Devils carry four-game win streak into Dallas
DALLAS -- Looking at their last 10 games, the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars are definitely heading in opposite directions.
New Jersey (8-3-3) defeated Buffalo 4-2 at Prudential Arena on Saturday for its fourth consecutive victory. The Devils, who have a plus-5 goal differential, fifth-best in the Eastern Conference, are also 7-1-2 over their past 10 games.
"Four wins in a row is huge for our confidence," Devils center Taylor Hall told NHL.com after the win against the Sabres. "The one thing it does do is put other teams on guard that we're a strong team. We're going to face these teams at their best, so we have to be ready for that."
New Jersey is also allowing 2.1 goals per game, third-lowest in the league.
As for the Stars, who host the Devils on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, they return home from their longest road trip of the season -- a five-game trek to Chicago, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver that saw them go 2-1-2.
Dallas punctuated the trip with a 5-4 overtime loss against the Canucks at Rogers Centre on Sunday night, and understandably Stars coach Lindy Ruff didn't have a lot to say after a tough defeat where Dallas blew a 3-1 lead after two periods.
"You got to move on," Ruff said postgame in Vancouver.
The Stars are still without key offensive cogs Jason Spezza (lower body) and Patrick Sharp (concussion), and fellow veteran forward Jiri Hudler continues to be sidelined with an illness.
And even though Dallas took six of a possible 10 points on the trip, the Stars are just 3-4-3 over their past 10 games, a mark which captain Jamie Benn knows is simply not good enough.
"Disappointing, give up four goals in 20-something minutes and lose a hockey game. It's no good and unacceptable," Benn said postgame in Vancouver.
The good news for Dallas is starting a three-game homestand against the Devils, Colorado Avalanche (on Thursday) and the Oilers (on Saturday). The Stars are 3-2-1 on home ice.
Dallas hopes to get Sharp, Spezza and maybe even Hudler back on the ice soon. Without so many key personnel thus far, the Stars have posted several distressing numbers, like a minus-11 goal differential, which is tied for fourth-worst in the Western Conference.
The Stars are also allowing 3.4 goals per game, a number which ranks 26th out of the 30 teams in the league.
But even with their current winning streak, the Devils will be without veteran forward Michael Cammalleri, who is out due to personal reasons.
And if there's one thing New Jersey hasn't done well over its past five games, it's execute on the power play -- the Devils are 0-for-19 with the man advantage during that span.
However, teams who seem to be effective in limiting Dallas' ability to use their speed and make it a complete back-and-forth game have given the Stars fits over the past few seasons.
Still, as the man wearing the "C" for the Stars puts it, the style of play on Tuesday night is irrelevant but the ultimate goal never changes.
"We just got to be better," Benn said postgame on Vancouver. "Haven't found a way to win lately."
