Dallas Stars Pregame Entertainment: Quotes, Stats, And Stories
The Dallas Stars are in desperation mode and need to get back into the win column. Can they get it done tonight against the red-hot Anaheim Ducks?
30 down, 52 to go. The Dallas Stars are quickly approaching the halfway point of their 2016-17 regular season campaign, and it’s probably not going the way that anyone thought it would be.
They are 11-13-6 with 28 points. They sit second to last in the Central Division and are in dire need of a winning streak to restore some confidence not only in the team, but throughout the organization and its fanbase. The only problem is, that win streak needs to happen soon before the Stars fall too far behind.
Maybe an extremely long homestand is just what they need? Over the next three weeks, the Stars will play eight of nine games at home. That seems like a beneficial perk for a team that has produced a record of 7-4-2 when in Dallas this season. The next five will be at home, followed by one in Arizona just after Christmas, and finally a three-game set back at the AAC.
But these wins aren’t just going to be handed to them. The Stars will square off with the Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Los Angeles Kings just during this first set at home. All five teams are playing well as of late and currently own a playoff spot. Dallas does not.
Tonight, it all begins against the Anaheim Ducks, who currently own a three-game win streak and are 6-1-1 in their last eight. So not only is there pressure on the Stars to win, but they have to do it against a red-hot team. It’s the perfect combo, right?
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We’re a little over two hours from puck drop, so here are some pregame stats, stories, and quotes from morning skate that you can feast on before the real thing begins at 7:30. Enjoy.
Statistically speaking
Team stats
The Stars are 7-4-2 at home this season. The Ducks are 5-5-4 on the road.
The Stars and Ducks have only played one time this season. It was opening night for both teams back on October 13, and the Stars emerged victorious with a 4-2 win.
The Stars average 2.50 goals per game (19th in the NHL). The Ducks average 2.76 goals per game (9th in the NHL). Dallas is first in the NHL for most goals against per game at 3.20. Anaheim is 21st with a 2.55 GAA.
Dallas owns a power play percentage of 17.1 percent (16th in NHL). Anaheim owns a power play percentage of 23.7 percent (3rd in NHL). The Stars are 76.4 percent on the penalty kill (28th). The Ducks are 80.8 percent (20th).
The Dallas Stars are 13-7-2 in their last 22 meetings with Anaheim. They are 41-12-6 against the Ducks at home all-time.
Player stats:
Tyler Seguin leads the Stars in points with 29 (10-19-29). Corey Perry (6-19-25) and Ryan Kesler (12-13-25) are tied for the team lead in points for the Ducks with 25.
Devin Shore has three goals in the last two games for the Stars. Sami Vatanen has two goals in the last two games for the Ducks.
Antti Niemi is 5-1-1 at home this season with a 1.98 GAA and .936 save percentage. He has 16 career wins against Anaheim, including one on opening night when he turned aside 33 of 35 shots.
Lauri Korpikoski has eight goals in his career against Anaheim, which is his most against any NHL opponent. He also has 13 points, which is tied for most against all NHL teams.
Corey Perry is currently on a five-game point streak. Ryan Getzlaf is tied for second in the league with 21 assists.
Antoine Roussel has three points in his last three games and leads the NHL in penalty minutes with 85.
Adam Cracknell only has four points on the season (2-2-4). He tallied a goal and an assist in the season opener against the Ducks.
Stories to tell
Tyler Seguin has scored a goal against every team in the NHL except the Anaheim Ducks.
Radek Faksa has a point in his last two games against the Ducks.
Cody Eakin played his first NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 1, 2011.
The brothers Brett Ritchie and Nick Ritchie will face-off against each other tonight. Brett has nine points in 30 games this season (7-2-9), while Nick has eleven points in 27 games (7-4-11). Nick also leads the Ducks with 83 hits.
Plano, TX native Stefan Noesen will be in the starting lineup for Anaheim tonight. This will be his first game playing at the American Airlines Center, where he grew up watching hockey.
Morning skate quotable
Here are some quotes from Jamie Benn, Johnny Oduya, and Radek Faksa after today’s morning skate.
Jamie Benn
How the team is approaching this five game homestand
I think we are going to focus on it a game at a time. Over the next three weeks we have a lot of home games here and we have to take advantage of playing in our building and feeling comfortable where we play. It starts with a big one tonight against a good team and we’re going to try and find a way to get two points.
Learning from the situations in prior years
Yeah you can learn from it. I think there’s enough games left here in this season where we want to get on a roll here and string some win streaks together and not have to look back come the last couple days of the season and wonder why you’re sitting outside. We’ve got enough time to make a move here and it’s going to start now.
Johnny Oduya
On the Ducks scoring 14 goals in the past three games
I think they’re a dangerous team on the power play. We’ve been good at home on the penalty kill. I think not taking those penalties and keeping them to a lower number is going to help a lot. Then you are going to have to be aware when you’re on the ice.
Obviously not giving up too many odd-man rushes and chances and trying to play a smart game I think overall like you do every night. It’s going to be even more important.
Radek Faksa
Biggest key to producing wins on the upcoming homestand
I think if we play the same way we did against Nashville we will succeed. If we play hard and focus on our system and score a few goals at 5-on-5 then we will be good. We have a very good team and I’m not really worried about the team because I know what guys we’ve got here and what we can do.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 from the American Airlines Center, and the Dallas Stars could really use the win. We’ll see whether they are ready to answer the bell tonight.
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