Dallas Stars (28-23-2, 58 points) @ Buffalo Sabres (23-24-6, 52 pts)

6:30 PM CT, February 10, 2012

First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York

Oh no! It's another back-end of a back-to-back game for the Dallas Stars. Everyone can go ahead mark that L onto their pocket schedules as Dallas surely can't win one of these right? Dallas gets try number 10 tonight, this time against those oh so wonderful Stanley Cup losing Buffalo Sabres.

Dallas needs to shore up the defense and stop (please stop) the lazy turnovers that are killing this team. Kari Lehtonen and Richard Bachman have enough to worry about. They don't need to think about whether or not their teammates understand that giving the puck away is bad. It's those two things that have led to all these losses for Dallas on the back-to-backs, especially the defense.

Nick Grossman needs to realize that you can't stop a shooter by standing behind him as he rushes the net. Since the turn of the calendar to 2012, he's become a human turnstile.

Shore up the defense, wake up Loui Eriksson (pointless in five games) and get some points from the top line against a struggling defensive team and Dallas might finally win one of these games. With the LA Kings game coming up on Sunday, this one is critical.

Brenden Morrow is out again with his neck problems. Sheldon Souray is questionable after getting a foot injury from blocking a shot yesterday. Give me some Mark Fistric in his place and not Adam Pardy please.

Richard Bachman should be getting the start tonight. He was let down by his defense last time he started the latter of a B2B so hopefully they show up tonight.

EDIT: Curveball ahead. Gulutzan decided that to change his mind from last night and start Lehtonen instead.

more after the jump

Final

Dallas 4 - Columbus 2

Nothing like a game against the worst team in the league to give a small boost to the confidence. The Stars got off to a quick start last night, getting goals from Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski in the first five minutes, to help boost them to a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. After that quick start, Dallas kinda bogged down and had to count to Kari Lehtonen too pull their collective bacon out of the fire multiple times.

The defend kept breaking down and turnovers reared its ugly head as Dallas just couldn't put their foot onto the Blue Jackets throat. Jeff Carter and Rick Nash got to the net at ease and despite how well the Stars played in the first, Dallas could have been down 4-2 after the first twenty minutes if not for Lehtonen.

A goal in the second period (a blast from Stephane Robidas) put Dallas up 3-0 and it looked like smooth sailing from then on. The only problem was that Dallas decided that midway through the second period, their penalty kill unit could use some extra work. The Stars started a parade to the penalty box as they took three consecutive penalties.

That extra PK work didn't prove very fruitful as the Jackets capitalized on two of them to bring the game back into doubt. It was a white knuckled ride from then on until, literally, the very last second of the game when Jamie Benn put in one of the more impressive empty-net goals you'll see.

Overall, this isn't a win that Dallas should be proud of, but it was absolutely critical for their season. The Kings and Wild lost last night while the Coyotes annoyingly went into another overtime (and won), this time against the Flames so each got at least a point there. Dallas now sits two points back of Phoenix with two games in hand.

The lack of a killer instinct last night was disturbing. They had a chance to really put that game away and try to conserve some energy for the back half of a back-to-back against Buffalo but they had to expend a lot of energy instead. They have a quick turnaround and an early game against the Sabres, so hopefully that doesn't come back to bite them (though it probably will). There's no excuse for stupid play and Dallas had a bunch of that yesterday.

more after the jump

Dallas Stars (27-23-2, 56 points) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (15-32-6, 36 pts)

6:00 PM CT, February 9, 2012

Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

If there's any team that Dallas would want to face coming off an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, it would have to be the Columbus Blue Jackets. Playing the worst team in the NHL is never bad thing, especially when each and every point matters. The only problem is that Dallas has struggled against the Blue Jackets this season.

Don't let the Stars 2-1-0 record against the Columbus fool you, each game has been a grind. Twice, Dallas was tied or behind heading into the third period and the third time they were clinging to a 1-0 lead. The last matchup was horrendous for Dallas as they lost 4-1 on home ice.

