Hurricanes blow into town with Dallas Stars already wobbling

Hurricanes at Stars

1 p.m. Saturday, American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: FSSW

Radio: KTCK/1310 AM and 96.7 FM

Records: Hurricanes 24-21-7, 55 points; Stars 21-24-10, 52 pts.

About the Hurricanes: This visit marks the end of a three-game road trip and will be followed by Carolina’s league-mandated five-day bye week, new this year to the NHL (Dallas’ bye begins Feb. 19). Like the Stars, the Hurricanes are in the bottom quarter of their conference and would need a considerable late-season push to legitimize postseason thoughts. Carolina has been dealing with a shortage of offense, scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their last nine games. The reason is pretty obvious. Left wing Jeff Skinner leads the team in goals (18) and points (37) but has just one goal and one assist in the past 10 games. Center Victor Rask, second in points (32), has none in the past 10 games.

About the Stars: Their start to February has been like driving behind an 18-wheeler on a gravel road. They’ve taken four straight hits – their longest losing streak of the season – and have the third-worst record in the 30-team league. Thursday’s 3-2 loss in Ottawa typified their bad fortune. Dallas fell behind 2-0 in the first period after allowing a short-handed goal – their league-leading ninth – and putting the puck into their own empty net during a delayed penalty. The Stars gave up three goals in Ottawa, extending to 12 their streak of games allowing at least three (including one shootout). Young defenseman Julius Honka was sent back to the AHL’s Texas Stars after spending three weeks with Dallas.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Hurricanes blow into town with Dallas Stars already wobbling."