Dallas Stars hoping to once again dominate Minnesota Wild – NHL Preview
Dallas Stars have successfully secured a place in the comfort zone of National Hockey League (NHL) Western Conference and they are now expected to retain the position.
To do so, they have to overpower another playoff contender, Minnesota Wild, on Friday, February 24, 2012, at American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas.
The Wild, on the other hand, are recovering nicely from their pathetic slump and could give a tough time to Stars.
Let’s have a look at both the teams.
Stars
Stars have had a busy month of February in which they have so far played 13 games and won six of them.
Earlier in the month, they hosted Wild and defeated them after shootout.
As they prepare to once again host the same team, they are expected to repeat the heroics as a defeat can force them down in the conference ranking table.
Stars are barely clinging on the eighth spot with 66 points after 61 games and have two teams with exactly the same number of points and games played ranked just below them.
At present, Stars are on a two-game winning streak with the recent victories coming against Montreal Canadiens (3-0) and Chicago Blackhawks (3-1).
In both the games, the defence performed exceptionally well.
Against Blackhawks, the first period went goalless while Blackhawks scored a goal in the second.
Stars hit back hard in the final and scored three goals to seal the victory.
Stars’ goaltender, Richard Bachman, said of the recent wins:
“It was nice to get back into a game and see a little bit of action. Being on the road and getting two big wins in exciting arenas to play in, going home with those definitely gives you momentum.”
Wild
Wild’s start to the season was positive as they defeated Colorado Avalanche in the first game, but the team underwent a horrible slump and lost seven games in a row after that win.
Wild finally managed to snap the skid after a win against Boston Bruins. The victory brought a good omen as they won the next game as well in an attempt to initiate a winning run.
The recent victory came against Florida Panthers in which the first period went goalless. Both the teams scored a goal each in the second and third period respectively to send the game to overtime.
After the goalless overtime, the game was forced to shootout where Wild scored twice to get the victory.
Wild’s centre, Matt Cullen, said after the game:
"It was nice to get that extra point. We battled really hard. Every point is at a premium right now. That was so important for us to get both points."
Wild are ranked at 12th spot in the Western Conference with 63 points after 60 games.
Predictions
Stars have an edge over Wild.
The sum of goals scored by both the teams might stay under six.
If Wild win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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