Dallas needs to play with a purpose today. This is the first game of yet another back-to-back (tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres) and they need to be able to come out today and show that they are the better team. Drag out this game and that will only mean that a tired team will travel to Buffalo and play an early game (never good news). If Dallas drops three of four points on this road trip, their playoff chances are as good as dead. The name of the game is energy tonight.

Adam Pardy should be recalled from the Texas Stars before this game. He might make his way back into the lineup, though hopefully not at the expense of Philip Larsen. Pardy was actually an assist machine in his short "conditioning" stint in the AHL so who knows, he might not completely suck anymore (doubt it).

Only Brenden Morrow is out due to his lingering neck problems. 

I expect Lehtonen to get the start tonight and Bachman to go tomorrow.

Final

Dallas 1 - Phoenix 4

There are a lot of ways to react to a loss like the one that Dallas had last night: Anger, embarrassment, indignation, pity, sadness but I felt only one thing, apathy. I just couldn't get angry over how poorly the Stars played in one of the most critical games of the season because that's what the Stars have become this year. They are a team that, at times, has shown that it just doesn't care.

This up and down season just continued last night with a bad 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, one of the most lopsided victories either team has had in this matchup in recent years (though Phoenix has beaten the Stars by three goals twice this season now). The Yotes didn't just score four goals, they scored with their third and fourth liners.

Three of Phoenix's goals came while the third or fourth line was on the ice while the other came from the one guy that Dallas should never leave open, Radim Vrbata. Defensive coverages from the Stars are just a joke. Nick Grossman had another abysmal game as he turned into the human turnstile once again. If it wasn't for Kari Lehtonen, this game could have ended with Phoenix scoring six or seven goals.

Lehtonen kept Dallas in this game for a long time but just couldn't cover up for the defensive miscues as it got closer to the end. He had an incredible point blank diving save on Ray Whitney that would have been illegal in 49 states. Michael Ryder had just scored the game tying goal two minutes into the second period as his shot slipped under Mike Smith's armpit.

The Coyotes tried to answer immediately and Whitney had his chance just 17 seconds later. That save was supposed to provide the momentum that Dallas needed in this game but they just couldn't get into it. Phoenix would score their second goal later in that period and all the air went out of the building.

The Stars had chances to get back into it with power-plays but those never looked dangerous enough. Dallas did a lot of passing and cycling of the puck but there was no movement from the players. Everyone just stood in the same spot and the puck would go into the same area over and over again as Dallas tried to get a shot and hope for a tip instead of trying to crash towards the net and force the issue. Heck, the players didn't even rotate spots and made it very easy for Phoenix to defend.

The loss is just made worse because the Minnesota Wild has also lost that night, which meant that whichever team won this game would have found themselves in the eighth spot in the West. Turns out that would not be Dallas. To make matters worse, the Colorado Avalanche also won last night and they vaulted over the Stars as well in the standings.

Dallas makes their return to ice on Thursday when they travel to Columbus to face the lowly Blue Jackets, a team that they have already lost to once this season.

more after the jump

Phoenix Coyotes (24-21-8, 56 pts) @ Dallas Stars (27-22-2, 56 pts)

7:30 PM CT, February 7, 2012

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Dallas gets another taste of division play tonight (their third in four games this month) as the invisible Phoenix Coyotes come into town. The Coyotes are, of course, the only team in the league that has a worse average attendence than the Stars (though the attendence in Dallas has been solid since the price changes. Sell-out last game!). Both Phoenix and Dallas sit two points of the last spot in the playoffs so needless to say, tonight is a huge game.

Dallas is continuing its up and down season, alternating wins and losses in its last three games. They outlasted the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in a shootout win on Saturday. Kari Lehtonen has been back in his early season form, winning his last three games and stopping 93 of 96 shots.

