A challenging matchup awaits in Western Pennsylvania.
DALLAS - The Penguins haven’t stormed out of the gate this season with just two victories through five games, but head coach Pete DeBoer fully expects a hard-fought contest at PPG Paints Arena tonight. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m. CT.
For their part, the Stars are looking to extend their winning streak to three games in a row.
“We know what we’re dealing with on that end, a real motivated group, and for us, our motivation has to be that we want to get our game in a good place,” said DeBoer, following Tuesday’s morning skate. “I don’t think we’ve played 60 minutes of great hockey yet, so that’s our motivation. We’ve got to be a motivated group on that end to find our 60-minute game.”
Case in point was the club’s less-than-stellar showing over the weekend against Philadelphia.
Dallas earned a 5-4 overtime win at American Airlines Center, but surrendered three short-handed goals, gave the puck away 13 times, and was outshot by a 40-25 margin.
Like DeBoer, defenseman Miro Heiskanen stressed the importance of maintaining a consistent effort from start to finish.
“We have to play a really good 60 minutes. We’ve played a good 20 and a good 40 minutes, but probably not 60 minutes yet,” said Heiskanen. “That’s our mindset, to play a great 60 minutes.”
Knowing full well just how dangerous the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Erik Karlsson are, among other weapons in the Penguins' arsenal, captain Jamie Benn believes collective discipline will be a general key to victory.
"Staying out of the box would be ideal. We want to play a smart game here, just a simple, hard-nosed road game," said Benn. "I’m sure they’re going to get their chances and maybe a few power plays, so we'll try and take away as much as we can. Good players and good power play units always find a way to get something. We’ll try and limit that to not too much."
Goaltender Jake Oettinger will start for Dallas.
Forward Ty Dellandrea also draws back into the lineup in place of Sam Steel.
Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
Live Stats: NHL Game Center