The Dallas Stars head to Montreal to take on the Canadiens and look for a bounce back win after falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Dallas Stars look to even the season series against the Montreal Canadiens in a rare Saturday matinee in French Canada. The two teams met last month, where the Stars were defeated 4-3 in a failed comeback attempt after going down 4-1.
Since then, the Stars have gone 9-4-2, continuing their push for first place in the competitive Central Division. Meanwhile, Montreal has gone 5-5-3 with some good wins and some really bad losses mixed in. The Canadiens just beat the Capitals 5-2 despite allowing Alex Ovechkin to tally a goal, and chased Washington starting goaltender Charlie Lindgren after three goals on nine shots.
The Stars aim to regroup after letting two points slip through their fingers against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Three of the five goals scored against the Stars were power-play goals, and the leaky penalty kill and lack of discipline from Dallas in recent games continues to cost them.
Matt Duchene and Nick Suzuki both have three goals in their last five games. Tyler Seguin and Suzuki both have five assists in the last five games. And in the last five games, Suzuki has eight points, dueling with Mason Marchment's six points. The Stars second line continues to produce at a rate that will be crucial during playoff time where defensive matchups become more important.
For Montreal, Suzuki has developed real chemistry with youngsters Cole Caufield and former first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky to form a solid top line.
Projected lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Johnston
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Steel-Pavelski
Smith-Faksa-Dadonov
Harley-Heiskanen
Suter-Lundkvist
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Wedgewood
These lines have not been confirmed due to the early start time, but Nils Lundkvist and Craig Smith should be expected to slot back in after having the second of the back-to-back games off. During the game in Toronto, Pete DeBoer put Joe Pavelski back on the top line and had Wyatt Johnston back with Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov for part of the game. It is possible to see those lines back together as well.
Puck drop is at 12 p.m. CST and can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
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