Traditionally the matchups have been very close between these two teams so he'll be integral again tonight. Lehtonen might have some bad memories though of the last time these two teams played back in Novermber. Lehtonen suffered a groin injury in that game that kept him out of the lineup for a month.

The only injury for Dallas is Brenden Morrow, who is dealing with neck and back problems for the second time this season. He should miss the next week of games. They also made a move yesterday by sending Adam Pardy down to the AHL for a "conditioning assignment." All that means is more time for Mark Fistric and Philip Larsen. They expect Pardy back for Thursday's game against the Blue Jackets.

Lehtonen will be the starter in net tonight.

The NHL trade deadline now looms only three weeks away (Feb. 27) and for the fourth straight season, it seems the Stars are stuck in no man's land. Dallas isn't quite good enough to make the playoffs (or go very far into them if they manage to sneak in) and aren't quite bad enough to be completely out of the picture. In those past seasons Dallas has actually been buyers on the market. The first of those moves was the huge Brad Richards trade of the 2007-2008 season.

Since that season Dallas has made more big trades near deadline time and most of those have come from a buyer's prospective at the deadline. Lesser names like Brandon Segal and Jamie Langenbrunner have come and gone in ill-fated attempts to bolster for playoff runs.

Dallas has been more than willing to make big deals though. Kari Lehtonen arrived during the 2008-2009 via trade and last season Dallas made one of the biggest moves of the year by trading James Neal and Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski.

This season should provide much of the same as Dallas is again on the cusp of the playoff race. Owner Tom Gagliardi and GM Joe Nieuwendyk have hinted that Dallas will be active come deadline time. Dallas has 12 games before that dead though, so they should have a good view of where they stand in the West by then. If these moves do take place, who should the Stars put on the trade block and just how valuable can they be? Here's a look at where I would put each of the players that have seen significant time with Dallas this season.

more after the jump

Final

Dallas 6 - Anaheim 2

Boy, I'm not sure the Stars could have asked for a much better start after the game last night. The Stars had one of their most complete games of the season as six different players scored a goal and Kari Lehtonen flashed his number one goalie skills again. Eric Nystrom, Sheldon Souray and Michael Ryder got themselves back onto the goalsheet, Stephane Robidas scored a power-play (POWER-PLAY!!) goal and Jamie Benn had an absolutely filthy goal as he turned Jonas Hiller inside out.

There were initial signs of rust for Dallas when the game started but that faded away after the first ten minutes of the game. The freshly healthy team looked spry and energetic, the first and third lines especially. Super accurate Jamie Benn had a grown-man's goal when he got in behind the defense, deked Hiller out of his pads and then roofed the puck with considerable force. His return had an immediate impact on the team.

Dallas had a bit of trouble on the defensive end as the Ducks forwards had some wide open point blank shots but Lehtonen was more than up to the task. He stoned Corey Perry three times in the third period as the Ducks were trying to mount a comeback and he was incredible in the second. Overall, Lehtonen stopped 33 of 35 shots. If Dallas can play anywhere close to this for the rest of the season, they'll be in the playoffs.

About the only really questionable thing about this game was the choice of the three stars. The first and third were understandable (Benn and Souray, though Kari should have been in this somewhere) but the second star of the game was Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano, who had no goal or assist and only one shot in the game. I'm not sure how the hell that could happen, but it did.

Dallas has had the Duck's (and specifically Hiller's) number this year. Dallas has won four out of the five matchups this season. They shut out the Ducks in one game and scored 5+ goals in two of the others. The only game that the Stars have lost this season to Anaheim was a game in which fourth-string goalie Jeff Deslauriers started.

more after the jump

Dallas Stars (25-21-2, 52 pts) @ Anaheim Ducks (19-23-7, 45 pts)

9:30 PM CT, February 1, 2012

Honda Center, Anaheim, California

Hey ya, welcome back to hockey. It's been seemingly forever since the Stars have played a game and it's good to have hockey back again tonight. Dallas gets Anaheim again, the team that they played (and beat 1-0) in the game just before the All-Star break.

