Looking for their straight win, Glen Gulutzan’s Dallas Stars (15-5-4 overall, 6-4-1 at home) host the Utah Mammoth (12-9-3, 5-6-2 away) on Black Friday. Game time at American Airlines Center is 7:00 p.m. CST.
The Stars enter this game looking for their third straight win. Dallas has collected points in nine of their last 10 games (8-1-1). Jason Robertson did not record a point on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken. That ended an eight-game point streak in which Robertson racked up an incredible 18 points (11 goals, seven assists). He’ll look to start a new streak on Friday.
Meanwhile, Mikko Rantanen will look to get back on track. He is pointless in his last two games and served a one-game suspension that forced him to miss Tuesday’s 8-3 win over Edmonton. Rantanen has six points (1g, 5a) in four career games against the Mammoth since the team’s move from Arizona to Utah.
Veteran forward Tyler Seguin enters Friday’s tilt with a three-game point streak, earning five assists during that span. In the Nov. 26 against Seattle, Seguin recorded two helpers. Seguin has had four multi-point performances in his last six games. He has posted nine points (1g, 8a) in that span.
The Stars currently sit in second place in the Central Division. Dallas is five points behind the Colorado Avalanche, who also hold one game in hand over the Stars. Gulutzan’s club is four points ahead of the Minnesota Wild.
A healthy scratch on Wednesday, Colin Blackwell will draw back into the Dallas lineup on Friday.On the injury front, Thomas Harley and Matt Duchene remain out of the Stars’ lineup. Ilya Lyubushkin is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, veteran Stars captain Jamie Benn has posted four points (1g, 3a) in five games since his return from a collaped lung.
Projected Stars lineup
Jamie Benn – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Tyler Seguin
Oskar Back – Justin Hryckowian – Mavrik Bourque
Sam Steel – Radek Faksa – Colin Blackwell
Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Lian Bichsel – Alex Petrovic
Kyle Capobianco – Vladislav Kolyachonok
Jake Oettinger
[Casey DeSmith]
Stars leading scorers
Jason Robertson — 31 points (14g, 17a)
Mikko Rantanen — 28 points (10g, 18a)
Wyatt Johnston — 25 points (12g, 13a)
Miro Heiskanen — 20 points (3g, 17a)
Roope Hintz — 19 points (7g, 12a)
In goal
Jake Oettinger — 16 GP (10-4-2, 2.74 GAA, .900 SV%, 1 SO)
Casey DeSmith — 8 GP (5-1-2, 2.20 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 SO)
Stars stats and rankings
Goals per game: 3.38 (5th)
Goals against average: 2.71 (8th)
Shots/GP: 25.9 (26th)
Shots against/GP: 27.8 (18th)
Power Play: 31.3% (2nd)
Penalty Kill: 77.9% (23rd)
