There’s no better way to forget a loss than to play again! Oh wait, the Panthers are playing the hottest team in the Western Conference. Joy. But hey, someone has to knock the Stars on their ass sooner or later. Why not the Cats, for a little revenge from last week’s disappointing loss in Sunrise?
The Numbers
[table id=TS02G08 /] [table id=IS02G08 /] [table id=GM02G08 /]* – Stats are courtesy of War-on-Ice.com, Puckalytics.com and Hockey-Reference.com
Projected Lineups
[table id=PRPF02G08 /] [table id=PRPD02G08 /] [table id=PRPG02G08 /] [table id=PROF02G08 /] [table id=PROD02G08 /] [table id=PROG02G05 /]The Rundown
The biggest story coming out of last game is without a doubt the loss of Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers #1 Center appeared to hurt his wrist while blocking a shot Thursday night in Chicago. He is listed day-to-day at the moment, pending evaluation by doctors in South Florida come Monday. One would suspect that a broken bone may not be involved if they are waiting until Monday to evaluate Barkov, but nonetheless his is a loss that is hard to swallow no matter the length. His importance to the team cannot be understated.
We’ll have more on the Barkov situation in a bit. Check out my article on Aleksander Barkov’s injury. I take a closer look at what impacts Barkov’s injury may have on the Panthers roster.
As for tonight’s opponent, we know very well what happened last Saturday night. A lackluster finish by the Panthers, combined with a strong third period push from Dallas, resulted in a deflating come from behind defeat for the Panthers. The Stars have kept trucking on since that win too. In fact, they are winners of five straight games, the hottest team in the Western Conference, and owners of first place in the ultra-competitive Central Division.
There’s no secret to their success though. Their three best players have been their three best players. Good things happen when this is the case, for any team. Jamie Benn has scored a point in six of seven games so far this season, getting blanked for the first time Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza, the Stars top two centers, have scored in five games each themselves. It does not get much better than this.
Dallas’ game Thursday night in Pittsburgh, however, belonged to defensemen, and forwards outside of the big three. John Klingberg, Jason Demers, and Johnny Oduya all chipped in from the backend, while Mattias Janmark, Patrick Sharp, and Valeri Nichushkin answered up front along with Spezza. It was a dominant showing for the Stars, however they will be without Jason Demers, who has been suspended two games for an elbow to Nick Bonino late in Thursday’s game.
A different look the Panthers might get, however, is Antti Niemi. The Finnish goaltender, who came over from San Jose this summer, played the last two games for Dallas having given up just 2 goals on 69 shots faced. His very nice results could justify a third straight start, something a Stars goaltender is yet to do this season. However, it is Kari Lehtonen who has a long track record of dominance vs. the Panthers. Stay tuned.
Update #1 (1:27 pm): Stay tuned no longer. Panthers will draw Kari Lehtonen.
Update #2 (4:31 pm): Trocheck will be centering the 2nd line with Brandon Pirri and Quinton Howden. Pleased to see Trocheck get 2nd line center, I feel he’s a better option as I touched on in my article this afternoon. A little surprised, but definitely intrigued, that Quinton Howden is in at 2nd line RW. That option was not at the front of my mind, but at face value seems to make a good deal of sense. Howden’s speed could create some real havoc.
Update #3 (4:45pm): I failed to mention Al Montoya being named tonight’s starter. I honestly can’t say I saw this one coming, and it is an odd decision at that. With all due respect to Monty, he wouldn’t have been my first choice to face on of the Top 5 Offenses in the NHL. Guess we’re going to see what he’s made of this season tonight, huh?
Closing Thoughts
No wishing upon Stars tonight, it’s Caturday!
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