Stars' historic streak clashes with desperate Red Wings. Dallas rolls without stars, while Detroit battles injuries and playoff hopes.
The Dallas Stars will look to extend one of the hottest point streaks in franchise history when they host a battered Detroit Red Wings team that is desperate for points to stay in the playoff race.
Dallas has continued to roll even without key talents like Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz. Detroit, on the other hand, has struggled to maintain momentum while missing two of its most important players in Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp.
The Stars have recorded points in 14 straight games and hold a 13-0-1 record during that stretch, while the Red Wings have gone 4-7-2 over their last 13 games.
Detroit cannot afford to leave this matchup empty-handed. The Red Wings currently hold the final wild card spot but sit just two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are quickly closing the gap.
Dallas also has plenty to play for in the standings as they are chasing the Colorado Avalanche for the top seed in the Central Division and sit five points back. At the same time, they are trying to extend their lead over the third-place Minnesota Wild, who are four points behind Dallas in the race for home-ice advantage in what could be a first-round playoff matchup.
What makes Dallas even more dangerous is that its recent surge has come largely without two of its best players. Instead, stars like Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and particularly Matt Duchene have carried the offense during this dominant stretch. Duchene has been on one of the hottest runs of his career with 21 points in his last 14 games, making him a major threat the Red Wings will need to contain.
If Detroit wants to keep pace, it will need to generate offense of its own, and its younger players will have to lead the way. The newly formed second line featuring Marco Kasper and Emmitt Finnie alongside Red Wings star Lucas Raymond will need to produce.
Kasper showed encouraging signs with seven points over a 12-game stretch, but he has cooled off recently with just one point in his last five games heading into Saturday. His performance could play a significant role in whether Detroit finds success or falls short against Dallas.
Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Detroit (Saturday)
Robertson - Johnston - Bourque
Steel - Duchene - Benn
Bunting - Hryckowian - Blackwell
Back - Hyry - Bastian
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Bichsel - Myers
Oettinger
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