Blackhawks, Stars prepare for barrage of goals
DALLAS -- Two teams that won their last games by a combined 10-2, the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars, look to continue that good form on Saturday evening at American Airlines Center.
Winners of four straight, Chicago (7-3-1) shut out Colorado 4-0 at United Center on Thursday behind a pair of goals from veteran forward Marian Hossa.
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford also picked up his second shutout of the week against the Avalanche.
"He (Crawford) has been doing a great job," Chicago forward Ryan Hartman told the Blackhawks' official website after Thursday's win. "He's won a few games for us and he's been real good this year. Hopefully he can keep going and the team can keep going as well."
Dallas (4-4-2) also heads into this Central Division battle fresh off a big win, defeating St. Louis 6-2 at American Airlines Center on Thursday.
That game was the first against the Blues since St. Louis eliminated the Stars in the second round of the playoffs last spring with a 6-1 win in Game 7 in Dallas.
The Stars responded after a scoreless first period, getting four of their six goals from defensemen, including two from John Klingberg, while Tyler Seguin equaled a career high with four assists and captain Jamie Benn had three helpers of his own.
"It (that win) was important for us because the psyche of the team," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said after practice on Friday. "I thought emotionally our team was really engaged in the game. There's a lot of plays they laid it on the line.
"It was a tough game. We got rewarded for going to the net, we got people there. We got some breaks finally where we haven't gotten any, and I think if we maintain that type of presence, we'll get results."
Former Blackhawk Antti Niemi stopped 28 of 30 shots against the Blues, and it appears he will start again on Saturday.
Stars forward Jiri Hudler, who returned from missing several games due to illness, remains sidelined as his illness seems to have returned.
"No, he's still not feeling well," Ruff said of Hudler, who has been ruled out for both games with Chicago this weekend. "Besides flu, some type of virus, he's battling something that's been tough on him."
Saturday will mark the first meeting of the season between these division rivals, who will then square off in Chicago on Sunday to complete the back-to-back.
Ruff, whose team was 3-1-0 against the Blackhawks last season and outscored them 16-7 in those games, knows the Stars' next foe always presents a considerable challenge, especially considering how well Chicago is currently playing.
"Well, we're looking forward to it. Obviously, they're going really well," Ruff said. "Goalie's been red hot and they're a team that has won four in a row now. We have to make sure that we're taking care of our own end because we don't have quite the depth of firepower that we had when we were playing them last year."
Chicago currently leads the Western Conference with 40 goals and is third in the NHL, giving a game against the Stars, who led the league in goals last season, the feel of an end-to-end offensive shootout in its purest form.
"Yeah, we're definitely opportunistic. We get our chances," Hartman said. "We got a lot of guys in this room that can bury them, so you don't see a lot of Grade-A chances that don't go on or close to going in. I think we got a solid group, just looking to continue the streak."
