Ice thinning on Stars’ chance at making playoffs
Stars at Senators
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Canadian Tire Centre, Ontario, Ottawa
TV: FSSW Plus
Radio: KTCK/1310 AM and 96.7 FM
Records: Stars 21-23-10, 52 points; Senators 27-18-6, 60 pts.
About the Stars: Their hopes of reaching the postseason take a serious dent with each loss. Currently tied for 11th in the Western Conference, Dallas has three teams and seven points to overcome just to sniff the eighth and final seed. Center Tyler Seguin blasted in a power-play goal for the Stars’ only score in Tuesday’s 3-1 loss at Toronto. It was his 20th goal of the season and the fifth time in seven seasons he’s reached that mark, including the last four. Seguin has four goals and three assists in his past seven games while captain Jamie Benn has five goals and three assists in that span. The Stars haven’t held a team to less than three goals in their last 11 games, their worst stretch of the season. Ottawa is one of five teams the Stars have yet to face this season. Their next opponent, Carolina, is another.
About the Senators: They have lost four of their last five and been shutout in their last two games, 4-0 at Buffalo on Saturday and 6-0 against St. Louis on Tuesday. They have only been shutout three times this season but all in the last month. With 31 games remaining, Ottawa can’t afford a prolonged slump. The Senators sit in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference but the nine teams they lead are all within six points. Goalie Craig Anderson hasn’t played since Dec. 5, staying with his wife as she underwent treatment for a rare form of throat cancer. He could return as soon as Saturday. Mike Condon has gone 15-9-5 this season with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .911 save percent. Andrew Hammond was in goal Tuesday, his first start since Dec. 11, and held up well until St. Louis pounded home four goals in the third period. Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and Kyle Turris share the team lead with 18 goals apiece while defenseman Erik Karlsson leads the team in points (44) and ranks third in the NHL with 36 assists.
This story was originally published February 8, 2017 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Ice thinning on Stars’ chance at making playoffs."