Dallas comes into this game finally healthy. Jamie Benn (super accurate Jamie Benn) and Brenden Morrow are off the IR and ready to roll again. The lineups should be back to what they usually were and expect Loui Eriksson to get back to his point-gathering self.

Benn missed five games while Morrow was out for just one. Dallas went 1-3-1 in the time without Benn and dropped down into 10th in the West (or at least tied for 10th with Calgary and Phoenix) with 52 points. They're three points behind the Minnesota Wild for the last playoff spot and have two games in hand.

Dallas shutout the Ducks in the last game that they played as Kari Lehtonen put in another stellar performance and Alex Goligoski got a little bit of luck with a deflected goal. Dallas made a few roster moves after that game by sending down some of their younger guys (Philip Larsen, Tomas Vincour, Matt Fraser). Only Larsen was recalled to the team as Dallas looks like it's going with eight defensemen. Whether this is a precursor to a trade is unknown but it certainly seems like a possibility now.

Kari Lehtonen gets the start tonight and there are shockingly no injuries of note for the Stars.

more after the jump

Overall, January was a pretty down month for the Stars. As a result of injuries and inconsistent play, they ended up going 4-6-1 this month and now find themselves sitting in the 10th spot in the Western Conference, 3 points out of the playoffs.

Dallas had a stretch of games in which they were without both of their top centers, Mike Ribeiro and Jamie Benn, and it really showed in how the team played. Offense struggled mightily and the team just couldn't find any kind of consistency in their play.

The way Dallas played was eerily similar to what happened to the team last season around this time (massive injuries and dropping in the standings) so hopefully Dallas can get back on track after the All-Star break.

Dallas played in 11 games in January. Two of these games went into overtime. Kari Lehtonen started nine of games while Richard Bachman started the other two. For the month of January, the team's PP went 2 of 29 (7%) while the PK went 29 of 34 (85%).

For the PP and SH stat boxes, I first put the amount of time that they had in the month and the total time that the player has on the season in parentheses. 

As a small comparison, the league leader among forwards in ice time this season is Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk with 24:48 of TOI/G. He has 1066:36 total time on ice on the season. For defensemen, the league leader is Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi with 27:22 of TOI/G and a total of 1286:37 total ice time on the season.

more after the jump

Final

Dallas 1 - Anaheim 0

Finally. Finally the Stars got a little bit of luck to go their way. For the past two weeks it seemed like everything was just going against them: Every bounce had been for their opponents, shots that could have gone in for Dallas hit posts instead and the Stars just couldn't seem to find their feet. In the final game before the All-Star break, the bounce was finally in their direction.

Kari Lehtonen was stellar in this game, stopping all 27 shots that he faced for his first shutout of the season. The Stars needed every single one of those stops as they could only get a goal off of a lucky bounce. An Alex Goligoski (freshly rich Alex Goligoski) shot from the point bounced off of Cam Fowler's hip area and took a crazy deflection past Jonas Hiller. That first period goal proved to be enough on this night as Lehtonen turned away shot after shot (though it did get really close at the end).

The win ended a five game losing streak for Dallas and ended a five game winning streak for the Ducks. Going into the All-Star break, the Stars sit in 10th place, three points out of the playoffs.

Dallas struggled for much of this game as they looked listless during much of the first two periods and some of the third. I'll be honest, I fell asleep watching some of the second period cause this was a snoozefest but in the end the win was all that matters, not how pretty the game was. The mosst exciting part of the game was probably all in the last minute as Anaheim was in desperation mode. Lehtonen made a last second, literally a last second, save on Corey Perry as he was trying to stuff the puck in from the side of the net as the clock hit 00:00.

The win gives some good feelings to Dallas heading into the break and a chance for guys to heal up. Their first game back will be against these Ducks again.