallas’ third game of the year, when the Stars controlled play on home ice in a 5–2 victory.
Dallas enters Thursday as one of the hottest teams in the league with 14 wins in its last 17 games and an impressive 1.94 goals against per game during that stretch. Minnesota has been just as strong with 13 wins in its last 18 games and a defensive performance that has limited opponents to 1.83 goals against per game.
The Stars have dealt with a number of injuries, losing top six winger Tyler Seguin and defense prospect Lian Bichsel, while recently getting back top four defenseman Thomas Harley, top six winger Matt Duchene, and defenseman Nils Lundkvist. The Stars' improving blueline made Vladislav Kolyachonok a healthy scratch Tuesday, but the 24-year-old, who has three points and averages 12:42 of ice time in 10 games, will draw back into the lineup. Despite the constant changes to the lineup, Dallas continues to outpace much of the league. The Wild have faced similar adversity with Marco Rossi, Mats Zuccarello, and Jake Middleton out of the lineup, although those absences have not slowed Minnesota’s momentum.
Minnesota will look to use its deep offensive group to pressure Jake Oettinger and generate more goals than expected. The Wild have difference makers throughout the lineup, starting with superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko on the top line, followed by Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek on a highly reliable second line. Their defense is equally strong with dependable blueliners on every pairing. Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin lead the way, Jared Spurgeon provides shutdown play on the second unit, and Zeev Buium often jumps into the rush or quarterbacks the power play from the third pairing.
The Wild present a deep and balanced challenge for the Stars. The teams have traded wins in their last four matchups. Prior to that, Dallas held a seven-game winning streak in the series, and the Stars will look to regain that advantage when they meet again on Thursday
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Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Winnipeg (Tuesday):
Robertson - Hintz - Benn
Duchene - Johnston - Rantanen
Back - Hryckowian - Bourque
Steel - Faksa - Blackwell
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Petrovic
Kolyachonok - Lundkvist
Oettinger
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