Scorching Flames put out welcome mat for fading Stars

Stars at Flames

8 p.m. Friday, Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

TV: FSSW Plus

Radio: KTCK/1310 AM and 96.7 FM

Records: Stars 27-32-10, 64 points; Flames 39-27-4, 82 pts.

About the Stars: They lost the first two stops of their four-game trip west before playing at Vancouver late Thursday. They are 12th in the Western Conference and unlikely to make a postseason push in the final three weeks as they reside 13 points out of the eighth and final playoff slot. Dallas infused more youth into its organization with Wednesday’s signing of 22-year-old Gavin Bayreuther, an undrafted defenseman from St. Lawrence University in New York. He’ll join the Texas Stars this weekend. The Stars also promoted defenseman Julius Honka, the 14th overall pick in 2014, from the Texas Stars, where he spent the last five weeks. General manager Jim Nill said he expects the 21-year-old Honka to finish the season with Dallas. Honka has four points in 10 games with Dallas this season.

About the Flames: Calgary is the hottest team in hockey, despite Boston dousing the Flames’ franchise-tying 10-game win streak in a 5-2 decision Wednesday. Sitting fifth in the Western Conference, Calgary has gone 15-4 and scored 62 goals since Jan. 24, quieting critics of first-year coach Glen Gulutzan, the former Stars boss, whose team stumbled out of the season’s opening month with a 5-10-1 mark. Goalie Brian Elliott, who missed the Boston loss with an illness, has won nine games in a row and allowed 16 goals in that stretch. Wing Johnny Gaudreau leads the team in points (49) and Selke Trophy candidate Mikael Backlund is on his heels with 48. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton shares the team lead with 34 assists and tops the NHL with five three-point games.

This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Scorching Flames put out welcome mat for fading Stars."