Battle for third place in Western Conference as Phoenix Coyotes visit Dallas Stars - NHL Preview
Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes are tied on points and on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 both Pacific Division rivals face each other at the American Airlines Center with the Western Conference third place on the line.
The Stars were recently on a brilliant run of form as six game winning run propelled them into third in the Western Conference.
Dallas’ run though ended on Wednesday, against the Winnipeg Jets and they followed it up with another defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Stars remain third after the defeats with 83-points.
Phoenix on the other hand have struggled for results this month with just three wins out of their last 10 games.
The Coyotes though remain in the hunt for third place as they remain tied on points with the Stars and have a great opportunity to get into the upper tier of the Western Conference on Tuesday.
Stars (39-28-5, 83 pts)
Dallas’ recent momentum has ground to a halt as two straight defeats have left them on the verge of losing their position at the top of the Pacific division.
Tied on points with the Coyotes while just a point ahead of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings, the Stars have a great opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and the rest of their rivals after winning against a struggling Coyotes team.
Dallas was mauled in its last game against Chicago Blackhawks as they lost 4-1.
The Blackhawks completely outplayed the Stars as they gained a 4-0 lead in the third period. However, Jamie Benn’s consolation goal for the Stars kept Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford from gaining a shutout.
Benn said after the game.
"We just had another bad start in the third period that crushed us,"
Coyotes (36-26-11, 83 pts)
Phoenix though are regressing badly after doing so well to get into a playoff position at the start of the New Year.
The Coyotes, have been highly inconsistent lately however, they maintained their challenge for the Pacific division title with a 3-2 shootout victory over Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
Phoenix though will face a tough test on the road to Dallas and it will take a big performance from the team if they wish to get the coveted third placed finish.
Predictions
Dallas will win the game.
Sum of goals will be less than six.
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